KIRSTY MANN: CORPSE Will Present World Premiere at Edinburgh Fringe
Impatient Productions brings the Best Theatre Adelaide Fringe winner to Summerhall's Red Lecture Theatre.
KIRSTY MANN: CORPSE will make its full Edinburgh Festival Fringe premiere following a development run and award-winning outing earlier this year. Written and performed by Kirsty Mann, the production will run August 6–31, 2026 (with a preview on August 6, excluding August 17 and 24) at the Red Lecture Theatre at Summerhall.
The show, presented by Impatient Productions, is based on a true story and combines stand-up comedy, storytelling, and horror. It follows a couple who purchase a house at an unusually low price and begin to experience a series of unexplained events after moving in, culminating in a direct encounter with what appears to be a ghost.
Originally staged as a work-in-progress at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2025, the production has since undergone further development, including a run at Adelaide Fringe in 2026, where it received the Best Theatre award and multiple five-star reviews. The Edinburgh engagement marks the show’s first fully realized version.
Mann said, “My husband and I bought a house. We bought it from the estate of an old lady who had just passed away. We knew she had probably died in the house, but it didn't bother us – we're both doctors, we needed space to start our family and the house was unusually cheap. Sure, it had clearly been adapted for someone in their 90s - lots of NHS-installed grab handles… the entire floor had been re-covered with lino and it was old and stained and peeling up at the sides… The wallpaper hung off the walls, the roof leaked and the main bedroom had peculiar writing on the door… But like I said, the house was cheap. After we moved in, strange things started to happen. The toilet flushed by itself. The taps gushed spontaneously. Our electric toothbrushes developed a life of their own. One day, I came downstairs to find the washing machine was not where I left it. Later, a handprint mysteriously appeared on the bedroom ceiling… Then, one day, I saw the ghost. I didn't believe in the afterlife. I do now.”
The production has been described as a genre-blending work that shifts from humor to suspense, drawing on Mann’s perspective as a doctor and incorporating elements of campfire-style storytelling. A transfer to Soho Theatre is planned for 2027.
TICKETING INFORMATION
KIRSTY MANN: CORPSE will run August 6–31, 2026 (excluding August 17 and 24) at 3:15 p.m. at Summerhall’s Red Lecture Theatre. The running time is approximately 60 minutes. Tickets are priced at £17, with concessions at £14.50 and preview tickets at £10. The production is recommended for ages 18 and up and includes flashing lights, loud noises, and themes of death.
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