Author Archives: Dan Lentell

EdFringe Talk: Meg & Marge

Posted in *EdFestivals 2025, *Written Interviews by

“Edinburgh Fringe Festival is special on account of its madness—shows that make you cry, laugh, tear your hair out, and make a friend. The ideal melting pot for attention-seekers such as myself.”

WHO: Kendra Mosenson, Fiona Tarses, Cosima Gardey, & Margery Jourdemayne

WHAT: “Megan is a perfect wife. Or at least, that’s what she tells her followers. But when 15th-century mystic Margery of Kempe starts haunting her, Megan begins to wonder if she’s losing her grip – or if Margery is really there. As their connection grows unnervingly intense, Megan finds herself drawn to Margery in ways she can’t explain, where devotion and desire bleed together. In this darkly funny comedy-drama, an internet “trad wife” influencer’s carefully curated life unravels in an unexpected clash of past and present. Meg & Marge explores faith, feminism and the perils of performative perfection.”

WHERE: Playground 1 at ZOO Playground (Venue 186) 

WHEN: 15:15 (50 min)

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Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

TEAM: As a trio, we have experienced Fringe from all sides- one of us performed back in 2018, one worked for Baby Wants Candy in 2023, and one made their first foray to Scotland as an audience member just last Summer. We are each thrilled to be returning as co-creators on our own project.

MARGERY: I’d love to chime in if that’s alright. Naturally, this is a first for me in a lot of ways. First time in Scotland. First time acting in a play. First time in the twenty-first century, even! From what I’ve been told, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival is special on account of its madness—shows that make you cry, laugh, tear your hair out, and make a friend. The ideal melting pot for attention-seekers such as myself.

TEAM: Thank you, Margery. Sorry about her. She wanted to come along.

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

TEAM: We’ve learnt a lot since 2023. We’ve learnt that people love to watch women back in the kitchen. They love to hear the dulcet tones of Nara Smith and Ballerina Farm whispering into the mic as they churn milk into butter.

MARGERY: Stupid question. What you should be asking is, what have we learnt since 1438? That is the year I passed. What have we learnt since my death? Because it seems to me, not very much. None of you knows who I am, for example.

Tell us about your show.

TEAM: “Meg & Marge” is about what happens when internet trad wife Megan Wright meets medieval mystic Margery Kempe, the first woman to write an autobiography in the English language. It’s about internet culture and performance. It’s a bit silly, a bit serious and a lot horny.

MARGERY: This is a play about me and my book and the amazing effects it can have on people. In this instance, the effect is had on Megan Wright, a Christian Instagram influencer, a “trad-wife”, if you will. The show was written by Fiona Tarses and Cosima Gardey, who also happen to be the leading ladies. Shocker! And the show is produced by Kendra Mosenson. I think their naive hope is to take it elsewhere… to another theatre in New York or London. Bit ambitious if you ask me.

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

TEAM: “Blandy” at Assembly, George Square, Studio Four. Why? Because Blandy is our twin-show; another two-hander about a mischievous historical woman. In this case, it’s Mary Blandy.

MARGERY: We’re getting coffee next week.

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EdFringe Talk: Funny Though

Posted in *EdFestivals 2025, *Written Interviews by

“We are all so excited to be returning this year with a show that we feel optimises the experimental spirit of the Fringe.”

WHO: Clare Noy

WHAT: “Clare Noy is an actress known for falling over in The Play That Goes Wrong and in Peter Pan Goes Wrong. She’s also a stand-up comic just trying to get by. Funny Though is another cautionary tale about a bisexual in crisis, the Comedienne makes questionable life choices so that you don’t have to. She’s tired, she’s broke and she’ll do anything for a laugh. Expect 60 minutes of hot mess, no more, no less. (Insert quote from someone famous saying I’m great.) If that doesn’t sell this, we don’t know what will.”

