EdFringe Talk: In Other Words

Posted in *EdFestivals 2026, *Written Interviews by

“I couldn’t believe the scale, the variety, the uniqueness, and the originality of all the shows.”

WHO: Maya Shoham

WHAT: “Maya is going through something. It’s something to do with feeling… this thing of… ummm… like… maybe not even… you know… Actually, she can’t find the words to articulate what it is. So Maya does what any normal person would do: she invites an audience to help her invent new words. Word invention is an art form that requires an audience. Conveniently enough, so is theatre. The play twists and turns as Maya the playwright gets in the way of Maya the performer (and vice versa), on this increasingly chaotic journey of trying to articulate herself.”

WHERE: Just The Attic at Just The Tonic at The Mash House (Venue 288) 

WHEN: 16:00 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

It’s my first time performing! I’ve known about the festival for years, and I travelled last year to do some research and see a bunch of shows – 24 shows in 5 days, how about that?

I was blown away. To say it’s the biggest arts festival in the world is still, somehow, an understatement. I couldn’t believe the scale, the variety, the uniqueness, and the originality of all the shows. It felt like everything was possible there, art-wise. I knew I had to be a part of it, and it’s surreal that I’m about to be.

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

When people told me “word of mouth is everything at the Fringe”, they weren’t kidding. It’s EVERYTHING. I’m getting great advice that I’m currently trying to actualize: working with social media, which is something I’m notoriously quite terrible at (thank god my director does that for a living and took charge), creating strong images for the poster and flyers, and coming up with physical gifts for the audience to take home. Something small, but actual. A thing to remember the show by, and hopefully help spread the word with.

Tell us about your show.

I started writing the show after receiving a birthday letter that changed my life and made me reexamine my relationship to words. I became obsessed with the idea that words have this unbelievable, taken-for-granted power. They can shape us. They can define us. Sometimes, they can even create realities.

When I started writing, I was mostly thinking about words themselves. But when my colleague-turned-director Eden Zamir joined the team, there was an important pivot: we started looking at what words can do specifically in theater.

We worked on the script for nearly a year. I would write a draft, read it to Eden, we would discuss it, and then I would rewrite and workshop things. In October, we put on a workshop performance at The Chain Theatre in Midtown NYC, in front of an intimate group of trusted artists whose opinions we really wanted. That’s also when Tessa Faye, our now-producer, joined the team. Tessa is a rock star, and we’re beyond fortunate to have her on board.

Since then, we’ve been rehearsing, rewriting, and throwing ideas around to make sure the show is ready for the Fringe. Our most recent addition is Yair Ben-Dor, who has a bit of a secretive part in the creation of this show. If you want to know what that means, you might just have to come see our show.

This is the first professional step for the show, and we hope the Fringe will help give it a future beyond Edinburgh.

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

First on my watch list are Cadel with Connor Delves, and the newest Xhloe and Natasha show, Bigfoot Ripped My Dog In Half, I Saw It. My strategy has been to be at the Fringe and hear what everyone is talking about (word of mouth IS everything), but other shows on my radar are: Britney: Holy Mackerel!, Crying At My Podiatrist, and The Sound Within with Eisenberg and Stern.

LIKE WHAT YOU JUST READ? FOLLOW US ON TWITTER! OR SIGN UP TO OUR MAILING LIST!

INTERESTED IN BEING INTERVIEWED TOO? CLICK HERE!