Alex Osborne brings her show to the Lambeth Fringe this year and I have had a chance to catch up with her to find out more.

Show Title, where and when people can watch it.

Screaming, Crying, Throwing Up, Begging to be Loved (Yikes) at The Bread and Roses Theatre at 3:00pm.

 

What was the inspiration behind your show? 

I have always been plus-size, which was a struggle in a mostly plus-sized family  obsessed with diet culture. I went to extreme measures to not be fat because everywhere I turned, it was such a negative thing. Being loved (romantically) was something I always wanted but was told I couldn’t have if I stayed fat. My escape was watching rom-coms. It didn’t occur to me until much later how deeply the lack of representation in those films negatively affected my ability to accept love. This piece is my journey understanding that how fat you are does not equal how much love you deserve.

 

How long has your production been in progress? 

I had to develop a thesis at LAMDA in 2023 to prove my mastering of the arts. We had about six months to develop these and I knew my subject had to be something I truly loved or else I would get bored very easily. Intimacy in those rom-coms has always been something that fascinated me, so I knew that was what I wanted to run with. I then developed a gender-neutral, body-type non-specific language to make intimacy coordination more accessible for marginalized bodies. We had to present our thesis practically in a 20-minute piece at the end of the year and what better way to do that than ranting about my favourite rom-coms and a situationship I still wasn’t over a year after it had happened?

 

Where are planning on taking the play next? 

I’m looking to take it to more audiences throughout the UK and even a few venues back in the states.

 

What would you like audiences to take away from your show? 

I want this piece to show a person in a fat body playing a romantic lead is as normal and “realistic” as a straight-size person doing the same thing. I’d like the audience to realize just how marginalized fat bodies are in entertainment and be aware of that in what they consume. It’d be nice if it expands their knowledge of and perspective on marginalized bodies in general, even if only slightly or subconsciously.

 

What are you looking forward to most about performing your show? 

Rolling around on the floor and making people more-than-slightly concerned for this character’s mental stability surrounding relationships.

 

 

 

Why did you choose your particular Fringe venue? 

With the play taking place solely in the character’s bedroom, we needed a small, cozy space to fully immerse the audience in the world of the character’s inner-ramblings. The Bread and Roses Theatre is perfect for this type of production.

 

Which shows at the Fringe are you planning on watching? 

 My top picks are “Sh*t Show”, “Musical Mayhem”, and “Wilt”.

 

Have you had any major hurdles to overcome to get this production on the stage? Other than this being my first time presenting my own writing to a public audience, putting up your own work is not cheap. Having to work a survival job for life expenses and to fund things like this can take a lot of time and energy away from the creative process and marketing. I think that’s sadly something a lot of people experience but not many people like to talk about. Finances dictating how much time and creative energy you have, even for something you love so deeply, is a major hurdle but luckily, Lambeth Fringe is more financially accessible than most fringe festivals.

 

What other productions have you previously been involved with? 

I recently directed and script edited for Blake Stratso on his one-man show, TURTLE, for

The Camden Fringe this past July-August. Just before that, I was with Saltcircle Productions performing “Unsent” by Abbie Rough, whose writing gorgeously balances melodic, heightened style with modern text. And closer to the beginning of 2025, I performed the “Jailer’s Daughter” monologue from Two Noble Kinsmen for a LAMDA Alumni event.

 

Please attach any social media links that you have.

https://lambethfringe.com/events/screaming-crying-throwing-up-begging-to-be-loved-yikes

https://www.instagram.com/beggingtobelovedyikes?igsh=ZTc5cHVhbHk2dWtw