Edinburgh Fringe 2026
Headcase
Cold Open Theatre
Genre: Horror, New Writing, Theatre
Venue: Thistle Theatre at Greenside @ Riddles Court
Festival: Edinburgh Fringe
Low Down
A monologue-forward show which recounts the main character’s descent into madness with astonishing clarity and intrigue.
Writer and actor Douglas Yannaghas is able to create an ever-present throughline of dread with only his words.
Review
Headcase is a newly written horror play from Glasgow-based production company Cold Open Theatre. The writer, Douglas Yannaghas, also stars as Ian, a troubled young man who spirals into madness after encountering a mysterious stone head which speaks the word of God to him. As a one man show, Yannaghas recounts the action of play entirely through Ian’s perspective, starting off each line with what age Ian is and then describing what is happening at that time. The story jumps around from Ian at age 4 all the way to age 36.
Each piece of the story at a particular age fits together, and gives further context to the main plotline of Ian’s encounter with the stone head in his thirties. The transitions between these timelines is made perfectly clear, not only from the format of announcing his age before each piece of the story, but also through Yannaghas’ distinctive changes to his body language and voice for each age, and well-timed lighting changes. This structure of storytelling is risky for theatre, but the play maintains a good balance of clarity and intentional mystery. It is easy to follow, yet allows for things to be revealed slowly.
Because of this chosen format of one man recounting all of the events of the story, it is not a particularly action-driven play. Yannaghas’ presence on stage, even as an awkward, ill-adjusted character, is captivating. He has no issue holding an audience’s attention, as he turns a 50 minute monologue into a dynamic experience. As a horror piece in a less physical medium, it was especially impressive how impactful the more grisly moments were, even with almost none of it being ‘shown’ on stage.
Headcase earns its ‘horror’ badge through pure merit: strong acting and a strong story. There are no blood, gore, or jump scares to be seen, but it leaves the audience with a pit in their stomachs nonetheless. Though their Fringe run is finished, Headcase shows that its Glasgow-based production team is one to watch.
