I’m Not a Feminist – Part 2, Aces and Eights
For Camden Fringe 2025 we are attempting to reach 100 interviews to highlight as many of the shows performing as we possibly can. Every day we will publish new interviews, so do keep coming back to see how close to our target we can get. You can find all our Camden Fringe interviews here.
Chatting with Winsie Chen about her show I’m Not a Feminist – Part 2 does throw up a lot of unanswered questions; was there a part 1 being the most pressing of them (and a question to which we have no answer… yet). But what we reckon it does answer is whether you should be heading along to see the show when it plays at Aces and Eights from 5 to 7 August, tickets here. And to that question, the answer is absolutely yes.
What can audiences expect from the show?
If your uterus is organised but your life is not, you will feel weirdly seen.
I’m Winsie Chen, a Chinese ex-banker turned tech-burnout, spiralling through feminism, fertility and failure in my first ever solo hour at the Fringe.
This Camden Fringe show is the last previews before I take it up to Edinburgh for a two-week run – it’s already had three sold-out WIP nights in London, so expect a show that’s raw but ready to hit a nerve.
There’s a clit-sucker in my flat, frozen eggs in Spain, and a Chinese dad who thinks affection is a Western weakness. Raised under communist slogans, now drowning in girlboss ones, I pick apart who modern empowerment is really for. This is stand-up for anyone suspicious of neat answers and tidy labels.
Is Camden Fringe going to be the show’s first time on stage, or have you already performed elsewhere?
This is the show’s first proper Fringe festival run, but it’s already had three sold-out work-in-progress nights in London, which helped me shape it into something raw but ready to hit a nerve. I’m doing one final preview at LOLipop Comedy Club on 28 July before kicking off my Camden Fringe run.
I’ve gigged close to 100 times in the last 18 months, but this is my first full hour at a Fringe, which feels like the right next step before taking it up to Edinburgh for two weeks. Camden Fringe is perfect for testing it with real, curious audiences who love discovering new acts.
The show’s been tried out everywhere from Slap & Giggle at The Little Yellow Door in Notting Hill to Jester Jesters at The Betsey Trotwood — now it’s ready for its Fringe debut.
What was your inspiration behind the show?
The truth is, I wanted to write a play, but trying to write a proper script while running a tech startup nearly killed me. So I turned to stand-up as the fastest way to get feedback, build my voice, and stay accountable.
I moved to London on purpose, after living in four other countries, I knew this city was the best incubator and playground for messy, honest creative work. The show comes from my constant struggle to keep up with modern feminism while staying true to myself. Being a woman today is exhausting and contradictory – and that’s where the darkest, funniest parts live.
How long have you been working on the play?
Technically, I’ve been working on the show for about 18 months, but the stories, confessions, and rage behind it have been brewing for years, in different countries, before I chose London as my base.
It’s had three sold-out WIP shows in London so far, with hundreds of tiny edits made live. Every gig has been a test bed. One day I’d love to turn this material into a full play, but for now, stand-up is where it lives best.
Is this version how you originally envisioned it or has it changed drastically since you first put pen to paper?
I’ve always seen this show in clear scenes. I’m a storyteller at heart, and I write stand-up like a frustrated scriptwriter.
About a year ago, I’d built up around 40 minutes of material and tried it out in my first ever WIP show. Then I wrote another 30 minutes over the next six months and tested that in two more WIPs this June. The version you’re seeing now is the best mix from both runs.
The scenes were always there – stitching them together into something that feels true on stage is the part that’s constantly evolving.
What was it that drew you to this show?
It’s me, but messier and bolder than real life.
I love stand-up because there’s nowhere to hide, you test your writing instantly. Performing this version of myself means leaning into my contradictions and letting them speak for themselves.
What is it about your character that you most enjoy?
I enjoy how blunt she is. On stage, I get to exaggerate the bits of me that are deadpan, dry, and not easily shocked – so I can say things people are thinking but would never admit.
I love that people sometimes don’t know if I’m joking, that tension is half the fun.
How challenging has this role been for you?
I’m usually a deadpan storyteller with dark humour and not much movement, but for Fringe, I’m pushing myself to build a bigger version of this ‘character’.
I’m adding props, physical scenes, and even awkward dances. It feels both terrifying and necessary. It’s forcing me to be less comfortable on stage – which is probably the point.
What has been the biggest challenge in realising the writer’s vision for the show?
Answer from my director, Jules Brook:
Winsie’s writing is naturally sharp, deadpan, and honest, but one of my biggest pushes has been helping her trust her body on stage too. She’s very comfortable with a mic and clever lines, but this show needs moments that break the static stand-up vibe – scenes that feel chaotic, embodied, and ridiculous in the best way.
The cheerleading dances were my idea. We spent hours practising the moves until she could hit them without looking like she wanted to run away. The hardest part has been getting her to see that her contradictions – the big dark ideas and the silly physical bits – make the show feel alive.
How important is audience interaction to you?
Stand-up lives and dies by audience interaction – you just can’t fake funniness. My writing is dark and self-aware, but it only really works if the crowd feels like co-conspirators. I do a fair bit of crowdwork, but some scenes also need direct participation, they’re part of the chaos that keeps the show from becoming just a neat rant.
Every room shapes the show a little differently, which is the best (and worst) part about doing this live.
Are there any plans for what comes next after the show has finished its run – for you or the show?
Yes! After Camden Fringe I’m taking the show up to Edinburgh Fringe for a two-week run (10 to 24 August, tickets here).
After that, who knows – if enough people keep showing up, I’d love to tour it around the UK. Otherwise, I’ll keep gigging, writing, and maybe still be the best playwright who works in a tech startup and trapped inside a stand-up comic.
If you had to describe your show as a colour what would it be?
A bruised purple – the colour you get when something is both tender and a bit painful to look at. Which is how I like my comedy.
If you could perform this show anywhere in the world where would it be?
Probably the Apollo in London – it’s beautiful, and the thought of doing a dumb cheerleading dance and unpacking USB chargers on a stage that iconic is exactly my kind of humour.
What is the weirdest or most unconventional prop used in your show?
A bag of USB chargers. One of them charges a clit sucker. You’ll have to see the show – let’s just say the real-life version wasn’t far off.
What’s the most valuable piece of advice you’ve received during your career, and how has it influenced your work on this show?
Steve Jobs said it in his 2005 Stanford speech: “Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.”
Stand-up is probably the scariest version of public speaking. I used to worry about losing dignity on stage. But you only lose it once – after that, you realise there’s a strange freedom in not needing to please anyone. That’s when the writing gets sharper, the jokes get braver, and the show feels honest.
Thanks to Winsie (and Jules) for the chat. You can catch I’m Not a Feminist – Part 2 at Aces and Eights from Tuesday 5 to Thursday 7 August.
