How TikTok Confidence Transformed My Fringe Festival Experience
Performing live on stage at the world’s largest arts festival, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, is a daunting task. Unlike TikTok, where you can edit or delete a failed post, live performances require unwavering confidence and quick adaptability. For many TikTok stars, however, the leap from screen to stage felt natural. This article explores how TikTok confidence at Fringe helped these artists transition from online fame to live theatre.
Building Confidence Through TikTok
For many performers, TikTok serves as a platform to experiment and build confidence before facing live audiences. Courtney Buchner, a comedian with over a million likes on TikTok, credits the platform for giving her the courage to perform at the Fringe. “Posting on TikTok helped me build my confidence,” Courtney shares. The relatively safe environment of TikTok allowed her to refine her craft without the immediate pressures of a live audience.
Courtney’s TikTok content, particularly her sketches centered around women’s football, has connected with a broad audience. While she hadn’t initially planned to perform at this year’s Fringe, a last-minute opportunity arose, and she seized it. “Now I’m ready to face an audience, to experience live reactions,” she says. Unlike online engagement, where responses are behind screens, performing live allows Courtney to directly connect with her audience—a challenge she finds both intimidating and rewarding.
From Screen to Stage: The Transition
Transitioning from online content to live performance presents its own challenges. Courtney and others have faced skepticism from those who view online fame as less legitimate than traditional paths in performing arts. “There’s a feeling of insecurity, like you have something to prove,” Courtney acknowledges. Yet, she stands by the dedication it takes to build an online following, noting that it requires just as much effort as performing in a theatre.
Chris Hall, another TikTok sensation with nearly 600,000 followers, shares a similar journey. He began posting on TikTok during the lockdown, where his comedic skits—like a series where he and his sister pretend to be backing singers—quickly gained traction. The success of his videos even caught the attention of music legend Shania Twain. “Shania [Twain] was our biggest,” Chris recalls, noting how her recognition boosted his online presence.
Despite his online success, Chris chose to present something different at the Fringe, opting to leave behind the backing singers skit. “Some people come expecting that, but they’re pleasantly surprised by what they see instead,” he says. The live stage offers a unique opportunity to connect with audiences in a way that online platforms cannot replicate. “It’s so nice to meet people in real life,” Chris adds, emphasizing the value of in-person feedback in shaping his performances.
Adapting to Live Audiences
Abi Clarke, with nearly a million TikTok followers, took a different path. She started in stand-up comedy before transitioning to social media, making her journey the reverse of Chris and Courtney’s. “I didn’t want to be a social media person,” Abi admits, though she acknowledges that a strong online presence is essential for today’s comedians. Her TikTok success, with over 27 million likes, opened new doors but also posed the challenge of translating online content to live performances.
“It’s scary. It feels like introducing my school friends to my work friends,” Abi says, describing the process of merging her online and offline personas. Performing live requires a different energy than creating short, targeted TikTok videos. “They’re different forms of performance with different vibes,” she notes, but both are integral to her identity as a comedian.
For comedians like Abi, using social media as a launchpad for live performances is a natural progression. However, she stresses the importance of respecting the live genre. “People want the live genre to be respected, not something done on a whim,” Abi emphasizes.
Key Differences Between Online and Live Comedy
One of the biggest challenges performers face when transitioning from TikTok to the Fringe is adapting their content for a diverse, unpredictable audience. On social media, “you can be much more niche,” Abi explains, as people with similar interests are more likely to follow you. At the Fringe, however, “you don’t know who’s going to walk through that door… you have to make sure it’s funny for everyone.”
Keeping an audience engaged for an hour is a significant shift from the brief skits that thrive on TikTok. “You have to keep their attention for an hour,” Abi notes, which she finds challenging but ultimately more rewarding. The immediacy of live audience reactions, the energy in the room, and the unpredictability of live performance all contribute to an experience that social media can’t match. “Social media can get lonely… it can get you down,” she admits. “Nothing compares to live laughter and being in a room with people. A laugh emoji will never match that.”
Conclusion: The Power of TikTok Confidence at Fringe
The rise of TikTok confidence at Fringe underscores the platform’s role in helping performers transition from online fame to live stages. For comedians like Courtney, Chris, and Abi, TikTok provided a foundation to build confidence, test material, and connect with audiences in ways previously unimaginable. As these performers continue to bridge the gap between digital content and live shows, they prove that skills developed online can translate into powerful, memorable experiences in the real world.
If you have any news which you want to share, you can send us, we will post it on our platform Click here
Panjabi, Bollywood, Hollywood (English & Dubbed) movies online, Click here
