Author Archives: Dan Lentell

EdFringe Talk: Dan Bastianelli: Identity

Posted in *EdFestivals 2025, *Written Interviews by

“It is a huge part of my year and, as a local, I love what it gives the city.”

WHO: Dan Bastianelli

WHAT: “The modern festival’s smartest multi-space destination venue. The ultimate powerhouse of live performance, offering a pulsating programme of diverse and inclusive work from every genre possible. Part of our 11-space hub at the very stylish Surgeons Quarter, well-stocked bars and great food has made this the perfect destination for audiences who tend to come and spend the day seeing a wide selection of award-winning shows from across the globe.”

WHERE: Theatre 1 at theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall (Venue 117) 

WHEN: 18:25 (50 min)

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Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This is my 5th show at the Edinburgh Festival. In my first couple of years, while I was at university, I brought shows to the PBH Free Fringe. This was an amazing way to hone my craft and get huge amounts of experience on stage to different audiences every day. In the past couple of years, as I have grown in my professional performing career, I have moved into ticketed venues but the spirit remains the same.

It is a huge part of my year and, as a local, I love what it gives the city. Ever since I was young, I have loved attending shows and watching street shows. My grandparents used to bring me onto the royal mile regularly, and it is probably where a lot of my love for magic began.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2024 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

2024 was a really good year for me as I performed a sell-out run in a small and intimate room. I learned a lot about my show and how to evolve it night on night based on audience reactions. This year I have taken the lesson to take a bit more risks, as Edinburgh audiences want to see something new and different.

Tell us about your show.

My show is essentially a one-man band. I produce, write and perform the show. I do however have lots of help from great friends and colleagues throughout the writing process. I have been performing magic at professional events from the age of 14, but this is the first show that I have written that really explains to the audience who I am and what that means.

This show is newly written specifically for Edinburgh 2025, but I am performing a preview show at Newcastle Fringe a few days before the run begins, just to get those inevitable initial hiccups ironed out before Edinburgh.

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

I have lots of amazing friends in magic (too many to shout out here). I am a proud committee member of the Edinburgh Magic Circle, who are performing a medley show in the Festival for the first time in many years. I’d encourage magic fans to go and support them as the performers will primarily be festival newbies and up-and-comers, which is what the fringe is truly about.

Other magic shows I would highly recommend are; ‘1 hour of Insane Magic’, ‘The Remarkable Ben Hart’, and (for younger families) ‘Mario the Maker Magician’.

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EdFringe Talk: A Pound of Flesh

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“My fear is that the Fringe has become too commercial – the costs of venue hire and accommodation have shot through the roof, so ticket prices have had to go up and that impacts on the numbers who come to the city and therefore on audiences.”

WHO: Martin Foreman

WHAT: “In Shakespeare’s classic, The Merchant of Venice, only Portia’s appearance in court and her implacable logic saves Antonio from Shylock’s knife. But what would happen if she never came to Venice? Bassanio’s need for money to woo Portia sets in motion the events that lead to the trial, but what are his real motives? And why is there so much hatred between Antonio and Shylock? With echoes of Romeo and Juliet, events in A Pound of Flesh move remorselessly to a tragic end.”

WHERE: Space 2 at theSpace on the Mile (Venue 39) 

WHEN: On Demand (50 min)

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Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

We’re an Edinburgh-based group of theatre creatives, putting on two productions – A Pound of Flesh and Transfers. Most of us have been involved in the Fringe before in different companies over the years and, many of us have worked together on other productions in the city during the rest of the year.

The last time I was personally involved in the Fringe was 2019. I hate the role of producer – I’m not good at promotion, the financial obstacles are great and appealing to an audience is like shouting at passing strangers in a hurricane. This year, however, I’m working with a great team and I – and we – are confident that we have two great dramas to offer the world.

I have no idea what makes a great festival. I know what made the Edinburgh Fringe great in the past was the sheer variety of talent that came to perform here from all over the world – and an audience that was excited and enthusiastic about what they were seeing. My fear is that the Fringe has become too commercial – the costs of venue hire and accommodation have shot through the roof, so ticket prices have had to go up and that impacts on the numbers who come to the city and therefore on audiences.

Finally, I would love it if comedy were split off from the rest of the Fringe and held at a different time of year. For financial reasons it won’t happen, but coverage of stand-up reduces the attention paid to theatre and all the great things happening on stage.

Despite my gripes, I know I’ll have a good time seeing lots of new talent and shows – although they will all have to be in the daytime because I’m teching each night throughout the Fringe.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2024 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

I was only involved in a minor role in 2024 and before that my last contribution to the Fringe was in 2019. The lessons I have learnt are find a producer who has no fear, be prepared to lose money and whatever you do create a production that wows not just yourself but which wows the world that comes to see it.

Tell us about your show.

Who wrote A Pound of Flesh? Will Shakespeare wrote The Merchant of Venice, based, like a lot of his work, on similar stories that had been told many times before. I took his play and brought in an element from Romeo and Juliet to create an alternative version in which Portia does not come to Venice to save Antonio’s life and all ends in tragedy. The focus of the tale is now Bassanio and the consequences of his greed – and the love Antonio bears for Bassanio is much more obvious in this version.

