Edinburgh Fringe Chats (#33): Chakira Alin, HOUSE PARTY

28 Jun

Conducted by Emmie for Theatre and Tonic

As anticipation builds for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2025, we’re catching up with a range of exciting creatives preparing to bring their work to the world’s largest arts festival this August. In this series, we delve into the stories behind the shows, the inspiration driving the artists, and what audiences can expect.

Today, we’re joined by Chakira Alin to chat about House Party.

1. Can you begin by telling us about your show and what inspired it?

House Party is a one woman show about the housing crisis, gentrification and how one great party can change the world. It offers a comedic take on the housing crisis using the humble house party as a metaphor for the decline of a fair, inclusive, and open society, acting a lens through which to dissect housing inequality in Britain. It blends political commentary with stand-up, theatre and dance, culminating in an electric party atmosphere live on stage. This is a show for anyone who has ever called somewhere home or has dreamt of having one.

I saw a tweet about how everyone is single because no one has house parties anymore. It got me thinking about the disappearance of house parties and it seemed obviously related to the housing crisis. If people don’t have houses, they can’t have house parties either. I became interested in all of the different ways in which the housing crisis has affected our lives, blending in my own experiences of housing instability and growing up in post-gentrification East London, and went from there.

2. What made you want to bring this work to the Fringe this year?

This play feels very urgent. From the beginning, it felt like a show that had to be performed now. It’s been a quick turnaround of going from page to stage, less than a year since I wrote it, so much faster than these things usually happen. Its themes are timely and relevant and unfortunately only get more relevant as the housing crisis worsens. I performed at Fringe in 2022, took a couple of years off to recover and regroup, and knew I wanted to come back with a bang this year.

3. How would you describe your show in three words?

Heartfelt. Electric. Cheeky.

4. What do you hope audiences take away from watching your performance?

My hope for the show is that audiences leave feeling enraged, politically engaged, and ready to party. Oh and invite me to your house parties!

5. What’s your top tip for surviving the Fringe?

It’s a marathon not a sprint. Pace yourself. It might feel like a month-long piss-up but it’s also business. You’re there to work. The key to a great party is knowing when to go to bed.

6. Where and when can people see your show?

House Party is on at 15:20 at Pleasance Courtyard (Attic), from Wednesday 30th July to Monday 25th August 2025 (not 12th, 21st). Book tickets at:
https://www.pleasance.co.uk/event/house-party