EdFringe Talk: A Cat in a Box

Posted in *EdFestivals 2026, *Written Interviews by

“I worked painstakingly to make the show relatable, understandable, engaging, entertaining, heartfelt, and passionate. It had to be more than a series of memories. It had to work as theatre.”

WHO: Tom Nemec

WHAT: “A deeply personal solo play that tells a story everyone can relate to. Through darkly humorous and dramatic monologues, Tom explores love, loss and hope growing up in an alcoholic, dysfunctional family, showing how trauma shapes our lives. Offering that no matter how dark the past, the present holds the possibility of light. ‘Nemec avoids all of the flaws of the genre that make autobiographical solo plays cringeworthy’ (Showtones.com). ‘For a moment, we were united in our collective experience, and in our resolve to heal’ (ArtsIndependent.com).”

WHERE: Theatre 3 at theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall (Venue 53) 

WHEN: 14:05 (50 min)

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Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

Yes. I’ve never brought a show to Edinburgh before, so I’m excited and a little nervous. The Fringe is huge, and I know I’m going to be one person in one room trying to get people to come see a solo play. That’s scary, but it’s also why I wanted to do it.

What seems special about Edinburgh is that people go there looking for shows. They’re not just killing time. They’re there to discover things. That’s what makes a good festival to me: people taking chances on work they might not normally see.

I’m also learning how different it is to experience a festival as the person producing the show. You’re not just thinking about the performance. You’re thinking about flyers, posters, money, tech, reviews, audiences, and whether anyone is going to show up. But underneath all that, it still comes down to the same thing: get in a room with people and tell the story.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2025 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

The show has been developing for longer than 12 months, but over the past year I’ve learned even more about how much care it takes to turn personal material into a real play.

There are so many things that are part of my story and happened in my life, but not all of them helped me drive this particular play forward. I worked painstakingly to make the show relatable, understandable, engaging, entertaining, heartfelt, and passionate. It had to be more than a series of memories. It had to work as theatre.

The show is grounded in my real experience. I didn’t add stories or invent things to make it more dramatic — though there is one moment where I imagine my Evel Knievel doll coming to life. That’s not there to exaggerate the story; it’s there because it shows how a kid’s imagination can become part of how he survives what’s happening around him.

I’m 60 now, and part of what I wanted was to finally give that 10-year-old boy the voice he didn’t have then.

I’ve also learned how much I really love telling this story. It’s something I’ve wanted to do since I was a child — and something I needed to do.

I’m proud of the piece I’m bringing to Edinburgh.

Tell us about your show.

A Cat in a Box is an autobiographical solo play about growing up in an alcoholic, dysfunctional family and what you carry from that.

I wrote it, I perform it, and I’m producing it myself. The show came together because this is a story I wanted to tell my entire life. After working for many years on and off as a stand-up comedian and actor, something happened in my life that finally pushed me to tell it.

I started looking for a director who would understand my vision and also help me shape the material into a play that would be relatable and engaging. That’s how I began working with Jim Mendrinos.

The show didn’t premiere before Edinburgh in a formal sense, but I did develop it through workshops and performances in New York, including at The Tank. I’m also presenting it in New York this summer before taking it to the Fringe. After Edinburgh, I’m going to continue touring it to theatres, festivals, and rooms where this kind of story can reach people. I believe the show’s life has just begun, and I believe it can be healing.

What should your audience see at the festivals after they’ve seen your show?

I’d recommend GLOB by Les Foutoukours. I first saw clips of it on Instagram and was mesmerized, and I can’t wait to see it live. Then I read the description on their website: “A peaceful, serene, deeply human, and comical work that amazes children and gives adults a break from the frantic pace of everyday life.”

That got me. My show is personal and language-driven. GLOB looks like the opposite in the best way — movement, clowning, silence, and wonder. That’s one of the reasons I want to see it.

I’d also recommend Jordan Brookes: The Part of You That’s Always Screaming. I don’t know exactly what to expect from it, which is part of the appeal. I like work that feels risky and not too polished or safe, and his show sounds like it goes into strange, funny, uncomfortable places.

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