Author Archives: Dan Lentell

EdFringe Talk: Geoffrey Asmus: Patriautism

Posted in *EdFestivals 2026, *Written Interviews by

“My country as a whole is an absolute wasteland”

WHO: Geoffrey Asmus

WHAT: “Americans are the best at imperialism and comedy. We have already proven the first. I am here to prove the latter. Many shows at the Fringe have a narrative throughline and a cute little callback at the end. My show mostly concentrates on being incredibly funny. And if you listen closely you might also just learn something in this uproarious ode to a failing empire. Support for Daniel Sloss. ‘Fans of Fin Taylor will also have a great time here’ Top 10 Live Comedy Shows of 2025 (Comedy.co.uk). Warning: this show is not designed for losers.”

WHERE: Monkey Barrel 4 at Monkey Barrel Comedy (Venue 515) 

WHEN: 19:50 (60 min)

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Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This is my very first time at the prestigious Edinburgh Fringe Festival. I am excited to teach the Europeans how we Americans do comedy (with punchlines, not lectures). I also might just apply for asylum as a refugee because while America is much better at comedy my country as a whole is an absolute wasteland. So mostly I’m doing Fringe to find somewhere new to call home.

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

Over the last year or two I’ve realized that there is absolutely no point in conforming to the expectations of the audience. I do jokes that I find funny and if the audience does too then thats a neat little bonus. Everyone is trying to discover what the mythical algorithm likes and I simply do not care anymore. And you shouldn’t either. I will be up there having an absolute blast onstage because I am saying exactly what I want. I’m living my dream so yes I’ll be laughing at my own jokes sometimes. Why not.

Tell us about your show.

My show is the hour of stand-up that I have been touring around the USA and Canada for the last 8 months or so. But its not in the same order every night and I will try new jokes on every show because thats what comedy should be. And then this fall I will film a beautiful special out of it all. This special will change the idea of comedy as we know it. Nothing will ever be the same. It will make me around $4,500 and I will be rich forever.

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

Go watch Mike Rice. He’s one of the greatest comedians. 95% of comedians are truly horrible at this. Most stand-up is unwatchable. Mike is a genius. Vittorio and Gianmarco rip as well. If a comic doesnt have a joke mocking Israel they arent worth supporting.

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EdFringe Talk: Kate Hammer: Government Approved Comedian

Posted in *EdFestivals 2026, *Written Interviews by

“Fringe cannot hurt me, because I am always fringing. Just another thing I have in common with the Hulk.”

WHO: Kate Hammer

WHAT: “One Canadian needs to make you laugh, otherwise she will be deported. Join Kate as she navigates proving herself to get a Global Talent Visa, getting dominated on Vinted, and breaking up with an identical twin. As seen on Breaking the News, BBC Scotland, Roast Battle League and Channel 4. ‘A full package, all tools comedian… It is impossible not to vibe with Hammer’ (Comedy.co.uk). ‘Frenetic and clownishly graphic’ (Chortle.co.uk). ‘Dynamic and charismatic’ (BroadwayWorld.com). ‘Delightful on stage… knows exactly how to land a line’ (One4Review.co.uk).”

WHERE: The Studio at Monkey Barrel Comedy (Niddry Street) (Venue 80) 

WHEN: 17:00 (60 min)

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Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

Last year I did a run in a comedic play by Stuart Laws called STUCK. I played four different puffins and it was my opus as an actor. This year is my first time with a full run as a comedian, and I’m filled with the kind of excitement that makes me quake in my boots (I wear cowboy boots in my show that were purchased from a store in Tennessee called THREE FOR ONE BOOTS, which says a lot about me and my relationship with my parents who are the owners of the other two pairs of boots). I have been hardened by years of performing most nights of the week on top of other work, so in one sense, I have been training for the Fringe for years. Fringe cannot hurt me, because I am always fringing. Just another thing I have in common with the Hulk.

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

I’m like a sitcom character, going through important lessons every single week but rarely absorbing a thing. Some people say I’m bad at learning, but I think I just love learning so much I want to keep doing it again and again. Luckily, I have great people around to remind me of the things I have done in previous episodes, including: you can always do more WIPs, Edinburgh in August can span multiple seasons so wear both a mini skirt, winter jacket, and rain boots at all times, and Kate doesn’t share food. Mostly, I think I probably shouldn’t have directed two independent short films in the months leading up to the Fringe while also trying to write my own hour. Would I do it again and not change a thing? Yes. Because I love learning!