I am therefore the co-playwright (the text includes both Shakespeare’s words and my words in his style), the director and, faute de mieux, producer. An early version of A Pound of Flesh was full-length with ten actors. This version – premiering at the Fringe – is fifty minutes, with a cast of five. We auditioned in February and the cast comprises three I have worked with before – Ollie Hiemann, who frequently takes the lead in Edinburgh productions, as Bassanio; Danielle Farrow, a Shakespeare talent and expert, as Shylock; Michael Robert-Brown, an excellent character actor, as the Doge and other parts – plus Gabriel Bird, equally talented and often seen on the Edinburgh stage, as Antonio; and Millie Deere, a newcomer to Edinburgh, as Portia.

We have no plans to take it onwards – professional producers and theatres and agents please get in touch!

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

Immediately after A Pound of Flesh in the same venue is our other production – Transfers, a cast-devised play in which £500 gets passed from person to person in a kaleidoscope of life in Britain today. But enough self-promotion…

I have to draw attention to other Edinburgh-based groups and actors that I have worked with or seen in the past. They include:

EGTG, who always produce fascinating work (full disclosure, I worked on one their productions last year), are offering Dario Fo’s The Virtuous Burglar and Lucy Kirkwood’s The Children
the last time Arkle Theatre appears at the Fringe – with The Thirty-Nine Steps and A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Two of our cast members are in plays by other groups – Ollie Hiemann can be seen in Captivate Theatre’s Sweeney Todd and Gabriel Bird in Jean Anouilh’s Antigone

I’m pleased to see Dan Hazelwood’s Ascension return to the Fringe – the true story of a gay Dutch sailor marooned on an island three hundred years ago. I was astounded by it when I saw it last year.

As for the rest? Well, skimming through the brochure I can say I’m intrigued by – I can’t say recommend because I haven’t seen it and don’t know the cast or the play – Casablanca: The Gin Joint Cut; Cheese and Guava or Romeo and Juliet; Hamlet from Raiser Theatre; Lord of the Flies; Time

Bends . . . and I’m sure there are a whole lot more.

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EdFringe Talk: Golden Time (and Other Behavioural Management Strategies)

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“We want the show to create a sense of joy and connection through storytelling.”

WHO: Giulia Grillo

WHAT: “Golden Time is a primary school incentive rewarding free time for good behavior. Kate is an assistant teacher with terrible time management and needs your help. Blending interactive performance, spoken word and comedy, join Kate as she attempts to avoid distraction and save time. Kate Ireland is a Glaswegian writer and performer whose words have recently connected with people online through her discussions around productivity and incentive culture. Directed by Giulia Grillo, this show is Kate’s solo theatre debut and is creatively captioned.”

WHERE: Ace Dome at Pleasance Dome (Venue 23) 

WHEN: 13:30 (60 min)

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Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This will be my second time at the Edinburgh Fringe. My first experience was as a University of Manchester graduate. The University selected my show PULP to represent the students’ talent at the Festival.

When I went I was in my early twenties and had recently moved to the UK from Italy. I didn’t know what the Fringe would be like. It was a truly inspiring experience to embrace my creativity and expand my imagination in terms of what theatre can look and feel like.

I watched sensory pleasing shows with found teddy bears used as puppets, shows in which essential oils and perfumes were sprayed over the audience’s seats and shows where the audience had to step on stage, read the script and tell the story.

It was bonkers and it inspired me to be bold when it comes to storytelling. This is what Kate Ireland and I are trying to do with Golden Time (and Other Behavioural Management Strategies) heading to Pleasance Ace Dome from 30th July – 25th Aug at 13:30. We want to punch the audience in the gut with our show and create a sensory collective experience that people will remember long after the festival.

We think that what makes theatre so special and important in this historical moment is that it creates community and brings people together in a physical space. Their bodies experience a story together simultaneously. A friend once told me people’s heart rhythm synchronizes when they’re watching a show.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2024 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

This last year has taught me definitely to make work locally whenever you can and accepting it doesn’t have to be perfect. Find your peers, reach out to the local artists you like saying ‘ I wanna work with you, how can I help you?

We need to create the opportunities for young creatives to come together, upskill or share skills. In Manchester I found a supportive network of young artists I could make grass roots theatre with whilst not feeling pressured.

Blether was the local creative community where I started to develop my directing and performance skills. Blether is an arts collective made of women and queer people who run monthly workshops and creative events in Levenshulme in Manchester. In winter 2024 I had just graduated, I was out of work and feeling quite demotivated. One day I reached out to the Blether Instagram as they were looking for more volunteers to help run the events.

Through Blether I met Kate in January 2024. I had no idea she was writing a theatre show. One day in April – we had known each other only a couple of months- I remember I was in Italy for Easter visiting my family and she just called me and said ‘I want you to direct my show’. And I was like: what show?!

She had just finished writing as part of the Roundhouse Young Artist Scheme.

Since then, the show has been shaped by our shared experiences running creative workshops for Blether and other organizations. We want the show to create a sense of joy and connection through storytelling.

