An Irish comedian with autism is fundraising to bring his sell out show, that is about the stigma around growing up autistic to the Edinburgh Fringe.
Ian Lynman, 28, is a comedian from Dublin who is aiming to do a three week run of his show, 'Autistic Licence' this August at the world famous arts festival.
Between rising living costs and steep registration fees impacted by the Covid pandemic, a number of performers have taken to fundraising pages to cover costs of bringing their show to the Edinburgh Festival.
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The 28 year-old works part time for an Autism charity while studying a masters in digital marketing.
Due to money being tight, the performer is looking for some public support to bring the informative but humorous show to the capital.
Speaking to Edinburgh Live the Dublin performer said: “I have done the Fringe before but never as a solo performer.
"I have seen lots of concern from other performers on social media that have concerns about financing performing at the Fringe with many just deciding not to go.
“If it had been a different year I probably would have been the same but it's the first time I had the level of influence to stage my own solo show, at one of the big venues so it was too big an opportunity to turn down.
“There is a statistic that 80 per cent of people with autism are unemployed, thankfully I’m in the 20 per cent but I’m currently doing an online masters in digital marketing and working part time at the National Autism Society.
"So on a part time wage and paying off student loans I wouldn’t be able to afford to pay to stage the show on my own.
"The pandemic has heightened costs across the board and made taking a show abroad even riskier.
"I need to raise funds to pay registration, rent the venue and provide accommodation for myself and my crew."
Delving into the idea behind the show and why it is so important to bring it across to Edinburgh, Ian continued: "This show represents half a decade's worth of work on my part and performing in the Gilded Balloon means more to me than I can express.
“It's incredibly important to be able to bring this to an audience as a person with autism and show people we can be funny and act a bit like a clown but inform at the same time."
“I try to be funny but never flippant or trite, being factually accurate and educating people about autism is important too."
The comedian hits the ideal balance between being informative and barrier breaking with hilariously entertaining as the show sold out its last run in Dublin.
"I originally had a 20 minute slide show about the history of autism but I have tweaked it as I want the show to be entertaining too.
"I don’t want to misinform anyone, just communicate issues from the autistic community" he said.
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Growing up autistic, the 28-year-old is more than familiar with the assumptions readily made about those who are different.
He explained: "There is a stigma in the disabled community that you have to either be a trailblazer activist or a cause. But that's rarely the case.
"My show, Autistic License, discusses the stigma of growing up autistic, the history of autism and how we define ourselves against our labels."
Ian's show 'Autistic Licence sold-out when it debuted at Dublin Fringe in 2021 and was meant to make its UK premiere with the Vault Festival in London.
Unfortunately, Covid-19 saw the festival cancelled, this will be his first solo show at the Edinburgh Fringe - you can find out more and donate to the fundraising page here.
