A New York comedian who witnessed the 9/11 terror attacks from her school window in Manhattan is bringing her brutally honest show about how the events of that day "defined" her life to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Rachel Kaly's debut Edinburgh show Hospital Hour begins with when she witnessed two planes crash into the World Trade Center from her elementary school window only a mile away. She entered therapy the next day as a result.
The 28-year-old went on to experience poor mental health , exacerbated by an estrangement from her father, a string of terrible therapists, and growing up gay which saw her hospitalized 300 times for mental health reasons.
" A lot of my anxiety started with 9/11 ," Rachel told IrishStar.com . "There were issues before that but when my mom talks about my mental health, she can trace it back to that day. I was six when it happened. I needed support.
"I don't remember the day being particularly traumatizing but the aftermath definitely was. It still informs my psyche. I was scared to take a plane for years after 9/11 because I thought there was going to be an attack.
"I can't imagine what it would be like if social media was around back then . There was a lot of fear in the US and I think social media would've fanned the flames of that even more.
"Social media exposes us to things we wouldn't be otherwise which is great for awareness and activism but it can lead to a lot of misinformation . The image of 9/11 was everywhere for years and is still hard to escape."
The dividing line between US millennials and Gen Z is often said to be, " can you remember 9/11? If you can, you're a millennial ". Rachel relates her life milestones to global events, such as the day Saddam Hussein was hanged.
A childhood spent in New York means she was very aware of the world around her , and also experienced things as a child many don't experience until they're much older, including comedy.
Rachel featured on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien aged five and started doing stand-up at the Gotham Comedy Club when she was only nine.
"My dad watched a lot of Seinfeld growing up so being confronted with stand-up and TV made me want to be a part of that ," Rachel went on. "I looked like Shirley Temple when I was young because of my crazy, curly hair.
"People used to stop my mom in the street to say I should get an agent and eventually I did. One day, we were told Conan O'Brien was doing a segment called Kids Say The Darndest Things . They chose me because of my hair."
On her stint at Gotham, Rachel explained: "Once you're in, they make you do a show once a month. It was like an engine that kept me going because I was working towards a deadline , writing new material every few weeks.
"I moved on to improv, sketch, and playwriting when I got out of high school. Comedy is a coping mechanism for me but I don't consciously think of it that way . It's just been a natural way for me to process my life experiences.
"There is a lot of catharsis in sharing stories and having to synthesise them for an audience. It's been a godsend for my mental health and has been very healing."
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Rachel Kaly: Hospital Hour is showing at Pleasance Courtyard - Bunker Two until August 25. For more information and tickets, please click here .
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