FringeReview Interviews

Welcome to our audio interviews and podcasts. We talk to those who make and influence fringe theatre and arts.


Alison Skillbeck is no stranger to the Edinburgh Fringe. She is a writer and actor with several critically acclaimed plays under her belt Are There More of You?, The Power Behind The Crone and Mrs Roosevelt Flies to London. In this interview she talks to Kate Saffin about the isolation of lockdown, how important the […]


Gillian Lacey-Solymar is a first-time Fringer at this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Gillian is the Bookwriter and Lyricist of IrrePRESSible: The Musical and she talks to Jo Tomalin about how and why she is inspired to create the show. Gillian’s career includes working as a consumer affairs correspondent at the BBC and as a senior […]


Matthew Roberts has created and performed several solo shows at recent Edinburgh Fringes – Sunny Runny Runcorn, Canoe and Teach. Since Teach, which played to full houses at the 2019 Edinburgh Fringe he is focusing on his writing, while teaching full-time. Jo Tomalin has interviewed Matthew for several Fringe Review audio interviews about creating and […]


Antonio Vega is artistic director of Por Piedad Teatro (Mexico | USA) and he is co-creator of DJANGO IN PAIN with Por Piedad Teatro founder and artistic producer, Ana Graham. Jo Tomalin talks to Antonio Vega about his background in theatre, and how he developed this show during the pandemic. DJANGO IN PAIN is digital […]


Erin B. Mee talks to Jo Tomalin about directing theatre in innovative spaces and her latest digital show, Tree Confessions, written by Jenny Lyn Bader. Tree Confessional is a digital audio play, site-specific and self-scheduled, presented on demand through the M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2023, January 4-15. “While it is obvious that we need to […]


Angry Black Woman 101: Jo Tomalin talks with Kathryn Seabron about developing her show about Misogynoir and a recent work experience

Angry Black Woman 101 takes a introductory dive into the microaggressions,tropes and stereotypes Black women grapple with daily. Using slides, videos, music and history this storyteller deftly illustrates misogynoir and it’s effects. This show is couched in a truthful and hurtful work situation during her tenure at TechSoup, a nonprofit. Twitter @JuicyDLight Facebook


Potato Topos by Andomifevin comprised of Andrew Rose, Dominique Nigro, Fenner Merlick, and Kat Countiss A poet, a dancer, a clown, and a clarinetist bring you their first collaboration, a multi-sensory poem-play about potatoes. An hour long show with themes of nostalgia, fantasy, and expansion. The modalities include performance, light, sound, textiles, and language. The […]


Bipolar Disorder and Solo Show: Jo Tomalin talks with Bennet Caffee about his latest show exploring his own experiences and creation of My First Miracle — adventures in bipolar disorder

“I’m a San Francisco based solo performer. My shows are about my experiences with bipolar mood disorder, which I’ve managed to keep private the majority of my life. For the most part my mood swings have been mild enough to hide, but I’ve had a few full on manic episodes that have led to some […]


Comedy, Storytelling, Clown and Dramedy: Jo Tomalin talks with Kazu Kusano about starting out in Stand-Up and her solo show Pretty Beast at San Francisco Fringe

Kazu Kusano (Producer, Writer, Performer) is a comedian, actress, and writer. She has a Japanese accent, crazy physicality, a dark sense of humor, and hot flashes. Kazu immigrated to America all alone in her thirties to do comedy. Kazu can be seen on Comedy Central UK’s Cannel Hopping as a Japanese correspondent. Also, she is the […]


Christina Augello’s Bio from The EXIT Theatre Website: Christina Augello is the founder and artistic director of EXIT Theatre and is an actress, arts activist and arts administrator. She has been involved with American theater for over 50 years, growing up in the 1950s as the daughter of the proprietor of a famous theater saloon and […]


Czech Cirk La Putyka on tour: Lenka Capova and Ethan Law talk to Jo Tomalin about the company from Prague and their new show Runners

