Edinburgh Fringe 2026 - Spotlight On: @Jenna
Updated: Aug 9
This 'Edinburgh Fringe - Spotlight On' series takes a look at the shows I will be reviewing at this year's festival and a 5-question Q&A with the creative teams.
Synopsis: “What if your gay awakening was Pam from The Office?
@Jenna is a one-woman show wrenched from a queer girl’s unedited childhood diaries, as an obsession becomes an accidental roadmap to self-understanding.
Second City New York alum Winnie Stack blends home videos, digital artifacts, and raw journal entires into an achingly funny coming-of-age sotory shaped by longing, performance, and first love.
Humour, brutal honesty, and a menagerie of characters collide in an exploration of how we find, lose and continually re-fashion ourselves in pursuit of desire. Laugh, cringe and reflect on your own messy path towards self-acceptance.”
Q&A with Winnie Stack (Writer)
Q: What inspired you to create this show?
A: I discovered 11 of my childhood journals when my mom was moving and noticed a consistent theme—I was deeply in love with Pam from The Office (and quite a few other women...). I used those journals to grapple with questions about who I was and created a show centered around these raw, unedited entries from childhood!
Q: What can audiences expect when they come to see the show at Edinburgh Fringe?
A: Audiences can expect a one-woman show blending humor and heart, featuring original journal entries, home videos, and tons of dancing about my coming-of-age story. They might laugh, they might shed a tear or two, they might fall in love with Jenna Fischer.
Q: Is there a particular theme, message, or idea behind the show that you hope audiences take away with them?
A: While @Jenna is rooted in my personal coming-of-age story, the themes it explores are universal. At its core, the show is about the journey toward self-acceptance, the questions we carry that don't always find answers with age, and the highs and lows of navigating emotions as children before we have the language to understand or express them. I hope audiences take away gratitude and love for their younger selves, and are reminded of the exhilarating feelings of a first crush!
Q: If you could describe your show in three words, what would they be?
A: Hilarious, poignant, reminiscent
Q: Why should audiences add your show to their Fringe schedule this year?
A: It celebrates universal themes of growing up and self-discovery, and strives to make audiences feel seen. It is a small slice of life that'll make you feel, remember, laugh, cry, and bond with the other audience members.
@Jenna is running at studio at C ARTS | C venues | C aquila from 5th to 30th August at 19:00.
