EDINBURGH 2026: Mimi Collins on GOOD GIRL Guest Blog

Writer and performer Mimi Collins guest blogs for BWW about bringing Good Girl to the 2026 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

The Power of Sharing a Voice

This August, I am bringing Good Girl, my darkly funny solo show about infidelity, emotional collapse, and the unexpected care found within the world of BDSM to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. 

I’ve never been more excited to share a piece in my life - or more terrified. 

Largely autobiographical, Good Girl follows a woman devastated to learn her husband has been unfaithful. But what shocks her most is not the betrayal itself, but her own reaction to it. 

We have these ideas of ourselves in our heads, we imagine how we would react in different situations. “What would you take if the house caught fire?” “What would you buy if you won the lottery?” Or…

“What would you do if your partner cheated on you?” This wasn’t a question I ever thought to interrogate. I would leave, of course. Wouldn’t you? 

And then it happened. And I was surprised to find… I didn’t want to leave. I loved my life. I loved my marriage. I wanted to fight for it. So I did. But when you start to redraw these boundaries for yourself, when the version of you that you have in your head isn’t the you that shows up in a given situation, the ground underneath your feet becomes very unsteady. And if it happens again? Then what do you do?

Do you stay… again? Paralyzed by shame and indecision? And do you maybe, oh, I don’t know… post a nude? To the internet? In a reckless and desperate attempt to feel something? And might this impulsive decision be exactly what you need to rediscover yourself?

I wrote this piece for me - as a way to investigate these feelings, to try and make sense of it all. When I finished the first draft in January of this year, I had a staged reading scheduled for February. I thought that would be it. A cathartic moment to move through. But then my scene partner showed up - the audience. I could never have imagined the reaction they would have. They gasped and groaned and laughed along with me. After the show, people shared their own experiences that they had been living with, in silence. In shame. They would reach out days later to talk about it, not able to shake the feelings it had stirred for them. They felt seen. 

This stirred some complicated feelings… of course the goal of art is to connect. But I was devastated anew to learn just how deeply this piece resonates with so many.  

My team is myself, my director and producer - Ellie Pyle & Christine Boylan. Two remarkable artists and mentors. They’ve been by my side every step of the way. So when they encouraged me to take this further - apply to fringe - I did. And I got an offer.

And then I thought, “Oh, sh*t. Now I have to keep doing this.” This piece is technically demanding and emotionally devastating. We re-examined the text. I’m not someone who regularly writes about my own experiences. I ascribe strongly to the old adage that “reality is no excuse for poor storytelling.” We must serve the story above all else. Where reality best served, we upheld it. Where it didn’t, we altered it. Nothing matters more than the connection we will make with the audience. We discussed bringing in another actress - this piece makes it almost impossible to separate myself from the character. We were, candidly, unsure if it was a good idea for me to relive this night after night. But when we looked at what best serves the story… well, it was clear it had to be me. At least for this iteration. There’s a future where another actress could play this role. It would be different. But again, there’s a lot of universality here, and I would love to see someone else take it on. Stepping into these memories as a story allows me to feel a lot more empathy for my past-self than I had when I was in it. I have such an urge to hug this character. And tell her she’s not alone. I have found a grace for myself that was previously sorely lacking. I can only imagine that would be amplified seeing someone else step into her shoes. 

I wrote this piece for me. But that’s not who I’m performing it for - not anymore. I’m performing it for the audience. For the people who will see themselves in this messy, chaotic, honest, heartbreaking and - somehow - hilarious journey. So much of which has been marred by shame - the shame of being cheated on - “why wasn’t I enough;” the shame of staying - “what did I expect?” And the shame surrounding sex and sexuality that is so pervasive in our society. If we can peel all of that back and discover honesty and communication again - if we can stop apologising for, and minimising who we are, and instead own and examine it - maybe we can find the freedom to move forward.

Good Girl will be performed at at 10:20pm at Gilded Balloon Patter House from 5th to 31st August.

Booking link: https://tickets.gildedballoon.co.uk/event/14:7082/

Credit: Henry Roberts

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