Shay Mace
New York stand-up comedian Meka Mo will arrive at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe next month with her stand-up hour New York City Dreams – exploring how her upbringing in NYC has affected her worldview, travels, and making sense of the modern world through the lens of multiculturalism, immigration and identity. We caught up with Meka for a pixelated pint to find out more about bringing her story to the stage, and finding the laughs in between.
You can catch New York City Dreams at Just Out Of The Box at Just The Tonic at The Caves on August 20th – 30th from 18:40 (60mins). Tickets are available through the EdFringe Online Box Office.
Shay: Hi Meka, tell us about how ‘New York City Dreams’ deals with immigration and why you have decided to bring this to the stage now?
Meka: New York City Dreams is a show about how growing up in Queens shaped the way I see the world. New York isn’t just the setting—it’s the perspective I bring to everything, whether I’m talking about travelling through India, performing in West Virginia, or just trying to make sense of the everyday chaos of modern life. It’s a fast-paced hour of stand-up that explores ambition, identity, multiculturalism, and the funny misunderstandings that happen when different worlds collide.
It also feels like the right time to bring this show to the stage. We’re living through a moment where people are feeling divided and overwhelmed, but comedy has a way of reminding us of the things we have in common. New York City Dreams celebrates curiosity, resilience, and the humour you find when you step outside your comfort zone. After making my Fringe debut in 2024 as part of 3 Queens of New York, I’m excited to return with a show that’s even more personal and that I think speaks to the moment we’re all living through.
Shay: Tell us about your process for putting together this hour – what do you do to get yourself motivated and what challenges have you found with this material?
Meka: I actually started building this show during my 2024 Fringe run with 3 Queens of New York. Back then, I only had a 20-minute set, but I knew I wanted to talk about where I’m from and how growing up in one of the world’s most multicultural cities has shaped the way I see people and the world around me.
New York City Dreams is an expansion of those ideas. The show explores my early experiences of culture shock while travelling, the lessons I’ve picked up along the way, and how those experiences have changed my perspective. I also like weaving current events into my comedy, so the material is constantly evolving as the world changes. This hour is really the culmination of my experiences, my travels, and my point of view.
Shay: Tell us about your comedy icons – who are they, and how have they influenced your work?
Meka: My two biggest comedy icons are Chris Rock and George Carlin.
What I’ve always admired about Chris Rock is the way he centred the Black experience in his comedy while making it accessible to everyone. He could take complex conversations about race, identity, and society and make people laugh without losing the point. People still quote his jokes today when talking about race relations, which says a lot about how impactful his work has been.
George Carlin is another huge influence because of how his comedy evolved over time. As his material became more political and socially aware, it never stopped being funny. Decades later, we’re still debating many of the same issues he was talking about on stage. That’s the kind of longevity I admire.
For me, that’s the mark of great comedy. It’s not just about getting laughs in the moment—it’s about creating jokes that stand the test of time and resonate with people from different backgrounds. That’s something I aspire to with my own work.
Shay: What do you do when you’re faced with writer’s block?
Meka: Honestly, I’m faced with writer’s block most of the time. That’s why I don’t rely on sitting at a desk waiting for inspiration—I write on stage. I’ll go up with a concept, talk it through, riff on it, and see what gets a reaction. I’m not sure it’s the most conventional process, but it’s the one that works for me.
Usually, the first thing I come up with is the punchline. The premise, setup, and structure evolve through performing it over and over again. I actually started comedy later in life, but I’ve always been someone people found funny in conversation. So I trust that instinct. The audience helps me discover where the joke really is.
Once I know a joke works, that’s when I sit down and write it out properly, tighten the wording, and give it a structure. For me, the stage is where the writing happens, and the notebook is where the editing happens.
Shay: Has/will the show be performed anywhere ahead of EdFringe?
Meka: Yes. New York City Dreams has already had a preview performance at Q.E.D. Astoria in New York on 21 June, which was a great opportunity to test the material in front of a home crowd.
Before heading to Edinburgh, I’ll also be performing the show in Amsterdam on 20 July and at Comedy Clubhouse in Barcelona on 31 July. Those previews are invaluable—they give me the chance to keep refining the material so it’s as sharp as possible by the time I arrive at the Fringe.
Shay: Given the themes of Binge Fringe, if your show was a beverage of any kind (alcoholic, non-alcoholic – be as creative as you like!), what would it be and why?
Meka: If New York City Dreams were a drink, it’d be a New York-style Long Island Iced Tea. It’s bold, fast-paced, and looks deceptively easy going until it hits you. It’s a mix of different ingredients that somehow work perfectly together—kind of like New York itself. You’ve got different cultures, different perspectives, and a lot of chaos, but it all blends into something unforgettable.
A reminder, you can catch New York City Dreams at Just Out Of The Box at Just The Tonic at The Caves on August 20th – 30th from 18:40 (60mins). Tickets are available through the EdFringe Online Box Office.
