EDINBURGH 2026: RIP HER TO SHREDS Q&A
Rip Her To Shreds runs at Edfringe from 5 - 30 August
BWW catches up with Isabelle Barbier, the writer of Rip Her To Shreds to chat about bringing the show to the 2026 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Tell us a bit about Rip Her To Shreds.
Rip Her To Shreds is a fast-paced horror comedy about four college girls who accidentally summon supernatural powers in their dorm room. Set in the early 2000s, the play explores the chaos of female friendship, the pressure to perform likability, and the frightening intensity of becoming a young woman.
What was the inspiration behind writing it?
My quest was always to write the stories I wish existed when I was a teenage girl. Something that would tell little me I wasn't alone in navigating the complex landscapes of female friendship, sexual trauma, and power. Rip Her To Shreds is my reflection on girlhood in the early aughts; the era of internet porn, celebrity tabloids, diet culture, and mean-girl archetypes. I didn't want to condemn these subjects but rather break them open, inspect them ruthlessly, poke fun, and empathize with my younger self.
Why did horror feel like the right genre for a teenage drama?
I've always loved horror because it externalizes our deepest fears. In Rip Her To Shreds, the supernatural isn't just there to frighten the audience, it's a physical manifestation of the girls' jealousy, desire, shame, and rage. As their relationships become more volatile, those emotions literally reshape the world around them.
Who do you want to come and see it?
I hope Rip Her To Shreds finds anyone who loves horror and theatre that isn't afraid to get weird. If you enjoy stories that are equal parts hilarious, unsettling, and surprising, I think you'll have a great time with this show.
I think women in particular will recognize the emotional landscape of the play; the intensity of female friendships, the pressure to be likable, and the complicated ways we're taught to compete with one another. At the same time, I hope audiences who don't share those experiences come away with a deeper understanding of them.
What would you like audiences to take away from it?
I hope audiences leave feeling entertained first and foremost. I want them to laugh, jump, cringe, and have the kind of theatrical experience that lingers long after they leave the theatre.
Rip Her To Shreds runs at Edfringe from 5 - 30 August
Photo credit: Gabriella Spiegel
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