WHERE: Bunker One at Pleasance Courtyard (Venue 33) 

WHEN: 15:30 (60 min)

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Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

Myself and the team have all visited the Ed Fringe before but this all of our debuts as creatives. It’s my writing and performing debut, Lauren’s directorial debut and The Project People’s debut too. (The Project People are the multi-award-winning creative producers and consultants Millie Wood-Downie and Molly McGeachin.)

Ed Fringe is such an amazing opportunity to platform new work and find like-minded creatives for future collaborations. We are all so excited to be returning this year with a show that we feel optimises the experimental spirit of the Fringe.

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

This show actually only exists because of the things I learnt then. At the end of that year, I had just finished touring with the Play That Goes Wrong, and I had started learning the basics of stand-up comedy on Logan Murray’s stars of tomorrow stand-up course at the Museum of Comedy. Both of those experiences heavily informed the way I view comedy and the way I write. It also inspired me to explore burnout in comedians and think about what the ‘cost of comedy’ is. ‘Funny Though’ is the sum of all of these thoughts and experiences.

Tell us about your show.

‘Am I a muse, or am I just amusing?’

Funny Though is a bold, genre-blurring solo show marketed as a stand-up gig. It merges stand-up comedy with theatre to explore mental health, queerness and the cost of comedy. This tired, broke Comedienne will do anything for a laugh, but what if one day, she takes it too far?

Myself (Clare Noy) and my director (Lauren Lambert Moore) met in 2020 working on a scratch night together. I’d done a short piece of new writing and was paired up with Lauren to stage it at the Vaults.

From there, the rest really is history. I went on to work as a dramaturg with Lauren, and she worked as a director for me on a scratch night I produced. Whenever I had a new idea, Lauren was the first person I would go to with it. Fast forward two years from then, and I experienced my first taste of performance burnout and started working front of house at a comedy club. When I was watching all of the shows that were programmed, it struck me how autobiographical and trauma-related stand-up comedians’ work was becoming, and I thought, hey, I wonder if A. I could do that. And B. Whether that is a sustainable way for creatives to work.

I drafted my first 20-minute version of ‘Funny Though’ with the support of Lauren and Omnibus Theatre’s Engine Room program and then kept on developing it over the course of 2 years. Since that first draft, I have extended it to an hour-long show and developed it with the support of Omnibus Theatre and with the support of Soho Theatre’s labs programs.

Post the Fringe, we are looking to tour the show around intimate venues in the UK and internationally. Lauren and I also intend to continue to work together as a writing and directing duo.

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

Eat the rich (but not me mates) – Jade Franks show is before mine in the same venue, why would you not double bill two funny women? Don’t even have to move from your seat!

House Party – Need I say more? The motivation is in the title; Chakira is also an excellent, award-winning writer.

Toxic Femininity – Molly McBride is one of the most naturally funny women I have ever met, we worked together on the Soho Theatre Plus lab and I she has got the sharpest tongue on her. She also bullied me to write this, and once said my haircut makes me look like Lord Farquaad from Shrek.

Alana Jackson – Last Orders: If you don’t see someone Scottish when you’re at a Scottish Festival, then you are very rude. Alana is also an award-winning comedian and an all-around good egg.

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EdFringe Talk: Nick Everritt: Shadow

Posted in *EdFestivals 2025, *Written Interviews by

“Just as Helen of Troy had a face that launched a thousand ships, the Edinburgh Fringe is a place that launched a thousand quips.”

WHO: Nick Everritt

WHAT: “Nick Everritt (British Comedian of the Year 2023 runner-up) is a weird, alternative, deadpan stand-up comedian who pretends to be a serial killer for the entertainment of others. But is there more to him than meets the eye? (Spoiler: No). ‘Those in search of the truly alternative, look no further’ **** (One4Review.co.uk). ‘A droll, witty and very self-conscious deconstruction of comedy’ (Chortle.co.uk).”

