“A great festival has lots of water stations, bathrooms, air conditioning (for our American attendees aka us), and places to sit. We’re hoping Edinburgh has some of those items though we are praying for no heat wave.”
WHO: Hannah Ponturo
WHAT: “Get ready to shake your a$$ and dance ‘til you (hopefully don’t) die. 1518: The Dancing Plague is a satirical comedy based on the very real mass hysteria that led to uncontrollable dancing in medieval Europe. As the city of Strasbourg descends into chaos, two (capital P) Peasants, Katherine and Anna, rekindle their long-fractured romance. Meanwhile, authorities and clergy scramble to contain the mysterious outbreak. The chaos of the plague, both absurd and dire, reveals uncanny parallels to the crises of our modern age. Come join us for a dance party you seriously can’t forget!”
WHERE: Studio at theSpaceTriplex (Venue 38)
WHEN: 21:05 (60 min)
MORE: Click Here!
Is this your first time to Edinburgh?
Yes! It’s our entire cast and production team’s first time at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe! For some of our team it’s their first time across the pond! We are so excited to make the journey for this electric, international, and iconic festival! We have loved getting to connect and meet with other shows over social media. It feels like we’ve created a community even though we haven’t met any of these people yet. Parasocial much? A great festival has lots of water stations, bathrooms, air conditioning (for our American attendees aka us), and places to sit. We’re hoping Edinburgh has some of those items though we are praying for no heat wave.
What are the big things you’ve learned since 2025 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?
I never learn. Kidding. It’s been wild to realize that there’s never enough time to prepare for a festival like this. The biggest lesson has been to overly-communicate with our team which is something that I will always be working on. Overly explaining isn’t enough you need to overly overly explain. Things can so easily get lost in translation!
Tell us about your show.
1518: The Dancing Plague is a satire about the infamous mass hysteria event that had people uncontrollably dancing (until sometimes death). I (Hannah Ponturo) wrote the first draft as a movie when I was furloughed due to Covid-19. I have since rewritten quite a lot and turned it into a play which seems like its natural home. After waiting for someone to find my work and produce it for years I finally just decided to do it myself. I compiled our team by reaching out to talented and ambitious friends and friends of friends. Our producers are myself, Tallulah Jones, Sophie Smith, and Jeremy Cohen. Together we have created our fantastic production company. We are premiering at the Daredevil Festival in Venice Beach, California in July to two sold-out shows before heading to Scotland. After Fringe, I would love to do a New York production and possibly more shows in LA for those who missed us!
What should your audience see at the festivals after they’ve seen your show?
Audiences should see… “Never Not Murder” starring one of my fellow Drew University Football Improv Teammates, Mary Ferguson.
(No) Refunds, starring Katy Murphy who has lent me tons of incredible advice on the festival.
I am personally excited to see DearMichelleKwan, CVNTCLAVE, Woman Seeking Cuddles, January 6th the Musical, The Lady Doth Protest, QFWFQ (@gregorynussen), and many more I can’t wait to discover!
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