EdFringe Talk: Deckhand

Posted in *EdFestivals 2026, *Written Interviews by

“While I have so much love for the Hollywood Fringe, I knew from the start that my ultimate goal was EdFringe.”

WHO: Grace Guy

WHAT: “Joseph, an abrasive pushing-40 talent agent, is awoken in the middle of the night to a call from his top-billing client – she’s on Catalina Island for a photoshoot without any of her wardrobe or glam. Joseph arrives at the dock ready to set sail but waits on one last thing: his assistant Fiona. Join Joseph and Fiona as they embark on a tumultuous journey aboard a failing speedboat in this comedic look at the divide between agent and assistant. Fresh off a sell-out run in Los Angeles, Deckhand makes its Edinburgh Fringe debut!”

WHERE: Upper Theatre at theSpace @ Niddry St (Venue 9) 

WHEN: 18:10 (50 min)

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Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

When I was a senior at Emerson College, I studied comedy in London for a semester. During that time, I was lucky enough to go to the Fringe for the very first time. It was the most vibrant and lively festival, and though I got very little sleep between the shows and parties, it remains one of the best memories of my school years. EdFringe is a taste of everything. It’s the Mecca of theatre, comedy, clown, variety, stand-up—the list goes on. I knew then that one day I would come back with my own show.

Last year, my show DECKHAND made its debut at the Hollywood Fringe, and while I have so much love for the Hollywood Fringe, I knew from the start that my ultimate goal was EdFringe. Bringing this show to Edinburgh Fringe expands our audience beyond the American scope and helps us share a story that is universal to so many young people trying to break into a closed-off industry. At its core, DECKHAND is a comedic look at the divide between agent and assistant, focusing on two careerists of different generations, genders, and social backgrounds to examine the deepening divide between employer and employee.

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

In 2024, I was still working and grinding it out as a Hollywood assistant. I was grabbing coffees, getting yelled at over the phone, and hoping that one day the experience would lead to something great. It led me straight to DECKHAND. This story is based on my own experience as an assistant. My ultimate goal in writing this project was to shed light on the underlying torment assistants like me are subjected to day in and day out. This show became a cathartic love letter to every assistant I worked with along the way.

I’ve learned many lessons throughout this journey, the first of which is that speaking out against unfair treatment in an industry where you hope to find success is not without its challenges. Finding the courage to share my experience despite the risk of professional retaliation from men who benefit from silence has been an overwhelming challenge. None of this could have happened without the lighthouse of our project, our director, Wylie Anderson. Wylie and I shared in the misery of watching men parade around Los Angeles making demands while searching for parking. We took that hardship and turned it into the laugh-riot torture cruise that DECKHAND is today.

Tell us about your show.

DECKHAND is a high-speed comedy about power dynamics, confronting your reality, and how much work sucks. If you’ve ever worked a nine-to-five (or two to ten or four to one) and been promised more after years of soul-grinding service, then you’ll find something to laugh at here. The play uses a literal maritime disaster to explore a professional one. As Joseph and Fiona struggle to keep their speedboat afloat, their employer-employee relationship begins to unravel, revealing the absurdity and fragility of modern workplace hierarchies.

The show was written by me and directed by the incredible Wylie Anderson, whose recent film Thanks for Having Me premiered at the Palm Springs International ShortFest. She also directed How to Cry on Command, starring Christopher Cassarino, best known for his work on New Amsterdam (2018), NCIS: New Orleans (2018), and Mercy Street (2016). Scenic design is by Alex Mollo, whose work can be seen on stage in Ironbound (2023) and on screen in Euphoria (2025) and Yellowbelt Gallery (2024).

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

Honestly? All of our sister shows with Los Angeles Theatre Initiative! Guns In Dragonland somehow makes a show about gun violence in schools tender, hopeful, and impossible to look away from. It’s A Struggle Coming Out is camp to it’s fingertips and one of the sharpest queer comedies debuting in Edinburgh this year. And Revelation will have you laughing about the apocalypse in a diner in North Carolina and questioning what it means to challenge your beliefs and culture. Each show is student written and presented by young artists from the most esteemed universities in the states and I can’t wait to see them sell out!!

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