Author Archives: Dan Lentell

EdFringe Talk: Planet of the Grapes – An Epic, Tabletop, Sci-Fi Adventure!

Posted in *EdFestivals 2026, *Written Interviews by

“The title came to me, so I started thinking about how I could adapt the story using grapes as apes and corks as humans.”

WHO: Peter Michael Marino

WHAT: “American Astronaut George Taylor crash lands on a strange, distant planet ruled by speaking grapes, enslaving mute humans. He soon discovers the shocking truth about their warped world. Direct from its sell-out NYC premiere, this wildly reimagined time-travelling tale bursts with bunches of insane puppets, intergalactic irreverence and uncorked madness. Winner: The Infallibles Award for Creativity. ‘Astonishing! Unmissable!’ ***** (FringeBiscuit.co.uk). ‘Splendid! Riveting!’ **** (TheFrontRowCenter.com). ‘Completely bonkers and utterly brilliant!’ ****(BroadwayWorld.com).”

WHERE: Below at Pleasance Courtyard (Venue 33) 

WHEN: 12:20 (60 min)

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Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This is my eighth Edinburgh Fringe. I think? My first was in the early 2000s. I was teaching comedy classes in London and a show I’d directed in NYC was opening at the festival, so I came to Edinburgh for a few days to tech the show and catch other shows. Honestly, after experiencing that madness, I never thought I’d come back. It just seemed so HUGE. Well … in 2012 I did come back with my solo show, “Desperately Seeking the Exit” with Free Festival at The Counting House – which (thankfully) was a critical hit. I returned in 2013 with the same show. I returned in 2015 with my talk show spoof, “Late with Lance,” while co-producing “Gary Busey’s One-Man Hamlet as Performed by David Carl” at Underbelly.

When I came back again in 2017, I debuted my new solo show that spoofed solo show shows called, “Show Up” – while also producing Jason Kravits’ improvised cabaret show “Off the Top.” The following year, I returned with “Show Up” plus the family-friendly version called “Show Up, Kids!” – which continues to play everywhere. Plus I was in “Joe’s NYC Bar” at Assembly. That was a monster of a year. During lockdown, I did live digital performances of “Planet of the Grapes” through Zoo, while also doing “Show Up, Kids!” through Free Festival. Crazy times! And last year I directed Michael Quinn’s “Feltman: World’s First Hit Dog” at Greenside, so I came for 10 days to tech that show. Then, the bug bit … and here I am for the eighth time.

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

Over the past 12 months I’ve been working hard on mental health stuff – mostly regulating anxiety, which is really coming in handy already here at EdFringe. It’s like, I’m doing the festival for the first time without this overriding sense of anxiety and dread that was my “fuel” the past few times I’ve done it. I’ve learned to go with the flow, trust my instincts, honor my emotions, and regulate them. I know this stuff is kind of deep for an interview about performing at the largest arts festival in the world, but I think if more folks examined what causes their anxiety and even depression, and then find ways to regulate that stuff, it just makes the festival so much more manageable and dare I say – FUN.

Tell us about your show.

My show “Planet of the Grapes” was written by yours truly. It was greatly inspired by the 1968 film “Planet of the Apes” starring Charlton Heston. I was obsessed with it as a kid and remained obsessed with it for much of my adult life. During lockdown, I spent a lot of time at Rockaway Beach just dreaming – and I started thinking about how the “Apes” film could be adapted for the stage. The title came to me, so I started thinking about how I could adapt the story using grapes as apes and corks as humans. I actually went to school to be a set designer, but abandoned that idea to become a lighting designer, and then abandoned that idea to focus on acting, directing, and producing. So after many months of lockdown and experimentation, we had a show which played online, live around the world for over 50 performances.

It almost seemed like a natural thing to then adapt that tiny table top show for a bigger stage, but still maintaining the elements of the table top. It’s actually a type of theater called Toy Theater, which began in the Victorian era where people would put on shows in their homes using cardboard kits with sets and characters they assembled. Since all we could do during lockdown was stay in our homes, I wanted people to get a visceral sense of being back in the theater. So we created a show that had the buzz of the audience before the show and an intermission and other kinds of things that you’d find in a traditional theater setting.

