EdFringe Talk: In A Bad Way

Posted in *EdFestivals 2026, *Written Interviews by

“As an anxious person, change can be the absolute worst.”

WHO: Isolde Fenton

WHAT: “Grá is sick. With what, she’s not sure. Blood clots, maybe? Foreign Accent Syndrome, possibly? Bum cancer – most definitely; the ginger one from Desperate Housewives has it, like. In a GP in Dublin, she’s with the Doctor (for the fifth time this month) and she won’t rest until she has a diagnosis. A darkly comedic, touching, fast-paced one woman show about hypochondria.”

WHERE: Blether at Gilded Balloon Patter House (Venue 24) 

WHEN: 14:20 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

It is my first time coming to Edinburgh ever, even excluding the Fringe! I have always dreamed about going, whether that be as a punter or as a performer. I think as a theatre-maker, being at the Fringe is a bucket list opportunity. I am unbelievably excited to get stuck in, experience everything and meet some cool people from all over the world.

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

My last 12 months have been shaped particularly by change. As an anxious person, change can be the absolute worst. However, I’ve begun to go with it for once, instead of trying to fight it – and in doing so, I have had some of the most enlightening, terrifying and uplifting moments of my life. Change can be good, if you let it be. (Ugh!)

Tell us about your show.

IN A BAD WAY is a one woman show about hypochondria and anxiety. I have written the script, and am performing the role of Grá. Our team met and began collaborating after the show was chosen for Cork Theatre Collective’s SHOW:A Work in Progress Event in November 2024. That is where I met Sinéad Gallagher, the show’s producer.

We premiered at the inaugural Cork Fringe in May 2025, and have been touring it around Ireland since then. Most recently, we performed at Féile na Bealtaine in Dingle. The Edinburgh Fringe is our UK Debut!

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

I will also be performing in Benjamin Reilly’s Mortal Sin at Gilded Balloon Teviot at 12:20pm (with an hour turn around, yeehaw!) It is a gorgeous show about two teenagers in 1960s Ireland. I might be a little biased, but I think it’s absolutely worth seeing.

I am really looking forward to seeing BASIC BALD B*TCH by Emily Glaze; a darkly comic one woman show about alopecia. It sounds like a glitzy, camp and heartfelt story that I think will be a complete highlight of the Fringe.

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