Looser Women‘s Co-Creator Suzanne Portnoy on her First Time…

My first show and first time at the Fringe, I arrive in Edinburgh from London both nervous and excited.

“Bring a raincoat”, says my co-writer Tim Fountain, sanguine as ever.

My mum, a Fringe veteran, tells me a story about a wonderful cashmere jumper that she always brings with her and has just the right amount of ply to stave off any chill.

Being the eternal optimist I pack four lightweight dresses, two pairs of leggings, a black cardigan, some silver clogs, high-heeled sandals and one pair of socks.  I figure the likelihood of needing the socks is negligible. It is August, after all.

Arriving out of the platform to a torrential downpour, I immediately think of the two teenage boys I’ve left behind. The two boys who, on a regular basis, like to tell me I’m naively optimistic, bordering on stupid. They may have a point. I haven’t even got an umbrella.

Thankfully, I am collected at the station by our eternally cheerful intern Ralph who moonlights as our show sexologist, collecting answers from our audience every evening to our very revealing sex survey. He whisks me straight into a taxi and a brand new apartment that I’ll be sharing with Tim, who is happy as Larry to discover a premiere gay hotspot literally on our doorstep – a men’s toilet.

The next two days are a whirlwind of rehearsals and meetings until the show opens. I meet our street team, half a dozen very attractive women and, not for the first time, I’m so glad that Seabright Productions are on board.  These girls are ‘hot’.

Finally opening night arrives and I’m thrilled to discover the theatre is nearly full. Taking my seat next to our director Owen Lewis and Tim, I’m far too nervous to take notes. I’ve been waiting for this night for over two years, when Tim and I first met and decided to collaborate on a show about what women really think about sex. The next hour passes quickly and I’m relieved to find the audience laughing and smiling along with me. I’m full of admiration for Karen Dunbar, Wendy Wason and Rachel Parris for breathing life into the personal testimonies from all the women (and men) that I’ve interviewed over the past year. It really feels as if we’re onto something. I only hope that, at the end of the run, I get my sex toys back.

Looser Women
Gilded Balloon Dining Room
22:45 (60 mins)
3-29 August (not 17)