Tell me a little about your show and what audiences can expect.
It’s my first play, inspired by my relationship with my grandfather. I knew going into it that a big part of me was writing this play for him. Told in memory, it’s the story of a journey taken by 18-year-old Her as she travels with Grandpa to his homeland Albania.
I never like to make any promises I can’t keep, but I endeavoured to write a story filled with humour, poetry, love and adventure. With the plethora of content being made today, I wanted to write a play I hadn’t seen yet. The play traces a relationship not often depicted on stage, along with portraying a country that is rarely explored.
Can you talk about some of the creative team involved?
I sent my producer Natalie Allison an early draft of the script. She’s been on board from the beginning of the process, and a real champion. I’m beyond lucky to be working with Director Martha Geelan, Sound designer Nicola T Chang and Lighting designer Rachel Sampley- all of whose work I had admired for some time. It was a real pinch me moment when they all came on board. A misconception people have about solo shows is that it’s all about the person on stage – it really isn’t. They’ve brought the show to life in ways I could have never imagined as a writer.
Why is this an important story to tell?
No one play is for everyone, and we put a lot of emphasis on the importance of something when really the only people who ultimate decide is your audience. I’m reluctant to say my show is important, but rather a story that will stay with an audience after they’ve left the theatre. This is a play for anyone who lost someone too soon.
What would you like audiences to take away from seeing you/this production at the Fringe?
I’d love people to call their grandparents after the show. Ask them questions, not just to learn about those that came before you, but to make sure those people feel seen. I hope audiences also take away with them a sense of Albania’s history and culture. It’s an extraordinary country.
Do you tend to take inspiration from events happening in the world around you in terms of your work? Do you think artists have a responsibility to respond to what’s happening?
Discoveries I made on my travels shaped much of the play. I felt responsibility to handle the play’s subjects and subject matter with care – but I never felt I was ‘responding’ or ‘reacting’ to anything. I’m acutely aware that Albanian people are too often at the epicentre of immigration debates here in the UK – especially in the press. I’ve come to learn it’s a country that is deeply misunderstood, so I hope the play offers perspective. Albanians made up the largest group of small boat arrivals on English shores in 2022. It may not be a war torn country but it’s a resilient one, steeped in tragic history that speaks to much of its struggle now.
In the Land of Eagles, Pleasance Courtyard, 30 Jul-25 Aug (not 13), 3pm