My director, Michole Biancosino was instrumental in helping me bring this vision to life. And we partnered up again to bring that vision to life on a larger stage. I don’t want to give too much away but a good portion of the show takes place on a tiny cutting board, but then it’s sort of leaps off the stage and becomes immersive and interactive. Michole actually directed “Show Up” and “Show Up, Kids!” We found that we had a really great working relationship. We both think outside the box since we both come from the indie theater world in NYC where limited time and budget are always a factor. We had also both worked with UK producer Richard Jordan on the “Gary Busey/Hamlet” show and loved working with him and the way he thinks, so we asked him to come on board as a producer for this, and now we find ourselves at Pleasance Courtyard ready to launch “Grapes” into the unknown.

We don’t know where it’s going after this. We’re hoping that the audiences and the festival itself and the promoters and bookers who come to the show will tell us the next step. But we definitely have a run of the show in New York City in our sightline for the future. It’s weird. It’s different. And it’s a ton of fun. And that’s something that people are really hungering for these days. I think folks are more drawn to “event theatre” than ever before and this is certainly an event. At least we hope it is!

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

If they are smitten by the Toy Theater bug, they should see “Tiny Planet” which also explores how we can sometimes feel both small and infinitely gigantic. “SeedHeart” which plays right before us comes out of a suitcase! I suggest “ArounD the WorlD in 80 ToyS, ” which uses cameras and miniatures. And Italo Calvino’s “Invisible Cities: A Toy Theater Atlas” which has puppetry and paper mechanics. And definitely “Kevin!!!!!” – another NYC show, that uses a mini house and cameras to parody “Home Alone.”

For non-toy theater shows, I suggest any of the shows from Darkfield which are all immersive; “The Bob Ross Effect” from Sarah-Louise Young – because she’s a solo performer and a genius; “Jeromaia Detto: Giuseppe’s Love Quest” because he’s a fantastic clown who you will fall in love with; and Chris Davis’ “The 40-Year Old Ballerino” because I saw it in Philly and was really moved by it while also laughing my butt off. Oh, and any of the shows from Dutch Kills and Recent Cutbacks – both NYC companies whose work always ignites my imagination. See free shows! See something you’d never see anywhere else. This festival offers the world in one month. Grab it.

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EdFringe Talk: Revelation

Posted in *EdFestivals 2026, *Written Interviews by

“I’ve grown as a theatre maker and human, making new connections with beautiful people in beautiful places!”

WHO: Chriss Waterman

WHAT: “The four horsemen gather at Mama Ruby’s Restaurant in Nowhere, North Carolina for their annual apocalypse conference, convinced that this is the year that the world will finally crash and burn. Unfortunately for them, humanity seems to have other plans. Created by an ensemble of students from Ithaca College, this world premiere explores humanity’s stubborn dedication to doing good even when the forces (or the horses) that be are trying as hard as they can to make it impossible. Will civilisation finally crumble, or will the horsemen’s plans be halted by the power of human connection?”

WHERE: Upper Theatre at theSpace @ Niddry St (Venue 9) 

WHEN: 16:50 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This is my second time at EdFringe and I couldn’t be more excited to experience the festival again! EdFringe is such a special celebration of humanity and art; from little exchanges that happen while flyering to wildly incredible shows, the connections and liveliness of the festival are what make it so exciting!

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

International travel and developing new work have filled the past 12 months of my life. I’ve grown as a theatre maker and human, making new connections with beautiful people in beautiful places! I’m grateful for new work and travel for expanding my adaptability, confidence, and creativity.

Tell us about your show.

REVELATION is a heartfelt window into how human connection supports us through some of life’s hardest battles. Between comedic moments, we see the characters face struggles we – or our loved ones – experience in our lives. Trevor Hemmerling (playwright) has crafted a story that allows us to feel pain and frustration in the comfort of a homey diner with the safety of the setting bringing the truths of the play to a very real and tangible level.