“Award-winning contemporary circus company returns with an extraordinary show looking at the hectic pace of today’s world. In a unique set design featuring a giant treadmill, four performers and two musicians mix dance, running, cyr-wheel acrobatics and original live music, while running almost a whole marathon. This UK debut for Runners marks the company’s fourth […]


Sarah-Louise Young is a theatre maker with 26 years’ experience at her 17th Fringe with her 40th production and the 13th show she has created. Which is nicely serendipitous because it’s also the first show she has made telling a very personal story. We found what we thought would be a quiet corner of Summerhall… […]


Actor, Samara Neely Cohen talked to Kate during Edfringe 2022 about 9 Circles, 9 Circles by Bill Cain asks how can a soldier be trained to be a cold-blooded killing machine while clinging on to the threads of humanity? A Dantesque descent into the conundrums, contradictions and hypocrisies of war through the eyes of a […]


Sarah talks about her journey to embracing the chronic pain she has lived with since her teens and how she developed Pain and I. She describes it as a bold exploration into chronic pain experience, featuring playful choreography, experimental dance, intimate autobiographical text, and original classical music composition by Alicia Jane Turner. In addition to […]


Fourth Wall’s musical show Fruit Flies Like a Banana comes in two flavours for their first Edfringe: one for children and a longer one for adults (not that there is anything unsuitable for children in the longer version, it is just framed differently). It’s a show that combines extraordinary physical acrobats with virtuoso musical skill […]


“How do you live your best ho life? Have you accidentally become your parents? These are the questions NYC-based comedian Ann Chun (SF Chronicle, Timeout) explores in her solo show about an immigrant coping with the dissolution of her parents’ marriage in Thailand, while learning how to be a fuccboi in America. Ann’s immersive storytelling […]


Emilienne Flagothier creates contemporary dance, directs non-theatrical text theatre and performs in street theatre, a solo show and more. At the 2022 Edinburgh Festival Fringe she directs a new show called We Should Be Dancing, based on observations of children playing, working with her collective from Brussels.


“Triple Fringe First and Olivier winning Fishamble, in association with Fringe First winning Sunday’s Child, return to Summerhall with the 2019 hit show Mustard by Eva O’Connor. A darkly comic play about heartbreak, madness and how condiments are the ultimate coping mechanism. When the man of her dreams, a professional cyclist, leaves E, she plummets […]


“Pluto and Vector have been dating for almost a year now, but as they hike up the mountain where the Greek god Prometheus was bound as punishment, their relationship hits its breaking point. The myth of Prometheus looms large over the mountain’s cold peak as Pluto and Vector confront their differences, their fears about their […]


Alyssa Mitchel, Dancer/Choreographer/Artistic Director/Teacher based in San Francisco talks with Jo Tomalin about how she chose to be a choreographer and her influences, after training in tap, jazz, ballet and rhythmic gymnastics. She presents a new show Here. Now. outdoors at the Exploratorium, San Francisco in November, 2021. Listen to our interview with Alyssa Mitchel […]


Scottish Pakistani actor, writer and stand-up comedian talks about how she started writing and performing with Jo Tomalin. Lubna presents Tickbox – her latest theatre/comedy/storytelling show at Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2021. “Tickbox is a semi-autobiographical, one-woman play, in Scots-English and Urdu. Describing a Pakistani woman’s journey from a middle-class life in Pakistan to Govan in […]


Writer, performer mandla rae talks to Jo Tomalin about their work, how they started writing and performing and their show: mandla rae -as british as a watermelon. “‘My name is mandla. It means power. I gave it to myself’ – mandla rae has a selective memory and they are scrambling to piece together their life. […]


Pete Wells and Rabiah Coon talk about comedy

It’s Sunday 6th of June, and I find myself sitting the Caroline of Brunswick. I’m here for a comedy show, and fall into conversation with Pete Wells and Rabiah Coon. It was an interesting and free ranging look at comedy from different perspectives. Rabiah is starting out, Pete is more experienced (and runs London’s Comedy […]


