Julia Stephens brings ROOMIES to the Edinburgh Fringe, a darkly funny solo show exploring identity, mental health, and the unexpected connections that can form in the most difficult circumstances.
Written and performed by Stephens, the show is based on a true story, contrasting the glamour of Los Angeles with the stark reality of life inside a treatment facility, as one person is forced to rebuild their sense of self.
ROOMIES runs at Underbelly (Jersey), Bristo Square from 5 – 31 August 2026 (not 18th), at 13:00. Tickets are available here.
You’re the writer and performer of ROOMIES at Underbelly (Jersey), what can you tell us about the show?
ROOMIES is a solo show based on a true story.
It follows Sophie, a former Los Angeles “it-girl”, who finds herself spending her 30th birthday in a treatment facility, sharing a room with Molly, an 18-year-old woman living with schizophrenia.
What begins as a situation neither of them wants slowly becomes an unexpected friendship.
The show explores identity, belonging, mental health and what happens when all the things we use to define ourselves suddenly disappear. It sounds dark, and it is, but I promise you that it’s also a comedy.
ROOMIES is based on a true story, how did you approach translating these real experiences into a solo performance?
I wrote a lot of different drafts. In fact, I think there’s only one monologue left in the version heading to Edinburgh that was in the very first draft.
Throughout the process, I kept asking myself which moments truly moved the story forward and what I hoped audiences would ultimately take away from it. That meant a lot of cutting and refining.
While ROOMIES is inspired by real events, it’s very much told through Sophie’s lens. She’s both our narrator and protagonist, even though she’s not always the most likeable person in the room.
Rather than trying to capture everyone’s experience equally, I wanted to focus on her perspective and story — her flaws, blind spots, fears and growth.
Some details have been condensed, combined, heightened for the stage or completely imagined. But the emotional core of the piece is very real.
Ultimately, I wanted to create something that felt theatrical, funny, alive and engaging. As both a writer and performer, I enjoy a bit of whiplash — taking audiences into a serious or unsettling moment before giving them the satisfaction of a laugh, and vice versa.
Finding that balance was one of the most exciting parts of creating ROOMIES, and hopefully it worked.
The show explores themes of identity, mental health and friendship in a treatment facility, what do you hope audiences take away from these relationships?
I actually hope someone leaves the theatre and says hello to the person next door they’ve always thought was a little odd.
You might be surprised by how much you have in common.
As a solo performer, how do you bring multiple characters and contrasting worlds to life on stage?
I play four characters in this show, but the two roommates are the main ones.
It’s interesting playing a former “it-girl”, an 18-year-old living with schizophrenia and a 29-year-old woman in rehab. Physicality, rhythm and vocal range have been essential in helping me differentiate the characters.
There’s so much happening on stage and I’m driving the piece. I’m moving fast, and the audience needs to be able to follow those shifts clearly.
What’s fascinating is that once you begin creating something based on real events, the characters start to take on lives of their own.
They’re inspired by real people, but they also become new, imagined versions created specifically for the play. It’s really fun.
The piece balances dark humour with deeply unsettling material, how did you find that tonal balance in the writing and performance?
Sophie and Molly are both funny, but in their own ways. Sophie has the dry wit. Molly has that fool-on-the-surface, truth-teller quality.
I contrast scenes. If it gets too dark, I add a joke. If it’s too funny, I try to bring it back into the unsettling material.
What would you say to anyone thinking of booking to see ROOMIES?
Come for the comedy. Stay because you’re emotionally invested and it’s too late to leave.
If you like darker, funnier, stranger, character-driven material, this is for you.