Tell us about your show.

My show is like entering the haberdashery of my mind: filled with knick knacks and tat collected carefully over the years. It might seem messy to anyone else at a quick glance – but everything is important and I know exactly where it is. Mostly. Like 50%. I take the audience through their own, personalized version of a visa application in order to stay in my audience and trust me, my version of a visa application is actually a lot more fun than the real thing, and WAY less expensive. I wrote it, the inimitable Stuart Laws is directing, the fantastic Brass Tacks Comedy is producing, and I’m being funded by Blackfriars, which makes this whole thing possible. I literally do not know what I would do without these people helping me every step of the way, but it would probably involve me taking up goat farming like my ancestors before me.

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

This Fringe is RICH with talent, and I honestly cannot list enough people who are going to do amazing shows and make you laugh your entire footwear range clean off. Kathleen Hughes and Sam Lake are doing limited runs, so get on those tickets FAST, and Grace Mulvey, Eva Peroni, and honestly every single show at Monkey Barrel Comedy will be more than worth your ticket price. Also – ALWAYS take a punt on a show you’ve never heard of, I promise you’ll be so happy you did. And if you aren’t happy you did, come find me after and I’ll buy you a drink.*

*Hope you like water with ice and a slice of lime.

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EdFringe Talk: John-Luke Roberts: What I Talk About When I Run About, Talking

Posted in *EdFestivals 2026, *Written Interviews by

“I’m excited this year to be doing a type of comedy show different from all my previous shows.”

WHO: John-Luke Roberts

WHAT: “JLR returns with his first new show in four years. Hilarious stand-up about the human condition, nearly dying and what it’s like to have an endoscopy on Remembrance Sunday at exactly 11am. Hilarious, though, that’s the main thing. Some poems too. Aiming for at least five-to-six laughs a minute, so about three hundred total which is pretty good actually. Big accessible laughs too, while not selling out on my alternative roots. Come on, you’ll like it. Fringe Legend Award winner. ***** (List). ***** (Fest). **** (Guardian). **** (Telegraph).”

WHERE: Monkey Barrel 4 at Monkey Barrel Comedy (Venue 515) 

WHEN: 14:10 (60 min)

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Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

It’s something like my 20th time, and I’ll be doing my 11th solo show. Two years ago I remounted a retrospective of my 10 shows so far, which was kind of a thrilling walk through my Edinburgh memories. I’m excited this year to be doing a type of comedy show different from all my previous shows.

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

That I am going to die one day. I had a scary time in November – I was coughing up blood, and went to A and E to find out I had multiple blood clots in my lungs, which can be lethal. Then a friend died towards the beginning of this year. When I say I learnt I was going to die, obviously, I knew on a sort of intellectual level that death would happen at some point, but this year I’ve actually had to face up to it. So I’m trying to write a really mainstream show about that, which is good actually, because death is a very mainstream topic because we’re all going to die.

Tell us about your show.

I wrote it, I’m producing it, and I’m performing it. It’s a stand-up show about the human condition and it’s got an awful lot of words in it (like terrifying miracle of consciousness, Jamie’s Italian, colonoscopy, goblins, chutzpah, pulmonary embolism, Go Ape, Jung, moths, Skechers and twinge). I’ve done a bunch of WIPs, but Edinburgh will be the proper debut.

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

Too much to mention really – comedy wise, I’m excited to see Bec Hill’s work in progress, and Abby Wimbaugh’s work in progress, and Lil Wenker’s show, and Jonno’s show, and Kate Cheka’s show, and Lara Ricote’s show. I’d also recommened Jonathon Oldfield’s show and Phil O’Shea’s show, but then I directed them.

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EdFringe Talk: Michelle Shocked: Bootleg This!

Posted in *EdFestivals 2026, *Written Interviews by

“I enjoy the giddiness the Fringe fosters, the sensory overload combined with relentless FOMO.”