Tell us about your show.

The show is produced by PJ Cunningham on behalf of our arts collective, Blether.

Kate and I have worked many hours on the show over the past year. We wanted to bring the show to the Fringe this summer and needed a brilliant producer to help us with the managerial, financial, and practical elements of bringing a show there. I instantly thought of PJ, a brilliant Manchester based producer I worked with in January. She called me in December 2024 to direct a show for PUSH Festival at HOME, Manchester. Now I was calling her to join our Golden Time gang! She accepted and here we are now!

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

We must mention the shows of our fellow Stage Manager & Lighting Designer Maddie who is one of Third Floor Theatre (TANKED at Zoo Playground) and Tom Bass (16 Pickle Studio at Greenside @ Riddles Court). Both shows address tender themes presented through clowning. Their playful storytelling and experimental approach chimes with ours.

I also need to mention a show presented as part of the Here and Now programme called ‘A Citizens Assembly’, by Andy Smith & Lynsey O’Sullivan. The play is set to be read and performed by people and not actors.

The show aims to engage young people and community members in a dialogue around climate change. People in the play are not performed by actors. The play is written and designed to be read by the audience. The format of the play really creates a sense of a collective and it encourages people to be brave, to listen and respect each other’s perspectives.

I would recommend TANKED by Third Floor Theatre, Blip by Tom Bass and Andy Smith & Lynsey O’Sullivan ‘A Citizens Assembly’!

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EdFringe Talk: In These Shoes

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“My Instagram feed is currently awash with Edinburgh food and wine options (also highland coos), and it seems like the number of fancy bakeries has also tripled since I was last there.”

WHO: Glynis Traill-Nash

WHAT: “Glynis Traill-Nash lives a double life: fashion writer by day, jazz singer by night. Now the two collide in this soirée of chic! Dressed to thrill and accessorised with a set list of stylish chansons, Glynis will take you from the suburbs of Perth to the front rows of Paris to unpick the world of fashion in alarmingly relatable fashion. ‘An absolute romp of fun’ (OutInPerth.com). **** (Advertiser, Adelaide). ‘Even Anna Wintour might manage a smile at this mix of fashion and fun’ (SydneyTravelGuide.com.au). Adelaide Fringe Weekly Award Winner 2025.”

WHERE: Dairy Room at Underbelly, Bristo Square (Venue 302) 

WHEN: 19:45 (60 min)

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Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

Would you believe I last brought a show to Edinburgh in… 1998?! I’ll leave you to do the maths on that. So, it’s been a while between drams. That was also the last time I attended the Fringe. I thought there were a lot of shows that year, but there are about three times the number this year. I just love the city so much—I almost moved there!—and I cannot wait to get back. My Instagram feed is currently awash with Edinburgh food and wine options (also highland coos), and it seems like the number of fancy bakeries has also tripled since I was last there. If we cross paths during Fringe, I’ll probably have a cinnamon knot in hand.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2024 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

That being made redundant from your dream job isn’t the end of the line! I’d been fashion editor of Australia’s national newspaper for almost 10 years when I was let go not long ago. I was amazed at the doors that opened once that happened. So I’ve since learnt to walk through a lot of those doors, mostly without them hitting me in the face.

I’ve also learnt that when you’re not being flown around the world by fashion brands with alarming regularity (see point above), the plummet from Platinum frequent flyer status back to Silver is pretty swift. I’m still absorbing that one. [Cue: tiny violins.]

Tell us about your show.

I’ve spent the last 21 years building a career as “one of Australia’s most experienced and respected fashion journalists” (according to my LinkedIn profile). But I’ve been singing my whole life. So, with more time on my hands (see above) I decided to bring these two worlds together in cabaret form with a good dose of comedy. I actually loved writing the show—it turns out fashion and fashion journalism are RIPE for unpicking. We have more adjectives for “beige” than Scots

do for “idiot”. Plus, I have spent almost half my career trying to get my head around the rise of Crocs and activewear, so hopefully this show will go some way to helping others on this same journey of understanding, if not embracing.

My musical director, Josh Haines, has been amazing to work with, not only a brilliant pianist and arranger, but also the best hype merchant you could wish for. The music crosses jazz, pop, canzoni d’amore and musical theatre. Consider this the Westfield of cabarets—something for everyone! We had our debut at last year’s Perth International Cabaret Festival, followed by sell-out seasons at Sydney Fringe, FringeWorld Perth and we went on to win an award at this year’s Adelaide Fringe, which was nice. Self-producing has been a pretty radical learning curve—I didn’t see budget spreadsheets taking up so much of my life a year ago. From here, I’d love to take the show to the fashion capitals of the world! And whatever style-adjacent outpost will have us.