WHERE: Just the Bottle Room at Just the Tonic at The Mash House (Venue 288) 

WHEN: 18:10 (60 min)

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Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This will be my fourth time in Edinburgh! Having dipped my toe in with a mixed bill in 2018, then spaffed away my solo debut in 2019, my last trip to Edinburgh was in 2022. I’m excited to be back in action after 3 years away from the ups, the down, the sloped cobbled streets, the (rare) sell-out shows, the (not so rare) performances to 10 people that go surprisingly well, the gigs, the spots, the compilation shows whose titles start with numbers or punctuation so they end up nearer the start of the brochure, the jokes, the gags, the avant-garde clown shows that are never as bad as you think they’re going to be, the sights, the sounds, the early-morning hangovers and the late-night cheese and ham crepes. So yes, you could say I’m a fan.

I treat the Edinburgh Fringe the same way I treat a good woman: respectfully, and maintaining a safe distance. And just as Helen of Troy had a face that launched a thousand ships, the Edinburgh Fringe is a place that launched a thousand quips.

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

I learned some conversational French on Duolingo before inevitably giving up and forgetting it all. To hell with that creepy owl, he’s not the boss of me!

More profoundly, this is the year I learned that I’m not actually niche. As a weird, alternative act I’d always expected to fall into a niche where I’m only enjoyed by comedy nerds and purist. But I’ve recently found that when I perform my routine at ‘proper gigs’ with ‘real audiences’, they enjoy it. I think audiences enjoy a bit of palette-cleansing weirdness from the middle act on the bill.

I also learned that sharks are older than the North Star.

Tell us about your show.

This is a show by a very normal man (me) written for very normal people (you, the reader). I have a dry, deadpan style, which means that when I perform comedy it can give audiences the impression that I’m some kind of ‘psycho serial killer’ or ‘menace to society’. That couldn’t be further from the truth. I’m actually an entirely normal man, who enjoys normal things such as beers and the breasts of women. My aim for this show is to prove, at length, beyond doubt, and in forensic detail, that I am a completely normal man. This provides the show with a thematically pleasing through-line. Anyone who claims it’s just my club 20 padded out with crowd work and interactive segments is a liar, a charlatan and a traitor to the crown.

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

Tara Boland with Dusty Creases: Dance Your Life Away. I never thought the day would come where I would look forward to watching a late-night absurdist dance show, but here we are.

Liz Guterbock with Nice. Liz is indeed ‘nice’, and also, more pertinently, ‘funny’.

Jamie D’Souza with Brownie. He’s a clean-cut, wholesome and commercially viable lad, and I wish him all the best.

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EdFringe Talk: Lulu Popplewell: Love Love

Posted in *EdFestivals 2025, *Written Interviews by

“I love the Fringe. I mean, I also think it’s a complete nightmare and takes years off your life, but I still love it.”

WHO: Lulu Popplewell

WHAT: “Returning from her sell-out debut show, Lulu brings you a new hour of jokes about love, obsession and raccoons, as she tries to answer the question ‘is love just a form of mental illness?’ ‘Playfully funny, thought-provoking and has kindness at its heart’ (Chortle.co.uk). ‘Will soon be one of your favourite comedians’ **** (FunnyWomen.com). **** (BroadwayBaby.com). **** (Mervyn Stutter’s Pick of the Fringe).”

WHERE: Buttercup at Underbelly, George Square (Venue 300) 

WHEN: 18:45 (60 min)

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Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

No! This is my second hour but prior to this I did the traditional comedy progression of three-hander (with Morgan Rees and Jeremy Flynn 2017), to two-hander (with Sophie Duker 2019), to work in progress (what a mess, 2019), to waiting 4 years to return because of a pandemic and then medical difficulties(less traditional), to finally doing my (sold out!) debut at the Pleasance in 2023.
Moreover I’ve been coming to the year as a punter since 2004 and the only year I’ve skipped was 2020 (and everyone did that so it would be weird if I had turned up). I love the Fringe. I mean, I also think it’s a complete nightmare and takes years off your life, but I still love it.