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

After Revelation, go see the rest of what LATI is bringing to Fringe this year!

Be sure to catch It’s A Struggle Coming Out which is running back to back with our show! It is making its international debut following a sold out run in LA, it brings you everything you could want in the form of campy queer vampires and their thirst for authenticity.

Guns In Dragonland is back after a critically acclaimed run at last year’s festival with a new production and cast. It’s a powerful and moving show about the very timely subject of gun violence in American classrooms. The show is somehow tender, inventive, yet quietly devastating, the kind of hour that gets people talking long after they leave the theatre.

I would also make sure to catch DECKHAND which received 5 stars at Hollywood Fringe and makes its international debut in the last week of the festival, it is a fast paced comedy set aboard a sinking ship that explores the toxic and nuanced relationship between an assistant and their boss.

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EdFringe Talk: Broken Planet Show

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“I am Scottish and I love coming home to Scotland every year for this.”

WHO: Callum Grant

WHAT: “Comedy, circus and indie cosmic lunacy collide in an ever-changing nightly riot of world-class weirdos, hellbent on healing our planetary divide. Interactive, uplifting, subversive and bonkers. Featuring Clown God, Mothman, Fart Monkey, nerf karaoke and outlandish acts from across the Fringe, with a live-looped indie score morphing every night. Broken Planet Show dares you to misbehave, laugh at your flaws and dance through the chaos. It’s a rowdy invitation to take life less seriously. Join the revolution of ridiculousness. Come Save World! ‘Most Fringe show I’ve ever seen’ **** (BroadwayBaby.com).”

WHERE: Just The Big Room at Just The Tonic at The Caves (Venue 88) 

WHEN: 16:30 (60 min)

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Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This is my third time bringing Broken Planet Show to Edinburgh Fringe, as it is just an incredible place, theres nothing else like it, the people you meet, the work you see and city itself is just so beautiful, I am Scottish and I love coming home to Scotland every year for this. It’s hard to imagine not coming again and again. I see Ed fringe almost as an expedited degree in producing and performing theatre itself, I learn so much every time no matter the outcome.

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

Trying to absorb as much and as best I can, trust the process, listen to the audience, appreciate every single person who bought a ticket no matter how big or small your house is. Hear out everyone’s’ observations and opinions, use them to find things you would have never discovered alone then trust your own tastes and keep going!

Tell us about your show.

I wrote it, have been self producing, whilst collaborating with started Broken Planet Show in my living room, in the hopes of entertaining friends, trying to heal cultural division and discovering what it’s like to play and create my own work after 20 years performing and creating within Blue Man Group. We moved from my living room to an abandoned Art Gallery, then a bar, a live house, an actual real theatre and everything in between. The company has grown and evolved, people come and go, sometimes finding inspiration for their projects and grow their new characters into their own full shows. The show keeps teaching and inspiring me so I will continue with it!

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

People should see Richie Shiraldi in the Mothman Comethh, as well as Britt Anderson’s Athena/Arachne and their duo show ‘Well Balanced Dads’!

Definitely run to catch Chloe Matonis with Lt Love Dr’s Boot Camp for Lonely People Like You, and Bryce Sommerville in The Letterman, and Michele Joy Stine with Always Sometimes Maybe!!!!

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EdFringe Talk: Surreally Good

Posted in *EdFestivals 2026, *Written Interviews by

“The themes of the show are universal and audiences from all over England have enjoyed sitting back and getting ‘Edutained’.”

WHO: Scott Turnbull

WHAT: “Say hello to Scott – the finest “Edutainment Officer” in the business, a leading expert in overhead animation and lo-fi storytelling, a renowned descendent of the Turnbull Family Edutainment programme and a grieving son. The only problem is, he’s gone a little bit freaky-deaky. With the Wilkes Booth Corporation breathing down his neck, our charming yet unreliable narrator is struggling with the pressure of real life. The award-winning show (Best Performance, Newcastle Fringe) is back at Edinburgh Fringe for a second year! ‘Nothing else like it at the festival’ (Scotsman). ‘Weird and wonderfully warm’ (Guardian).”