Joe Angella talks to Rabiah Coon about her first show at Brighton Fringe

In a rather noisy pub, I talk to Rabiah Coon about bringing her first show to Brighton Fringe. For any new comic, it is a thrilling experience to get on stage at your first fringe festival and hope that the audience like it. Here, Rabiah gives us a brief insight into why you’d do that! […]


The Coily Dart Theatre Company produces parodies of Gilbert and Sullivan themes and comedy musicals. Director, Sue Ellerby, who is also author of the company’s scripts speaks to Jo Tomalin about the Gilbert and Sullivan genre, Coily Dart’s focus in the latest production on the lesser known Helen Carte, the parody comedy style of Coily […]


Bunker Teatro from Spain presents their show Land If You Can! at the Brighton Fringe 2021. This is an interactive role-playing play where the audience not only experiences the mystery story first hand, but also the improvisational style. Jo Tomalin speaks to the cast Auba Ramos and Juan Sanchez, and Gracia Rios (book, director and producer […]


Actor and writer Christopher Tajah from Resistance Theatre Company talks to Jo Tomalin about his career so far, and writing and performing his latest solo play at the Brighton Fringe 2021, 14 – 27 June 21 & The Space Theatre, East London 17 & 18 August 21. “‘Under Heaven’s Eyes’ is a new 60-minute solo performance exploring the […]


Unique Derique (aka Lance McGee) is a performer from the San Francisco Bay Area. As a professional clown Derique has performed his unique physical comedy show to audiences of all ages in the US and internationally. He is also a Trauma-Informed Wellness Consultant, Drama Therapist, and Mindfulness Coach providing support to Oakland, CA middle-school educators, administrators, […]


On the occasion of Hanane Hajj Ali receiving The League of Professional Theatre Women’s (LPTW) Gilder/Coigney International Theatre Award 2020, in February 2021, we are bringing back into focus our audio interview with Hajj Ali: Hanane Hajj Ali, writer and performer of Jogging: Theatre in Progress, talks with Fringe Review’s Jo Tomalin about the development […]


  Anne Rabbitt planned to perform her one person show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe last summer. But when the pandemic made this impossible she quickly adapted and reinvented her work to a new short film format. Jo Tomalin talks with Anne about her creative process and new work: I Know the Truth. Listen to […]


  Manual Cinema performs Frankenstein as part of Cal Performances at Home, streaming premiere Thursday, October 29 at 7pm PDT; Performance will be available on demand until January 27th, 2021. Pictured left: Sarah Fornace (credit: Drew Dir). Pictured right: Creature and Victor. Sarah Fornace is one of the five Co Artistic-Directors of Chicago’s Manual Cinema and […]


Garlic Theatre Co artistic directors Iklooshar Malara and Mark Pitman travel around the UK performing several different shows that focus on puppetry and movement. They create every show – including a myriad of beautifully crafted puppets, imaginative stories, and original music. Jo Tomalin (in San Francisco) talks to Iklooshar and Mark (in Norfolk) about their […]


Whatever Happened to Jaggy Nettles Interview

Scottish Editor, Donald C Stewart caught up with Alan and Carly to talk about their new play by a care experienced ensemble that will bring punk back centre stage in February in Glasgow!! “We’re a punk band. A politically motivated Marxist punk band that want tae bring doun the rich by any means necessary!” It’s […]


Theatrical Clown: Jo Tomalin talks to Áine Donnelly, producer/author/performer from San Francisco about Theatre Infinite and developing her clown character and show Hi. (Jean-Luc Godard). “Inspired by Jean-Luc Godard, clown Rodeo Debbie conducts an aesthetic investigation, where symposium meets jam session, and the audience contributes vital material. Mr. Godard knows a lot, but you are […]


How and why do we set ourselves challenges.  Jo Tomalin talks to producer and performer Natacha Ruck about her work telling other people’s stories – and writing and telling her own story in a solo performance You’re good for nothing. I’ll milk the cow myself. “Natacha stepped into her French grandmother’s kitchen to pick up […]