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

What I learnt in 2024, when I took a year off and just came up to watch friends’ shows for fortnight, was that people will just assume you’re doing a show. People kept asking me how the show was going. I lied and replied ‘great’ every time. In September people came up to me saying ‘I hear you had a good fringe.’ So what I’ve learnt is that you don’t have to spend all your savings and spend all year carting a show around the UK to get it ready, in order to have a good fringe. Obviously I haven’t absorbed that lesson though, because I’m back with a new show and I have indeed given away all of my savings for the privilege. Please come along so I can try to justify this wilful lack of lesson learning!

Tell us about your show.

I wrote it! Me! It’s been a real labour of love (love) because the show started being created in December and then in February I promptly, and very helpfully, became too ill to write and perform. This was not ideal and has been the case on and off since. So this show has absolutely been the a case of powering through for the love of it, finding time and trying to maximise it etc. And I’m proud of it! I don’t only think it’s good CONSIDERING I’ve been unwell, I think it’s just good! But it does mean that my particular answer to questions about the creative process is ‘find time’ and not some colourful reply about the imagination and focus groups and mask work. It’s directed by the very talented Joz Norris and produced by Impatient.

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

Well obviously the aforementioned Joz Norris – and not just because he’s my director. He’s a very talented comedian. Also, since my show features a piano but is very much not musical comedy (I don’t have the skills), for genuinely incredible musical comedy I would recommend Katie Norris (no relation to Joz) and Jake Roche.

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EdFringe Talk: Sad Girl Songs

Posted in *EdFestivals 2025, *Written Interviews by

“I love wandering into a show I don’t know anything about and walking out a new fan of a playwright, comedian, or performer.”

WHO: Gwen Coburn

WHAT: “Think Gadsby meets Bloom, and Medusa has the mic. Gwen faces her fears – snakes, PTSD and the patriarchy – to pursue her comedic dreams in this raw, ‘hilarious and harrowing’ (Orlando Weekly) musical comedy where #YesAnd meets #MeToo. She delivers cry-laughing subversive anthems and laugh-crying catharsis in a brutally honest journey of PTSD and modern womanhood. It’s what her mom calls ‘the dark feminist stuff’, but make it singable. ‘A boldly brave work’ (Orlando Weekly). ‘Whip-smart’ (Winnipeg Free Press). Winner of Best Musical 2023 Winnipeg Fringe. UK Debut!”

WHERE: Ivy Studio at Greenside @ George Street (Venue 236) 

WHEN: 15:10 (55 min)

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Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This is my first time at Edinburgh Fringe– and in Edinburgh in general– so if you see me on the street, recommend your favorite tea shop or bookstore for me to curl up in. I love Fringes. I love wandering into a show I don’t know anything about and walking out a new fan of a playwright, comedian, or performer. I get to constantly see shows that surprise me and feed my curiosity; there’s no better place to jumpstart my creative brain than at Fringe.

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

2024 taught me to take life in tiny, present-tense decisions. Have I fully absorbed that? I’d say it’s semi-absorbed. I’m a dry sponge floating in a bowl of water: I’m soaking it all in, but it’ll take a bit to be fully submerged. I’m traditionally a “what’s next” person– a future dreamer and a planner. I still value that, but now I’m realizing how much I miss if I don’t make myself savor life in small, bite-sized moments.

Tell us about your show.

Sad Girl Songs is the “dark feminist stuff” brainchild of queer comedian, writer, and performer Gwen Coburn– that’s me! I’m a musical comedian and stand-up who writes songs like “Thank You For Not Murdering Me” and was Brava Theater’s 2021’s National Funniest Mami. Also, I was diagnosed with PTSD. Navigating the world of comedy as a woman with my diagnosis (or, as I prefer to put it, a PTSD-girlie) made me examine all the silly, difficult, and strange stories I’d been told about being a woman. Honestly, the myth of Europa? The bull thing? It’s very weird. I wrote a show about Medusa and my experience trying to make sense of her story and my own. I brought the script to director Kayleigh Kane, whose multiple talents in comedy and intimacy direction helped us shape the show into a funny and honest love letter to women, people with PTSD, and to comedy. We’ve toured the North American Fringes, selling out shows in Edmonton and winning Best Musical at Winnipeg Fringe. We’re so excited to share the show at Edinburgh.