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

Of course I’m going to plug some fellow Aussies! Although there are (of course) too many to mention them all. The House of Oz line-up this year is epic—I’ll be lining up to see Madelaine Nunn’s Flick and Michelle Pearson’s Skinny, while I can already vouch for the hilarious netball musical Lady Macbeth Played Wing Defence. I am DESPERATE to see Wankernomics (by Charles Firth and James Schloeffel), a merciless satire of office culture—maybe I’ll get some pertinent spreadsheet tips? Also, Skank Sinatra, a quadruple threat in drag, and Breaking: The Musical, which has had a lot of press in Australia, just like a certain breakdancing compatriot did after her spot at the 2024 Olympics…

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Bedfringe 2025 Interview: Data & Doctor Doom

Posted in *Written Interviews, Bedfringe 2025 by

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“I’m from Peterborough, and Bedford always feels like an version of my hometown from a slightly nicer parallel universe.”

WHO: Mark Hibbett

WHAT: “Indie legend MJ Hibbett – the world’s leading (and only) academic expert on Doctor Doom uses songs, jokes, slides and a unified catalogue of transmedia character components to explain how all fictional characters can be understood with stats and why on earth you’d want to do that.”

WHERE: Quarry Theatre

WHEN: 25 July 2025 @ 21:00 (60mins)

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Is this your first time to Bedfringe?

This is my first time at Bedfringe but not my first time in Bedford, nor my first time at a Fringe, so it feels like the grand resolution of a cosmic Venn diagram. I’m particularly excited to be heading towards Bedford for two reasons – firstly because I’m from Peterborough, and Bedford always feels like an version of my hometown from a slightly nicer parallel universe, and secondly because I’ve heard of the mythical all-night trains back to London, so I’m keen to have a go on one.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2024 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

The book that the show is based on came out in 2024 (and is still available – in fact, it’s very very available indeed, there is no shortage of copies) so since then I’ve been trying to convert a rigorously researched thesis on transmedia characters into a 55 minute musical extravaganza. The main lesson I’ve absorbed from that is that converting a rigorously researched thesis on transmedia characters into a 55 minute musical extravaganza is a lot harder than I thought, and probably explains why other people tend not to try it.

Tell us about your show.

It’s a musical adaptation of my book and PhD thesis which seeks to explain how all fictional characters work, using the Marvel comics supervillain Doctor Doom as a case study. I spent years working on the original research and wanted to talk about it to more people, so thought I’d have a go at turning it into a musical (I think this is how Jesus Christ Superstar got started). I’ve done various Fringe musicals in the past, but never one with a bibliography before!

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

I’m really keen to see Mitch Benn’s show “The Lehrer Effect”, partly because that sort of super clever loads-of-words-in-a-line type of songwriting is something I’m aiming for in my show, but mostly because I did a gig with him at the Brixton Windmill in 2005 and he lent me a guitar stand – in the rough and tumble world of rock and roll that stood out as a moment of general helpfulness which, two decades later, I still don’t think I’ve properly repaid!

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EdFringe Talk: Terry’s: An American Tragedy About Cars, Customers and Selling Cars to Customers

Posted in *EdFestivals 2025, *Written Interviews by

“What feels so special about the festival is the fact that everyone is swinging-big and really standing over what they’ve made for a full month.”

WHO: Hannah Power and Conor Murray

WHAT: “Memorial Day weekend. The US-of-A. The sales team at Terry’s Cars and Automobiles is preparing to honour the fallen by slashing prices on some gently used, (mostly) American-made cars. But, the pressure’s on. If Terry’s team doesn’t shift 66 cars by Monday, there’ll be hell to pay. From award-nominated, Lecoq-trained company BRILLIG, Terry’s is an absurd, sitcom-esque tragi-comedy featuring original live music, physical theatre and one very special balloon. There’s no guarantee the team will make the target, but you’re bound to have the ride of your life…”

WHERE: Beside at Pleasance Courtyard (Venue 33) 

WHEN: 12:55 (60 min)

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Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This is our Edinburgh Fringe Debut so we are incredibly excited to experience the absolute carnage and chaos that everyone talks about! As First-Time Fringe-ers it is a joy to bring our show to the festival.

We’re lucky to be supported by an amazing team of seasoned Edinburgh veterans, so we feel in very safe hands. It’s always been a dream to bring Don’t Tell Dad About Diana to Edinburgh Fringe, a platform that’s launched the careers of so many artists we admire. We are ready to throw our whole selves at it! So much of the work we love has begun its life at Edinburgh, and that’s what feels so special about the festival is the fact that everyone is swinging-big and really standing over what they’ve made for a full month. We can’t wait to see how our show evolves, we imagine by performance 25 it’ll be pretty air tight!

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2024 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

We’ve learned what style of writing really works for the show, and what jokes actually land. We’ve also figured out how to collaborate; knowing when to push, when to listen, and how to build something better together. So yeah, the lessons are definitely sticking… mostly.

It was particularly interesting performing the works in progress in both Dublin and London. Different aspects of the show had very different reactions. We’ve enjoyed developing something really specific in time and place but universal in theme.

Tell us about your show.

Conor Murray and Hannah Power are the writers and creators behind Don’t Tell Dad About Diana!