WHERE: Former Womens Locker Room at Summerhall (Venue 26) 

WHEN: 17:20 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

I’ve been to Edinburgh a few times – this time I’m returning with a successful show (which isn’t always the case) so I’m in a very lucky place where I can enjoy myself, instead of running around like a headless chicken trying to find a glue gun and a bag of googly eyes for a last-minute costume! This year will be so much fun – watching new stuff and drinking a few beers on the meadows.

I love the meadows – the big green space neighbouring the hustle and bustle of the city! The chatter and hubbub of expectant punters! It’s all very exciting to be visiting the big city again and getting in amongst the best live entertainment on the planet.

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

Wow BIG question: What have I learned? Owls have long skinny legs beneath their feathers!? DON’T put cooked food in the compost bin! The Arts council was founded in 1883!!! I learnt all that today, so to cover 365 days could take a while…

Professionally, I’ve spent the year touring Surreally Good to lots of cool little venues like The Puppet Barge in Little Italy and the Slung Low in Leeds and even some big city theatres – like Lowry and Live Theatre. The themes of the show are universal and audiences from all over England have enjoyed sitting back and getting ‘Edutained’. It’s been a right laugh sharing the show with people across the country and making new pals along the way.

Tell us about your show.

I collaborated with Ed Gaughan – a really talented, funny, supportive nincompoop. He writes and Directs for Milton Jones, Josie Long and Spy Monkey. Together we created Surreally Good as a bit of a greatest hits show – with lots of fun and silly sketches paired together with some sad and quite emotional story telling – “Theatre Darling – where the sacred meets the profane!”

With support from the ACE we’re collaborating on a new show with Beaford Arts and ARC Stockton, which might be coming to a town near you in 2027.

Despite being described as ‘Teessides Silliest Billy’ by The LIST – I will be performing the role of Geordie (Originally played by Daniel Craig) in Live Theatres new production of Our Friends in The North. Next stop – getting cast as James Bond.

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

Pickle Republic at Summerhall looks great! The End of the Fucking World was fantastic last year – a real anarchic, rag-tag knees up with live music, unreliable narrators and nudity. I also enjoyed two very funny clowns from New Zealand (or was it Australia?) who’s name I can’t remember (You’ll have to take my word for it) they were very funny, and naked. Speaking of nudity – I‘ve heard nothing but good things about the wonderful Garry Star and the Sudocrem covered superstar Frankie Monroe. The Farm was meant to be really brilliant too.

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EdFringe Talk: A Queer Little Murder

Posted in *EdFestivals 2026, *Written Interviews by

“I kept having this tickle in my heart that I wanted to do a show at Fringe.”

WHO: Savannah Hankinson

WHAT: “When a dead body is discovered in a small and incredibly queer town, the audience must decide who committed the murder. Every queer stereotype is a suspect in this whodunnit!”

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

WHEN: 15:40 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

It’s my first time performing at the Fringe and my second time attending the festival. I definitely feel like a newbie–my friends from Drama School (at Drama Centre, way back in the day) had all done Edinburgh while at University or even younger than that. As an American, I always felt like the Fringe was something far out of my reach. But I kept having this tickle in my heart that I wanted to do a show at Fringe. So finally, last year, my wonderful girlfriend suggested we take a trip and feel out the Fringe. And wow. My life was changed. I’ve never felt such a strong sense of joy and belonging and I had to come back. So, when I got home from the Fringe, I made a plan and started writing.

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

My motto for the past few years has been “Just do the damn thing”. Collaboration is key. And asking for help is a very brave thing to do. Getting the support of experts is the smartest thing you can do and I’m particularly grateful to be part of the Emerging Rose with Chloé Nelkin Consulting. And next year, I’ll start everything two months earlier.

Tell us about your show.