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

One show that immediately caught my eye is Gladiatrix. I love seeing new musicals. This one tells the story of powerful women shut down by the state– relatable content in the US and the UK it seems. Also it mentions having badass combat sequences; I adore a musical with an unusual form of spectacle, so I was sold! Other shows on my list are Andrea Coleman’s 3 White Guys Named John and Amy Veltman’s PSA: Pelvic Service Announcement.

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EdFringe Talk: Eat The Rich (but maybe not me mates x)

Posted in *EdFestivals 2025, *Written Interviews by

“I lived in London, I was done with it a long time before I left. But I stayed and drained my bank account and mental capacity, and for what?”

WHO: Jade Franks

WHAT: “If there’s one thing worse than classism and the disparity of wealth in this country… It’s FOMO. The plot of Hannah Montana. If Hannah Montana was a Scouser. And instead of a pop star leading a double life, she is a Cambridge Student trying to conceal the fact she is working as a cleaner. ETR is a comedy which demonstrates the myth of meritocracy, the sacrifices we make to get ahead and who, in the end, these decisions will always disproportionately affect. Jade Franks Fringe debut.”

WHERE: Bunker One at Pleasance Courtyard (Venue 33) 

WHEN: 14:15 (60 min)

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Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This is my first time performing, yes! But I did produce 3 shows in 2019 when I was a student – the Cambridge Footlights gave me a grant, so I came up and was not at all prepared for how insane it was to do all those shows having never produced OR been to Edinburgh before!! I came just to see shows in 2022, and it was my last visit in 2024 when I knew for sure I wanted to bring a show this year.

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

This is such a big question hahaha!!!

When I lived in London, I was done with it a long time before I left. But I stayed and drained my
bank account and mental capacity, and for what?

From this, I’ve learnt to trust my gut on stuff more. Moving back up North was the best thing I could have done for my mind, health and career. And I have a much better relationship with the city and my loved ones in it, now I know I can leave!

Tell us about your show.

Eat the Rich (but maybe not me mates x) is a funny, fast-paced and politically sharp one-woman show about class, code-switching and cleaning jobs at Cambridge. Written and performed by me, it follows a working-class Scouse student trying to survive the UK’s most elite university while secretly working as a cleaner for her posh peers. It asks urgent questions about identity, shame, belonging and who gets to feel at home in these institutions.

The show is directed by Tatenda Shamiso, winner of the 2023 Evening Standard Emerging Talent Award for NO I.D. at the Royal Court. Tatenda is an actor, writer, director and musician whose work spans the National Theatre, Young Vic, Almeida, Bristol Old Vic and beyond. His recent directing and associate credits include A Good House (Royal Court), Wolves on the Road (Bush Theatre) and For Black Boys… (Garrick Theatre). His actor-led, collaborative process brings warmth and intimacy to the production.

The show is produced by Jasmyn Fisher-Ryner (JFR Productions), a two-time Olivier-nominated producer whose credits include For Black Boys… and Blue Mist at the Royal Court and West End. Her producing focuses on access, emerging artists and inclusion.

I met Jasmyn and dramaturg Ellie Fulcher while working as an Education Associate at The Royal Court, creating audience access strategies that invited Black and working-class communities into the theatre. Jasmyn and I worked together on For Black Boys…, developing its outreach model from the Royal Court to the West End. Tatenda also worked on For Black Boys… as Associate Director at the Garrick Theatre.

Eat the Rich will preview at Seven Dials Playhouse on July 23rd. We plan to tour regionally post-Fringe, and I’m currently developing a TV comedy-drama adaptation of the piece.

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

I have the following shows on my radar: Mojola Akinyemi’s Cara and Kelly are Best Friends For Ever For Life, Hasan Al-Habib’s stand-up show, Death to the West (Midlands) Dan Bishop’s play Brainsluts, Rohan Sharma’s Mad Dog and Chakira Alin’s play House Party.