WHO: Michelle Shocked

WHAT: “Grammy Award-winning US music artist Michelle Shocked brings her brand new show to the Fringe (Her first UK shows in eight years). Blending music with memoir, Bootleg This! offers audiences a unique, live encounter with the stories behind the songs. Forty years after her legendary bootleg debut – surviving a 13-year blacklist – the Grammy winner returns with a vengeance. The show connects directly with the release of her audio memoir, Bootleg This! A fiercely original voice shaped by Texas folk, blues, with storytelling and spiritual conviction.”

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

WHEN: 20:30 (60 min)

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Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This will be my fifth Fringe appearance. The first time in 1988 was on a double bill with Richard Thompson, the second as a company member in the Mark Morris Dance Group at the International Festival. I performed at the Fringe in 2017 and again in 2018, both times in an attempt to break the blacklist created by the 2013 defamation. My most memorable moment from the Fringe is a distant memory of an Australian circus that did a brilliant show on the ceiling. Was this around 1988? I’m not sure. Believe it or not, I enjoy the giddiness the Fringe fosters, the sensory overload combined with relentless FOMO.

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

I learned a wonderful lesson in trust, faith and letting go in the production of Bootleg This!, the show based on my audio memoir, in collaboration with my producer, Sue Zizza of SueMedia Productions. There were moments when I truly did not know next steps to take, but Sue, with over 40 years of experience producing audio dramas, knew just the perfect solution. We kept calm and carried on, one step and then another.

Tell us about your show.

Call them producers if you must; I know their criminal identity: enablers of intrepid creativity. Alan Whittaker is the brave captain of our ship, and soon thereafter, Bradford Louryk navigated its artistic direction. Once Dominique Bravo signed on, we found our sea legs. My show is actually two shows; the Truth Show and the Reality Show. Each night, the audience decides which one it’ll be. If I get my way. However, only one show will premier in Edinburgh if the good sense of my producers prevail. The show was road-tested for three months in the Spring; first, my half of a solo show, then a performance of Samuel Beckett’s one-hander, Krapp’s Last Tape, and I’d close with the second half of my show. After Edinburgh I’ll be taking both shows —theTruth Show and the Reality Show—on the road for three months … without adult supervision!

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

Audiences should see The Woman in The Mirror by Dayna Steele, she is a Texas Radio Hall of Famer, but the show focuses on her experience with her mothers Alzheimer’s. I’m also interested to see Andy Macleod in his show SOHO DAYS, CAMDEN NIGHTS, another story about music and the industry.

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EdFringe Talk: Call Me Elizabeth: from Lassie to Cleopatra

Posted in *EdFestivals 2026, *Written Interviews by

“A great festival experience occurs when you allow yourself time for unplanned adventures and spontaneous discoveries.”

WHO: Kayla Boyle

WHAT: “An audience with Miss Taylor! Kayla Boye (Shake It Away) returns as the Hollywood legend, revealing her innermost feelings about life, love, triumphs and tragedies, until she meets Richard Burton on the set of ‘Cleopatra’, when her life, along with several others’, is turned upside down! Directed by Michael Weber and presented by Olivier winner, Fringe legend (twice Taylor’s nephew by marriage to Burton!) Guy Masterson. ‘Brilliant! A must-watch for any Elizabeth Taylor fan!’ (EdFringeReview.com). ‘Captivating! A brilliantly polished production!’ (ThreeWeeks). ‘A shattering, exquisite performance that should not be missed’ (ChicagoTheatreReview.com).”

WHERE: Studio Two at Assembly George Square Studios (Venue 17) 

WHEN: 15:30 (60 min)

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Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This will be my third visit to Edinburgh! The Fringe is a special mix of serendipity where you can witness an incredible breadth of performances while also experiencing the rich heritage of a historic city. A great festival experience occurs when you allow yourself time for unplanned adventures and spontaneous discoveries. Strike up conversations in queues with fellow festival-goers; they can offer insights on what to see. Does an intriguing poster catch your eye? Go see the show!

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

My previous Fringe experiences have been short runs which have steadily lengthened each year (I was in Edinburgh for 7 days in 2023, 10 days in 2025). They informed my understanding of stamina and building a schedule which allowed me the energy to both perform and enjoy other Fringe shows. As I approach this full run in 2026, I feel that I have absorbed these lessons and have a grounded sense of self that will allow me to sustain and deepen my performance over the duration of the month.

Tell us about your show.

