Things have never felt more frightening. The few rays of political hope the Left have had over the past few years have been snuffed out. We’re waking up every day to a bleaker world than we thought was possible. But at the same time, the kids have got a hamster, and I'm not saying that cancels everything else out, but I am saying that he’s a part of it as well.

Josie Long is recovering from a concussion that honestly seems to have helped with dealing with things. Trying to accept being in her 40s, she is desperate and impatient for a wild and beautiful life for herself and her children among the ruins of the current present.

But how do you remain defiant when the world is on fire?

Josie has been teaching her children about prehistoric creatures. Not the big, obvious, dare we say basic, creatures that inhabit the world of sci-fi movies (read: dinosaurs) but the sort of normal creatures that roamed the earth as we did before becoming extinct. Prehistoric gigantic charismatic megafauna. As we have foxes stealing food from our bins, prehistoric cave people had giant sloth-like creatures, and armadillos the size of vw camper vans. There are even cave drawings to prove it. As we create art now to document our struggles, those who came before us did too. 

Josie’s new show Now Is The Time of Monsters explores what we’re meant to do next. It’s about how she is trying to meet the inertia of not knowing what to do with a new sense of defiance, especially as she brings up her small children in a world that is increasingly more difficult to live in. 

We are here to live, so let’s do it!

Josie Long is a multi-award winning comedian, writer, podcaster and film-maker. She was the first woman to be nominated three times for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival Comedy Awards (2010 - 2012). She has performed 9 critically acclaimed, global sell-out stand-up shows and her podcasts and original radio shows have garnered her a world-wide audience and multiple awards. 

She has written and performed for two short films and full-length feature film Super November. Two of her stand-up shows have been produced for streaming platforms, with Cara Josephine available on Amazon Prime and Something Better available on Netflix. Josie has also debuted a short book of stories titled Because I Don’t Know What You Mean and What You Don’t which is available now. 

Picture by Stephanie Gibson

Josie Long: Now Is The Time Of Monsters

Edinburgh Fringe

Pleasance Courtyard - QueenDome 19:00

30th July - 24th August (not 13th)

https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/josie-long-now-is-the-time-of-monsters

UK & Ireland Tour

Buy tour tickets here