It's A Struggle Coming Out at theSpace @ Niddry Street

A campy, queer comedy about vampires, Evangelicals, and the thirst for authenticity, making its international debut at Edinburgh Fringe 2026.

When pushed to sign up for an Evangelist debutante ball, goth teen Em is tasked with converting vampires to Christianity. Drawn to their lifestyle, she starts to question whether she's the one who needs saving. Meanwhile her friends are spiralling: ditzy Raelynn attempts to convert a Jew, stressed Sarabeth converts an entire prison, and their leader Maryella grows dead-set on proving Em might be a lesbian. The stress of Em's secret interlocks the four in a battle of secrets, lies, and girl-group war.

Blending But I'm a Cheerleader's tone with a Twilight-esque love story, It's A Struggle Coming Out is a one-act crusade of repression, romance, and religious hysteria. At its heart, a love story about friendship and the cost of staying in the box everyone built for you.

With anti-LGBTQ+ legislation surging across the US, playwright Ben Berman, a student at USC's School of Cinematic Arts, chose to respond not with anger but with comedy. Laughter, he argues, is how you get an audience to truly listen. It's A Struggle Coming Out uses vampirism as a metaphor for queerness in religious communities: creatures who hide in the shadows because society tells them to.

The show is Berman's world premiere full-length stage debut, directed by fellow USC student Alec Schwartz, whose previous credits include Rocky Horror Picture Show with Dorothy's Friends Theater Company and the original production Ratdog with Brand New Theatre.

Los Angeles Theatre Initiative (LATI) is a new work development organisation dedicated to bringing original student theatre to the world's most celebrated stages. Having brought over 20 productions to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, LATI developed It's A Struggle Coming Out in collaboration with playwright Ben Berman. Produced by LATI Founder and Artistic Director Fiona McGrath, the show arrives fresh off a sold-out run in Los Angeles, making its international debut at Edinburgh Fringe 2026.