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EdFringe Talk: The Marriage of Alice B Toklas by Gertrude Stein

Posted in *EdFestivals 2025, *Written Interviews by

“Edinburgh has such amazing energy, it reminds me of theater in New York 20 years ago when I was getting started.”

WHO: Edward Einhorn

WHAT: “A New York Times Critic’s Pick! A marriage farce by Edward Einhorn about Stein and Toklas in which four actors play over 30 characters. Identities are merged and submerged. Their famous salon, with celebrity guests such as Hemingway, Picasso and many others, is the setting for this comic fantasy with serious intent. The lesbian and Jewish subtext of their lives is made text, and the tragic implications of a relationship that existed in their hearts, but could never be fully acknowledged, are explored. Critically acclaimed in New York and London.”

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

WHEN: 18:30 (80 min)

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Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

I have been there a few times to scout for the festival I run in New York, The Rehearsal for Truth International Theater Festival, honoring Vaclav Havel (a collection of Central and Eastern European work). I became involved with my own festival due to my work with the Czechs–years ago, while Havel was still alive, I did a festival of Havel’s work and that lead to a few collaborations with him, which then led to my working with the Czech Republic and other nations in that area. My festival only has a show a day however, a very different experience. Edinburgh has such amazing energy, it reminds me of theater in New York 20 years ago when I was getting started. It was revitalizing, and it made me want to bring my own show.

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

The main lesson is a lesson about the world: the rights and democracy we have one day can disappear tomorrow. This is a story about two Jewish women in love in a world approaching fascism. We make the subtext text and celebrate their lives, but also remember that the progress in the area of queer rights and the fight against antisemitism can quickly and easily be reversed. But this is the serious message behind all the fun. Because the other thing I have learned is that in difficult times, we need theater to survive. Whatever the message, the joy and community of being in the theater is necessary for our survival. So for me, the first task is to focus on the fun.

Tell us about your show.

I wrote it, and it is being produced by by New York theater company (Untitled Theater Company No. 61) with the help of Broadway producer James Simon. It played first in New York at HERE Arts Center (where is was a New York Times Critic’s Pick) and then moved to the Jermyn Street Theatre in London (where is garnered many 5 and 4 star reviews). The cast is mostly the same cast that performed the show in New York, all of whom I knew in one way or another before the show, either by working with them or by reputation. They have a lot of experience in New York experimental theater, where Gertrude Stein in an icon, of sorts. Only our Stein has changed, and she is performed by a woman named Barsha. Two of the cast member’s were at Barsha’s show and they came back to me and said: she’s the one. I met her, and it’s true. I can’t imagine a more perfect Stein. We hope to take it back to New York after, with a bigger production, but also would love to tour in the Europe or North America–or license the script.

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

My festival just hosted the show Furiozo, and it’s back (and amazing, see him or anything Piotr Sikora does). What I love particularly about Furiozo is that, like my own show, it emphasizes the laughter. So the message, and I think there is a good one about masculinity and its expression, can be absorbed easily. Or one can ignore the message altogether and just laugh! A friends, Ari Laura Keith, is directing a show at Traverse called Rift about two brothers on opposite ends of the political spectrum. Haven’t seen it, but it sounds intriguing. Another friend, Tjasa Ferme, has a one-woman show called My Marlene about Marlene Deitrich, which also sounds intriguing.

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EdFringe Talk: misSfits

Posted in *EdFestivals 2025, *Written Interviews by

“Using verbatim, the show and the students voices are built from real queer-experiences that I sourced in making the show.”

WHO: Helen Iley

WHAT: “Meet Miss Elliot – your favourite primary school teacher. Learning objective: how to understand the term baby gay. Incorporating real-life perspectives and voices from the queer community, misSfits focuses on the voices of the “baby gays” and how after coming out they must try to navigate this new community in which they still feel alien to themselves. Through the eyes of Miss Elliot and primary school nostalgia, misSfits transports us into that familiar classroom as past students find their true selves. All whilst Miss Elliot reminisces and reflects on their own sense of identity and self.”

