Michael Marouli is an International Drag Superstar who plays the Pope in a new show, Pop Off, Michelangelo! (Tickets here, tour info here.) We caught up with Michael to find out more.
How would you pitch Pop Off, Michelangelo! to fans of Horrible Histories?
Like Horrible Histories, our show takes the “boring” parts of history and makes them super fun, camp and OTT. Fans of the original Horrible Histories should now be of appropriate adult age to see our show and have a laugh!
And how would you pitch it to someone who really likes Pop music?
If you love Pop Music, you will be obsessed with our soundtrack and score! Our songs are catchy, infectious, everything you could want.
Why has the show returned to the Edinburgh Fringe?
Edinburgh Fringe is the most exciting place to perform, the show started here last year, had a facelift, an upgrade and a makeover for the London West End Run, so it’s only right that it returns in all its sparkly new glory to shine once more at the fringe, bigger and bolder than before!
Why this take on Renaissance Italy?
Why not? It’s such a rich, interesting time in history, and so iconic. Our show is a super fun look at how things might have been, whilst also having a lot of heart.
What’s your favourite moment of the show?
My favourite moment of the show is the opening number and monologue, the audience instantly knows what to expect, and they relax straight away into the fabulousness of the show. It really sets the tone, and we all get to shine!
Could the show be any more camp? If so, how?
The show could only be camper if we were to cover ourselves in glitter and fairy lights. We tick every box when it comes to camp, and we deliver it in truck loads! Pink, sparkly, diamante truck loads.
How similar is this to other projects you’ve worked on?
This takes all the elements of other projects I’ve done – high energy performance, strong commanding dialogue, comedy, heart and camp – but it’s so unique and its own beautiful beast. There isn’t another show like it, it’s the best thing to be a part of.
Stephen Smith is an actor, theatre-maker, and Artistic Director of Threedumb Theatre – a four-time OFFIE-winning company known for award-winning digital and in-person theatre. His show One Man Poe has gone around the world, including places such as Dubai, Norway, Malaysia, and the USA. One Man Poe’, returns to the Edinburgh Fringe after a completely sold-out run and a Spookies Award win for Best Horror Solo Show last year. We caught up with him to find out more about his show. (He can be found as @steveyourlifeup and @3dumbtheatre on social media.)
How would you pitch One Man Poe to someone who likes HP Lovecraft? If you love Lovecraftian horror, then my recommendation is to check-out Poe, simply because Lovecraft worshipped Poe, even referring to him as his “God of Fiction”, frequently mentioning him in his essays and letters. He adopted Poe’s style and incorporated many of the same themes and elements, particularly in his early works. And it doesn’t stop at Lovecraft – Stephen King, Neil Gaiman, Alfred Hitchcock all revered Poe as the true Godfather of Gothic Horror.
And how would you pitch it to someone who doesn’t really get horror? One Man Poe isn’t about jump scares or gore. It’s about atmosphere, storytelling, and human psychology. Even if horror isn’t your usual genre, you’ll be drawn in by the language, the theatricality, and the emotional depth. I’ve seen productions of Macbeth that are scarier than ‘One Man Poe’. It’s more like a gothic ghost story told around a fire – eerie, not grisly. I’ve performed One Man Poe in countless of schools over the years, mostly to Year 7s (aged 11 or 12), and so this is why the suitability of ‘One Man Poe’ is pitched at 12+.
Why have Poe’s stories stayed so popular? I think Poe was the first horror writer that really tapped into the psychology of a murderer, or a mad person, and wrote these characters in the first person. His stories linger because they speak to the darkness we all try to ignore, but with such gorgeous and poetic language.
What’s the creepiest moment in each show? In ‘The Tell-Tale Heart’, it’s when the heartbeat won’t stop. In ‘The Pit and the Pendulum,’ it’s the slow realisation of the different torture devices. In ‘The Black Cat’, it’s the final reveal in the wall. And in ‘The Raven’, it’s when he investigates what’s tapping on his chamber door…
What was the development process like? It started during lockdown, I began creating “one-shot-live-films” of classic monologues. I presented ‘The Tell-Tale Heart’ as a Facebook Live show in 2020, then ‘The Black Cat’ online in 2021. When theatres started opening up again, that’s when this turned into a live solo performance, adding ‘The Raven’ and ‘The Pit and the Pendulum’ into the mix. I named the show ‘One Man Poe’ and its first shows were at Watford Palace Theatre in October 2021. I worked with a composer (Joe Furey) and sound designer (Django Holder) to add a remarkable soundtrack, to aid the storytelling, and had a clear vision of how to distinctly differentiate the four characters; aesthetically (costume and make up), vocally and through physicality.
What ended up getting cut which, in hindsight, improved everything? I’ve only really cut ‘The Pit and the Pendulum’ and this was because some of the original wouldn’t translate well on stage. The other three are 99.9% verbatim to the original 1840s publication – where I may have cut or changed a word or two, so that it would be easier for a present-day audience to understand.
