Fringe First award-winner Joe Sellman-Leava (Labels; Monster) is heading on tour with his hit Edinburgh Fringe show Fanboy. This love-hate letter to pop culture and nostalgia explores our past and future selves through epic storytelling, razor-sharp impressions and a dose of theatrical magic.
Joe’s teen obsessions with Nintendo, Star Wars and A Muppets Christmas Carol have continued into his thirties. But he’s started to notice something about the way certain fans are behaving – something unsettling. Fanboy doesn’t just question our love for superheroes; it also considers fandom of political figures and the protectionism that can build around certain icons and the language and responses that are then generated online.
This innovative, multi-disciplinary show examines loneliness, mental health, and how men often use pop-culture and fandom to form connections and process emotions. Sellman-Leava, with director Yaz Al Shaater (Dead Reckoning, Young Vic; Boris: World King, Trafalgar Studios), asks us to consider the very nature of fandom and what happens to our childhood obsessions over time, how we can sometimes feel safer in our childhood memories, hiding from the world.
Writer and performer Joe Sellman-Leava comments, It’s been such a joy to perform Fanboy to audiences, and to hear their responses afterwards. The creative team and I re so happy about how the show is resonating with people – particularly the way people open up about their own memories and childhoods. We can’t wait for more people to see it as the show tours!
Fanboy Tour Dates:
6th – 7th October Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham
8th October Exeter Phoenix
21st October Tolmen Centre, Falmouth
22nd October The Old Library, Bodmin
