Q&A with Anna Thomas: How to Juggle a Ferret

The show deals with grief, loneliness and loss, but also sounds incredibly playful and funny. How did you find the balance between those tones?

I guess I just tried to be as honest as I could about it all. Death, in its nature is obviously very upsetting, but also I found the process of grieving to be full of absurd moments. I was really struggling at times to wrap my head around the grief, and in turn I had some very odd coping mechanisms and found myself walking into a bit of a strange period of my life as learned to live with the loss. The early work-in-progress shows did help a lot in finding the balance in tone, as through them, I learned my personal boundaries with what I’m okay to talk about on stage without crying, and I also paid attention to audience reactions, as I did not want people leaving the show feeling upset.

You’ve been described as a “a feral Beatrix Potter,” which is both hilarious and oddly perfect. Did you enjoy that comparison?

That’s nice, I do like that comparison. I guess both me and Beatrix Potter have spent a lot of time around animals, or at least thinking about them. I loved Peter Rabbit growing up. I, too, have since tried painting rabbits, but I’m afraid I can’t get them to sit still and the paints getting everywhere. Also, animal rights people have been in touch, but, as I told them, I let the rabbits choose which face paint designs they’d like that day, and I don’t make any of them pay a penny for my rabbit face-painting services.  

Winning the BBC New Comedy Award was a huge moment early in your career. Did it change your confidence at all?

Oh, absolutely. It gave me a bit of a nod to carry on doing stand-up, and let me know that I was vaguely on the right track. Plus, the production were kind enough to edit my bit so that you couldn’t see me dropping a snotty tissue on the stage during the final, which was lovely of them to do. I could have been known as the snot goblin of comedy by now. 

You’ve supported comedians ranging from Joe Lycett to Kiri Pritchard-McLean. Have you learned different things from performing with very different comics?

Tour support has taught me so much. I always try to stay and watch the shows every time, and it’s incredible to see how much great comics don’t rest on their laurels. Big comedians like those you mentioned there are where they are today because, yes they’re naturally funny and nice to be around, but also because they work hard to get their shows in the best place possible. I’d see them adding new jokes into every nook and cranny going, tightening-up phrasing that was already dead tight to begin with. It was a really inspiring environment to be in, and it taught me that you’ve got to be present in your shows, not just regurgitating the material from city to city, but tailoring it to the audience in front of you.

Your shows seem full of imagination but also grounded in real emotion. Do you think humour helps people process grief differently?

I believe so. Death in itself is so absurd, like how on earth can someone be around one day and gone the next? Just such a ridiculous thing for anyone to wrap their head around. But also, I’ve found that at wakes there’s often laughter, because, of course, everyone is usually sharing stories of happier times, but also because emotions are so high in times of grief, and it can be all-consuming, but laughter is cathartic and lets you release a tiny bit of that steam. I think jokes and laughter are just another way many of us try to cope with grief, and sort subconsciously say to each other “do you feel this way too?”.  

Anna Thomas: How to Juggle a Ferret at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe from the 3^rd – 30^th August (not 18^th). For more information visit: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/anna-thomas-how-to-juggle-a-ferret