Full of heart, this powerful new play is both about and by young people. The first act (What the F*ck Happened to Love?) follows teenager Nina and explores drink spiking, sexual assault and growing up with mixed Indian/Scottish heritage. The second act (What the F*ck Happened to Hope?) follows Nina’s best friend Faye and explores family relationships, mental health and consent. Nina is played by 18-year-old Olivia McGeachy (who is also the writer) and Faye is played by Heidi Steel (star of Summerhall’s The Fish Bowl at 2023 Edinburgh Fringe).
Would you mind giving us a brief insight into what your show is?
It’s new writing exploring urgent themes such as consent and drink spiking amongst young people, written by a local 18-year-old. Following teenager Nina and her best friend Faye as they become tangled in a horrifying culture of spiking and assault. Sixteen-year-old Nina is cheeky and naive, experiencing the thrills of young love at school, until a night out takes a horrific turn when she’s spiked, leaving her to navigate the devastating aftermath. Usually confident and outspoken, Faye insists she’s perfectly okay—definitely. But when Harry from school removes the condom midway through sex without her consent, and her mother’s mental health deteriorates, Faye finds herself struggling for the first time to pretend she’s okay.
Tell us about the creative team and the process involved?
The initial seed of the idea came about reading an article about how drink spiking was on the rise amongst young people which really resonated and struck me on a deeper level. The writing process has involved a lot of exploring what I already felt comfortable and qualified to talk about, then filling in any gaps with thorough research. The play follows best pals Nina and Faye, both of whom could easily be labelled ‘typical teenagers’ and it was really enjoyable, and it also felt really important, to show the complexity beneath the surface. As well as drink spiking, something else I was keen to explore is consent, because it’s something so important yet hardly ever spoken about. This play felt like a really nice medium to explore the nuances of both consent and the impact of drink spiking so the script went through lots of redrafts to try and get this as spot on as possible. The logistics and producing side of the process has been very new but I’ve learned loads and it’s great seeing everything starting to come together
In terms of the team and who’s involved: I’m a mixed heritage Indian/Scottish 18-year-old from Edinburgh and since leaving school at 16, I’ve been building experience as an actor, taking part in several short films and pieces of theatre. Am also a member of the National Youth Theatre and was the youngest director at the Fringe in 2022 with a show part of a student theatre scheme called Paradok Platform, produced by the founder of The Counterminers, Lew Forman. Had seen first-hand how talented they are so I’m delighted they’re onboard as Co-Producer! As this is my first time writing/producing/acting in the fringe it’s been incredibly helpful knowing there’s someone who understands theatre and producing so brilliantly in my corner.
Playing Faye is the absolutely phenomenal Heidi Steel, she’s a properly brilliant actor who could be seen at the fringe last year in Summerhall’s The Fish Bowl. She has such a beautiful sense of humour and she plays scenes with courage, complexity and playfulness. In the rehearsal room she’s already creating electricity, it’s so exciting to watch – Heidi’s definitely one to look out for in the future! Directing we’ve got the stunningly skilled and really fantastic Staci Shaw. She has a wealth of experience and is incredibly generous and kind, with great instincts too. The way she works, using improvisation and music to flesh out characterisation, really clicked with me and her ability to problem solve has been a pleasure. Assistant Directing we’ve got the sensational Laura Gentile who is an all round fantastic human with so much creativity, she brings so much energy and passion and joy into the room and is extremely talented. I’m so proud of this team and so grateful to get to be doing this with them!
How does it feel coming to the Fringe?
Absolutely lovely and a wee bit terrifying too! Was at the Fringe as a director in 2022 when I was 16, having just left school, so it’s brilliant getting to come back at 18 and being able to apply everything I’ve learnt along the way! I remember the atmosphere being so incredible and the sense of community was really tangible so it feels super exciting knowing that’s there waiting to be dived into. It’s also slightly different being part of the fringe as a writer, lead producer and actor because it comes with such a high level of responsibility and so many things to do! It’s great getting to make creative decisions though and all the work (admin!) is definitely worth it to get to collaborate with such a lovely team and eventually be in a room connecting with the audience.
There are over 3,000 shows at the Fringe. So, what sets your show apart?
It’s about young people, written by an 18-year-old Edinburgh local! Exploring urgent themes such as consent and drink spiking, with a team led by women, it’s local, it’s young, it’s relatable, it’s authentic, and it has loads of humour and heart. And it might even be quite good actually too!
Is there anything specific you’re hoping the audience will take away?
A feeling of being seen for those who have experienced anything explored in the play, a new perspective for those who haven’t, and a spark of hope for everyone.
Your ideal audience is in attendance, who’s watching? Or more importantly – who isn’t there…
f you’re up and ready to connect with a story at 10 in the morning, we’d love for you to join us. If you’re not, get yourself along anyway because this is theatre worth getting up for!
It’s an intense month, so where you’re able, how do you plan to relax, and are there any other shows you intend to see or want to recommend?
By catching up on sleep! Oooo for seeing shows there’s too many to name but I remember when Through The Mud by Apphia Campbell was on at the Lyceum and it was brilliant so I’m hoping to catch it again at Summerhall. The Expulsion Of Exulansis is a show exploring mental health from Siyani Sheth, who is also 18 so would love to go and support! Charlotte Anne-Tilley is back with two shows this year which both sound super brilliant, and finally, Out Of Order Productions and Headrush Theatre are both young and exciting companies so can’t wait to watch their shows at the fringe
In your ideal world, how can we improve the Fringe, of performance, and the industry?
The engagement of underrepresented people and communities year-round would be truly brilliant because there’s so much incredible talent out there who would thrive if given the opportunity and we could also maybe be paying more attention to the demographics of who has the most power within our industry. Also, as a young person, it’s gutting to see opportunities that used to be in place for new talent vanishing due to a lack of funding so more money all round would be lovely!
Interested in being featured on our Have a Gander page? With many previews and Q&As lined up, we’re always happy to chat about including your show in future articles. Please do get in touch through the contact page to feature in an upcoming ‘Have A Gander’