Sixth Form Elliott: Hello future me. Thanks for taking the time to sit down with me to chat about Nothing To Lose. This’ll be great for my A-Level Media Studies coursework. Nice shirt, by the way.

Present Day Elliott: Thanks.

Sixth Form Elliott: So what’s this stand-up show about?

Present Day Elliott: Well, since this is my fifth year here-

Sixth Form Elliott: Five years? What? How did that happen? What are you now, a PhD?

Present Day Elliott: Erm...still an undergrad actually.

Sixth Form Elliott: Oh, that’s concerning. But still, five years… you must be president, nay, king of the Footlights by now!

Present Day Elliott: I mean, yeah, sure, why not. Let’s go with that. So my stand-up show is basically the product of what happens when you spend five years at this place. There’s a lot of comedy to come from my exasperation with some elements of Cambridge and particularly the theatre scene here. How I’ve had to sit through so many ropey plays during my time here just because my friends were in them. Not ignoring all the ropey plays I’ve been in, of course. The performance is set in a fake version of the ADC Bar, naturally. And there’s a ‘Cambridge Theatre Virtual Reality’ experience at one point. But most of the humour is aimed pretty squarely at myself. I go into some pretty personal stuff; masculinity, anxiety, self-image, break-ups….

Sixth Form Elliott: That’s sad. Wait, just to confirm. Does that mean I get to kiss a lady?

Present Day Elliott: Oh, more than one.

Sixth Form Elliott: Hot damn!

"The whole thing is probably a massive overshare, to be honest"

Present Day Elliott: I know. It’s a shock to us all. Relationships is one the big themes of the show as well, not only with romantic partners but my friends and family. There’s stuff about my life before Cambridge as well. Growing up in Gosport and how jarring it was when I first came here. There’s a lot in there about how much of an absolute dweeb you were.

Sixth Form Elliott: Rude.

Present Day Elliott: So I guess it’s structured as a bit of a personal journey. The whole thing is probably a massive overshare, to be honest. But I hope that if audience members can get past the fact that 90% of it is pure self-indulgence, they might find something relatable in there. That it’s okay to feel awful about yourself sometimes, or to get your heart broken; that there’s actually really something quite funny about it all. I really believe in the cathartic power of humour. And I guess I’ve always been most interested in that grey area between comedy and tragedy.

Sixth Form Elliott: Christ, you are a Cambridge student aren’t you.

Present Day Elliott: Yeah. This place has definitely made a mark on me. And I guess Nothing To Lose is also partly about my anxiety as to what the heck I’m going to next. After five years here, can I really go back to a ‘normal’ life now?

Sixth Form Elliott: None of this sounds very funny to be honest.

"all the horrendous embarrassing things that have happened to me over the years have helped me write this show"

Present Day Elliott: Don’t worry. When it comes down to it the show is mostly knob gags.

Sixth Form Elliott: Nice. Well, thanks for taking the time to talk to me. Got any tips?

Present Day Elliott: You know what. If I had my time again, I wouldn’t change a single thing. Because all the horrendous embarrassing things that have happened to me over the years have helped me write this show.

Sixth Form Elliott: Jesus. What a wetty. If this is how I turn out if I go to Cambridge, I’m just going to apply to Southampton Solent right now.

Present Day Elliott: Hold on a second… Mr. Wright, I don’t feel so good...

(due to a glitch in the space-time continuum Present Day Elliott evaporates)

Sixth Form Elliott: Shit.

NOTHING TO LOSE: INFINITY WAR IS COMING TO THE CORPUS PLAYROOM ON MONDAY 26TH NOVEMBER