I am the writer and performer of Call Me Elizabeth, a one-woman show about Elizabeth Taylor. The one-act version sold out during the 2023 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, which was attended by Fringe legend and Olivier Award-winner Guy Masterson (who also happens to be related to the subject matter as grand-nephew of Richard Burton). I have since collaborated with Guy as dramaturg to expand the show into two acts, which I am performing in rep at this year’s Fringe (Part One on odd-numbered days and Part Two on even-numbered days). Following Edinburgh, the show will play The Playground Theatre in London from 1-6 September.

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

In addition to Call Me Elizabeth, Guy Masterson is presenting several other solo shows including The Tao of Lloyd (written and performed by Dennis Trainor Jr.), Ludwig: Unfinished Business (written and performed by Mike Hatchard), and Scaramouche Jones (written and performed by Justin Butcher). Check them out!

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EdFringe Talk: Mario Adrion: Live a Little

Posted in *EdFestivals 2026, *Written Interviews by

“Audiences can handle much more than we sometimes give them credit for.”

WHO: Mario Adrion

WHAT: “A darkly funny show about a boy from a picturesque German town who leaves it all behind to become an international fashion model. Armed with a need for approval, Mario dives headfirst into the modelling world, navigating the chaos of pseudo professional relationships, the European runway, and sketchy modelling gigs. Along the way, Mario faces unhealthy power dynamics, constant rejection, and significant sexual abuse within the industry. The show explores themes of self-love, the need for acceptance, and grappling with sexual trauma from a male perspective. It’s a story about being hot — and sad.”

WHERE: Attic AND Pleasance Two at Pleasance Courtyard (Venue 33) 

WHEN: Varies (60 min)

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Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

Yes! I’ve wanted to come to the Fringe for years because it feels like the Olympics of comedy. Thousands of artists from all over the world taking over one city for a month is such a ridiculous and beautiful idea. I love that audiences are willing to take chances on shows they know nothing about. As a comedian, that’s incredibly exciting.

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

I’ve learned that audiences can handle much more than we sometimes give them credit for. If you’re honest enough, they’ll follow you almost anywhere. I’m still working on applying that lesson every time I write. It’s tempting to play it safe, but the interesting stuff usually lives on the other side of discomfort.

Tell us about your show.

I wrote the show over several years, with my director Bill Dawes. It’s produced by RBM Comedy and my team, Stephen Gordon Walker, Jordan Henry, and Emily Jones. The show has been evolving through previews in the US, and Edinburgh will be its Fringe debut. After that, I hope to keep touring it internationally because the themes seem to resonate with people wherever I perform.

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

I’m looking forward to seeing Gianmarco Soresi and Daniel Sloss. They’re both brilliant at balancing big laughs with smart storytelling, and I’m curious to see what they’ve created for the Fringe.

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EdFringe Talk: Jonathan Rudge: Stay at Home Son

Posted in *EdFestivals 2026, *Written Interviews by

“I absolutely love Scotland, and the restaurant scene excites me a lot. I’m belly-led.”

WHO: Jonathan Rudge

WHAT: “In this, his brand new show ‘Stay at Home Son’, Londoner (oh shut up) Jonathan dives into the world of messed-up-millennials and manifesting adoption into the Beckhams now there’s a spare seat at the table (Love heart hands Brooklyn x). Nominated for no awards and never a sold-out show – Jonathan is fresh meat. This is a chance to see him before he hits the big time so don’t miss out. *Not written by ChatGPT.”

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

WHEN: 20:35 (55 min)

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Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This will be my third time at the Edinburgh Fringe. My first was a short run of shows in 2024, then in 2025 I came back as a punter, and this year is my debut full run. The year I wasn’t performing, I could feel the cosmic electricity pumping out of every performer, polluting the air with their enthusiastic desperation. I’d never felt anything like it before. I loved it. I can’t wait to return. I absolutely love Scotland, and the restaurant scene excites me a lot. I’m belly-led.

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

I learned a bit of French on Duolingo and discovered that dating Gen Z can be… educational. Stand-up-wise, the biggest lesson was to stop thinking of an hour as an hour and start thinking of it as six lots of ten minutes. For some reason that completely rewired my brain. Life-changing. The lesson that keeps getting reinforced, especially over the past 12 months, is that creativity is part of one’s self, do not let anyone change it.

Tell us about your show.