What does it take to write and perform a solo show? Jo Tomalin talks to memoirist, published essayist, actor and and lecture agent Jamie Brickhouse about creating solo shows and his latest show: I Favor My Daddy. “Daddy Poo adored bikinis and martinis as much as his homosexual alcoholic son. Was he a sodomite lush too? […]


Jo Tomalin talks to Comedic Storyteller Colleen Hindsley from NYC about what is special to her about performing at different fringes, developing new material, and developing and performing That’s Not How it Happened. Listen to our interview with Colleen Hindsley Visit our audio interviews page Visit our main San Francisco Fringe page for reviews


There are many Fringe Festivals in North America and they are coordinated by different organizations. How can fringers find out about them? Jo Tomalin talks to Grant Knutson, a fringe consultant and Managing Director of Minion Productions, who helps independent artists find out about fringe festivals, how to fringe in North America and about the […]


Shakespeare’s plays are just as relevant today as they were when they were written hundreds of years ago, and adapting Hamlet from Hamlet’s own point of view is a fascinating project. Jo Tomalin talks to San Francisco based Laurel Scotland-Stewart about her academic background in philosophy and The Readiness Is All: A Solo Hamlet by William Shakespeare; adapted […]


How does a performer develop a one person show? Jo Tomalin talks to James Sundquist about his creative process, performance style and AEON. “AEON by James Sundquist is the last chapter of good-humored resilience and personal pain that has been explored in EXPEDITIOUS INTENT (2017) and MINGALABA (2018). Minimalist, Paired Down Monodrama. I’m excited to […]


Telling a personal story is often more difficult to tell than a fictional one. Jo Tomalin talks to Jonathan Euseppi, a comedian and storyteller from Chicago about wanting to create a one person show about his dad, how he couldn’t get started and how he developed Grief is Horny. Listen to our interview with Jonathan Euseppi […]


Bars and Craft Cocktails in San Francisco! Jo Tomalin talks to Brian Waksmunski from Oakland, CA about crafting his experience in this industry and his inspiration for creating and performing his first solo show A Decent Negroni. “Abandoned by another waitress, our bartender takes inventory of his stock.” Listen to our interview with Brian Waksmunski Visit our audio […]


A survivor is always healing. Jo Tomalin talks to Nicia De’Lovely from Oakland, California about her healing process, the community workshops she conducts, theatre as a therapeutic tool and Get Uncomfortable. “Get Uncomfortable is a provocative performance addressing taboo subjects that have been normalized by traumatized silence within our marginalized communities. This one woman recital is […]


Jo Tomalin talks to pioneer lesbian playwright and actress Terry Baum about her work and Hick: A Love Story, Based on Eleanor Roosevelt’s Letters to Letters to Lorena Hickok, written by Terry Baum who also plays Lorena Hickok – Hick. “When Eleanor Roosevelt became First Lady in 1933, she had a lesbian lover — Lorena […]


  The Intrepid Theatre Company in San Diego produces plays for all audiences. Jo Tomalin talks to Sean Yael-Cox, the company’s founding artistic director about the importance of outreach in the community, producing plays that have a message and The Thousandth Night by Carol Wolf, performed by Sean Yael-Cox. “One Actor, 38 roles. It’s Paris, 1943. […]


              Paul Levy talks to director Matt Owen and co-producer Kate Chalmers from Pound of Flesh Theatre about Fires Our Shoes Have Made. “Excalibur, equipped. School, skipped. Six months ago, when they lost their mum, their names shot past the sun and echoed through the stars. Today they become […]


              Paul Levy talks to Jacqueline Haigh about Goddess. “A peek behind the velvet curtain! Hilarious one-woman sitcom based on Jacqueline Haigh’s true experiences working as a receptionist in a tantric massage parlour. Fringe hit 2018! Directed by award-winning Alan Short (co-director Watership Down, Netflix/BBC) ‘Well written and conveyed… […]


