Edinburgh Fringe 2026 - Spotlight On: Woman Seeking Cuddles

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: Harper unknowingly slept with her sperm-donor father. After that, nothing was ever quite the same. Making its Edinburgh Fringe debut from New York City, this darkly comic, confessional one-woman show traces that event’s fallout – as shame, grief and reckless desire collide in one woman’s messy, defiant search for love. 

In a landscape of dating apps, modern polyamory and kink acronyms, boundaries blur and destiny feels algorithm-driven. 

Raw, funny and unflinchingly honest, Emmy-nominated writer Renwick McAslan asks, in a culture obsessed with connection, why is it still so hard to feel held?

Q&A With Ren McAslan (Writer)

Q: What can audiences expect when they come to see the show at Edinburgh Fringe?

A: A show with as much heart as it has punch. The immediacy of the one-person-show format is an exciting opportunity - and we believe we have something that will make audiences pay attention from the start.

Q: Is there a particular theme, message, or idea behind the show that you hope audiences take away with them?

A: The theme that runs through the show is hope. Through loss, grief, self-sabotage and vice. When there's a crack in something, it lets light in - and everything has a crack. This show seeks to identify the cracks of light in the dark.

Q: What is something audiences might be surprised to learn about the show?

A: That this one-woman show is written by a man. I hope I've done justice to the female experience in an increasingly complicated and paradoxical world.

Q: What has been the most exciting part of bringing this production to Edinburgh Fringe?

A: The whole thing has been a thrilling adventure - and we're brimming with gratitude. That said, part of our preparations included a sell-out preview show in a NYC theatre and the actor, Hannah, received a standing ovation. So that was something special - and we're so looking forward to testing the material with a famously selective and honest British audience.

Q: Why should audiences add your show to their Fringe schedule this year?

A: It's a timely story. Dialogue about women, relationships and value have changed so much over the past few years. The play looks to reflect aspects of that conversation - exposing elements of it, celebrating some but ultimately we hope to leave audiences thinking about 'Harper,' her journey and her perspective long after the lights go out.

Woman Seeking Cuddles is running at Stephenson Theatre at theSpace @ Surgeons' Hall from 7th to 22nd August at various times.