STAY to Make World Premiere at Edinburgh Fringe Gilded Balloon

American actor, writer and voice artist Sally Brooks will make her Edinburgh Festival Fringe debut this summer with STAY, a deeply personal new solo play about grief, compassion and the unexpected connections that can change a life.

Written and performed by Brooks and directed by acclaimed theatre-maker Pádraic Lillis, STAY will receive its world premiere at Gilded Balloon Patter House's The Penny venue, where it will run from August 6-30.

Funny, raw and emotionally resonant, STAY follows Sally, a woman whose carefully controlled life begins to unravel after a small act of kindness toward a child she barely knows draws her into the orbit of a grieving family. Independent, fiercely private and comfortable with her solitary existence, Sally enjoys companionship but tends to leave relationships before they become too serious. When one impulsive decision forces her to confront the walls she has spent years building around herself, she discovers that unexpected connections can transform lives in ways she never anticipated.

Blending sharp humor with emotional honesty, the production explores loneliness, grief, blended families and the messy reality of human relationships. At its heart, STAY is a story about the moment you stop running and realize you're exactly where you're supposed to be.

Writer and performer Sally Brooks said: "This play is about the unexpected ways people save each other. It's about grief, but it's also about resilience, laughter and the strange beauty of letting people into your life when you least expect it."

Directed by Pádraic Lillis, the production promises an intimate and emotionally layered theatrical experience that balances heartbreak with warmth and humor. Through themes of transformation, trauma, complicated love and personal growth, STAY offers audiences a moving exploration of the power of connection in an increasingly isolated world.

Brooks is an accomplished American actress, writer and voice artist whose career spans acclaimed regional theatre productions and major television series. Her theatre credits include work at Geva Theatre Center, Syracuse Stage and Capital Repertory Theatre, where she appeared opposite Mary Louise Burke in the original production of Julie Jensen's Thursday's Child. Following the success of that premiere, Brooks reprised her role in a workshop production at Playwrights Horizons alongside Kathy Bates and David Strathairn. Her stage work also includes the Los Angeles production of Kindertransport, where she performed alongside Holland Taylor and Jane Kaczmarek.

Television audiences may recognize Brooks from appearances in This Is Us, Grey's Anatomy, NCIS and Netflix's Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story. With STAY, she returns to live theatre, bringing her storytelling experience and character-driven performance style to a deeply personal debut solo show.

Presented by Ines Wurth, STAY marks Brooks' first appearance at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe as a writer-performer.

Performance Information

STAY runs August 6-30, 2026, at Gilded Balloon Patter House, The Penny. Performances begin at 3:00 p.m. and run approximately 50 minutes. Tickets are priced from £10-£12.

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