What’s the most demanding part of the show? The physicality of the characters in ‘The Pit and the Pendulum’ and ‘The Raven’ is exhausting – in the first, the poor prisoner of the Spanish Inquisition undergoes several torture devices, and then the old man in ‘The Raven’ is bent-double, knock-kneed and trembles with terror. And then there’s the use of voice – 13’000 words of Poe’s language can take its toll. It’s like running a psychological marathon every night.
What’s the zaniest thing you’ve done to get this show made? When sourcing the props back in 2021, I found the most perfect walking stick for the old man, and it was only £5 on Facebook Marketplace. There was only one catch – it was in Taplow and I was a two-hour bike ride away (I can’t drive but am a keen cyclist). I am not only a thrifty person, but a healthy one too, and so, picking a nice summer’s day to pick it up, I cycled two hours there, two hours back, for the perfect prop.
Why the Edinburgh Fringe? It’s the Olympics of theatre – brutal, magical, and completely alive. An actor’s Disneyland. Last year’s run was a dream, so I had to come back and share these stories with new audiences. And I know that there is enough gothic literature fans in Edinburgh alone to warrant a full run in this, now much bigger, venue.
How similar is this to other projects you’ve worked on? The first solo show I ever toured was a double-bill of Steven Berkoff plays called ‘Dog/Actor’, which I took to Edinburgh Fringe 2022, which featured zero props and set. Berkoff himself, once upon a time, tackled Edgar Allan Poe’s work, but I had my eyes on staging Poe years before I started delving into Berkoff’s repertoire of solo shows. I used ‘Berkoffian’ techniques to realise some of the stories in ‘One Man Poe’ – particularly ‘The Pit and the Pendulum’.
What is your favourite moment in the show? It changes every night. I do love it when the audience find the rare glimmers of humour and allow themselves to laugh, even if it’s a laugh to cover their sheer terror.
Goblins or Ghosts? Ghosts. The unseen is scarier.
Hearts or Ravens?
Ravens. They know things.
Pits or Pendulums?
Pendulums. A pit is just a pit. A pendulum can be quite mesmerising, and terrifying…
Truth or Beauty? Truth. Always.
You can find out more about Stephen’s work with Three Dumb Theatre here, book tickets for shows here and follow their twitter here.
Aristotle “Telly” Kousakis is the director of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe show, RUGBURN. He’s been in TV for over 10 years, on shows like Glee, Scream Queens, and 9-1-1, in roles ranging from Set Assistant to Writer. Theatre is his first love. We caught up with him to fin out more.
How would you pitch RUGBURN to fans of celebrity drama?
Ever wonder what it’s really like to cater to every whim of a Hollywood celebrity? We’re dishing on the demanding, egotistical, maniacal underbelly of stardom.
And how would you pitch it to someone who is into slasher movies?
You know that unsettling feeling when everything is not what it seems, like the rug can be pulled out from under you at any moment? RUGBURN is all about the choices we make when our back is against the wall.
What is the line between drama and gossip?
Drama is crisis, it’s conflict, and there are lessons to be learned. Gossip is shit we tell people
about others to feel better about ourselves.
What do you mean by confessional fever dream?
Mat has put a lot of himself on that stage. I wanted to recreate the feeling you get when he pulls you aside at a party to tell you the about his latest design emergency, his recap of the party the night before, the outrageous stories of his Floridian past. In RUGBURN we layer all those stories on top of each other, shifting from one reality to the next. You never know what’s coming next.
What’s the zaniest thing you’ve done to get this show made?
Oh, probably donning a furry panda mask and custom balloons while flyering on the streets of Edinburgh.
Why the Edinburgh Fringe?
Mat leads with bravado and ambition. This is the greatest performing arts festival in the world. When he pitched the show to me, we knew we had to aim for the top, bring this creation to the highest possible echelon, with a global audience.
How similar is this to other projects you’ve worked on?
Not very. In TV and Film, the crews are hundreds of people, one person for every possible job — costumers, grips, set dressers, caterers, accountants. And everyone’s required to stay in their lane. If it’s outside your purview you step back and let the machine do its work. At Full Spiral, we’re a team of four, so the overlap is major. One moment you’re blocking a scene, the next you’re ordering delivery for the team as you rig a projector, then you’re decorating props and operating the follow spot. We’ve each brought every skills in our toolbox to to this production. It’s a lot more work, but a lot more rewarding.
What is your favourite moment in the show?
Our Finale gets me every time! I can’t help but grin from ear to ear with pure elation. Our great love is musical theatre, and we pulled from so many references to create our own Rugburn Follies. We really let the theatrics take over by the end, and put on the dreamy, fantastical, feathered song and dance of our dreams.
What’s next?
