Sister Sophia Kicks the Habit at Venue 13

PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release – Tuesday 13 May 2026 – Edinburgh

‘The Divine Wisdom of the Holy She’ - A dark (and hilarious) night of the soul. Sister Sophia Kicks the Habit lands at Venue 13

Lisa Randall’s critically praised Toronto solo show brings its “cheeky, introspective, thoughtful” one-nun-show to Edinburgh.

Edinburgh Fringe debut of The Universe Over 60, a Toronto company that celebrates the stories of women over 60 through an insightful, humorous and irreverent lens.

When do you get to see a nun in a full habit having a crisis of faith, uncovering surprising truths about herself? Written and performed by Lisa Randall, a 55-minute solo show with songs, physical comedy, dance and audience interaction!

Picked by the Hamilton Vibe as one of the “top 15 shows not to miss!” Praised by Hamilton City Magazine and The Hammer Monthly

“A bold and funny one-woman play about faith, doubt, and divine liberation” (Broadway World)

Directed by Kate Johnston, international award-winning director of the film, “Tru Love”.

Tickets: https://www.venue13.com/sistersophia/

Media: https://www.venue13.com/sistersophia/media/

Edinburgh, 13 May 2026 – Toronto company The Universe Over 60 makes its Edinburgh Fringe debut at Venue 13 with Sister Sophia Kicks the Habit, Lisa Randall’s critically praised solo show about an aging nun in crisis showing August 7 - 21 on alternating days at 16:15.

Sister Sophia Kicks the Habit delves into the revelations of Sister Sophia, an aging Roman Catholic nun in crisis. As she grieves the loss of her best friend Sister Beatrice, she grapples with the realities of her half century of sisterhood in her own restless night of the soul. Through her humorous and insightful musings, Sister Sophia confronts g(G)od. In her quest to finally be heard, she discovers a newfound outlook on life.

The production comes to Edinburgh with a body of critical praise already attached. Hamilton City Magazine called it “witty, curious, and easy to root for… a stellar performance from the very talented Lisa Randall. The one-nun-show is cheeky, introspective, and thoughtful.” The Hammer Monthly wrote simply: “Randall has a helluva voice.”

Writer and performer Lisa Randall is an award-winning playwright, singer, and actor who brings a rich, multidisciplinary background to the stage. A graduate of Vancouver’s Studio 58 theatre program, Randall has built a diverse career. Her play, The Sorauren Book Club, was awarded the Patron’s Pick at the 2022 Toronto Fringe Festival. As a songwriter and vocalist, she has co-led two musical groups and recorded albums with Against the Grain and Freedom Rains. More recently, she acted in the sold-out, critically acclaimed Toronto Fringe run of Desperate Measures. Randall drew deep personal inspiration for Sister Sophia Kicks the Habit from her two maternal aunts, who were devoted Catholic nuns from a very young age.

“I had two aunts who were nuns, one of them was cloistered. As I learned about their lives and challenges, I wondered if nuns with vows of obedience were given truth serum, what they would say about their lives and sacrifices they have made to the ultimate patriarchy,” explains Randall. “I feel deeply for the nuns and for the sacrifices they have made in the name of faith at a time in history when the vocation of a nun is dying out. As I wonder what faith may have meant to them, I wrestle to understand what faith means to me.” - Lisa Randall

Sister Sophia Kicks the Habit may appeal to anyone of any age or gender who may or may not have experienced a crisis of faith. Recovering and practicing Catholics alike who may enjoy irreverence as comic relief to faith. This play will appeal to those who enjoy the sacred and the profane, the reverent and the irreverent, the agnostic and the atheist, the believers and the curious. People who value questioning, be it faith or life in general, as an important part of expanding one’s horizons of self in this coming-of-old-age story. This play appeals broadly and perhaps to those who are of a generation who were exposed to nuns or have family members who are or were nuns. Ultimately we hope to convert everybody… to their own ways of thinking.

BOOKING LINK: https://www.venue13.com/sistersophia/

Tickets and run

Sister Sophia Kicks the Habit plays at Venue 13 on the 7,8,9,11,13,15,19 and 21 of August 2026.

Time and Tickets:16:15 (1h) £12.00 (£10.00) (£40.00F)

Fringe Friends 2-for-1 available. Group discount for bookings of 10 or more.

Follow Venue 13 online for updates

Website: venue13.com

Follow the artists online for updates

Website: lisarandall.ca

CREDITS

Writer-performer Lisa Randall*
Directed and dramaturged by Kate Johnston

Stage management by Sophie Dummett and Keara Hicks

Costumes by Keara Hicks

*Lisa Randall appears with the special permission of Canadian Actors’ Equity Association

Ends

Follow Venue 13 online for updates

Website: venue13.com

Instagram: @venue13fringe

Facebook: /Venue13fringe

Bluesky: venue13fringe.bsky.social

LinkedIn: /company/venue13fringe

Follow the company directly:

Show site: lisarandall.ca

For Venue 13 media inquiries, show previews, interviews, or further information, please contact:

Vanesa Kelly

Venue 13 Co-producer and Proprietor of V-Kind, Sustainable Events and PR Consultancy

Email: vkind.arts@gmail.com

Website: www.v-kind.co.uk

Additional Information

About The Universe Over 60

The Universe Over 60 is a Toronto company led by writer and performer Lisa Randall, dedicated to telling the stories of women over 60 with humour, sincerity and irreverence. Sister Sophia Kicks the Habit is a touring solo show, previously performed to critical praise in Ontario (Hamilton City Magazine, The Hammer Monthly) and is the company’s Edinburgh Fringe debut. The show will be touring to the Victoria Fringe in Canada following the Edinburgh Fringe.

About Venue 13

Located in Harry Younger Hall at the foot of the Royal Mile, Venue 13 has been a fixture of the Edinburgh Fringe since 1980. Founded by the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (formerly the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama), it was managed by the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama from 1996 until 2020, and is now operated by Venue 13 Fringe Ltd under Producers Ian Garrett and Vanesa Kelly. The venue is renowned for showcasing daring and innovative work across theatre, contemporary dance, comedy, immersive and physical performance, and has long served as a launchpad for emerging UK, US and Canadian artists, among them a young David Tennant.

Praised as a “serene little venue” by The Scotsman and hailed by Three Weeks as “the Fringe as God intended,” Venue 13 held the same venue number longer than any other Fringe location, celebrating 40 years as one of the longest-standing venues in the festival’s history in 2020. In 2025 it became the first fully vegan multi-vendor venue on the Fringe, with food, drinks and desserts curated through Market 13, led by Nico of Soft Serve Cartel. Venue 13 returns in 2026 with a programme anchored in artist-first care, climate action and creative bravery.

About V-Kind Arts and PR

V-Kind is dedicated to transforming the landscape of public relations and event strategy, with a core focus on sustainability and net-zero artistic projects. Run by Vanesa Kelly, V-Kind works closely with clients and organisations to create memorable, climate-conscious experiences and press campaigns.