Mythos: Ragnarök - Ed Gamester Interview

Join Odin, Thor, Freyja, Loki and the Norse Gods in their struggle to outgrow their humble origins, defeat and unite rival clans and overcome each another’s ambitions in this electrifying retelling of Norse mythology. A loving and detailed adaptation of the Prose Edda and associated legends, this is theatre as you have never seen it: fun, visceral, ever-changing and utterly chaotic, just like the myths themselves.

Ed Gamester as Loki. Photo by Andrew Max Levy

Already one of the top-selling shows of the whole Edinburgh Festival Fringe, what was once a cult classic can now be found at such iconic venues as London’s Alexandra Palace, The Royal Playhouse of The Hague, Delamar in Amsterdam, Oude Luxor in Rotterdam, and The Renaissance Theater of Vienna.

Famously named the “maddest, baddest show on the Fringe” by the Daily Mail and “the perfect way to tell this story” by The Telegraph, Mythos: Ragnarök exploded onto the global theatre scene in 2021 as a groundbreaking and one-of-a-kind theatrical experience.

Weaving ancient myths, legends and folk tales into original pieces of theatre, Mythos: Ragnarök uses actors who specialise in professional wrestling to create some of the most intense and thrilling fight scenes in the history of theatre. This has never, ever, been done before!

We sat down with Ed Gamester, founder of Mythos theatre and star of the show to learn more about the fusion between wrestling and theatre.

Ed, your work on Mythos: Ragnarok has been a remarkable fusion of theatre and wrestling. Could you share what inspired you to create a show that combines these two seemingly disparate worlds?
Professional wrestling has always been a form of theatre; it involves actors playing characters and portraying scripted events for the entertainment of a live audience. Wrestling is even recognised as theatre by parliament these days, which is tedious yet important because MPs (of all people) decide what qualifies for artistic funding. In short, the worlds of wrestling and theatre are closer than people realise.

Nevertheless, many of us were raised in an era when wrestling was presented as a competitive sport and the idea of it being ‘fake’ still seems to bother people (as if shows in the West End are ‘real’). My motivation for blending wrestling into a theatre production was to challenge that perception: to suspend disbelief and thereby demonstrate that the performance art of wrestling is every bit as legitimate, complex, nuanced and skilful as dance, circus, clowning and other forms of widely accepted physical theatre.

Photo by David Wilson Photography.

How did you approach blending the world of theatre and Norse Mythology with the world of wrestling?
Norse mythology and pro wrestling both involve exaggerated superhuman characters getting caught up in (often ridiculous) conflicts over wealth, power and love - some of which can only be resolved through trickery and violence. What’s more, the same plot structures that are present in theatre and literature can be found throughout ancient mythology and contemporary wrestling; Shakespeare may be considered high brow art these days, but it was written and first performed as boisterous entertainment for the working classes - just like Skaldic poetry was 1000 years ago and wrestling is now.

Thus, in my eyes, the crossover between mythology, wrestling and theatre was obvious; the challenge was to combine them in a way that did artistic justice to all of them. Followers of the mythology should see their beloved characters and stories presented faithfully and respectfully; wrestling fans should witness wrestling to the same standard that they would expect to see at a top level wrestling show; theatre-goers or curious members of the public should find themselves fully transported into our world.

To achieve this, I used my own experience as a wrestler and a student of Norse mythology to write a cohesive storyline that did justice to my understanding of the myths, while also providing believable opportunities to fight. For the actors, I exclusively cast professional wrestlers - partly to ensure that they could fight in the most Godlike manner possible, and partly because I wanted to showcase the sheer breadth of their performance skillset.

The daunting task of designing and making costumes that could withstand the vigours of daily wrestling while also looking fit for theatre fell to my girlfriend Melanie, who handmade everything from scratch - teaching herself as she went along. Our show isn’t set in a real place or time so, rather than being limited by historical accuracy, every element that Mel designs is a blend of traditional Viking artwork and fantastical elements that suit our mythological world of Gods and monsters. Our lighting designer Dan Phillips didn’t go down a traditional theatre route either, instead using his experience of lighting wrestling shows and rock bands to bring an energetic and exciting vibe to the whole production. These days we even have our own soundtrack too, composed by Kjell Braaten, who blends ancient instruments and inspirations with contemporary music to create an audio experience that is as unique and exhilarating as the rest of the show.

With the rise of shows like Iron Claw, and the retirement of a figure like John Cena, it's apparent that wrestling remains in place within popular culture. How do you see Mythos: Ragnarok contributing to that trend?
Wrestling will always remain in step with popular culture because it’s reactive to society. The characters and storylines that work best in wrestling reflect the culture and experiences of the people in the audience - that’s one of the things that have made it such a valuable and relevant form of storytelling for decades, and why the revenue of the WWE matches the entire West End.