WHERE: Studio at theSpaceTriplex (Venue 38) 

WHEN: 12:10 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

First time! The company I have now taken over, Bullet Theatre, did come in 2018 but personally and with my other company ‘hileyproductive’ I have never been. Edinburgh Fringe is such a hybrid of activity but also a space to just be open and explore your work and there is an audience for everyone and everything which I love.

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

To be bold and just go for it.

Last year I went as a punter and set it as a challenge to bring something this year. The fact that I am also going to perform and bring these tales of baby gays to Edinburgh is something I never imagined I would be doing. Let’s go for it!

Tell us about your show.

WELCOME TO THE CLASSROOM – Miss Elliot: Year 6.

My show follows a teacher, Miss Elliot, who reminiscences on the previous students that have come through her classroom. Learning Objective: To Understand the term Baby Gay. Using verbatim, the show and the students voices are built from real queer-experiences that I sourced in making the show. I showed it once at ‘A Pinch of Vault’s’ with a wonderful actor, Rhi Bell, which I directed but now (partly for budget reasons but also self exploration) I am performing it. I recently came out as they/them and so this show feels especially important for me to do.

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

A wonderful performer, CURLY is going to be on just after my run at the show. A similar, queer act of becoming but they are a wonderful musician as well and have some fantastic musical numbers. I do have some sing-along assembly songs on my old school projector but nothing like this so definitely check them out!

Queer Folks Tales sounds brilliant too on the 6th August.

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EdFringe Talk: Medium Dead

Posted in *EdFestivals 2025, *Written Interviews by

“My producer, Julia and I, met at a scratch night at the Pleasance in 2024, reconnected at the Fringe in 2024 over one too many cocktails, and vowed to work together on this show.”

WHO: Eleanor Shaw

WHAT: “Bennie really puts the ghost in ghostwriter. She writes suicide notes for a living. It’s soul-purging work, and her record of seeing people through to the bitter end is less than perfect. After a difficult meeting with HR (Death), she’s assigned a challenge to prove herself and keep her place in the Office. But she’s landed an impossible client: beloved chef and TV presenter Anthony Bourdain. Bennie is torn, but Chef has unlocked a secret to the universe and can’t live to keep it. And if Bennie doesn’t see this one out, she’s going Downstairs.”

WHERE: Playground 2 at ZOO Playground (Venue 186) 

WHEN: On Demand (60 min)

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Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

Hilariously, my first experience at the Fringe was as a green, wide-eyed student in 2013 where I was singing as part of an all-female a cappella choir (alto-bass, if you must know.) I was back up there as a punter in 2019 and 2024. In 2019, I was not myself a theatre-maker, a bit at sea, dipping into random shows that caught my fancy. In 2024, I was connected to a whole constellation of clowns and comics and certified freaks in small rooms, and felt confident to see what was good, what was weird, what was ground-breaking, what my friends were making.

It’s trite to say, but there’s nowhere else like it in the world. It’s like theatre camp on acid. You trauma bond, make friends for life in a courtyard, see strangers’ genitalia – it’s the most chaotic, beautiful ordeal of theatre and art in the world.

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

I wrote it and am performing in medium dead. My producer, Julia and I, met at a scratch night at the Pleasance in 2024, reconnected at the Fringe in 2024 over one too many cocktails, and vowed to work together on this show. Ellie BW directed a show called ‘Goblin’ that I saw at a scratch night and became completely obsessed with. I followed its development at various WIPs – I feared creator Derek would take out a restraining order against me. Ellie and I met briefly at the Assembly bar (where else?), and I shot my shot in the DMs, and the rest is history.

With that in mind, Edinburgh is the piece’s debut, and I have learnt a lot. We’ve had a handful of previews but will unleash the full monster at the Fringe.

Tell us about your show.

Bennie really puts the ghost in ghostwriter. She writes suicide notes for a living. It’s soul-purging work, and her record of seeing people through to the bitter end is less than perfect. After a difficult meeting with HR (Death), she’s assigned a challenge to prove herself and keep her place in the Office.

