MY GRANDPA DOESN'T FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM to Make UK Premiere at Edinburgh Fringe
Written and performed by Yoz Mensch, the show runs at Underbelly Cowgate, directed by Mary Angley.
Inspired by a road trip from Cornwall to the Scottish Highlands with her grandpa and featuring real footage of the Instagram stories she posted along the way, trans storyteller Yoz Mensch combines heartwarming bonding experiences and clowning to immortalise a personal pilgrimage.
Multi-rolling as the eccentric characters she interacted with on the journey to scatter Grandma's ashes, including ‘Pa' himself, Mensch inhabits each role through exaggerated voice acting and physical comedy. By choosing not to share her transition with her grandfather, Mensch transcends a comedy of dingy hotel rooms and dog-eared maps to create a nuanced, darkly comic exploration of deeply masked closetedness. What emerges is a moving portrait of family relationships and grief, examining what it means to hide your true self from the people you love most; set to a soundtrack that is half original score and half Chappell Roan.
My Grandpa Doesn't Follow Me On Instagram: A Guide To Trans-generational Road-Tripping will have its UK premiere at Edinburgh Festival Fringe after debuting at Adelaide Fringe - where it won the Sydney Fringe Tour Ready Award - and Melbourne Comedy Festival 2026. Performances will run 5 – 30 Aug 2026.
Writer and performer Yoz Mensch said, “I've been gifted such textured receptions to this work; many audience members even held my hand with gleeful tears and whispered, “thank you.” - I'm just thankful no one has called me a slur, yet. With much of the show set across Scotland, I'm hopeful it resonates with locals too; plus, what a relief to close this cathartic loop!”
Yoz Mensch (they/she) is a multi-award-winning clown, comedian, writer, and performer living and working on Kaurna Yerta. Their primary arts focus is storytelling that engages through humour and offers thoughtful catharsis. In 2024 they trained in Clowning, Le Jeu and Buffon at L'Ecole Philippe Gaulier 2024, toured No Babies In The Sauna to Perth, Adelaide, Prague, and Edinburgh Fringes, and Melbourne International Comedy Fesitval, picking up the Best Comedy Award at Prague Fringe, and the House of Oz Purse Prize at Adelaide Fringe. You're All Invited To My Son Samuel's Fourth Birthday Party received the Melbourne Fringe Tour Ready Award at Adelaide Fringe 2022, and picked up the Spirit of The Fringe Award at Melbourne Fringe 2022. They co-wrote, directed and performed in the ambitious sketch-sci-fi ensemble The End is High-Concept. They also co-produced, co-wrote and co-presented Huge News for Radio Adelaide, a satirical news sketch programme turned live podcast for Edinburgh Fringe 2018.
Mary Angley (she/they) is a muti-award-winning theatre-maker and graduate of the Victorian College of the Arts' Master of Directing program. Along with working on You're All Invited To My Son Samuel's Fourth Birthday Party and No Babies in the Sauna with Yoz, her practice spans writing, directing, dramaturgy, and performance, with sporadic forays into design. Working on Kaurna Yerta, she directed, dramaturged, and designed The Triumph of Man (RUMPUS) and Autoeulogy (The Mill). She has performed her critically acclaimed solo show Grief Lightning: A Satire in 78 Slides at the Adelaide, Melbourne, Perth, and Edinburgh Fringes, as well as with Festival of Voices, Midsumma, Riverland Youth Theatre, and RUMPUS, which has toured extensively thanks to support from a chain of six separate festival awards. Recently, she has also collaborated with Poppy Mee on PSYCHOPOMP. Mary is committed to process-driven work that deepens artistic skills and fosters social connection. Her practice has been informed by internships with Melbourne Theatre Company and with live art collective, Field Theory.
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