THE UNDERSTUDY Will Make Edinburgh Fringe Debut
Eva Seymour's one-woman dark comedy will perform at Assembly George Square Gardens, directed by Olivia Charalambous.
A one-woman exploration into the anxiety-fuelled existence of an Australian swing, The Understudy is a dark comedy following an actor who's put everything on hold for her moment in the spotlight. Born out of her experience working as a “Covid understudy”, Eva Seymour explores the need for actors to become indispensable within an industry that makes them feel both vital and overlooked. Traversing jealousy, self-righteousness and the price of ambition, Seymour portrays 30 different characters surrounding one actors journey from personal sacrifices to deteriorating relationships in the name of feeling useful.
Featuring a live camera feed of the performer which fractures as her pysche splits, The Understudy is a subversive and unflinchingly honest cautionary tale against letting the industry dictate who you are. Performances will run at Assembly George Square Gardens, The Box, 5 – 31 Aug 2026.
Writer and performer Eva Seymour said, “I wanted to write a metamodern story about the function of a one-woman show. The Understudy is trying to save her career by telling her story on stage, but the play is also working against her, functioning as the industry at large, correcting her and forcing her to question her choices. This show lets no one off the hook though, including the Understudy herself. This is no 'woe is me' tale - she chooses to stay in her job, despite the deterioration of her relationships. However, she also feels she's forced to, because of the promise and hope of some greater success.”
Eva Seymour is an actor, voice over artist and writer from Melbourne, working across screen, theatre and music. As an actor, she has appeared in Truth (Malthouse Theatre), Puffs AU (TEG Live) and Anthem (Performing Lines). Eva's screen work includes Dear Life (Stan), How To Stay Married (Network 10) and Neighbours (Network 10). The Understudy is Eva's debut solo show which premiered at Melbourne Fringe Festival 2025 and then played at Adelaide Fringe 2026 where Eva won a weekly award for Best Theatre. Eva will now make her Edinburgh Fringe debut.
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