The play is a one-person murder mystery comedy, where I play six different characters and the audience chooses how the play ends. There are five different endings (based on the five suspects) and I have no idea until halfway through the show how the play will end that day. It’s going to be sheer chaos and mistakes will be made, but that’s what the fringe is for! I was able to workshop the play at Qtopia’s PrideFest in Sydney, Australia in June. And I’ll be doing three preview performances at the Durham Fringe festival leading up to the Edinburgh Fringe. After August, the show will head to New York City for a run at The Tank. The brilliant Tara Elliott is my director and really helped me develop and shape the piece during our rehearsal period. As for the playwright, sound designer, graphic designer, producer, stage manager, etc: that’s all me. I’ve had to learn a lot of new skills during this process and I can’t wait to sleep in September.

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

Everything! From mime to stand-up to musicals, everything at the Fringe is worth seeing! Some of my favorite shows from last year are returning and I’ve already grabbed tickets: Ada & Bron: The Origin of Love, The Horse of Jenin. The comic Alex Edelman is a genius–go see his show! And I’m personally pumped to see Don’t Kill Daisy, a choose your own adventure show coming over from the States.

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EdFringe Talk: In A Bad Way

Posted in *EdFestivals 2026, *Written Interviews by

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

WHO: Isolde Fenton

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

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

WHEN: 14:20 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

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

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

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

Tell us about your show.

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

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

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

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

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

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EdFringe Talk: The Trials of Magnus Coffinkey

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“We try to not fret too much on the small hurdles that seem to crop up out of nowhere when you least expect them.”

WHO: Angele Galea

WHAT: “A broken fairy tale for broken people. In a whimsical land of broken toys, Magnus Coffinkey must fix a bell atop an impossibly high spire. Success will make his wish come true. The price of failure is a permanently broken heart. Funny, honest and deeply devastating, The Trials of Magnus Coffinkey is a dark fairy tale where the power of storytelling is used to make sense of great personal trauma. Outstanding Theatre Award at Brighton Fringe, 2024. ‘Sublime. Heart-wrenching. Perfect’ ***** (TheReviewsHub.com).”

WHERE: Red Lecture Theatre at Summerhall (Venue 26) 

WHEN: 10:30 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

Our first time at the Edinburgh Fringe was as wide eyed visitors in 2008, where we enjoyed the feeling of all the artistic energy buzzing around us. That year we were also developing a musical and we were lucky enough to have enough support to bring that show (Porn – the Musical) to the Fringe the following year. The experience was overwhelming and by 2011, Porn – the Musical had won the award for Best New Musical at the Off-West End Theatre Awards. We felt that anything and everything is possible at the Fringe. We are now very excited to be bringing The Trials of Magnus Coffinkey, after winning the Outstanding Theatre Award at the Brighton Fringe. This time around we have a clearer idea of what to expect but since we’ll be going as producers, the experience will be different. Instead of being looked after, we’ll be the ones doing the looking after. Yikes!

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

Life can throw some pretty unexpected curve balls. You need to have sharp reflexes and think calmly, always keeping your eyes on the bigger picture. We try to not fret too much on the small hurdles that seem to crop up out of nowhere when you least expect them. They’re very much like the annoying gargoyles Magnus Coffinkey meets as he is climbing the tower to reach his goal.

Tell us about your show.

I co-wrote it with my husband Malcolm Galea as an homage to our first pregnancy which ended in miscarriage. The piece is presented as a broken fairy tale for broken people and that pretty much sums it up exactly. It’s dark, quirky, and devastating experience that presents hope in all its glorious fragility. We’ve been working together for over 20 years and produce educational children shows under the brand More or Less Theatre, and socially engaged shows under Give or Take Productions. Malcolm is a multi-award-winning playwright while I work in various media, including playwriting, music composition, and costumes, props and set design. The show was first staged in Malta where we’re based in 2023 before having its UK debut at Brighton Fringe in 2024. In 2025 we staged it again in Brighton’s Lantern Theatre to collect more reviews and so far we have no plans for after Edinburgh. In the UK, we’ve only ever presented the touring version of the play and our dream would be to see it staged with a full set and live music.