A Strategy Play: Paul Levy talks to Elliot Hughes about Standard: Elite

              Paul Levy talks to Elliot Hughes from Hidden Track about award-winning theatre game Standard: Elite. “There are two types of ticket. Everyone gets a Standard ticket. You have to earn an Elite ticket. Together, we’re going to tell a story… of a girl from Lowground spun from spiderweb and […]


Producing for the First Time at the Fringe: Jo Tomalin talks to Jacob Standbridge about producing Sidekick

Jo Tomalin talks to Jacob Standbridge cast member and producer, who offers advice to first time producers at the Fringe, from his experience in Sidekick, a new musical. “It’s the final year of university for Tom, but he’s afraid he’ll never be good enough to become a superhero. When Lily mysteriously arrives with powers stronger than […]


              Paul Levy talks to Cristina Lark about satirical theatre piece Rich Bitch – How to Make Money with the Power of Your Mind. “GFH builds on the runaway success of Gabby’s last Edinburgh show and offers a new series of life hacks on today’s dating and partying scene. From […]


Ensemble is a group of dancers who get together to create, for friendship and to challenge themselves, for the past six years. Jo Tomalin talks to Robbie Synge and Lucy Boyes, choreographers and co-Directors of Ensemble, a dance production working with people of different ages. “Ensemble is a joyous expression of togetherness involving five performers […]


Choreographing collaboratively with dancers is an organic way to create new work. Jo Tomalin talks to award-winning choreographer from Hong Kong, Victor Fung, Artistic Director and Choreographer of Victor Fung Dance, and dancers from his company about From the Top. “From the Top is a witty contemporary dance work that explores the power relations between […]


Growing up in a small town in Wales, Youth Theatre offered an introduction to acting. Jo Tomalin talks to Ryan Lane about how this interest grew, led to training with Philippe Gaulier, and how he found inspiration to create and perform his new solo show Ryan Lane Will Be There Now in a Minute. “A show for […]


              Paul Levy talks to  award-winning author and political campaigner Jennifer Nadel about Medea Speaks. “Medea Speaks is a rallying cry to take the conversation begun by #MeToo further. Franca Rame’s acclaimed interpretation of Medea is co-directed by award-winning author and political campaigner Jennifer Nadel and Myles O’Gorman from […]


              Paul Levy talks to Lucy Farrett about her solo character comedy show Lucy Farrett: Lois. “Lois: your new favourite action hero. She fights the man, steals from the rich and eats yummy punks for breakfast. She’ll avenge the death of your mother, your brother, even your good-for-nothin’ goldfish, […]


              Paul Levy talks to storyteller Turan Ali, here at his first Edfringe, about Don’t Frighten the Straights! “International slut and mouthy, old, ethnic poof, Turan Ali tells outrageously funny true gay stories from around the queer world, some heard on Radio 4. Jaw-droppingly hilarious sluttery from this BBC comedy […]


Creating a dance piece that is simple and complex at the same time is an interesting concept. Jo Tomalin talks to Chiara Bersani, an italian dancer and choreographer, with a disability, about her career and new solo show Seeking Unicorns. “A fragile and abandoned symbol is made manifest by an extraordinary artist. The unicorn is […]


Jo Tomalin talks with physical theatre performer Tom Bailey who is also Artistic Director of award-winning theatre company, Mechanimal. His company is interested in devising physical theatre projects exploring the relationship between human and non-human species. After last year’s successful physical theatre show ‘Zugunruhe’ a sound-theatre project exploring both human migration and bird migration, Bailey […]


Making creative theatre for very small audiences in a caravan depends on the size of the caravan. Jo Tomalin talks to Emma Brierley, about developing and performing immersive visual theatre, including puppetry, poetry and storytelling and touring Swallow the Sea Caravan Theatre. “From the absurd to the moving, magical, funny and intriguing. Swallow the Sea […]


              Paul Levy talks to Chelsea Mountney and Rich Foyster about immersive theatre piece  Anti Depressed? the latest piece from Pop Heart Productions and Happenings Theatre Company. Their aim is to open up the conversation abour mental health. Award-winning Happenings Theatre Company and sell-out Pop Heart Productions present their new collaboration. […]