The Unhinged Comedy Troupe Headed to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival
By Sean Mana
What happens when you drop a team of New York comedians into the luscious heartland of Scotland?
Well, it seems we’ll find out this summer, when sketch comedy group I MOSTLY BLAME MYSELF brings their electrifying set to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival August 20-25. IMBM has been selling out shows in New York City since 2021, performing original sketch comedy and occasionally going viral from short clips posted online. They boast over 750K YouTube subscribers, 125K follows on IG and 6M likes on TikTok.
But how does a sketch comedy troupe find their way out of a sewage filled Williamsburg basement, to one of the biggest art festivals on the planet anyway??
I can only speak for myself (Sean Mana), but when IMBM creator Nick Shanman posted that ad on Backstage, looking to assemble the most fearless, hungry, hilarious comedy team alive, I think we all felt that little tingle in our jeans that pool jets used to give us.
IMBM consists of 9 artists: Nick Shanman, Emma Rylands, Jackson and Kelly Hinden, Kaya Simmons, Allison McHugh, Justin Cooper and myself, Sean Mana. Nick had worked with some of us prior to forming to the group and some of us went through an interview process to prove we had what it takes to open our email. The night of our first meeting, we all looked at one another, already feeling the undeniable chemistry. It was immediately clear: this group, this fellowship was something special, and our different voices, personalities and taste would help set us apart from anything else in the comedy scene.
We set out to do ONE show on the third floor of The Players Theatre, just to see how it goes. A small set was prepared, rehearsed, and promoted and we sold the mother out. The theatre invited us back for another performance to see if lighting would strike twice, and we sold that show out too. The Players Theatre offered a year long residency, performing two shows a month and after selling out several months in a row, IMBM was upgraded to the 170 seat main stage where we’ve continued to sell out for the past 3 years.
There are a few voices writing for IMBM. With every new show, the writers retreat to their darkened cellars and return with a handful of scripts. The sketches are read as a group and voted into the show after a round or two of punch ups. Some of our most viral bits include a whimsical musical about the new sex offender in town, a drug dealing Dora the Explorer parody, a medieval gladiator battle where each combatant brags about their sword and a World War II era musical changing history for one historical figure. The humor is sharp, crude, shocking, silly and humbly self produced.
The virality of the group has certainly contributed to its success – strategically posting 10 second clips with a hilarious caption or click baiting text to bring the scroller in. Once their eyes are on the scene, it’s over for them – they’re fans for LIFE. Some clips have been shared around the internet bringing a flood of new viewers to our channels and pages.
With six performances on the horizon at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, IMBM has a huge collection of great material to pull from and any combination of fan favorites will lead to a brilliant show. We’re excited to take our comedy out of New York City and slap it on the faces of our international audience.
I MOSTLY BLAME MYSELF will perform LIVE at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival August 20-25 at the Gilded Balloon! Tickets are available now.
https://www.youtube.com/@imostlyblamemyself
imostlyblamemyself.com
@imostlyblamemyself