London-based comedian James Trickey is back at the Edinburgh Fringe this August with his new show, Split, which is based on the experience of being punched in the face during the final night of his debut solo show last year. The incident, which left him needing stitches, has prompted him to re-evaluate his relationships and confront lingering feelings of shame and anxiety.
A Fringe finale turned violent
Last year, Trickey was enjoying a successful run of his debut solo show at the Fringe, receiving attention in the national press and living with friends while balancing his day job as an accountant. On the final night, a fire alarm forced the audience to evacuate, but they were so engaged that they asked him to continue the show outside on the streets.
As the impromptu performance moved towards Cowgate at around 10pm, a member of the public told the group to shut up. Trickey admits that, given it was a Sunday, the complaint was fair enough. He apologised and turned to tell the audience the show was over, but the stranger continued to shout, asking, 'What are you, some kind of student?'
Trickey's producer stepped in to intervene, but the man then punched him in the face. 'It came out of nowhere,' Trickey recalls. The audience gasped, and the man ran off. He was later arrested, but has not been turning up to his court dates, leading to a warrant being issued.
Aftermath: shame, stitches, and therapy
The punch split Trickey's lip so badly that he had to go to A&E for stitches. His first reaction was not anger but shame, and he has spent months working through the complicated feelings. 'The main thing was the immediate high to low,' he says, describing the shift from enjoying his run to a 'complete change in status and feeling.'
Trickey questioned whether, as a man, he should have been able to protect himself or fight back. He notes that while he does not believe in 'manosphere' rhetoric about self-protection, it 'bled through a little bit.' He also observed that other comics' main reaction was that his next show was 'sorted,' which came to pass with Split.
He felt worse about the incident than others seemed to think he should, and discussed this in therapy sessions. 'I didn't really feel super comfortable with it until maybe like January,' he says, noting that friends who had been punched at university seemed to move on quickly, but his situation was different: 'Being drunk on a night out and having an argy bargy with some dude is different to doing the final show of your Edinburgh run, that you've poured loads of time into, and having it happen in front of the audience.'
New show and lingering anxiety
The incident has made Trickey more mindful about opening up in his real-life relationships, particularly with other men. 'It's made me reach out to my male friends in ways that I might not have done before,' he says. However, it has also impacted his confidence, making him wary of members of the public in a way he never was before.
Trickey does not believe the attack was motivated by local objections to the Fringe, but rather a simple breakdown of communication and being in the wrong place at the wrong time. As he returned to Edinburgh this August, he acknowledged some apprehension, but said, 'I think I'll be okay. I'm living with some really good mates of mine. So the support network is in place.'
James Trickey's show Split runs at Bunker 2 in the Pleasance Courtyard from August 5-30 at 9.25pm.
