Luke Wright: Joy! is a show about happiness. Why is so much of the best art about misery and depression? Is it even possible to create great art about happiness? Luke’s on a mission to find out.

Luke is probably the Fringe’s favourite poet, well respected for his observational poetry, empathy for the characters who populate his work and forthright views on the state of the nation. Flamboyant, political and riotously funny, Luke has an international reputation as a leader of the spoken word scene and as one of the UK’s most riveting spoken word performers He has won a Fringe First, a Stage Award for acting excellence and three Saboteur Awards, including Best Performer.

Tell us about Luke Wright: Joy!, what can we expect?

JOY! is a poetic meander through the concept of happiness in early middle age, taking in parenthood, food content creators and abseiling bishops – all from the perspective of a weak-willed man, addicted to pleasure. There are thirteen poems, one song, and a smattering of excellent gags. There will be bits that make you hoot with mirth and other bits that might make you cry but hopefully the audience will leave feeling buoyed and perhaps just a little bit opened up.

Why make a show about joy? Aren’t most artists more interested in telling audiences how hard done by and thus miserable they are?

Well there is a distinct danger that making a show about JOY could result in something very bland. The French novelist Henri De Monthelant warned that “happiness writes in white ink on a white page.” But then he ended up killing himself because everyone found out he was pederast, so perhaps he doesn’t get everything right. It was certainly a challenge to find the light, it is easier to go towards the dark, there’s certainly a lot of that around at my age. But hopefully what I have done is find the cracks of light shining through.

What do you hope that audiences will take away from Luke Wright: Joy!

Well, I hope they will feel, in some small way, changed by what they have experienced, that the show will make them see things with a slightly altered perspective, one that they appreciate. 

You brought a trio of award-winning verse plays to the Fringe, have you tired of this format in favour of a set of shorter poems?

To be honest, I love the challenge of making the plays but then I have to perform them for a year and I don’t enjoy spending a year acting. I much prefer being a stand up poet, reacting in the moment to audiences. I learned a lot from writing those plays and that has informed these shows I’m writing now, but I feel there is plenty to challenge and stretch me as a writer and performer without having to pretend to be another character for a year at a time.

What first inspired you to write poetry?

It was seeing Ross Sutherland perform a set of poems. He was 19, I was 16. I’d never seen anything like it before. I didn’t know poetry could be so inventive and exciting. It was like watching the frontman of a band, a stand-up comedian and wise old writer rolled into one. Done well it’s the best thing you’ll ever see on a stage. Done badly it’s the worst. I like the danger of that.

Have you had any particularly memorable past experiences at The Fringe (either performing or in general – or both!)that you’d like to tell us about?

I grew up at the Fringe, I’ve spent almost two years worth of Augusts living in Edinburgh. Like the Orgazoid I’ve been both as low and as high as you can get.

What are the key pieces of advice you have been given or would give to performers new to the Fringe?

Stay sane. Look after yourself! Take time out. Watch Endeavour and have a night off. 

What is your favourite thing about Edinburgh during August?

Climbing Arthur’s Seat, running into someone you haven’t seen for years in Palmyra at 4am, stepping on stage with a new show.

Any tips for other shows to see?

Elf Lyons is great and inventive and important. See her show Horses. And anything Paul Foot does is always brilliant.