In developing Rugburn, we founded Full Spiral Productions. I am so excited to see what we can begin to produce in LA with such a successful show under our belts. Becoming an incubator for solo shows, staging our old favorites We’ve found a lot of our audience giving the word Rugburn new meaning – “That’s so Rugburn.” “This is my Rugburn.” Maybe we’ll franchise, and help others develop their tales of generational trauma and escapism. And then, of course, an overall at Netflix.
Monsters or Mazes?
Mazes. I have an excellent sense of direction.
Fortune or Glory?
Glory often comes with fortune, but as so many of the rich have proven, fortune doesn’t always bring glory. I’ll take the Glory.
Truth or Beauty?
Truth. No matter how ugly, the truth will always set you free.
How would you pitch Big Willy Energy to a fan of the movie Free Willy?
You know when we all saw the poster to Free Willy in the UK we laughed, because it had ‘willy’ in the title, and we got to say ‘willy’ loads and no one could tell us off? Big Willy Energy is like that, but for an entire hour. The audience literally says ‘willies’ at multiple points, and it’s delightful. Also this will win an Oscar. Did Free Willy win an Oscar?
And how would you pitch it to someone more familiar with No Rolls Barred?
If you’re into No Rolls Barred, you’re going to love learning about all the embarrassing stories from my life that I reveal! Some would say too many! Also there are multiple games throughout which I play with the audience, AND there’s a whole bit on painting my nails that directly references NRB, so there’s plenty for the casual or more devoted NERB.
Unbelievably different. Big Willy Energy is a meticulously crafted, impeccable staged, deeply considered buffet of comedy, storytelling, poignant moments and mediations on life. Time Boat is an improvised show about a boat that goes through time.
What is the appeal of TTRPGs, and why have they become such a comedy staple?
The reason I think live game shows work so well, including BotC: Live, is that they allow for things to happen in the moment, which you can plan for in a general sense, but never predict in the specific. It’s funny people getting together and telling a story together in the room. Which is what live comedy is best at! Having something unique that no one else has seen, that only happened in that exact way that one time. That’s what live comedy is great at, and that’s what TTRPGs excel at. Put them together? Boom.
It’s really nice having a rule structure that allows for regimented chaos. That gives the players somewhere to go while giving them boundaries to stay within. Also, if you get really good guests they’ll make hay out of anything, so we make sure we pick our faves to ensure maximum comedy. To briefly toot my own horn, I’ve done many, many shows by now and am pretty good at keeping things moving and getting the most out of my guests. It would be weird if I wasn’t, at this stage.
A little, but the game is so popular and good that it was pretty easy from day one. We also spent years and years building up our comedy network with Werewolf: Live, which made it very easy to move players over to the new show – they trusted us, and knew it would be good. We have many years in the comedy mines to thank for the ease at which we can get guests now!
What’s the zaniest thing you’ve done to get Big Willy on the stage?
Ah man, that would be the ending. I can’t spoil it though. You really have to see it to believe it. But it’s memorable, I’ll tell you that.
Why the Edinburgh Fringe?
It’s still the most amazing place to meet and connect with other incredible artists. For example we met Chris Grace, who’s a great friend, has done Clocktower loads, who I did Grace & Gracey with last year (an amazing improv show) and who is directing Big Willy Energy, is only in my live because Grubby Little Mitts (Rosie & Sullivan, who I was directing at the time) shared a dressing room with him. There’s all the business and career reasons to go to Edinburgh, but for me, it’s meeting amazing people like that who otherwise I simply wouldn’t know and seeing what cool shit you can make together.
What advice would you give to anyone coming to see shows this year who’s never been to the fringe before?
Stay longer than you think! It’s huge and overwhelming and you’ll always run out of time. That said, it’s crazy expensive so make sure you pace yourself. Bring your own food to save money, go to see free shows (but be aware, they’ll expect you to pay a bit) and take a chance on something weird. Those will always be the fringe memories you treasure the most, a tiny room with someone doing something absolutely unhinged that only you and 3 other people saw. That’s where the magic is.
What is your favourite moment in the show?
The ending. Oh boy it’s the ending. I also get an audience member up to do something very intimate (not sex) which is fast becoming my second favourite moment. It’s a very tender and personal show, and I’m so glad I get to share that with people.
Where else can we see you?
So we’ve got Big Willy Energy – 3:45pm every day at Assembly The Box
Then there’s Time Boat, 1pm every day from 13th onwards, 42 Below, Free Fringe
THEN!!! I’m doing all three Call of Cthulhu shows on 21st, 22nd and 23rd August with an amazing cast at the National Library of Scotland! This will be RAD.
What’s next?
In November you can catch me and many others at our Blood On The Clocktower convention Clockers Con in London! 1st & 2nd November – come play BotC with me and many of your NRB and TPI faves!
