Carol Caffrey has a poignant reason why she is back 'in the business' and bringing her one-woman play Music For Dogs to the Fringe.

1. Tell us about your career so far. Are you happy with where you're at?

"Career" is rather too grand a title for the twists and turns my life has taken. I worked as an actor back in the day in Dublin in the 80s, mostly with Moving Theatre (a touring community theatre company) and TEAM Theatre-in-Education, after some years as a secondary school teacher in Nigeria, Paris, Dublin and - Doncaster.

In 1986, or thereabouts, I formed a comedy duo with actor and director Annie Kilmartin, called The Bawdy Beautifuls. For a couple of years we toured prisons, women's clubs, late night spots and festivals, and had a ball (if not a steady income) while doing so. I moved to the UK in 1991 when I met and married my present husband; two kids and the longest career break - ever? - Later (24 years) I'm treading the boards again with this one-woman play.

I'm happy to be doing again what I've always loved but of course I look at other actors doing stuff and work going on and I want to do a Yosser (as in Boys From The Blackstuff by Alan Bleasedale) on them. ("Gis a job; I can do that", for those of you too young to remember.)

I've been writing (fair-to-middling short stories and bad poetry, mostly, though I have been published in the Fish Anthology and Bare Fiction magazine) for a few years and hope to develop that side of things along with theatre work in the future. If I'm back here next year, with a play I've written myself, I'll be ecstatic with where I'm at.

2. Describe your show in exactly 23 words.

A funny and moving story of how one woman survives personal tragedy, accidentally (and somewhat dubiously) making a small fortune in the process.

3. Why are you putting yourself through this famously stressful experience?

You'll have gathered from my answers already, I think, that I'm not a comedian or a stand-up per se, but rather an actor who is presenting a play, probably best described as a black comedy.

Small, independently-produced no- budget shows, featuring a performer no-one has heard of are hard to find bookings for, though things are starting to build nicely. I'm lucky in that I've got a lovely gig coming up next year, at the SECC in Glasgow. Music For Dogs is going to open the 11th Palliative Care Congress (with about 1,000 delegates) there on March 9th, so the thoughts of all those lovely bums on seats will help to keep me going if there are not quite so many during the Fringe.

Edinburgh is a showcase - perhaps too large a one - where hopefully you can at least get reviewed (though I'm beginning to wonder as my inbox isn't bursting with replies from journos I've sent individually-crafted e-mails to - hint hint.) If I can come away from the Festival with good reviews I will be able to attract the interest of more venues/events. That's the theory, anyway, but what do I know? I believed the opinion polls before the general election...

The other reason I'm back in "the business" and bringing Music For Dogs to Edinburgh is a rather sad one, so skip to the next answer if you don't want to go there. Flippancy aside, though, I made a vow three years ago when the last of my four siblings died, just shy of her 60th birthday. I lost my two brothers and two sisters in the space of a few years, mostly due to cancer, all of them before, or just as, they reached 60. That vow was to make the most of whatever time I might have left on this earth. There is no rhyme or reason to why I have been spared thus far, but when I hit 60 myself last December I had an almighty bash for them all and I decided to press ahead with this project and rescue it from the back burner it had been languishing on for a while. A short run in Shrewsbury, where I live, and at the Ludlow Fringe are probably not enough training for the marathon that the Edinburgh fringe will be, but at least I won't die curious...

4. Any cunning plans to get more punters in?

Absolutely none. Apart from giving away limited edition Music For Dogs CDs - which are collectors' items now - to the occasional lucky audience member. There are only 100 of these still in circulation and there are no plans to produce more. (For "plans" read "money". I did say this was a no-budget production!) Other than that, I will be relying on the kindness of strangers.

5. How much money do you think you'll lose/make this year?

Jeez, you don't pull any punches, do you? Does anyone ever reply mind your own business? Lucky for you I'm in confessional mode. I don't expect to see a return on my investment in this for a long time yet. Edinburgh alone (part-funded by a bank loan that I will be paying off for three years) is costing several thousand, mostly for accommodation, registration fees and printing/ publicity, so I'll only be doing paying gigs after this, please. The emotional investment has been huge, but exponentially rewarding, so I reckon all told it's been worth it.

6. What are you most looking forward to about your first Edinburgh Festival?

Losing my Festival virginity.

7. What other shows are you hoping to see?

Sweet Thunder, presented by Threesome; To Kill A Machine about Alan Turing; Price includes Biscuits, with Naomi Paul. (You know I'm plugging friends' shows here, don't you?)

8. If you took over programming a venue, what would you perfect line-up of comedians be?

Jackie Mason; Lenny Bruce; Imogen Coca; Judy Holliday; Groucho Marx and because you have to have the foil, Margaret Dumont, who probably didn't even know she was one. Wow, they're all dead, aren't they? Except for Jackie Mason? Maybe I don't get out enough.

9. Name the one person you'd rather not bump into during the festival.

Emma Thompson, because she has the career I want and I don't know if I could stop myself going up to her and trying to grab it off her. She's said in a Radio Times interview that she's going to the Festival to bring her daughter to some one-woman shows. Maybe we should keep her away from mine?

10. Why should audiences pick your show over the 1,700+ other comedy offerings at this year's festival?

You know, I'd love to come up with something pithy and funny here, but all I can think of is that "it's a quality script with a quality performance" (I'm quoting an admirer here, not myself.) It's funny (in places) and moving (in others) so don't come if you're expecting an out-and-out belly laugh sort of comedy. Do come if you want to be experience those contrasting emotions. And if you like Irish humour. And an Irish accent. (Will that do?)

'Music for Dogs' is at 11:10am at The Free Sisters on 18-29 August. Listing