DAY OF THE LOCUST World Premiere to Open at Edinburgh Fringe 2026
Fake Escape will present Callum Patrick Hughes' solo show at Pleasance Courtyard, directed by David Shopland and Roann Hassani McCloskey
Drawing paralells between 2025's anti-ICE protests in LA and the dark reality of Hollywood's Golden Age from Nathanael West's The Day of the Locust, multi-instrumentalist and storyteller Callum Patrick Hughes examines the destructive nature of the Hollywood dream through the lens of modern political unrest.Told in second person narrative to draw the audience into the protagonist's troubled mind, Day of The Locust follows a young scenic designer on his journey through the seedy underbelly of the film industry. In a machine that sells dreams while quietly breeding rage, the pressure to succeed and the feelings of exclusion push aspriring artists'to breaking point resulting in a mob riot at a moviepremiere.
Featuring a live onstage soundscape using guitars, loop pedals, and guitar drones, Day of The Locust's part-riot-part-protest-song form critiques the false promises of both the entertainment industry and the American Dream. Performances will run at Pleasance Courtyard, Attic, 5 – 31 Aug 2026.
Day of The Locust is part of Fake Escapes' Decade of Fringe season this August alongside Don't You Forget About Me (Assembly Roxy, 14.20) a retelling of the iconic John Hughes film from the forgotten sixth character's perspective and a nostalgic love letter to 80s pop culture, and WhatsOnStage Award-nominated Saving Britney (Underbelly George Square, 18.15), a super fan solo show about celebrity worship and the #FreeBritney movement.
The Day of the Locust by Nathanael West was published in 1939.Though not a huge success at the time, its acclaim grew in the 1950s and it's now considered a modern classic with inclusion in the Modern Library's 100 best English language novels of the 20th century and Time magazines 100 best English language novels of the 20th century.The book was adapted for the screen in 1975 starring Donald Sutherland and has been a common reference in pop culture, including serving as inspiration for Matt Groening's naming of The Simpsons after a character in the book, as well as 1982 song "Call of the West" by Wall of Voodoo.
Co-writer, co-composer and perfomer Callum Patrick Hughes said, “I am beyond excited to share this new adaptation of Day of the Locust in Edinburgh. In some ways it feels like a departure from the autobiographical shows I've presented over the last three years and it really leans into my lifelong obsession with Americana. I'm also thrilled to share something quite unique in its style and musicianship, which this year is a lot more layered and complex than previous pieces”.
Callum Patrick Hughes is an actor, writer and multi-instrumental musician whose work spans musical theatre, performance art, immersive and site specific theatre, folk story-telling, and film and television. As a long-time member of Bob Carlton's award-winning ensemble of actor-musicians, he has performed in productions including Godspell, The Great Gatsby, As You Like It and Return To The Forbidden Planet. Callum's previous Edinburgh Festival Fringe shows include Thirst (2023), How Can I Help You (2024) and God Is Dead And I Killed Him (2025). Day of The Locust will be Callum's eleventh production with Fake Escape.
David Shopland is a two-time WhatsOnStage and multi-Offie Award nominee who has worked internationally as a writer, director, and producer for 15 years. He is also co-founder and curator of the immersive new writing festival 20:20 Vision, run in partnership with Bath Fringe Festival. As Artistic Director and Chief Executive of Fake Escape, David's credits include the international hit Saving Britney (2021 and 2022) and Cul-de-Sac (2025), alongside a decade of acclaimed Edinburgh Festival Fringe shows.
Fake Escape are an award-winning South-West based theatre company run by David Shopland, Matthew Grace and Lewis Oatley. Established in 2013, the company is dedicated to platforming new writing, exploring the human condition through inventive storytelling, and engaging with social and political themes while centring underrepresented voices. The company are celebrating ten years of bringing work to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, with a catalogue of works including God Is Dead and I Killed Him (2025), How Can I Help You? (2024), Did You Mean To Fall Like That (2023), Thirst (2023), Raising Kane (2023), My Father The Tantric Masseur (2019), and A Dream of Dying (2016).
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