Yet despite the many ways in which wrestling touches mainstream entertainment, Mythos: Ragnarök remains the only true representation of wrestling within theatre. There are theatrical wrestling shows and wrestling-themed theatre productions, but ours is the only story-driven theatre production in which the plot, character arcs and conflicts are resolved through the genuine physical art form of wrestling. 

This is true despite the fact that the theme of our show has nothing to do with wrestling: we present it not as a sport, but as a form of stage combat in which the stakes are much higher than simply who will win or lose.

This makes our show accessible to anyone, even if they don’t know or like anything about wrestling or mythology. As a result, we’re getting a response from the general public that wrestling hasn’t generated for decades; tens of thousands of people who would never show up to a wrestling show are coming to see us and leaving with a true appreciation for our craft. That is my contribution to pro wrestling culture and I am proud of it.

The upcoming tour in the spring of 2026, with a stop at London’s Alexandra Palace, must be an exciting milestone for you. What can audiences expect from this theatrical spectacle?
Being invited to perform at a venue as iconic as Alexandra Palace Theatre is a massive achievement for any independent production and an important statement about the change we’re making to perceptions of wrestling. The show itself will be better than ever: a mashup of hilarious theatre, high octane fight scenes and brand new original Viking-style rock music written by one of our favourite musicians!

Our performances at Ally Pally are taking place over the weekend of Ostara - the spring equinox - so we’re going to take over the theatre for the whole weekend as an epic celebration. Our stage will be in the middle of the audience, elements of our soundtrack will be played live on ancient instruments, we will construct an art gallery of some world’s finest Nordic artists and we’re planning for a live recording of the Nordic Mythology Podcast, too!

After Alexandra Palace we embark on a tour that will take us to ten venues around the country. That may not seem like a big deal to people who are used to large commercial theatre tours, but we are a totally independent company with no sponsors, producers or commercial backers. Every tour is a self-funded risk that I take to bring my show to as many people as possible - and this is our most extensive theatre tour to date, which makes it equally exciting and terrifying!

After the tour, we’ll return to Edinburgh Fringe for our fifth year in a row - this time in one of the primary venues of the whole festival - before heading out for almost two months of touring around Europe. If that sounds like a heavy performance schedule for a show as physical as ours, consider that we also have no crew: we set up, take down and transport the entire show between the venues ourselves…

Your journey with Mythos: Ragnarok from its four sell-out runs at the Edinburgh Fringe to this UK tour is impressive. What challenges did you face in bringing this project to life, and how did you overcome them?
My primary challenges have always been funding the show and convincing theatres to program it. I don’t come from money or a theatre background: I couldn’t just reach out to my contacts at the National Theatre and Arts Council for venues and grants, I had to start from scratch and overcome the stigma attached to the theatre industry’s misunderstanding of wrestling.

For months I was told by producers, promoters and venues that my project wouldn’t work or wasn’t the ‘kind of thing’ they would program, until I met with Dave Wybrow at his delightful little theatre in London, The Cockpit. Dave was open-minded towards wrestling and saw the potential in my idea (and, apparently, in me), so he gave me half a Saturday in December to do my thing. The place sold out, the performance was magical and the reaction from the audience changed my life forever.

I knew we were onto something special but, as a newcomer to the scene, I wanted to put our creation through the crucible of performing arts: Edinburgh Fringe. I didn’t know anything about producing a Fringe show, but Charles Pamment (Artistic Director of theSpaceUK) gave me lots of helpful advice and Karen Koren (Artistic Director of Gilded Balloon) eventually gave me my first Fringe offer: a classroom with 137 uncomfortable seats, a handful of lights and a curtain to change behind, where even a 100% sellout would lose thousands of pounds. It was a no-brainer: this was my one and only opportunity to prove what we could do and develop the show, live.

That year we performed every single night of the festival. A dozen of us lived together in a four bedroom apartment for a month with me and Mel sleeping in my van in the carpark. We spent the mornings postering, the afternoons flyering and the evenings performing for an audience that grew from a handful of people in our previews to nightly sellouts with people coming back time and time again. 

Even back then, everyone got paid. It wasn’t a lot, but it was money - not exposure, experience or whatever else artists are often expected to work for. I knew the run itself couldn’t break even, so I took as many film stunt jobs as I could and poured every penny into funding the show. Every time I heard “ACTION” I thought to myself “This one will pay for the tech guy’s petrol” or “This will help me pay for one of the cast bedrooms”. It was brutal, but nobody is ever going to give you your dream - you have to go out and work for it.

By the end of that month I was as broken and tired as I have ever been, but we had arrived on the scene and proved that we belonged there. We have returned to the Fringe every year since then and the production gets bigger and better every time, which has helped me overcome the challenge of convincing theatres to program it. The challenge of funding the show never goes away: each performance is still a huge financial gamble that I take myself and every penny the show generates still goes right back into improving it, but at least these days everyone has a bed - even me and Mel!