We wrote the show after spending a year together living in London. It’s set in Dublin in 1997. Two friends prepare to compete for the crown of ‘Alternative Miss Ireland’ with their Princess Diana drag act, under the nose of their hardline nationalist families. As they race through the city towards competition night, Diana’s death sparks the unravelling of their secret, their friendship and their plans to leave Ireland. At its heart, it’s a story about a formative friendship on the cusp of great change. It’s about the choice between leaving home in search of something new or staying behind to try and build something better. A dilemma that has defined our friendship and that of many of our peers. Beyond the big questions, it’s also an absolute blast!

We’ve got a really talented creative team which we met at various points whilst studying between Dublin & London. Those formative relationships in your early twenties really stick as you are discovering collaboration as an artist for the first time. Rua Barron is producing it, Emma Finegan directing with Austin Hughes co-directing/dramaturgy and a beautiful Design team of Theo Foley (Sound Designer), Ferdy Emmett (Lighting Designer) & Gabe (Set Designer).

We want to go on tour around the UK and Ireland and maybe even further…! We have big ambitions. We have performed snippets of Don’t Tell Dad About Diana at Pleasance Scratch Night & Camden People’s Theatre. All these early versions have been crucial in creating the full scale show that we are buzzing to bring to Edinburgh!

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

Make it your business to see BITCH by the insanely talented Marty Breen at Pleasance Dome- having seen this show in the Dublin Fringe last year I can honestly say it is powerful, gripping and grounded in a powerhouse performance. We have our tickets already.

The legends that are SkelpieLimmer bringing two brilliant shows “Shame Show” in Pleasance & “Anthem for Dissatisfaction” at Summer Hall. Their past productions have been a BLAST and we are so excited to see what they have up their sleeves next.

Get to see FLUSH by April Hope in the Pleasance Courtyard- we saw a snippet at a Scratch night last year and could already tell at that early stage this show was going to be brilliant. We are so excited to see the full production.

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EdFringe Talk: UNCLE TOM’S WAR: Haiti and the Whipping Machine

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“I discovered that in the book, UNCLE TOM’S CABIN, he was a strong, intelligent man who died courageously, refusing to betray his sister slaves.”

WHO: David Lee Morgan

WHAT: “The Haitian Revolution (1791-1804) was the beginning of a new age of enlightenment, where every revolution is a part of the world revolution – or else it is a betrayal. Fiery-hot poetry from a London/UK/BBC slam poetry champion. Reviews for previous shows: ‘I am awed by Morgan’s passion, his humorous yet enraged intellectual appraisal… An energetic, clever, passionate survey of human life’ ***** (Time Out) ‘One of those rare, passionate performances… bristling with energy and interesting ideas… a bracing crash course in how to ‘read history… with a f***ing blowtorch’ **** (Scotsman).”

WHERE: Theatre 3 at theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall (Venue 53) 

WHEN: 14:05 (50 min)

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Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

My first Edinburgh show was in 1997. Over the years it has allowed me to develop what feels like a new genre to me: an hour long, spoken word poetry show, conceived not as a collection of individual poems, but as a unified exploration, using all the tools of music and metaphor to get to the heart of subjects that are not just controversial, but of life and death importance.

The Edinburgh Fringe has changed my life, spurred me to grow and keep on growing as an artist and as a human being.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2024 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

This is a short poem from the book version of my show, but it answers your question exactly:

GENOCIDE TELEVISION

Sometimes, the tears of a child wash away the dust
And you remember that each point in a statistic
Is a human life

But the dust comes back
Like fallout from a mushroom cloud
It settles
It decays everything

What I have learned from Gaza
Is that human rationality is fragile
And empathy is a double edged sword
It can sever your own heart strings
As easily as it can smite an enemy

If you want it badly enough
You can make yourself believe anything.

Tell us about your show.

I began researching and writing this show over two years ago. It started with UNCLE TOM, an epithet back in the Sixties for a black activist who was a sellout, a phoney, but I discovered that in the book, UNCLE TOM’S CABIN, he was a strong, intelligent man who died courageously, refusing to betray his sister slaves. This led me to the book itself, which sold more copies from 1800 to 1900 than any other English language book, with the possible exception of the Bible. This led me to John Brown, who died fighting against slavery, who was inspired by Toussaint Louverture and the Haitian Revolution. This led me to The Black Jacobins, by Trinidadian historian CLR James.

My show is about the Haitian Revolution, in the context of the US and French Revolutions and the war against slavery and colonialism. It’s about the lessons we can and must learn from it in these dangerous, cataclysmic times.

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

ORDINARY DECENT CRIMINAL, written and performed by Mark Thomas… anything Mark Thomas does is worth seeing – again and again. @painesplough

NOWHERE, written & performed by Khalid Abdalla. @traversetheatre
I’m writing this during the Gaza genocide and hours after Trump has ordered the US bombing of Iran. I know nothing about this show beyond what’s in the program, but it looks unmissable.
“…inspired by his involvement in the Egyptian revolution of 2011, and his experience of the counter-revolution that followed… Encompassing the histories of colonialism and decolonisation, friendship and loss, protests and uprising against regimes across the world and the violence in Gaza following the events of October 7th 2023.”

