An Interview with Ege Öztokat

The world has flooded to Edinburgh this August, including a very cool comedian from Turkey

Hello Ege, so where ya from & where ya at, geographically speaking?
I am from Istanbul, Turkey, and I am still based in Istanbul. Gorgeous place with lots of chaos, I love it.

What is the comedy scene like in your country?
TV and film are pretty restricted due to state censorship but theater in Turkey has always been very strong, and Turkish stand-up has been growing so fast. People there still lean towards more traditional storytelling in comedy, so there’s a lot of room for our alternative scene to grow. But, with talents like Özge Özel or Çağla Alkan consistently breaking the mold, I have a lot of hope for my own stand-up in Turkish.

As for the English-language stand-up scene in Istanbul, which is where I perform more, it is very diverse and very fun, you find surprising performers at every show. It is also a safer space because as the heart, brain, and organizer of the biggest English comedy organization TB English Murat Halil Gençoğlu puts it, “Fascists never bother to learn a second language”. Our scene isn’t super competitive, which is good and bad. It’s great for a sense of community, but not so great because it means there aren’t many opportunities to compete for. However, there are a lot of amazing performers who want to do more, so I hope we can build together and create our own spaces.

When did you first realise you were funny?
Since early childhood, I used humor in tough situations, cheering up friends and family when they were down. My first memory of telling a joke was at my father’s funeral when I was 8. It wasn’t a great joke -maybe even a tiny bit Islamophobic out of context- so I won’t repeat it here… SORRY, I was 8, and the funeral was in a mosque.

I still go to humor as a coping mechanism, to console the dearest and nearest to me – it is not always welcome so I have to dial it back sometimes. But it wasn’t until I tried improv six years ago that I realized I could translate it to the stage. Now, I see the deeper value of humor as a way to connect and get through difficult sh*t together. When someone helps me reframe something difficult in a way that allows me to laugh about it, it broadens my perspective so much. My biggest wish is to be able to do the same for others.

Can you tell us about your training?
My background is actually in communications – I studied journalism. Yes, I studied journalism in Turkey, so I guess it was always a joke. I then went on to do my master’s in the sociology of communication. In terms of comedy, I trained at YOTA, an Istanbul-based improv theater, where my amazing troupe and I performed all over the city. I also completed the improv program at the Upright Citizens Brigade. Since childhood, I have played piano, the drums, the ukulele and I’m now trying to learn how to play the guitar. But I know my musical background doesn’t necessarily come across during my performances as I keep the songs very simple to focus on the jokes.

You’ve got three famous performers (dead or alive) coming round for dinner. Who would they be & what would you cook; starters, mains & dessert?
This is the hardest question known to humankind. Okay. I’m just going with the first people who come to mind: Amy Poehler, Tina Fey, and Maya Rudolph. They are already good friends, so hopefully, I won’t have to stress too much about keeping the conversation going – though I’ll definitely be trying hard to seem normal.

I’m terrible at cooking, so fingers crossed I don’t upset the stomachs of these incredible talents. For starters, I’m making hummus for Mediterranean reasons, and kale chips to have something to dip. The main course will be oven-baked parmesan Brussels sprouts with spaghetti cooked in red wine – a video-recipe I found on a Facebook page called “Tasty,” which was all over my feed in the early 2010s, but I won’t tell them that’s where it’s from. For dessert, I’ll make pasteis de nata, those delicious traditional Portuguese tarts – the one thing I can make that I’m actually proud of. I hope none of them are very strict about gluten.

When did you decide to come to Edinburgh Fringe with a show?
I started planning to come to Edinburgh two years ago. Last year, I was too late, and my material wasn’t going to be ready in time. But this year, my solo show “Antidepressed” finally came together, and I got to perform it several times in Istanbul. I wasn’t entirely sure if I was ready, but at least the material was. I thought, why not? Plus, I really wanted to see Catherine Cohen, Patti Harrison, and Natalie Palamides live, and discover all the amazing performers I wouldn’t hear of if not for the Fringe. So the Edinburgh Fringe seemed like the natural path for me as a newcomer alternative-ish stand-up.

I was really excited to share my material with a wider, more international audience, and now that I’m here, I realize I made the right decision. On my first night in Edinburgh, someone dressed like a leprechaun – I’m not sure if there are leprechauns in Scottish folklore but there was one at this party sponsored by a brand of gin.- told me to “harness the magic of the Fringe.” Of course, I rolled my eyes at that—but yes, there is something lowkey magical about everyone creating and sharing.

What is the show about?
I see “Antidepressed” as my take on the absurd highs and lows of modern womanhood and mental health. “Antidepressed” was born out of my experience working as a “gender-based violence rapporteur” at an NGO in Istanbul, a job that, unfortunately, took a toll on my mental health. By the time I quit, my OCD, anxiety, and other mental health issues were stronger than ever. With the help of a psychiatrist and some antidepressants, I was finally able to find humor in the things that had once depressed me—and it turns out, they’re quite funny – to me at least. In my show, I talk and sing about everything from how expensive abortions are to why I just can’t find the time to fall in love (I do have time, but my OCD brain is very scared, so let’s call it being lazy). I also subvert some typical “female stand-up” tropes, aiming to make everyone laugh as much as possible. I’m thrilled to bring it to a wider, international audience. So, if you’re at the Fringe, please join me, we have fun.

Can you tell us more about your song-craft?
Thank you for calling it a craft, that is too generous. Honestly, it’s a chaotic and unstable process. I usually get a tune stuck in my head, see how it works with a ukulele, and then I try to add in as many jokes as possible while trying to keep a semblance of an actual song. I’ve been working on adding more bridges, though I can never seem to write a good one. As a Swiftie, I know how important they are.

Sometimes I try to write more stand-up, but everything seems to come to me in song. My songwriting isn’t very systematic, if I sit down to write a song right now, I couldn’t. But I have a lot of fun with it when the songs come to me.

What have been the biggest obstacles you overcame while putting your show together?
Of course, the biggest obstacle is doing comedy in English in a country where English is not the first language. Like most people here, I am my own director, producer, PR, and techie (I even had to bring my own microphone and microphone stand from Turkey). Specifically for the Fringe, I think not being based in the UK is a challenge to any international newcomer. I now realize not having a semi-established name in the UK, not having previews in London, or not having a couple of stars on my poster made me miss out on some opportunities. As this is my first Fringe, I am learning as I go. My second Fringe will have fewer obstacles, whenever that may be.

What is your last-minute routine before stepping out on stage?
While walking to the venue I usually listen to the silliest musical comedy pieces I can find. “Sexy” from Tina Fey’s Mean Girls Musical is frequently a first choice. Anything made by Rachel Bloom and Adam Schlesinger reminds me why I do what I do and puts a smile on my face.

If I’m nervous, right before going on stage I remind myself to have fun, sometimes I close my eyes for two seconds and think “Remember to have fun.” That’s why I always like watching the performers before me, you won’t find me in the green room, I’m usually watching the sets and laughing so loudly that the audience thinks I’m faking it so they start laughing. But I’m not faking it, I love comedy.

You’ve got 20 seconds to sell the show to somebody in the streets of Edinburgh…
Sad Turkish woman does stand-up, is less sad.

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