ROLEPLAY To Make World Premiere At Edinburgh Fringe

A ferocious one woman comedy turned psychological thriller…

We’re excited to announce the world premiere of ROLEPLAY, set to be one of the must-see works of the Fringe in 2026. An unflinching new play about sex, power, and the economics of attention, ROLEPLAY is written and performed by award-winning creative Hannah Reilly, and directed by Paige Rattray.

Bold, provocative and darkly funny, it premieres at the Edinburgh Fringe this summer, running at Summerhall from 6 – 31 August.

SYNOPSIS

ROLEPLAY follows a broke feminist podcaster who rebrands as a provocative ‘slutfluencer’ in pursuit of fame, only to lose herself in the performance. Hilarious, gripping and surreal, the show is a razor-sharp interrogation of modern sex, womanhood and the commodification of feminism in the age of the personal brand.

Diving headfirst into the contradictions of contemporary feminism, where empowerment, sexuality and capitalism collide, ROLEPLAY interrogates the pressure to package identity as content, exposing the blurred boundaries between agency and exploitation, performance and reality. Urgent and unsettling, it explores the rise of personal branding in a culture where intimacy is monetised and authenticity is carefully curated – from podcast culture to influencer economies – capturing a generation navigating visibility, power and consent in an increasingly performative world.

Meet the creatives

Writer/performer Hannah Reilly is the recipient of the ATYP Rebel Wilson Comedy Commission, for which she developed the hit musical comedy The Deb. Director Paige Rattray’s extensive stage and screen work includes Fangirls at the Lyric Hammersmith, and three years as Director of New Work and Artistic Development at Sydney Theatre Company.

Writer and performer Hannah Reilly said:
“I’m beyond thrilled to unleash ROLEPLAY at the Edinburgh Fringe with my dream collaborators. Feels like I’m going to the theatre kid Olympics. Writing this play has been equal parts joy and terror, which is the beauty of trying to make work as fearlessly as you can. When you have to crawl into bed for an entire weekend after submitting a draft, you know you’re onto something. I can’t wait to see what happens when it meets an audience.”

Director Paige Rattray said:
“ROLEPLAY is raw and unpredictable. It’s the kind of piece that says the things people are thinking but are too scared to say out loud. Hannah has written something that pushes into uncomfortable territory with real precision, exposing the way we perform, desire, and hide in equal measure. I’m excited to bring it to Edinburgh Fringe, a place that thrives on risk, with a team of phenomenal collaborators who are one hundred per cent up for the experiment.”

A new partnership for global creatures

This premiere marks a major collaboration between Francesca Moody Productions (FMP), known for creating and developing Fringe hits that became landmark television series with Fleabag and Baby Reindeer, and Global Creatures. ROLEPLAY brings together FMP’s track record of era-defining solo work with Global Creatures’ global production scale to deliver a standout new voice at the festival. The show was originally developed with Belvoir St Theatre, Sydney as part of their Up Late Series, which Global Creatures sponsors.

ROLEPLAY also follows in the footsteps of FMP’s Olivier-nominated, Offie-winning production of Weather Girl, which also began at Summerhall before transferring to Soho Theatre, London and St Ann’s Warehouse, New York. Alongside Weather Girl and Fleabag, ROLEPLAY reinvents the one woman show once again with a bold and contemporary new story.

Francesca Moody said:
“ROLEPLAY grabbed me from the first page of the script. It is a piece of theatre that I just knew we had to produce and I can’t think of anywhere better than the Edinburgh Fringe to start its journey. It’s bold, unflinching, achingly funny, prescient and above all entertaining – made with artists who are daring to take risks. I am thrilled to be working with Hannah, Paige and partnering with Global Creatures – it’s a dream team of formidable women to collaborate with.”

Our CEO and Producer, Carmen Pavlovic, said:
“ROLEPLAY is fearless work. It’s incisive, uncomfortable and irresistibly current. Hannay Reilly has created something that speaks directly to the moment we’re living in, where identity, economy and performance are in constant negotiation. I have immense admiration for Francesca Moody Productions and the daring solo work they consistently champion. Hannah Reilly and Paige Rattray are a creative team whose trust, rigour and appetite for risk make this work feel genuinely alive.”

Keep up to date with roleplay

Follow ROLEPLAY on Instagram and TikTok for all the latest updates.

In an era dominated by influencer culture, subscription platforms and the monetisation of identity, ROLEPLAY taps into one of the most urgent cultural conversations of the moment. As debates around feminism, agency and online economies continue to shape global discourse, the show offers a sharp and timely lens on what it means to be visible — and at what cost.