Stand-up is incredibly personal. It’s basically reading your diary aloud and hoping people laugh. The show pokes fun at the strange generational moment we’re living through: the boomers who had everything, millennials who are technically proper adults but still feel like they’re winging it, Gen Z hot on our heels telling us how to behave, and poor Gen Alpha, who’ve barely had a look in yet. I wrote the show this past year and recently had some help from Bobby Mair who sprinkled his magic over me.. Sorry, I mean over the show. I’m producing it myself, and Edinburgh will be its premiere. I managed to orchestrate my redundancy after 19 years with the same company, which has funded the trip north. Massive thanks as well to my adopted Edinburgh parents, Norma and Alister, who are putting me up for the month. If all goes to plan, I’d love to keep taking the show on the road after the Fringe. A spot at the Soho Theatre is the dream, I’ve seen so many great things there. It’s a special place being a Londoner.

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

The Queer Comedy Club, who have a lovely home in Elephant and Castle, are bringing ‘The Best of Queer Fringe’ to Edinburgh every night. It’s always a guaranteed hoot.

Rohan Ashar and Mani Ahmed’s ‘Other’ is fantastic. I caught it at Brighton Fringe where it completely sold out, and I can’t recommend it enough.

Michael McPheat’s ‘Brutal’ is a love letter to his hometown of Milton Keynes, told through his younger queer experience. I saw a preview in his flat, and it’s proper LOL.

Finally, AJ Adams’ ‘Is He Bothering You?’ is on at 12.10am in The Wee One with Just the Tonic. I had that slot in 2024, so it feels only right to send people his way. I left a good energy load in that room!

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EdFringe Talk: Finlay Christie: Champagne Casanova

Posted in *EdFestivals 2026, *Written Interviews by

“This will be my third proper FULL hour of stand-up comedy, which is a completely different beast, and the most fun you can have doing stand-up.”

WHO: Finlay Christie

WHAT: “Finlay misguidedly believes that his muggers fancied him, that being a f*ckboy is cool and that Kim Jong Un would love him. Funny, self-aware and internet-brained, this is an hour about the myths constructed by incels, billionaires and even human people, that mean we don’t have to admit we’re ordinary, rejected or wrong. There’s also a strong section on air fryers. As seen on social media (1M+ followers), Live at the Apollo, Have I Got News For You and 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown. ‘The voice of a generation’ **** (Chortle.co.uk).”

WHERE: Monkey Barrel 4 at Monkey Barrel Comedy (Venue 515) 

WHEN: Varies (60 min)

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Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This will be the eighth year I’ve performed at the Fringe, in some form. I performed twice as a child, with the Comedy Club 4 Kids. I was 10. When I went to university I then performed two years on the trot with my university comedy club (UCL Comedy Club) doing 10 minutes.

But this will be my third proper FULL hour of stand-up comedy, which is a completely different beast, and the most fun you can have doing stand-up. You get a sense of control and command of the room that dwarfs that of regular comedy club stand-up. You can completely set the tone and the expectations, and take the audience on more of a journey.

A great Fringe is one where audiences feel adventurous enough to see people they’ve never heard of. That’s the magic of Edinburgh. I just hope it stays accessible enough that the next generation of comedians can still afford to be discovered there.

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

My show is actually about how little I’ve learned from the past year. It’s basically about not learning anything from your actions.

Tell us about your show.

I wrote my show, with help from comedian friends who have seen bits and pieces of it. The direction of it has been helped greatly by comedians like Sam Eley and Bobby Mair.

Bobby Mair is a fantastic comic, but often more off-the-wall than me. He may sometimes suggests I improve a routine by, for example, jacking off onto a dead kids’ face, which suits his comic voice much more. He is very emotionally intelligent, and knows how to draw things out of me that I feel, but I’m not sure how to say.

Sam Eley is very gifted. He always knows how to read an audience, and take a joke in the most interesting way once their perception of me has been thoroughly analysed.

The show has mainly been inspired by one event — me being robbed in New Orleans by two women who led me to believe they wanted a threesome with me. A lot of material around that has seemed to keep on the same theme: Believing stuff just because it benefits you.

I’ve done lots of previews of it around the country to my online fans, and after Edinburgh I’ll be taking it on a tour of UK and Ireland.

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

Phil Ellis, Eric Rushton and Chris Kent. They’re my favourites at the moment, and hugely underrated.