We’re also doing our third huge Christmas Event Christmas On the Clocktower, but those tickets aren’t on sale yet…you’ll have to sign up to my mailing list to hear about that…
Dungeons or Dragons?
Dungeons, baybeee. Love the mystery.
Magic or Mayhem?
Porque no los dos. But magic, of course. Think of all the mayhem you could cause!!
Truth or Beauty?
Ahhhh I guess truth, but beauty is great. But truth is beautiful! Yeah, it’s gotta be truth, but only because it’s hot.
We’ve previously described Juliette Burton as ‘huge nerd’, which from us is one of the highest compliments you can get. Juliette is an award-winning comedian, speaker and actor who is known for their geek-friendly comedy which covers mental health and super nerdy/geeky issues. They have multiple shows at 2025′s Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Rogue Knights, Going Rogue and Best of Burton, the latter being a collection of ‘best bits’ from previous acts. We caught up with her to find out more.
How would you pitch Going Rogue and Rogue Knights to someone who stopped reading comic books a while ago?
Going Rogue is a gamified comedy where you the audience are in control of the outcome! It is evolving into different versions year on year. This year it’s a comedy show about how cosplay gave me confidence – I talk you through 6 comic book characters/feminist icons who helped me understand who I truly was,but because hearing comedians tell jokes about their struggles can get a bit dull sometimes, and also because I am so neurodivergent even I need new reasons to stay interested in my own shows, you get to play a video game throughout! It reaches a Street Fighter style climax where you guys battle it out to determine the winning character of each show! Women vs women… given society in general right now, think of this as a metaphor. An award-winning (tbc) metaphor.
Rogue Knights is a ‘werk’ in progress comedy confessional where my rogues and knights battle against the true dragons – inequality, sexism and bad sex lives. Less Dungeons and Dragons and more Fandoms and Feminism with a healthy dose of sex-positivity thrown in.
If you’ve never read a comic book, come for the comedy. If you are a nerd, this is your paradise. There are references more deep than the crater gambit ended up in during episode 5 of X-Men 97. But also, y’know, a video game to keep us all happy. Competitively happy.
And how would you pitch Best of Burton to someone who’s new to stand-up?
Genuinely friendly, safe, chilled! I tried so hard to be accepted by the stand up community that I basically did my own thing for 10 years; so if you’re new to stand up, relax! Come be with a someone who’s been professional yet felt like a newbie/outsider for years!
10 years of Edinburgh Fringe shows, 5 sold out seasons, 1 passionately unhinged comedian… and YOU! I bring my best bits of my past decade of shows I’ve brought to the Gilded Balloon and Edinburgh Fringe and cram them all into on joy-filled hour. Expect emotional availability, comedic hilarity and a fringe veteran who is happiest on the fringes of life.
And how would you pitch any of those shows to someone who is into Disney movies?
Best of Burton is like; think the nerdiness of Jane and the feeling of not fitting In of Tarzan, the wanderlust of Belle and the humility of the Beast, the queer yearning (look it up, the composer was queer and its an allegory) of Ariel willing to sell her voice to belong but instead she rejects being a part of the human world and instead grabs a mic and hilariously comments on how messed up humanity can be. Less stand up more Fin up.
Going Rogue is like when you’re searching for the perfect Disney movie on Disney Plus but find XMen 97 and all the Marvel series and then the behind the scenes footage and then the youtube analysis and then the video game spin offs.
Rogue Knights is like when Disney tries to sell a Tim Burton film as a children’s movie.
Should we still be using the term guilty pleasure to describe fun thing?
If guilt is your kink then, sure! You do you. Otherwise, why waste time in shame? It’s just a societal construct holding us all imprisoned in shackles preventing us from reaching our ultimate power, levelling up, higher form. Whether its Pokemon, comic books, Disney movies, a subculture movement or a feel-good comedy show – cringe and guilt is invented to control us and prevent us from enjoying who we truly are.
As my therapist says – stand by your ‘yes’ses and stand by your ‘no’s – enjoy your joy unhibited and if you don’t enjoy something, make it clear. I think most audiences do that pretty well at my shows.
What one thing would you tell a younger version of yourself?
Continue reading comics, being a nerd is the most beautiful thing you can be and it will lead you to your people, and don’t give up with Donkey Kong 3. Dixie Kong will have her moment one day. I believe it.
Will we ever stop making fantasy or sci-fi?
Never. Reality is second rate. Fantasy and sci-fi show us what we can be.
As Jim Henson said “teach a child imagination and they can imagine a better world”. As Einstein said “imagination is everything; it is the preview of life’s coming attractions.” As I say “I probably misattributed those quotes and for which I apologise”.
The moral is, we’ll stop making fantasy and sci-fi when fantasy and sci-fi stop making us.
What’s the most demanding part of the show?
For Best of Burton – the existential crisis of trying to be held accountable for the last 10 years of shows and realise simultaneously that I’ve wasted my life and had the best decade in anybody’s life ever.
