UNCSA students, alumni, faculty and staff connected to 2026 Edinburgh Festival Fringe
Students, alumni, faculty and staff from the schools of Design and Production, Drama and Filmmaking at UNCSA and the Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts(Kenan Arts) are connected to theatrical productions, comedy performances and film screenings across Edinburgh’s 2026 August festival season.
The university’s connections span original theater, stand-up comedy and independent film, with current students, alumni, faculty and staff contributing as writers, directors, performers, producers, designers and filmmakers. Their work will be presented across Edinburgh’s August festival season, including the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, taking place Aug. 7-31, and the separately organized Edinburgh International Film Festival, taking place Aug. 13-19.
Two of the alumni works appearing at Fringe, "Sedelka" and "00:45:00," were developed as part of the School of Drama's Keys to the Kingdom series, an entire season programmed, produced, directed, acted and often written or devised by students in their fourth year, supported in part by the Joe Mantello Creative Catalyst Endowed Fund for Drama and the School of Drama Dean’s Discretionary Fund.
As part of a new Edinburgh Fringe pipeline established in 2025, these productions
were pitched and selected for an initiative led by the Kenan Institute for the Arts that supports recent UNCSA graduates in premiering original work at the internationally
renowned festival.
Each production and creative team receives developmental funds from Kenan Arts and guidance from its staff and the UNCSA School of Drama, along with fiscal sponsorship by Producer Hub, a NYC based and nationally focused organization that offers programs, resources, and community designed specifically for independent arts producers.
UNCSA Mentors include Kenan Institute Executive Director Kevin Bitterman and Kenan Institute Associate Director Liza Vest, School of Drama faculty member Jason Bohon, and Dean of the School of Drama John Langs.
"00:45:00" / Photo: Instagram
UNCSA Edinburgh Festival Fringe connections include:
- School of Drama alumna Uliana Klimchuk (B.F.A. ’26) wrote and performs in “SELEDKA,” a one-woman play exploring cultural identity, displacement and the consequences of the ongoing war in Ukraine. Fellow Drama alumna Lily Afghani (B.F.A. ’26) directs the production, and alumnus Jake Bryant (B.F.A. ’26) serves as producer.
- School of Drama alumna Katie Gaven (B.F.A. ’26) wrote and directs “00:45:00,” a dark exploration of morality, ethics and the human condition that follows participants in a science experiment who must decide which of them will live or die in less than an hour. The cast includes fellow Drama alumni Grace Hoy (B.F.A. ’26) as Piper Johnson, Magda Riha (B.F.A. ’26) as Elliana Lee, Zakiya Hall (B.F.A. ’26) as Nia Keeley, Sam Wade (B.F.A. ’26) as Lonnie Miller and Mary Kathryn Brown (B.F.A. ’26) as Dr. Wilison, along with current Drama student Paris Finch as Booker Davis. Drama alumnus Jake Bryant (B.F.A. ’26) serves as producer. Current School of Design and Production student Miles Goldsmith serves as lighting designer, while fellow D&P students Jordan Flint and Joshua Givens serve as stage managers. Current School of Filmmaking student Owen Ray serves as photographer, and fellow Filmmaking student Will Stolze serves as sound designer.
- School of Drama alumnus Evan Barnard (B.F.A. ’21) wrote “To My Wife’s Next Lover,” an original one-hour production headed to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The show is being mounted by Dream Big Kid Productions, founded by Barnard, Drama alumnus Julian Rees (B.F.A. ’25), School of Filmmaking alumnus Sanath Hegde (B.F.A. ’25) and colleague Shelby Roberts. Rees is producing the show. The play follows a young husband whose worsening melanoma forces him to consider how his wife will live and love after his death. He begins documenting his favorite things and advice for her future lover in a journal that increasingly explores jealousy, fidelity and sacrifice as the cancer affects his mental state.
- School of Drama alumnus Chris Grace (B.F.A. ’95), an actor and comedian known for “Superstore” and Dropout, will perform his new stand-up show, “Chris Grace: 88%,” at Assembly Studio Five. The hourlong show asks whether people can get along when they agree on most, but not all, issues; whether nuance can survive in an age of extremes; and whether using artificial intelligence makes someone evil.
- School of Drama alumnus Austin Jennings (High School ’08) will premiere the one-man show “A Gay Masseur’s Guide to Happy Endings.” The fictional work follows a recent drama school graduate who begins working as a gay masseur while searching for money and a meaningful acting role. A decade later, he begins questioning what years of performing for others have cost him. The production explores shame, desire, loneliness, addiction and the boundaries between intimacy and transaction.
- School of Drama alumnus Ron Weiss (B.F.A. ’25) is a producer on “Lizzy Sunshine,” which will run throughout the festival. The show follows performer Liz Coin after her partner fails to appear for a planned two-person performance, forcing her to make the audience her co-star in an hour of comedy, characters and audience interaction.
"Saba" film poster / Photo: Hamed Hosseini Sangari
UNCSA Edinburgh International Film Festival connections include:
- School of Filmmaking faculty member Shahin Nemat-Gorgani wrote, directed and edited “Saba,” which will have its world premiere in the Short Films Competition at the 79th Edinburgh International Film Festival. Made with support from a UNCSA faculty grant and the Filmed in NC Fund of the Cucalorus Film Foundation, the short film follows a young boy caught between the silence of his estranged parents. Through a series of mysterious phone calls, he adopts new personas and explores who he dreams of becoming.
About the Edinburgh Festival Fringe
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is a three-week performing arts festival held in Edinburgh, Scotland, each August. Its history dates to 1947, when eight theater groups arrived uninvited to perform alongside the Edinburgh International Festival. The performers staged their shows on the fringe of the official festival, giving the Edinburgh Festival Fringe its name.
As participation continued to grow, the Festival Fringe Society was created in 1958 to support participating artists, publish the festival program and establish a central box office. The society does not select or vet the festival’s programming, allowing anyone with a story to tell and a venue willing to host them to participate.
About the Edinburgh International Film Festival
The Edinburgh International Film Festival is the world’s oldest continually running film festival. Relaunched as a new entity in 2024, the festival showcases filmmaking talent in a format rooted in its Scottish context while embracing international creative expression.
The festival’s centerpiece competitions are the Sean Connery Prize for Feature Filmmaking Excellence and the Thelma Schoonmaker Prize for Short Filmmaking Excellence, which are decided by audience vote. Its August program runs in parallel with the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and other cultural festivals taking place throughout the city.
About the Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts (Kenan Arts)
Artists change the way we see the world. At the Thomas S. Kenan Institute for the Arts, we make space for that change to happen. From our home at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, we support artists, spark collaboration, and connect creative communities across the Southeast and beyond. For more than three decades, Kenan Arts has backed bold ideas, nurtured partnerships, and helped the arts thrive in times of challenge and transformation. By expanding pathways to creativity for artists, students, and communities, we continue that work with a clear vision for a world where artists are valued and creativity is a driving force for change. For more information, visit www.uncsa.edu/KenanArts.
Information in this release reflects what could be obtained by press time and will be updated if additional information is made available.
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August 06, 2026