EdFringe Talk: Japanese Grandma Funeral

Posted in *EdFestivals 2026, *Written Interviews by

“I made so many friends just standing in line for some shows, and that’s what a great festival is about, a place to make friends, who are so, so in love with the performing arts.”

WHO: Kento Morita

WHAT: “Kento the clown missed his grandmother’s funeral in Japan due to Covid restrictions. He’s trying to recreate the traditional rites, but it keeps going wrong. Can the audience help him achieve closure in this gentle, heartwarming comedy? Blending clown and storytelling with Japanese and Okinawan funeral customs, Kento attempts to process 108 of his grandma’s memories, along with unresolved thoughts and small, stubborn facts about her life, in a show that is both deeply personal, yet widely relatable. What begins as a failed ceremony becomes a gentle, intimate invitation to laugh, remember and let go.”

WHERE: Playground 1 at ZOO Playground (Venue 186) 

WHEN: 17:45 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This is my second Edinburgh Fringe! Last year, I just came to check it out and was blown away by the kaleidoscope of talent and art forms, all performing all day everywhere. I made so many friends just standing in line for some shows, and that’s what a great festival is about, a place to make friends, who are so, so in love with the performing arts.

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

I learned to ask for help. The whole show started as a simple dream of me wanting to pay tribute to my grandma, but through clown. The moment I told my friends about it, so many people came out to support me, and it has been a huge lesson in learning to ask for and accept help. It’s honestly the biggest lesson I feel my grandma is teaching me through this show beyond the grave.

Tell us about your show.

Six years ago, I missed my grandma’s funeral due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, and this show is my way of atoning as a clown. Saki Kawamura is my director, she’s a brilliant artist whom I met through a table read for a play I did last year. Rob Howard is my co-producer and he and I met at Edinburgh last year, and bonded over our mutual appreciation for the New York Islanders hockey team (I was the back up mascot, and he a lifelong fan!). And finally, Peter Michael Marino (who’s doing Planet of the Grapes at Pleasance!) has been a mentor and devising advisor for many years! This show has had some previews in Adelaide, Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York, wherever I was able to bring my props to during business trips, and I’m so excited to premiere it at Edinburgh! My hope is to take this show to colleges across the US.

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

You need to check out Peter Michael Marino’s Planet of the Grapes at Pleasance, 3 Times I Killed by Andrea Coleman at Zoo Playground, Ethan & Gigi Present: THE MOVEMENT at Underbelly (Colgate), Blizzard by Piotr Sikora at Nic 8, MIND ER3CTION by Andy Needham at Just Up The Stairs, Dog Funeral by Zoe Wohlfeld at Underbelly (Cowgate), and I KNOW I’m missing some more!

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