#1 SON to Make World Premiere at the 2024 Edinburgh Fringe

"#1 Son" is a scandalous, sacrilegious comedic spectacle about God and being daddy's favorite. A mix of drag, clowning, and unexpected puppetry feature in this sure-to-be fringe hit from Los Angeles comedy artist Natasha Mercado.

Natasha, who stars as our male protagonist Father Greg Orian, tries to answer once and for all, "Why did God make me his sexiest Son?" Father Orian promises the audience the Mass of a lifetime... including a flirtatious communion, and a sermon about breaking up with the devil and following one's heart - or er, butt.

At the show's high point, the audience becomes ready to repent. And where we normally would find a sexless person leading us to salvation, we instead have Greg- which is what makes being God's "#1 Son" so irresistible.

Natasha's "#1 Son" follows on the heels of the international Fringe success of her award-winning solo show "Tree"-which was called "one of LA's Top Ten Shows" and "a must see" by LA's Stage Raw and Victoria's Times Colonist. This wildly-popular show's accolades include "Best Clown/ Physical Theatre" at the 2022 Victoria Fringe... "Most Fringe Buzz" and the George Wallace Producer Pick at the Orlando Fringe 2023... winner of the Encore Producers' Award at the Hollywood Fringe 2022... and multiple sold-out runs in the United States and Canada.

Natasha Mercado is a prolific and innovative actress, director, producer, writer, and theater arts educator. She moved to Los Angeles, became a clown while working a "real job" at Upright Citizen's Brigade, and the rest is history. She's appeared on Adult Swim, Amazon, HBO, and stages across LA.

This year, Natasha plays a major role in the TBS reboot of "The Joe Schmoe Show"-- the show within a show that takes aim at the absurdity of reality TV by making a regular guy believe he is competing on a reality show, when he is in fact, surrounded by a cast of highly skilled improv comedians.

She created "Send in the Clowns", the first monthly clown show at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. She also teaches year-long theater residencies alongside the Unusual Suspects Theater, whose goal is to mentor, educate, and enrich youth in under-resourced communities through the creation of collaborative original theater.

Natasha has also taught adults at Stomping Ground Comedy Theatre, along with a workshop called "Playful Mindfulness" sponsored by the National Alzheimer's Association to implement improv into the world of caregiving. In 2020, she was named an "Emerging Content Creator" by the National Association of Latino Independent Producers.

She's worked as a director and producer for branded events at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre and brought customized comedy programs to groups across the country, including improv, sketch, storytelling and public speaking intensives.

Natasha's "#1 Son" show is co-directed by Chad Damiani who is a pioneer of LA's contemporary clown scene. His journey began over 25 years ago as an announcer for World Championship Wrestling - where he learned from the greatest physical storytellers in the world. Chad was a featured performer at the Lyric Hyperion, performing weekly with international clown stars like Natalie Palamides and Dr. Brown. Those collaborations have led to a number of clown-inspired TV projects, an appearance on America's Got Talent and regular work with the Vegas-based circus powerhouse Spiegelworld.

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