But she’s landed an impossible client: beloved chef and TV presenter Anthony Bourdain. Bennie is torn, but Chef has unlocked a secret to the universe and can’t live to keep it. And if Bennie doesn’t see this one out, she’s going Downstairs.

We’ll take it wherever you want it to go. I want to share it with a US audience because of their unrivalled intimacy to Bourdain and learn from that; in the UK, people either know him and love him, or barely know him at all. I feel like I’m spreading the Gospel of Anthony Bourdain in the UK, which is an immense pressure, but sort of the reason I’m doing it.

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

Goblin by Derek Scott Mitchell – it’s hysterically funny, very dark, and taps into a fearful mid-00s emo nostalgia masterfully. Derek is gifted.

Mercurial by Rosaleen Cox at Shedinburgh. You have one night only to catch it. She is THE next big thing.

Lady Bolognese. Completely unhinged and hilarious. The next Mighty Boosh.

Louis, Lewis and the News. My best mate, handler, inspiration, rock, guru… surprisingly down to earth and very, very funny.

Failsafe – my producer has fantastic taste.

Bangtail by Lil Wenker – the rootinest tootinest clown in the West and all the land.

ROTUS from Leigh Douglas. The American Right Wing will never be as funny.

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EdFringe Talk: The Essence of Audrey

Posted in *EdFestivals 2025, *Written Interviews by

“I’ve now performed it over 35 times in various small venues around the country.”

WHO: Helen Anker

WHAT: “Celebrate the true-life story of one of the world’s most beloved icons, Audrey Hepburn. She was a stunningly beautiful actress and selfless humanitarian Ambassador for UNICEF. In this biopic play, learn of her loves and losses, remember her most famous film roles and discover the untold secrets of her traumatic early life. Bring your morning coffee and croissant and enjoy Breakfast at Audrey’s, as her remarkable journey is magically brought to life in this illuminating, funny and poignant homage to one of Hollywood’s greats.”

WHERE: Cellar at Pleasance Courtyard (Venue 33) 

WHEN: 11:15 (60 min)

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Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This is my first time performing at the festival. I have visited though once in the past and loved the experience. My Mum and her husband have been coming up every year for the past 10 years, and she’d always had a dream of me performing at it one day, so this all has a lot to do with making her dream come true.

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

I imagine you’re asking about 2024 in relation to COVID and lockdowns ending? Or maybe I have that wrong? If so.. I have learnt so much since that time.. of enjoying life and doing what you can to make it better in all ways. I think that time taught us all how to be more grateful for what we have, and to change our lives if we’re not happy.. to make the most out of every day, as life is short, and anything can happen at any time to mix it up.

Tell us about your show.

I wrote my play, The Essence of Audrey, during lockdown in 2020. I had never written anything before, or had any desire to….. until that time, when my lodger commented that she thought I looked a bit like Audrey Hepburn. After looking into whether anyone had written a play about her (as I thought maybe I could learn and put on a play about her life) as I couldn’t find one I decided to try and write one myself. I own many beautiful coffee table books about her, and after watching many of her films and learning, we have a great many similarities, I did it.

I’ve now performed it over 35 times in various small venues around the country, and figured this would be a perfect time to bring it to the fringe as I have a 2-month break from the show I’ve been touring the country in this past year of Dear Evan Hansen. I hope to get some good reviews to help get my play out there more, and maybe take it abroad. And I really want to experience the excitement of performing at the famous Fringe, and everything it brings you.

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

I hope people who see my show will be reminded of what a wonderful lady and generous humanitarian of UNICEF Audrey Hepburn was…. and that people will re-visit her old timeless films.

With regard to supporting other shows. I hope people will support other small venues and performance spaces. I’ll hopefully get to see: All fired up: an 80s mix tape musical, Beth wants the D, The nature of forgetting, An ode to the casting director, Funny Though and Motorhome Marilyn.

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