For Going Rogue – the tech. And assessing each day who is more or less of a nerd. But whether people can join the wifi matters a considerable amount for the game element, I’m not gonna lie.
For Rogue Knights – the confessional nature of it all. Taking more risks here than in any other show. And it shows. I’m ready to level up, are you?
What’s the zaniest thing you’ve done to get this show made?
Best of Burton – devote the last decade of my life to comedy. Imagine someone devoting 10 years of their time on earth to bring you one hour of comedy! What a loser… who could become a winner surrounded by winners when you show up!
Going Rogue – created an actual video game with Alastair Haig with personalised avatars so every audience member knows what a special individual and deeply appreciated nerd they are… and cramming my lifelong love of dressing up into a show where I have no costume changes.
Rogue Knights – tried to talk about the darkest stuff in my sex life on stage.
Why the Edinburgh Fringe?
Where else can I find my tribe?! Creative, nerdy, weird insatiable, displaced, progressive, outspoken, introverted weirdos. Yeah Comic Con doesn’t happen in the UK in Auguust.
How similar is this to other projects you’ve worked on?
Best of Burton – it definitely bares a resembleance to my past 10 years of work because it’s MY favourite bits from all those projects! But that’s 7 hour-long shows in 1 hour long show… you’re getting the proper distillation – if those other shows were spirit and mixers, the Best of Burton is taking a straight shot!
Going Rogue is unlike anything else I’ve ever done. And that’s the point. Best of Burton says goodbye to a me I was before now. It’s the last chance to catch that ‘good girl’ you know and love. Or have never heard of and might miss…
Rogue Knights is like an alien version of me landed and decided to not assimilate themselves into earth culture but just exist purely as themselves, uninhibited.
What is your favourite moment in the show?
Best of Burton – The first 40 mins fly by and I feel like I’m on cloud 9, then there’s a costume change. I love me a costume change. Mainly because it gets hot onstage… then things get sparkly.
Going Rogue – The street fighter style climax is a point where I just melt into a puddle of childlike elation. Gotta be seen to be believed.
Rogue Knights – There is a game involving grunts… that’s all I’m willing to say at this point.
Where else can we see you? What are your future plans (for the show)?
After Edinburgh Fringe, Best of Burton will be at Guildford Fringe, Cheltenham and Gloucester Fringe in September and then Nottingham Comedy Festival.
I’ll be doing work on a NEW show called Experimental, funded by the Arts Council, also at the above festivals and in Leicester in the Autumn.
Going Rogue and Rogue Knights – I’m waiting to hear about funding but hopefully there’s BIG plans for them in 2026… big international plans that would return to Edfringe 2026 in a bigger boss level iteration. Imagine all the above but in a multiversal level where the audience control every step of the show.
Kirk or Picard?
Kirk – action-driven, emotional rule-breaker. Just like me!
Leia or Rey?
I’ve cosplayed as Rey; challenges status quo, toughened by life on a harsh planet, sees that things are not light or dark but grey. But how can anybody not choose Leia and Carrie Fisher? The OG feminist badass. So I’ll embody Rey but I’ll choose leia to walk by my side.
Dungeons or Dragons? Certain dungeons can be very freeing but I’ve worked hard to free myself from metaphorical shackles so I’ll choose Dragons, because everyone needs a familiar.
Simpsons or Futurama? Futurama. ‘Found family’ every time.
Truth or Beauty?
Beauty. Both are subjective and arguable. Beauty is a construct and a commodified trend… and yet so much more. Truth is down to the storyteller. Shadows cast on a cave wall. Whether a story is true or not matters less than what you take away from it. If what you take away from it is a beautiful message then that might create a more beautiful world. Beauty in my eyes isn’t symmetry or a visual equation… but how we treat people, how we move people from one position to another, beauty is difference.
So in the trailer there would be a big voice. The voice would say’ARE YOU READY FOR THE END OF WORK BEN?’ It would then cut to a close up of Ben Manager looking forlorn in front of an email thread. His lanyard would start to vibrate. He’d look down, and then grasp it before grabbing his jaw and writhing around on the floor. A colleague played by Scarlett Johansson would come over and ask if Ben was ok. He would gather himself together and feign strength. But inside he is terrified and as we zoom into his sweat framed brown we see a reflection of a big black rock that thrums menacingly in his pupils.
And how would you pitch it to someone who really liked Severance?
There’s a lot of weird overlap, despite writing it before I’d watched the show. I’d say exactly the same but it’s about about a severance that happened in childhood. Plus there’s live music and we don’t have budget for Christopher Walken
Why do we have so much nostalgia for childhood?
Because that’s where nostalgia lives. With my school friends. And on french campsites. And in the garden with the sprinkler on. It doesn’t live at my desk. Or in my emails. OR my to-do list. Not yet anyway
Is the age of the office coming to an end? Will we all work from home in the future?