FIND ME by Olwen Wymark, the powerful true story of Verity, a teenage girl institutionalised after a mental health crisis, performed by the Parker & Snell Youth Company. @theSpaceUK
You should see this show because Olwen Wymark was a wonderful writer, with heart and soul and true craftsmanship.

I want to see the show because I knew her. We first met when the Theatre Writers Union merged with the Writers Guild and we immediately became close friends. I’ve heard her radio plays and read her play scripts, but this is the first chance I’ve had to see one of her plays on stage. I’m so excited about this. I’ll just say one more thing about the kind of woman she was: after she died, the Writers Guild started a yearly award in her name, to go to the member who had done the most to support and nurture new writers.

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EdFringe Talk: Can’t Find My Way Home

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“I have found it is about the community as much as it’s about our productions.”

WHO: Sophia Wolbrom

WHAT: “A captivating one-woman show that explores the concept of home through personal anecdotes, original music and snippets of familiar songs. This heartfelt performance delves into finding one’s place in the world, offering an opportunity to laugh and reflect on what it means to belong. Through poignant storytelling and musical elements, Sophia Wolbrom recounts tales of people and places that shaped her view of the world, highlighting the universal quest for connection and identity. This intimate performance promises to leave viewers with a renewed perspective on the spaces and relationships that shape our sense of home.”

WHERE: Hoot 5 at Hoots @ The Apex (Venue 108) 

WHEN: 14:20 (60 min)

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Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This year will mark my eighth visit to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, but my first time attending as a performer. I have previously attended the festival as a punter, I’ve been a student at the festival (I did a short-term study abroad course with an American University entitled “Writing for Alternative Theatre” that gave me college credit for seeing shows and writing about them), I have been on street teams, stage managed and even venue managed, but this year feels completely different. I also lived in Edinburgh for two years after university to have an adventure; I’ve found that there’s something deeply compelling about the city as a whole for me.

The festival itself is also an incredible Mecca of artists from all over, coming together to celebrate their craft and build and foster community. I talk a little bit about it in my show, but the first time I walked into Assembly at George Square (back in 2013 when I was 17), I felt like I had been transported to Narnia – It just felt magical. In my experience, the Fringe is where artists get to come and play. At the same time, I admit the cost of things has created change over the years, but the Edinburgh Fringe is still where I’ve been able to see people show up and have the opportunity to experiment and try out something new (or revive and revise something old), but no matter how people show, up the energy they bring is palpable. It feels like summer camp for artists & adults. We get to showcase our own (hard)work and celebrate one another too! I have found it is about the community as much as it’s about our productions.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2024 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

In 2024, I was an accredited Industry Professional, watching my students (having formerly run a comedy school) performing their work, and this year, I’m finally making a dream come true and producing my own show. As a result, this last year has been nothing but a learning experience. I went into this project, Can’t Find My Way Home, with the mentality that “As much as I know, I know nothing” because coming in as a writer/performer/producer is an entirely new experience. That said, the biggest lesson I’ve learned is that even when you feel like you’re doing something alone, it doesn’t mean you’re in a bubble. I’ve been able to rely on old friends for advice, as well as turn to the Artist Advice team (shoutout to Kirsty & Martha) over at the Fringe Society. It’s okay to say you don’t know something and could use some help. Also, TAKE RISKS & FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS! This production has been a long time coming, and I’m so proud of what I’ve accomplished in the last year.

Tell us about your show.

Can’t Find My Way Home will be my debut solo show. These are my stories (all true). I brought in a Director, Kevin Qian, about halfway through the process to help tighten everything up and assist with the performance elements (Kevin was the Director of CRISPR the Musical, which was at Fringe 2024). Other than Kevin, this has been almost entirely a one-woman production, as I am the writer, star, and my company Know Smoke Events is the listed Producing Agency.

While there have been a couple of previews in New York City, the Edinburgh Fringe run will mark the show’s official premiere! Can’t Find My Way Home was initially written with the Fringe in mind, specifically (although I am looking for future opportunities to produce the show elsewhere following its debut). In its initial conception, I thought I was writing a show that would be a love letter to the Fringe, but over time, it became clear that the stories I am telling all center on this idea of “home” and what it means.

I’ve listed the production in the spoken word section of the program because it is primarily a storytelling piece, but there is some music as well (both original songs and snippets of familiar tunes). I have found that, in the year of writing and workshopping this piece, asking these questions of: how we define home? and Where do we feel most at home? Are universal struggles. I hope that, while these stories and songs are personal, they resonate with a broad audience.

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

Devon Loves ME! Productions’ It Was Really Good to Know You – it’s so perfectly Fringe, something you likely wouldn’t typically see elsewhere. The show is creative, funny, heartfelt, and quintessentially clown. The team behind the production is comprised of talented artists and genuinely wonderful people who deserve all the support. I was lucky enough to see it in NYC in previews, and can’t wait to see it again at the Festival!

All the lovely humans doing shows at the Scottish Comedy Festival (at the Beehive) – I used to be the venue manager over there, and the community of comics always makes for a good time. Acts like Brian Gallagher, Billy Kirkwood, Ian TC, & Daniel Downie, to name a few. These guys are always a laugh, plus if you love them at the Fringe, you can more easily find them gigging throughout the rest of the year!

