“Everyone going is hungry for connection and creation—not necessarily just career-opportunities.”
WHO: Nate Wise
WHAT: “When he was 18, Nate’s mother died of breast cancer (he swears this show is funny). She was a beloved Chicago therapist; brilliant, generous, artistic and magic wizard lady. There was almost nothing she couldn’t do. Except one thing: she never told anyone she was dying, no one got to grieve with her, no one got to say goodbye. Years later, Nate’s therapist suggested Gestalt Therapy’s empty chair technique: speak to the dead, then respond as them. Nate said, Absolutely Not. Years later, acting now gives him the tools to step into his mom’s voice and unspoken wounds.”
WHERE: Pleasance Online (Venue 117)
WHEN: 16:30 (60 min)
MORE: Click Here!
Is this your first time to Edinburgh?
Yes! It feels like a rite of passage for indie theater. I’ve been touring the show around the US this year but nothing as wild as EdFringe. Just from talking to friends who have attended previously, I can already feel the electricity. Everyone going is hungry for connection and creation—not necessarily just career-opportunities. I think staying open to the ups and downs, and appreciating it all is the best way to have a great experience.
What are the big things you’ve learned since 2025 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?
In no particular order: Enjoy the ride. Don’t take any part of your work too seriously. Be present. Vulnerability is magnetic. Take care of your body. Try to give more than you take. And we’ll see if any of it has been absorbed when I land in Edinburgh.
Tell us about your show.
It’s a solo-show called “I’m Mom” where I use a real therapeutic technique to role-play a conversation with my late mother. I use a combination of therapy and acting as I conduct a character study on this woman who talked to zero people about her terminal illness (but I swear it’s funny). I wrote and produced it under my theater company Studio Nately. I was so tired of waiting for permission to make art/act that I took a box of my late mother’s journals and turned them into this show. I then brought what I wrote to director Patrick McCartney, a Second City alum, and he told me my show was about 6 hours too long.
We premiered last December in NYC and have been performing runs in Chicago and LA. We currently have no shows planned post-Fringe.
Besides screenplays and playwriting, StudioNately primarily provides coaching in acting and improv.
What should your audience see at the festivals after they’ve seen your show?
Olivia Raine Atwood is bringing her show OOPS to Gilded Balloon and her partner Max Davidson (power couple) is bringing his magic show STRANGERS to Subway Cowgate (he performs the slot directly after me!). They’re hilarious and a bit different than your typical solo-show.
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