An acclaimed breakout hit at the 2026 Adelaide Fringe, this moving solo show follows Melissa as she navigates the messy, non-linear aftermath of losing her mother at age 20. Intertwining the vastness of the universe, an excess of lasagnes, and a search for light in the dark, the production breaks the silence surrounding youth grief to offer a deeply entertaining and emotional experience.
Would you mind giving us an insight into what your show/event/performance is?
Meteors is a one woman show about mums, stars, grief and lasagne. After losing my mum when I was only 20, I realised grief isn’t part of the conversation, particularly for young people, so a lot of the time things just go unsaid. No one knows what to say or maybe they’re scared of saying the wrong thing, so grief becomes almost taboo. It’s been 6 years since my mum passed away and writing/developing this show has been a special way to safely process my grief and honour my mum. Our director, Connor Reidy, almost lost his mum at a young age, and together we realised that the grief has shaped who we are as humans and artists, and we want to make work that speaks to that experience. We’re ready to crack open these conversations, and after six years of feeling like I’ve had to tip-toe around my grief, I’m looking forward to sharing this show with audiences, as it’s honest and full of heart.
Tell us about the creative team and the process involved?
Meteors is presented by The CRAM Collective, an independent theatre group I co-founded alongside Meteors director, Connor Reidy, and creative collaborator, Ren Williams. For Meteors, the CRAM team is also joined by sound designer, Will Spartalis and my brother, Connor Pullinger, as a creative collaborator.
The idea for this show began 5 years ago, during my acting training, where I performed a 5min autobiographical, devised piece. That became the first bones of the show and since then I slowly began chipping away at writing a full draft. I approached my theatre company, The CRAM Collective, with the idea and we were incredibly lucky to receive a residency at The Mill in Adelaide, where we could devise and rehearse the show with our creative team. My director, Connor, has also experienced grief early in life, after losing his mother a few days before his 25th birthday. After the death of our mums, Connor and I both found ourselves looking out. There’s no stopping a meteor, once it starts to hurtle towards earth, in a similar way to being unable to stop an illness like cancer, or the grief. It’s completely out of your control, and instead the meteor leaves this crater that you carry for the rest of your life.
How does it feel coming to (back to) the Fringe?
This is our first Edinburgh Fringe and we couldn’t be more excited to share Meteors with international audiences.
We had an incredibly successful premiere season at the Adelaide Fringe, winning four awards including Emerging Artist, Melbourne Fringe Tour Ready, Holden Street Theatre Award and the prestigious Edinburgh Fringe Award. These awards have ensured a future life for Meteors and we’re looking forward to heading on tour!
With shows from all over the world at the Fringe, what sets yours apart?
Although Meteors is a personal story, grief and the moments explored within the show are universal experiences. It’s a show that’s honest and full of heart, allowing connections with an audience that are rare and linger long after the play has finished. We’ve had incredible conversations in the foyer post show, sharing memories of people who don’t deserve to be forgotten.
On that, is there anything in the production or production team’s backgrounds which influences the way the show is performed or told?
As mentioned, this is an autobiographical story, and other members in the creative team have experienced grief. Through our lived experiences, we can explore the whole spectrum of grief. Everything from the funeral, to being bombarded with lasagnes by the neighbours, and having to bring up that your mother is dead on a first date and how awkward that can be.
Is there anything specific you’re hoping the audience will take away?
We wanted to make a piece of work that taps into the experience of losing someone and pulls back the curtain on how all-consuming grief can be, but also, at times, how it can be awkward and funny, and embarrassing and beautiful and loving as well.
Your Ideal audience is in attendance, who’s watching? Or more importantly – who isn’t…?
Other young people who have lost someone or experienced grief. One of the most touching interactions I had at Adelaide Fringe was with a 7 year old girl, who had lost her mum and came to the show with her dad. We talked about our mums, shared funny memories and knew they’d be incredibly proud of who we are now.
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?
We want to soak up as much of Edinburgh Fringe as possible – there’s some other incredible Adelaide artists over for the season and we highly recommend checking out their shows! Look out for Theatre Republic, Mim Sarre and Yoz. The Summerhall Program is also incredible, so when we’re not performing, we’ll be sure to catch lots of shows there!
GAMEPLAY will run at Venue 26, Former Womens Locker Room at Summerhall
Runs: August 6th – August 31st at 21.00pm
Photo credit – Daniel Marks
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