We’ve all got a little monster in us, and that’s exactly what Trygve Wakenshaw wants to celebrate in Monsterrrr!, his new show for kids. ‘It’s about a monster who’s always being told what to do. He’s a little bit naughty, but he can’t help himself. He’s got a good heart.’ When asked what he’d like kids to get from the show, Wakenshaw jokes ‘well hopefully they’ll buy some of the monster hats that are getting produced at the moment!’ But aside from the merch, he hopes kids will come away with more compassion for themselves and the other ‘monsters’ around them. ‘It’s lovely when parents come up to me and they’re like “my kid always gets bored in a theatre but I really saw them come out of their shell.” I guess that’s always been the hope.’

As much as Wakenshaw hopes Monsterrrr! will bring young audiences out of themselves, being a solo performer in a room full of excited children brings some challenges too. ‘It’s like Lord Of The Flies,’ he laughs. ‘As soon as I open up permission for them to come onstage and be nuts, then the floodgates open.’

For Wakenshaw it’s important to find that balance between bringing out the children’s inner monsters and making sure everybody is still safe and happy. ‘I like to be in control in as much of a friendly way as possible, without having to rely on the poor parents to be the bad guys. It’s a shame when the performer is good cop and parents have to be the bad cop.’

Monsterrrr! was developed in Germany with director Fabian Sattler and Toboso, an award-winning company specialising in children’s theatre. ‘I’ve shaped most of my shows in front of an audience, and this one was no different; but because that audience was a bunch of German kids, the whole thing had to be very physical,’ he explains. ‘It was quite fun for the kids correcting my terrible German.’ Now that the show is coming to Edinburgh, Wakenshaw isn’t too worried about doing it in English or about Scottish audiences responding differently because for him, ‘a show is never a fixed thing.’ He cites an example from early in the show’s development, when the character of Monsterrrr was much scarier and would frighten the younger children. ‘They did not like it! So we made him a little bit gentler. But then older audiences came along and it was too soft for them. The whole thing has just been this balancing act, and now I think we can play with that within a show.’

Despite his obvious enthusiasm for Monsterrrr!, Wakenshaw is careful not to be pigeonholed as a children’s entertainer. In fact, this August he has two other shows at the Fringe: Different Party, an office comedy, and Hot Chips, a late-night experimental clown show, both with his friend and frequent collaborator Barnie Duncan. ‘The shows totally inform each other,’ Wakenshaw says, notwithstanding their three very different premises. ‘Everything I make is informed by the work I do with Barnie. The two of us have developed our style alongside each other, so working with Fabian and his company on Monsterrrr!, I’m always like “I know that will work because I’ve tried something similar with Barnie.”’ 

He may want to be more than solely a children’s entertainer, but Wakenshaw loves the chaos of kids’ shows. ‘You don’t have to do any pretend-y etiquette,’ he explains. ‘You can just like it or not like it. Like with music! You don’t like that track? You skip to the next one. Sometimes I think theatre should be more like music.’

Monsterrrr! With Trygve Wakenshaw, Assembly George Square Gardens, Thursday 31 July–Sunday 17 August, noon; Trygve Wakenshaw & Barnie Duncan: Different Party, Assembly George Square Studios, Wednesday 30 July–Sunday 17 August, 5.10pm; Trygve Wakenshaw & Barnie Duncan: Hot Chips, Underbelly Cowgate, Saturday 2–Sunday 24 August, 11.10pm.