EDINBURGH 2026: I ALMOST DIED FOR THIS?! Q&A
I Almost Died For This?! runs at Edfringe from 7-29 August
BWW catches up with Kristina Libby to chat about bringing I Almost Died For This?! to the 2026 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Tell us a bit about I Almost Died For This?!
I Almost Died for This?! is a show for people who want to laugh, and feel their heart well up with big emotions, and maybe if I'm really on cry, and then go home with thinking about the stories we tell ourselves and how that impacts how we live our life, or about how to grieve, or about what it means to love, deeply and fully, with no guarantees, or about how we learn to become ourselves.
In short though, it's about a woman who is seeking love, finds a soulmate, loses said soulmate, almost dies, has a traumatic brain injury, and then comes roaring back to find her way into something entirely new.
Why bring it to Edinburgh?
I love Edinburgh and the Fringe. I think it's where people go to hear great stories and where people go to tell them. This show belongs there, deserves a big stage and is waiting for great people to discover it.
What sets it apart from other shows at the Fringe?
It's a show that's meant to touch on all your emotions and to create a sacred space for you to really feel something. I think a lot of shows are trying to entertain and trying to be funny. But, I'm really looking to impact the audience in a way that gives them permission to feel everything and to leave hopeful and excited.
What does award-winning violinist Daniel S. Lee bring to the show?
Daniel is extraordinary - praised by The New York Times for his "ravishing vehemence" and "soulful performance," he brings a live emotional texture to the show that you simply can't manufacture any other way. He accompanies me from August 7-16, and 24-28, and his presence transforms certain scenes completely. There's something about live violin that makes the audience feel things they didn't expect to feel. I really believe that he elevates the whole piece.
What would you like audiences to take away from it?
I've been comforted to discover that there is a lot of universality in what I experienced. Audiences are shocked by what I did, but everyone seems to relate, have opinions, and talks about how they've been there too. I just almost died making the mistakes, so that now you won't have to let things get so bad. I want people to leave feeling like permission has been granted to stop performing compliance, to want what they actually want. And to have laughed. A lot.
I Almost Died For This?! runs at Edfringe from 7-29 August
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