Chris Cook! I try to see his show every year. Magic mixed with kindness and heart. Like a typical magician, there’s audience participation, but it never feels intimidating or forced. I always leave Chris’ shows with a restored faith in humanity and a feeling that maybe magic does exist after all.

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EdFringe Talk: Locomotive for Murder: The Improvised Whodunnit

Posted in *EdFestivals 2025, *Written Interviews by

“The huge challenge of Edfringe is probably a big part of what makes it such an amazing and satisfying experience overall.”

WHO: David Fenne

WHAT: “Pinch Punch are back to welcome you aboard Locomotive for Murder, an improvised comedy murder-mystery where killing the cast and cracking the case is in your hands. Expect outrageous accents and shaky alibis! Four characters board a train but not everyone will survive. Thankfully, a world-famous detective is ready to solve the case. But who is the murderer? Only one person knows: the murderer themselves. Using audience suggestions and stories, Pinch Punch create a never-to-be-repeated whodunnit. If you love comedy or murder mysteries then this is the show for you!”

WHERE: Big Yin at Gilded Balloon Patter House (Venue 24) 

WHEN: 15:30 (60 min)

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Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This is our third time at the Edinburgh Fringe and we are brimming with excitement for the show to return to our home from home! After last year’s sell-out run, we’ve been bumped up to a bigger venue (the Big Yin), so the show will be bigger and better than ever!

We’ve done this show the length and breadth of the UK (and even at the Amsterdam improv festival!), but we always can’t wait to bring it back to the Fringe. It really is the greatest explosion of creativity – equal parts exhilarating and exhausting. And Fringe audiences are like no other. Always up for anything and rowdy at all times of the day. They certainly keep us improvisers on our toes!

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2024 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

This year has been a massive growth spurt for us and the show. After last fringe, we’ve had a flurry of bookings in venues we never even dreamed we’d play! And as a self-produced company, that has meant a lot (read that twice for emphasis) of extra work for us to do!

We’ve learned to trust ourselves and our show. We’ve undergone a metamorphosis over the years from a scrappy company rehearsing in living rooms and performing above a pub to a well-oiled machine.

We’ve also learned to know our worth. It sounds silly to say, but so often artists sell themselves short and get taken advantage of. This past year, we’ve stood up for ourselves when we needed to and walked away from things that didn’t have our best interests at heart.

There’s also the lesson of knowing our capacity (the buzzword of our year). Again, linking back to this idea of knowing our worth, we’ve been a little more discerning when taking on venues and projects. We’re only human, and we all have other things on, so it’s been important for us to know our limits and not stretch ourselves too thin.

Tell us about your show.

Our show, Locomotive for Murder: The Improvised Whodunnit, is a fully improvised murder mystery in the style of a classic Whodunnit. Think Poirot meets Acorn Antiques. It’s clever and silly and beloved by audiences because it’s just fun!

Using stories from the audience, we build our suspects, all of whom are heading aboard a train alongside a famous detective. But not all is as it seems, as one of the passengers is murdered! Who? Well, that’s down to the audience to decide. And who is the murderer? Well, here’s the clever bit – only the murderer knows they are the murderer! The rest of the cast on stage and the audience don’t know, so everyone is working together to catch the killer! After interrogating the suspects, the audience has to make an accusation, but they can (and do) get it wrong! The show is also a game, and over the month, we’ll be keeping track of which audiences caught the killer and which ones let them get away!

We’re an improv company (Pinch Punch) made up of trained actors, and I think that shows. Our brand of improv comedy is character-focused, and the show blends traditional theatre with long-form improv to make something that first-time improv audiences can enjoy and feel safe in. British audiences aren’t as au fait with improv – it’s much more of an American tradition – so our show makes it more digestible for them by wrapping it up in a murder mystery. And it works! Thousands of people see Locomotive for Murder each year, and for many, it’s their first ever experience of improv!

This is our fourth year of the show and our third time in Edinburgh with it. From humble origins as a commission for Harrow Arts Council to our biggest national tour yet, the show has gone from strength to strength, including being 2024 Off West End Award finalists. We are continuing our tour in the Autumn and Winter and already have some 2026 dates in the diary. But who knows where we go next – World tour? Improv at sea? Solving murders on the International Space Station?

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

For more madcap improv hijinks with a classical twist, check out our pals at Shake It Up Shakespeare (@ShakeItUpImprov) for some Bard-based Bedlam!

We LOVE seeing Solve-Along-A Murder She Wrote (@solvealonga) every year and highly recommend people see it too! You get to watch an episode of Jessica Fletcher and have a right laugh along the way with Tim Benzie too. Win-win!

Ernest? (@SayItAgainSorry) is a brilliant show we’ve been fans of since we first saw them a the Fringe two years ago. Be warned, there’s a LOT of audience participation, but it’s a raucous and brilliantly hysterical show!

If you love our show, be sure to also check out Murder She Didn’t Write (@DegreesOfError) for more wonderfully silly improvised whodunnit schenanigans. Their show is slick and brilliant, and it also scratches that classic murder mystery itch, but with a Cluedo-y twist!