Fin McCarthy as Fenrir and Beau Charles as Baldr by David Wilson Photography.

With Mythos: Ragnarok already becoming a cult classic, what do you hope for its future?
The show should be on the West End, there’s no doubt about it. It started out in London, has already toured all over the world as the only show of its kind and, with a venue designed and themed around the subject matter, it would become a destination event in no time. That said, the commercial success of the show will always be less important to me than its cultural impact and importance to performing artists: I am a leading employer of professional wrestlers, my company provides an alternative way for them to perform and develop their skills, and our performances keep ancient stories alive - those things remain my priority.

As Mythos: Ragnarök succeeds, I hope it will pave the way for me to create new work without the uphill battle and prejudice I have had to overcome to get this first project off the ground. As other wrestling-orientated projects pop up in the wake of mine, it’s satisfying to see them be taken seriously and given opportunities that I had to fight for.

I would like to think that, one day, my little company will tell a dozen stories using our unique fusion of theatre and wrestling, and that it will inspire, train and support a new wave of performance artists. If that never happens, I will be content to know that I created something unique in an age of remakes, something human in a time of AI, and something live in an era of screens.

You have many strings to your bow, but how do you reflect on your own career to date?
I feel very lucky to live in a time where we have the comfort and freedom to create art, and where being any kind of performer is remotely viable as a career path. I also feel honoured to have been entrusted with the time and careers of other performers that I respect so deeply - it amazes me that they want to come on this adventure!!

Most of all, I am proud to have done the work, taken the risks and made the sacrifices necessary to create this opportunity for myself and others. I’ve had to turn down my biggest opportunities as a stuntman, comedian and motion capture artist because the timings conflicted with Mythos: Ragnarök. 

I’ve had to stop competing as a strongman, wrestler and obstacle course racer because I can’t sustain the training while touring with my show. Sacrificing those things has been heartbreaking because each one has been an all-consuming aspect of my life at one time or another, but giving them up has allowed me to commit all my time and energy to improving as a writer, producer and director over the last five years.

That said, it never ceases to amaze me that my quest to leave my laptop behind and focus on being a performance artist has led me full circle back to a life spent primarily behind a laptop… “IS THIS THE COST OF SUCCESS?!” I rage to myself a few times a day while trying to single-handedly produce shows across seven countries. If it is, I suppose it is a small price to pay.

What was a piece of theatre that had a big impact on your life and career?
I saw Slava’s Snowshow when I was a teenager and, from that moment on, I wanted to be a clown. I didn’t realise that’s what I wanted to be at the time because (like most people) I thought clowning was an attention-seeking attempt to make other people laugh, which didn’t interest me at all. What I thought I wanted to be was a wrestler; I have since realised that most of the things I love about wrestling - physical storytelling, improvisation and developing a sixth sense for tension and audience reactions - is what clowning is all about. That was how Slava gave such a powerful performance that night, which inspired me to want to do the same.

I have been through a lot in my search to find my clown: I’ve been a musical comedian, a wrestler, a stunt performer and now a theatre actor. I don’t know whether I am any closer to achieving my goal, but I do know that I’m not trying any more: every performance I give these days is legitimate and every emotion I feel on the stage is just as real as it was that night with Slava - the only difference is now I’m standing on the stage.

What would you hope someone takes away from seeing Mythos: Ragnarok?
I hope Mythos: Ragnarök makes grown adults feel the same way about wrestling as I did when I was kid: a mixture of wonder, excitement, outrage, inspiration, fear and sheer joy - all the ways real life is meant to make you feel, but so rarely does. I want people to lose themselves in the experience and know that what we’re doing up there isn’t a finely tuned act that we have rehearsed until the soul has been squeezed out of it, but a genuine, visceral and emotional experience that we are sharing with each other and our audience.

This show hurts (I have the scars to prove it) and, despite performing it for over 50,000 people, I have never paid myself a penny. I am out there because it is where I belong and how I want to spend my life; I hope that comes across and inspires other people to commit to their own projects with the same degree of intensity.

Mythos: Ragnarök plays at London's Alexandra Palace from 20th to 22nd March 2026. 

The show tours then visiting Pavilion Theatre, Wirral (31st March), De Montfort Hall, Leicester (1st April), Alban Arena, St Albans (3rd April), Royal and Derngate, Northampton (4th April), Hippodrome, Darlington (7th April), St. George's Hall, Bradford (8th April), Embassy Theatre, Skegness (10th April), Stage City, Preston (17th April), Royal Hall, Harrogate (19th April) and The Forum, Bath (2nd May).

The show will then return to the Edinburgh Fringe as well as a tour in Europe in Autumn/Winter 2026.

You can find all tour dates and venues at https://mythosragnarok.co.uk/

Photo by David Wilson Photography.