No. Who will buy all the sandwiches from Pret? Capitalism needs us out of the house.
What’s the hardest thing you’ve done to get this show made?
Get up consistently before the child to write it and produce it.
How similar is this to other projects you’ve worked on?
Our shows are made using improvisation between music and physical action, so it’s similar in that respect. And our shows are dark and satirical and musical, so it’s pretty much got all the elements of a Bunkum show.
What is your favourite moment in the show?
I quite like getting slapped around by a tiny child puppet. Some stuff to work through there.
What’s next?
More shows. And we’re working on a new show called Honey Fungus which is about a giant orange mushroom that invades a town and starts giving everybody everything they ever dreamed of.
The Office (UK) or The Office (USA)?
Got to be the British Office, I do love the US version though
The Simpsons or Futurama?
Simpsons all day long
Truth or Beauty?
Sort of a trick questions that one. Can I have both?
Dan Bishop is one half of the sketch-duo Mudfish (with Molly Windust) He is the writer of the brand new comedy play Brainsluts, which is coming to the Edinburgh Fringe this August. We caught up with him to find out more.
How would you pitch Brainsluts to a fan of movies like Limitless or The Matrix?
Whenever I was sick as a child and off school, I would always watch The Matrix and after the film finished I would take the DVD out of the DVD Player, stare vacantly at my pallid reflection in the shiny disk, and then immediately put it back in the DVD Player and watched it all over again. I loved The Matrix. This is exactly how you’ll feel about Brainsluts. I have not seen Limitless but I have heard terrible things.
And how would you pitch it to someone who only really watches sports?
If you love sports, you’ll love Brainsluts. It’s actually all an allegory for the Federer-Nadal 2008 Wimbledon final.
How relatable would you say this show is? Very relatable! All of the characters in the play have signed up for the trial because they are unable to find full-time employment, and I think patchwork careers are really common at the moment, and maybe even more so for those working in the arts. So, I think Fringe audiences will really get what these characters are going through.
How many part-time jobs have you had, or have you lost count?
At any one time? Five. Well, six including ‘comedian’. So… five.
What was the worst part-time job experience you’ve had, and did it help inspire the show?
I cannot say in case I have to go crawling back to them after the Fringe.
Why the Edinburgh Fringe?
Because my short term contract ends on the 29th of July and I need something to do in August!
How similar is this to other projects you’ve worked on?
My most recent project has been trying to put up a pair of curtains in my room. They fell down on Christmas eve and I’ve been struggling to put them up ever since. The wood in my window frame has rotted too. I keep calling my landlord to see if they’ll pay for its repair but they keep telling me they can’t do anything until I’ve called Peter Bailey The Curtain King. But whenever I call Peter Bailey the Curtain King, he tells me he can’t do anything until I call my landlord. It’s really frustrating and it gets so light in the mornings and it’s actually really affecting my sleep. Anyway, this project is quite different to that.
What is your favourite moment in the show?
To be earnest for a second, there’s a fantastic moment involving a papier-mâché pizza.
What is a Brainslut?
‘Brainslut’ is a slang term for a participant of clinical drug trials.
Where else can we see you?
In the background of my Dad’s Whatsapp picture.
What’s next?
Trying to find a job.
Simpsons or Futurama?
Simpsons!
Vampires or Werewolves?
Werewolves!
Captain America or Captain Pugwash?
Pugwash!
Truth or Beauty?
Truth is beauty and beauty is truth and truth is love and love is brainsluts (2:45pm Pleasance 10 Dome)
We caught up with Jamie Walsh, the co-creator and writer of the The Uncrackable Case, a new show coming to this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe. It’s the result of a huge collaborative effort with Front Room Productions, director Olivia Race, dramaturg Alice Barber, composers Claire O’Connor and Bay Bryan. It’s a comedy court room drama featuring fairy tale characters. We caught up with Jamie to find out more.
It’s fast, funny and packed with songs. A fever dream of mis-remembered fairytales, silly jokes and big characters. With a giant egg at the centre of it all.
And how would you pitch it to someone who is really into Once Upon A Time?
The Uncrackable Case unravels fairy-tale characters with secrets, old grudges and a lot more drama than you remember from the storybooks.
What came first, the message or the story?
The story. We asked “What if Humpty Dumpty didn’t just fall. What if something more sinister occurred?” And that opened a whole can of worms that became this very insane musical.
What’s the oddest thing you’ve done to get this show made?
So many odd things. But probably go through the costume designs with our Set and Costume Designer Celia Perkins. All of the cast play many characters and we need to signify giant talking egg, pigs, a tin-foil-hat-wearing conspiracy theorist to name a few. Celia definitely rose to the challenge!
We set out to make something FUN. And that’s what the fringe is all about. It’s the best place to test something new, meet audiences, and connect with other artists.