Finally, walk, don’t run, to see Garry Starr’s Classic Penguins in its sophomore year. Maybe not one to take your parents to (or do … I certainly did and they had a hoot!). Garry is a comedic tour de force, and the show is utterly brilliant. Don’t look up anything before you go, though – this show thrives on surprises and misdirections!

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EdFringe Talk: The Black Hole

Posted in *EdFestivals 2025, *Written Interviews by

“Fringe is about community, not competition. We’re all here to hold up the mirror in different ways. See something you wouldn’t usually pick. Let yourself be surprised. Let yourself feel.”

WHO: Vkinn Vats

WHAT: “The Black Hole by Vkinn Vats is a searing psychological drama that delves into the dynamics of cohabiting relationship and complexities of human connection. Set in a shared space, two souls are forced to coexist, but the emotional distance between them reveals deeper wounds. As desire and trauma collide, quiet moments erupt into explosive confrontations. With raw vulnerability and twisted intimacy, it unearths what it truly means to be seen – and what we risk when we expose ourselves. Can two broken souls bridge the invisible gap, or will the space between them tear them apart forever?”

WHERE: Venue 45 at theSpace @ Venue 45 (Venue 45) 

WHEN: 18:30 (55 min)

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Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

Yes, this is my first time bringing a show to Edinburgh Fringe — and that makes it incredibly special. I’ve admired the festival from afar for years, watching how it brings together voices from all corners of the globe in a beautiful kind of creative chaos. What’s unique about EdFringe is not just its scale, but its soul: the openness, the intimacy, the risk. Every street, every basement, every breath in Edinburgh hums with possibility.

As a producer, the festival means responsibility — shaping a vision, building a team, navigating logistics, and somehow keeping the artistic fire burning through it all. But as an artist and a human being, it’s thrilling. It’s humbling. You’re not just showing work — you’re offering something raw to an audience that’s seen everything. That forces you to be better. Braver. More honest.

To me, a great festival isn’t about the size of the venue or the press buzz — it’s about connection. Work that makes people feel less alone. Stories that hit like a secret confession. And the rare alchemy that happens when a room full of strangers holds its breath at the same time.

That’s the kind of moment I live for. And that’s why I came to Edinburgh.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2024 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

Since 2024, I’ve learned that survival and creativity are sometimes at odds—and sometimes beautifully aligned. The world cracked open in unexpected ways, and underneath the noise, it revealed a quieter truth: that art doesn’t need to be perfect, it just needs to be true. That lesson has reshaped the way I write, direct, and collaborate.

I’ve learned to embrace process over perfection. To sit with discomfort. To trust silence. That sometimes the most powerful scene is the one where nothing is said but everything is felt. I’ve also learned the hard way that burnout isn’t a badge of honour—it’s a warning sign. And if you’re not creating from a place of presence, you’re just recreating noise.

And yes, I’m still absorbing these lessons. Every rehearsal, every late-night rewrite, every conversation with a collaborator reminds me: stay honest. Stay tender. Stay open to the mess. That’s where the truth lives—and that’s where theatre still has the power to break us and bind us in the same breath.

Tell us about your show.

The Black Hole is an original psychological drama written and directed by me, Vkinn Vats. It’s raw, messy, and intimate—just like the relationship at its centre. The story came from a deep place of wanting to explore the power dynamics inside love and the silences that live between two people who are trying—and sometimes failing—to be seen.

The play is produced by Shooting Star Studios, a collaborative company I co-founded with Neha Jethva. We formed during the pandemic, out of a shared hunger to make theatre that’s urgent, poetic, and unafraid of discomfort. This is our first time at the Fringe as a company, though many of us have worked internationally in theatre and film.

This production is having its world premiere at Edinburgh Fringe—so there’s something electric about bringing it to life here, for the first time, in front of an audience willing to lean into the tension. After the Fringe, we’re in talks to transfer it to London, possibly across Europe and India—we want this show to travel, because its themes are so universally human: intimacy, trauma, survival, and connection.

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

After The Black Hole, I’d urge audiences to dive into shows that take risks, peel back emotional layers, or challenge the idea of what theatre can be.

Go see The Light Catcher by Ritika Shrotri. The Light Catcher follows a celebrated Indian photographer, Kanika, who’s on a quest to find her favourite portrait. As she revisits portraits of women from Ethiopia to Pakistan, India to UK, their stories come alive on stage – some heartwarming, some hard-hitting, all unforgettable. Performed by Ritika Shrotri, who transforms into 10 dynamic characters. A must watch!

My another pick is: “1902”
1902 delves into the world of Scottish football, telling the story of Hibernian’s heroic victory in the 2016 Scottish Cup Final after a 114-year wait through the eyes of four young supporters. Discover the men behind the bravado in a tale of family, friendship and passion for their team. 1902 sheds light on the dark side of football, taking an access-all-areas approach to working class life in Scotland.

Fringe is about community, not competition. We’re all here to hold up the mirror in different ways. See something you wouldn’t usually pick. Let yourself be surprised. Let yourself feel.

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