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

We are looking forward to watching Come Back Home by Fadi Murad which is powerful and intimate exploration of grief, identity, and the weight of the past. There is a lot of intersections with themes we are portraying but this show weaves together text, video, and sound to unravel how loss shapes ambition and belonging. We’ll also be sure to catch Callum Patrick Hughes’ Day of the Locust. He’s a wonderful storyteller who incorporates music in his shows and has great charisma.

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EdFringe Talk: An Ode to the Casting Director

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“I never thought I could do a one woman show before someone told me that I should.”

WHO: Sophie Fisher

WHAT: “The 2026 OffFEST nominee returns to Edinburgh after a smash-hit debut with five-star sell-out shows, winning a Fringe Theatre Award in 2025. Impressively accoladed solo show written and performed by screen actress Sophie Fisher (The Scotsman’s Rising Stars of Edinburgh Fringe 2025) following her gawky yet determined autobiographical self battling through a minefield of film industry dickheads, gender-role-obsessed boyfriends and insane actors, one audition at a time. ‘Ready for the West End’ ***** (FringeSider.com). ‘Hilarious, heartfelt and completely captivating’ ***** (CorrBlimey.uk). ‘Electric performance, tour-de-force’ ****½ (One4Review.co.uk). ‘On-stage camera work is a masterstroke’ **** (TheatreAndTonic.co.uk).”

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

WHEN: 12:00 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This will be my second year at Edinburgh Fringe and I am excited to be returning with an understanding of how the Fringe goes! Last year I felt like a total deer in headlights, fighting for my damn life. I can’t wait to now get stuck in and bring audiences our further developed show and connect with even more artists. Fringe is such an incredible place to meet new people – artists, audiences, crew and more. Fringe people are some of the kindest, warmest and most supportive people I have ever met. I’ve already got my tickets booked to also see what everyone else has been up to, what people have been creating and see the hard work coming to life.

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

Since 2025 the biggest lesson has been learning to shut out the noise, the comparison, the reviews and just focusing in on staying in my own lane and enjoying creating stories and shows which mean a lot to me and which I am excited to share. Stories which I think people will resonate with and take something from. I’ve also learnt from my incredible Director, Linda Ludwig, that if I can imagine it, then it is possible. I never thought I could do a one woman show before someone told me that I should. Edinburgh Fringe was never something I thought I was capable of, and here we are returning for our second year. It has broadened my imagination to not pre-judge things as impossible but instead chasing what excites me and making it possible.

Tell us about your show.

An Ode to the Casting Director is a solo show, written by myself and developed with Director, Linda Ludwig. I am self producing this bad boy, as I did last year after a sold out London preview at Seven Dials Playhouse and a run of sold out shows at Gilded Balloon in 2025. We are excited to be returning with Assembly this year before finding out where the show will head to next! Linda and I met in London around 10 years ago in an Acting class, where we discovered that we in fact both lived in Oxfordshire, about 10 mins down the road from each other. Linda is an incredible Screen Director, one of the Sony Future Filmmakers 2025. Alongside her directing partner, James Curle, she has Garnered Awards and Official Selections in OSCAR, BAFTA and BIFA-qualifying festivals internationally, their films have distributed to territories worldwide on leading SVOD platforms, including Disney+ and Amazon Prime. When I got my slot at Fringe last year, she was always going to be my first pick to help me tell this story and I was over the moon when she agreed. I’m thrilled she is returning with me again this year, we can’t wait to show you what we have been working on.

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

I can’t wait to see ‘Jolly Fisherman’ at Underbelly with the incredibly talented Alex Hill. As well as ‘The Distance’ at Summerhall. And then of course at Assembly I’m excited ‘Alone’ is coming back, I missed it last year and am thrilled I have the chance to catch it this year.