How similar is this to other projects you’ve worked on?
It’s playful, accessible, collaborative, which is what I usually aim for on projects. However, it’s more musical and more ridiculous than anything I’ve done before.
What is your favourite moment in the show?
My favourite part of the show is a raucous jazz club number back-to-back with a big power ballad. It should give you whiplash but it just works.
Is the Big Bad Wolf the original horror movie slasher, and why?
He definitely has that energy. Mysterious, misunderstood and always in the shadows.
Where else can we see you?
The Fringe is the main focus for now. But the plan is to tour in 2026/2027.
What’s next?
Get cracking with booking that tour…
Sleeping Beauty or Cinderella?
Cinderella. One night, one glass slipper and she makes a lasting impression. Unforgettable, even in wildly impractical footwear.
Wolves or Dragons?
Wolves.
Truth or Beauty?
Truth. Always more interesting.
Sasha Wilson is an LAMDA-trained actor, musician and writer. She founded Out Of The Forest Theatre in 2017 andis known for their historically driven, often macabre, feminist work. We caught up with them to find out more about their Lizzie Borden inspired Edinburh Festival Fringe show, Bury The Hatchet.
How would you pitch Bury The Hatchet to fans of True Crime Podcasts?
Bury The Hatchet is for the armchair detectives, the midnight Reddit scrollers, the ones who keep a running list of red flags and never say no to “just one more episode.” It’s a foot-stomping, multi-rolling, darkly comic dive into the Lizzie Borden case—but told from a perspective the headlines never gave her.
Well, I grew up just down the road from Fall River, Massachusetts and I knew it well! She is our local boogeyman.
Why Bluegrass murder ballads?
Necessity was the mother of invention! When we first staged the show back in 2018 we were young and broke and only had enough pennies to rub together to spring for some period appropriate costume. I then racked my brain for how else to conjure a sense of time and place and it occurred to me that music can transport us, so I looked up old folk tunes and murder ballads to set the scene.
Is any telling of Borden’s story going to be inherently pollical? Is the story worth telling without a political angle?
I don’t think you can tell the story of Lizzie Borden without engaging with the politics of gender, class, and media. This is a woman whose innocence or guilt was decided largely through hearsay and headlines.
To retell that story without interrogating why she was viewed the way she was and how women continue to be tried in the court of public opinion would feel like a missed opportunity.
That said, this isn’t a lecture. The show is an absolute romp: there’s bluegrass, blood, and multi-rolling mayhem. But bubbling underneath all of that is a serious thesis — about how we shape narratives, how quickly we flatten women into villains, and how much fun the public has stringing them up. We’re not just retelling a murder mystery. We’re asking: why do we still love watching women do the hangman’s shuffle?
What’s the zaniest thing you’ve done to get this show made?
I emailed the owners of the Lizzie Borden Bed and Breakfast and convinced them to give me a private tour over my Christmas holidays. While other people were sipping mulled wine and watching Love Actually, I was pacing through a 19th-century crime scene, taking photos the rooms where Andrew and Abby were actually murdered.
Because there’s no other place on earth where chaos, brilliance, heartbreak, and art collide quite so spectacularly. The Fringe is a pressure cooker for creativity — it forces you to be brave, bold, and resourceful, often all before breakfast.
It’s also the ultimate test audience: you’ve got five seconds on the Royal Mile to convince a stranger to see your show over 3,000 others. It sharpens your instincts, your pitch, and your purpose.
For me, the Fringe isn’t just a place to show work — it’s where I go to become a better artist. The communal energy, the camaraderie, the sheer volume of stories being told from every corner of the globe — it’s completely intoxicating. It asks a lot of you. But if you let it, it will give you everything back tenfold.
How similar is this to other projects you’ve worked on?
This show is the blueprint. Bury The Hatchet is the production that helped form the very DNA of Out Of The Forest Theatre. It set the tone for everything we’ve done since: historical stories reframed through a contemporary lens, scored with foot-stomping folk and shot through with gallows humour. We realised, in making this show, that we weren’t just telling old stories — we were interrogating the way they’ve been told. That ethos — playful, political, musical, and a little bit unhinged — has been with us ever since. So while every show is its own beast, Bury The Hatchet is the original recipe. The OG. The start of the whole delicious mess.
What is your favourite moment in the show? If, like me, you like your crime dramas hardboiled with a side of Victorian Grand Guignol, the interrogation scenes are to die for. Lizzie gets grilled in true noir fashion — clipped dialogue, raised eyebrows and just enough inconsistent detail to make you squirm. We’ve also drawn on the actual inquest transcript, so much of what you’ll hear is really what was said!
Where else can we see you? Well, apart from at 3:50 every day except August 12th on The Queen Dome stage, you’ll likely see me chopsticks in hand guzzling down spicy garlic beef soup at Noodles and Dumplings!