Chris Kent had me crying laughing the last time I saw him in Kilkenny. Before that, I can’t remember the last time I cried laughing at stand-up.

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EdFringe Talk: The Woman in the Mirror

Posted in *EdFestivals 2026, *Written Interviews by

“If I pet a baby Highland cow and leave with my first tattoo, that will just be icing on the cake.”

WHO: Dayna Steele

WHAT: “A fearlessly honest, bitingly witty and unexpectedly uplifting true story of a mother and daughter navigating the realities of caregiving. Blindsided when her mother receives a life-changing diagnosis, Dayna writes a Facebook post. Waking up to hundreds of responses she realises she isn’t alone, and begins to share all the ups, downs, hilarity and heartbreak with her new-found cyber support network. An award-winning play from Radio Hall of Famer Dayna Steele, based on the best-selling book Surviving Alzheimer’s with Friends, Facebook and a Really Big Glass of Wine. ‘A love letter to caregivers.’ (Houston Press)”

WHERE: Studio at ZOO Southside (Venue 82) 

WHEN: 15:15 (70 min)

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Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

No. This will be my fourth visit to this magical city, but my first time attending and performing at Fringe. I’ve fallen in love with Edinburgh over the years, made wonderful friends there, and honestly can’t imagine a better place for this next chapter. If I pet a baby Highland cow and leave with my first tattoo, that will just be icing on the cake.

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

I’ve learned it’s never too late to do something completely unreasonable.

At 66 (turning 67 during the production), I somehow find myself an actor, am taking my first play overseas, and am raising the money to make it all happen. None of that was on my bingo card.

And, it’s okay to ask for help whether you are a caregiver or a playwright raising money to bring your uplifting comedy to Fringe.

Tell us about your show.

The Woman in the Mirror is based on my bestselling book Surviving Alzheimer’s with Friends, Facebook, and a Really Big Glass of Wine. It’s inspired by my journey with my mother through Alzheimer’s—the heartbreaking moments, the hilarious ones, the ones that made me question my sanity, and one surprise ending audiences never see coming. I wanted to pass on all these lessons I learned to others with storytelling and humor. And love.

The project began in 2019 as something closer to a one-woman show. Then came what felt like 150 rewrites. (No one warns you that “playwright” mostly means rewriting.) Today it’s an award-winning two-person play.

In 2024 I was introduced to director Laura Stearns for a production in Palm Springs, California. Laura had also cared for both her mother and grandmother through Alzheimer’s, so she understood this story before I even finished telling it. She coached, challenged, encouraged, occasionally threatened me with another rehearsal, and somehow turned a former rock radio personality into an actor. Thanks to her, my co-star Rebecca McWilliams and I received Best Actress nominations from the Desert Theatre League. The production won Best Play, and Laura was honored as Best Director.

Over the past two years we’ve shaped this into something I hope audiences will never forget—a funny, honest, deeply human love letter to caregivers, parents, families, and the people who show up when life gets hard.

I’m producing the Edinburgh run through Blue Squirrel Productions alongside the wonderful team at Suzanna Rosenthal Productions.

If you laugh, cry, call your mother afterward, hug someone a little tighter, or simply walk out feeling a little less alone, we’ve done our job.

If you’ve ever had a mother or simply wondered how people survive impossible situations with laughter intact, this show is for you.

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

Find a first-time performer. Wander into a tiny venue with a queue outside. Take a chance on the show someone passionately recommends over coffee (or wine). Some of the biggest success stories in theatre began as unknown Fringe productions, and there’s something magical about being able to say, “I saw it before everyone else did.”

As a former business speaker, one of my favorite pieces of advice was simple: be quiet and listen. It’s amazing what you’ll hear—and where it might lead. It’s how I somehow kept ending up in the front row of Rolling Stones photos. (That’s a story for another day.)

The joy of the Fringe is discovering something you never planned to see. But if you are planning ahead, I recommend seeing brilliant women like Michelle Shocked, Women of Rock, and Chrissie Hinde!

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EdFringe Talk: In Other Words

Posted in *EdFestivals 2026, *Written Interviews by

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

WHO: Maya Shoham

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

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

WHEN: 16:00 (60 min)

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Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

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

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

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

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

Tell us about your show.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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