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EdFringe Talk: Sitting (In Silence)

Posted in *EdFestivals 2026, *Written Interviews by

“We risk losing brilliant, diverse voices simply because they can’t afford to be here. Festivals like the Fringe should be places where talent, not privilege, determines who gets to tell their story.”

WHO: Kitty Falcon

WHAT: “The meditation retreat is supposed to help them find inner peace. Dad (Patrick O’Donnell, Vikings:Valhalla) is out of place from get-go. He’s loud, rebellious and charming in a way that has everyone rolling their eyes, including his daughter (Kitty Falcon). Inspired by true events, this haunting tragi-comedy will leave you reflecting on the silence that divides us and what healing really means. Could those brief moments of laughter and connection ultimately be what saves us? Winner of Farnham Maltings Emerging Artist Award and Community Award 2025. In partnership with Dad La Soul, Papyrus and Start The Conversation.”

WHERE: Anatomy Lecture Theatre at Summerhall (Venue 26) 

WHEN: 14:45 (60 min)

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Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

No! I’ve been to the Fringe a number of times before, working on street teams with Berk’s Nest and performing at C venues, so it’s a place that already feels really special to me. Every year I leave feeling inspired by the sheer amount of creativity around me. I love taking a chance on shows I’ve never heard of, meeting people from all over the world and celebrating theatre in all its forms. As financial support continues to shrink, it’s becoming harder and harder for emerging artists and independent companies to afford to bring work to Edinburgh. We risk losing brilliant, diverse voices simply because they can’t afford to be here. Festivals like the Fringe should be places where talent, not privilege, determines who gets to tell their story. There’s nowhere quite like it for reminding you why live performance matters.

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

The past year has been a crash course in producing theatre. I’ve learnt about every area of putting on a show, from fundraising and marketing to building the right creative team and turning an idea into a professional production. More than anything, I’ve learnt the importance of community: trusting your collaborators, being loyal to the people around you, asking for help and being brave enough to share your story with purpose. I don’t think I’ve fully absorbed all those lessons yet, but I’m definitely carrying them with me into whatever comes next.

Tell us about your show.

Sitting (In Silence) was written by me, Kitty Falcon, and is produced by Shelley Hasseldine, Angela O’Callaghan, Isabelle Tyner and myself through Terracotta Productions. Terracotta was

co-founded by Philip Ofe and me after we met on the Kiln Theatre’s Listen Local Young Writers Programme. We both wanted to create work that opens up conversations around issues affecting in-need communities through bold, accessible storytelling. Philip’s play, Spontaneous Meets Is Not for the Weak, at The Hope Theatre, will support conversations around young carers, while Sitting (In Silence) has been developed alongside suicide prevention charities and organisations working to improve mental health awareness. That shared purpose is at the heart of everything we make. This production premiered at Brighton Fringe, where it won the Mid Street Lab Community Award and the Farnham Maltings Emerging Artist Award. After Edinburgh, we’re hoping for a London transfer (Soho Theatre would be a dream) and I am also developing the story for television.

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

I’m excited to see Jack Rooke’s Good Grief after watching the magnificent Big Boys. Sarah Roberts’ Scary Movie 7 is guaranteed to be brilliantly chaotic and laugh-out-loud funny. I’d also recommend Heart Beats Strong at the Pleasance. One of my favourite things about the Fringe is discovering work by artists you might not know yet, so make room in your schedule for a few wild-card shows too!

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EdFringe Talk: REDACTED: The Cover-Up of a Cover-Up of a Cover-Up

Posted in *EdFestivals 2026, *Written Interviews by

“A brilliant concept is worthless if the audience can’t actually receive and experience it.”

WHO: Olivia Zerphy

WHAT: “Fargo meets The Matrix meets The Office in this high-octane, darkly comic thriller. It’s 1973. Marnie Makowski arrives in New Mexico, searching for her missing sister. When a butcher, a pilot, and a priest each reveal fragments of a millennium-spanning conspiracy, Marnie faces a choice: walk away, or uncover the truth. What follows will change everything, for everyone, forever. An adrenaline-fuelled odyssey through America’s most absurd manhunt, with virtuoso physical theatre, acrobatics, and live music from multi award-winning Voloz Collective. Praise for previous work: ***** (BroadwayWorld.com, BroadwayBaby.co.uk). **** ‘Immaculate’ (Scotsman).”