What’s next? I’ll be trading bloodstains for baubles as I direct The Nutcracker — a new adaptation I’ve written for Taunton Brewhouse’s Christmas show.
Monsters or Mazes? Monsters – because I already have no idea where I’m going 99% of the time. Vampires or Werewolves?
Vampires – because I love antiques and come on, the fits are to die for.
Truth or Beauty? Truth – because things that are true have a strange, stubborn beauty of their own. Even the ugly bits.
How would you pitch Apocalypse Cabaret to fans of the Fallout franchise?
First of all, it has apocalypse in the title. Asked and answered. This is a show about what happens to the idea of an audience gaze post-audience. It has music ranging from heartfelt to pop-sicle. The plot is literally life and death, and also there is a puppet. At the risk of repeating myself: puppet.
And how would you pitch it to someone who is into Disney movies?
For the Disney kids, I’m going to start with emphasizing the existence of a puppet, a lovable inanimate object, much like one might see in a Pixar (Disney subsidiary) film. It has themes of young love and loss of innocence–what it is to both believe and un-believe in fairy tales. The show captures the youthful nostalgia my fellow millennials are known for, and if you squint your eyes, I am fairly indistinguishable from Belle and also the show recounts the story of a love affair I had with a stuffed animal aka “Beast.” I’m honestly pretty shocked Disney hasn’t optioned the story from me already.
Why a cabaret? Why Karaoke? Cabaret is where I come from. My favorite thing about it is the lack of a fourth wall. We can’t afford it, it’s just one, two, three, and a show! Cabaret is an honest recognition of the circumstances of live performance. I am singing songs, and you are listening to me sing. If someone in the audience sneezes, I will pause to acknowledge, but the show is scripted with a narrative arc that encompasses the emotional extremes of our shared human experience. Boom, cabaret. Karaoke because it’s one of the only artforms that is random as it is poetic. Smashmouth goes up against Leonard Cohen. Karaoke is a communal coming together that is the perfect amount of deliberate and erratic.
Will this feature songs from Take One Thing Off? It surely will! There are two songs from that album in the show, as well as a bunch of new covers and silly surprises. Not silly… cleverly curated to cultivate a spirit of levity and surprise. That’s it.
What’s the most demanding part of the show? Vocally, it’s a real belter of a show. Twenty-eight days in a row requires a level physical discipline I’m not used to, but I’m working on it. Titrating the correct amount of “going all out” and “living to tell the tale” is the most physically demanding part of the show. In terms of heart and soul, this show has genuine emotional depth, up to and including parts that are intentionally not funny. Being small onstage is more uncomfortable for me than being over the top. Hopefully this show is a chance for both audience and performer to grow.
What’s the zaniest thing you’ve done to get this show made?
The original version of the show was written, rehearsed, and performed in less than a week. I was on a long term contract with Spiegelworld, but had a date booked at a theater on the west coast to premier new work. Long story short, it took longer than intended to exit that show, then my van broke down with all of my worldly possessions when I was on my way to a cabin in the woods to write and rehearse the show with my director, Ellie Heyman. The van still isn’t fixed (mechanic’s fault, not mine. Don’t worry, I will be leaving a luke-warm google review) so I don’t really have access to most of what I own. The first version of this show was a wild swing. I’m so proud I pulled it off and hope I never have to do something like that ever again.
Why the Edinburgh Fringe?
If I am being totally honest, I’m going to the fringe because my co-host on the Spiegelworld contract was Phil Nichol, who is a legend at the Fringe. He connected me with his people, and before I knew it, my cabaret show was booked and blessed. I’ve since compared it to the closest I’ve come to an unplanned pregnancy as a lesbian. I honestly don’t know if it was intentional or not, but I’m so freaking happy it happened. This show is my miracle baby.
How similar is this to other projects you’ve worked on? I have the blessing/curse of having gotten to do a lot of different things in my career. Ellie (Heyman, my director… see above) really pushed me to try and get as many of my different skill sets in the same room, so this show is something of a Scout Durwood pu pu platter. The music in it is really, really good. The writing is narrative (I write for TV when they let me), and I get to play around in the audience which is how I started as a performer.
What is your favourite moment in the show? Hyperballad. It’s the only part of the show where I stand still and sing. I love it. I’m glad the show earns it.
Where else can we see you? You can take me out for drinks anytime. Otherwise, I have my digital series on the internet, TAKE ONE THING OFF, and a feature-length narrative visual album available wherever movies are sold or streamed. YOUTOPIA is the name of that one. I have a cover album coming out in the fall with Blue Èlan Records, US show dates coming soon, and all of this is available on my website, www.scoutdurwood.com or @scoutdurwood across all social media platforms.
Apocalypse Cabaret: Songs From The End Of The World will be at the Underbelly Bristo Square Dairy Room at 9.20pm for the entire fringe for tickets go to www.edfringe.com
