Edinburgh Fringe 2026
Troubled Waters
Corinne Harragin
Genre: One Person Show, Solo Performance, Storytelling, Theatre, Theatrical Storytelling
Venue: Scottish Storytelling Centre
Festival: Edinburgh Fringe
Low Down
Troubled Waters is a funny, captivating, and engaging one-woman show, sharing the “freshly told legends of the wild & wet” as it “transports audiences into a world where ancient folklore intertwines with contemporary themes”. Over the course of 70 minutes, acclaimed-storyteller Corinne Harragin plunges her audiences into captivating tales surrounding the theme of water. On at 14:30 @ the Scottish Storytelling Centre from the 7th to the 30th of August, this is a must-see production for anyone interested in discovering myths and legends from across the British Isles and beyond.
Review
“Every river begins with a story” and Corinne Harragin is the masterful storyteller who will lead you through the springs and marshes, rivers and seas of five water-related legends in Troubled Waters. From fishtail women, to hobs, and salmon, to cave dwellers, Harragin shares her “contemporary retellings of ancient river legend, folklore and myth” over the course of 70 minutes, plunging her audiences into captivating tales from across the British Isles and beyond.
This phenomenal piece of work, created and performed by Harragin, is a true triumph of the genre, blending comedy, performance, and storytelling to form an impressively immersive production. Harragin’s energy seeps into every word, and her performance is so expressive and emotive that it negates the need for any elaborate production design. With nothing but a simple stool, the performer is able build entire worlds, using her gaze and movement to direct and engage the audience’s imagination. Considering the piece is essentially a seventy-minute monologue, it was awe-inspiring to see the boundless ardour and verve with which Harragin presents the tales: from her smooth, sweeping, water-like movements, to her consistently steady and vibrant vocal delivery, it is clear that she spares no effort in her performance.
Similarly, it is evident that a lot of thought and attention to detail has been put into the creation and structuring of the work. Using a short, sung verse, and a repeated circling motion – which she later weaves into her final tale – Harragin bookends each legend, distinguishing the stories in a way that makes it easy for her audience to follow along. Moreover, as a prelude to each tale, she utters an electrifying “Listen!” – readying the audience for the next dive. All the while, she does not lose sight of how the myths flow from one into the next, often weaving them together using short, poetically written bridges and transitional phrases. This recognisable shape works beautifully as a way to break apart the text and speech, without losing the impulse and drive of the performance itself.
Describing itself as “Live Stand-Up Storytelling for Grown Ups” is one of the things that drew me to Troubled Waters, as I was intrigued by the idea of storytelling – something I would typically envisage as being dramatic, mythical, and quite earnest in nature – that was simultaneously funny and “fresh”. Harragin achieves both, finding ways to pull the legends and myths into the now, with comedic references to the characters practicing “mindfulness” and avoiding “doom-scrolling”, whilst also drawing the audience into the historic origins of the tales. With some witty one-liners sprinkled in as well, the piece certainly achieves what it sets out to, making the work relatable without overshadowing the fantastical and allegorical source material. Another way Harragin achieves this is by incorporating moments of audience interaction: from a simple “Hello!” at the start of the show, leaving space for the audience to respond, to inviting them to speak the name of the nearest body of water to the place they call home, and even getting them to join in on creating sounds for the stories, it is a gentle, non-intimidating way to keep them engaged without breaking the world created by her performance.
The idea of storytelling as a performance genre may not be familiar to everyone, but Troubled Waters is an excellent introduction. Entertaining, captivating and universally accessible, it is the perfect production to attend if you are thinking of ‘dipping your toe’ into the genre. Kudos to Corinne Harragin for creating and performing such a passionate and accomplished piece of work. It is clear that she is an expert in the genre – and a natural-born storyteller.