WHERE: King Dome at Pleasance Dome (Venue 23) 

WHEN: 13:55 (60 min)

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Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This is our third Edinburgh Fringe as a company, and we keep coming back because we genuinely love it!

We’re incredibly grateful for what the Fringe has done for Voloz. It’s been a huge springboard for our work, leading to UK and international touring opportunities that simply wouldn’t have happened otherwise. There’s nowhere else where you can share your work with audiences from all over the world every single day for an entire month.

As theatre-makers, the repetition provided by the festival is invaluable. Performing the same show every day allows you to discover things you could never find in a rehearsal room. We find we really start to understand the pace of the show, where it can breathe, where we can push the joke, where we need to pick up the pace. The show becomes sharper, richer and more nuanced over the course of the festival. It’s exhausting, but it’s also one of the most exciting creative experiences we know.

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

This is our third show as a company, and every project teaches us something new about how we work together.

The biggest practical lesson is probably to take breaks! Devising can become all-consuming, and it’s so hard to figure out how to step away. This year we’re all taking a full week off right before the Fringe.

Artistically, we’ve learned that audiences love the fragility of a work-in-progress. They laugh when something unexpected happens, and lean into the vulnerability, chaos, and messiness of it – there’s a wonderful sense that anything could happen. As a show becomes tighter and more polished, you inevitably lose a little of that. So once we’ve cleaned everything up, we’ve learned to then go back in and deliberately loosen parts of the show again, creating space for spontaneity so it still feels alive, risky, and funny.

We’re constantly learning and forgetting and relearning to move more and talk less.

Perhaps the biggest lesson is not to fall in love with ideas for their own sake. A brilliant concept is worthless if the audience can’t actually receive and experience it.

We’re also learning to accept that creating original devised theatre simply takes time. Always more time than we think. The work can’t be rushed, and sometimes it is necessary to let go of an idea you’ve spent months developing if it isn’t serving the show anymore.

Tell us about your show.

REDACTED is an original devised production by Voloz Collective. We are an internationally touring physical theatre company founded by alumni of École Jacques Lecoq. The company creates bold, cinematic theatre where movement, live music, comedy and inventive visual storytelling take centre stage.

Like all of our work, REDACTED has been created collaboratively. All four members of Voloz (Emily Wheatman, Sam Rayner, Paul Lofferon, and Olivia Zerphy) work non-hierarchically to write, direct, produce, and perform our shows.

REDACTED has already had a number of work-in-progress performances, London previews and a small UK tour ahead of its Edinburgh run. Those performances have been an essential part of the devising process, allowing us to test ideas in front of audiences and continue refining the work.

Following Edinburgh, we’re planning a wider UK tour in Spring 2027, and we’re excited to continue sharing the production internationally.

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

Spin Cycle by Berserk Theatre is high on our list. It’s a razor-sharp, absurd and heartfelt drama set in a launderette that balances humour with real emotional depth. It’s playing at Underbelly Bristo Square at 2:25pm throughout the Fringe.

We’re also really looking forward to Shantify. Sea shanties, theatre, comedy and live music? Honestly, what’s not to love? It’s at Palais du Variété at Assembly George Square Gardens at 15:05.

Another must-see is The Librarians: A Very Serious Comedy! We were lucky enough to catch a 15-minute excerpt when it was a Charlie Hartill Award finalist, and we were crying with laughter. There’s one gag involving a table that is genuinely worth the price of admission on its own. Its at 15:15 in Pleasance 2!

And finally, Bread and Circuses by Seamus Lavan. It’s a brilliantly silly and sharp collision of Julius Caesar, clowning and the manosphere- a hilarious, unsettling hour from a very talented performer. It’s on at 12:55pm during the Fringe.

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