In our ongoing Edinburgh Fringe 2026 interview series, we are speaking to artists and creatives who are bringing their shows to the Scottish capital this summer.
In this interview, we speak with Tessa Parr about their show I Am Johnny.
What can you tell me about your show?
Johnny is a white northern man who’s recently found the Spoken Word scene. The rules seem straight forward. He's sorted his set and is looking forward to expressing his feelings. His complex feelings.
The show is unsettling, funny and politically sharp. A surreal and intimate exploration of masculinity, class and the quiet expectations that sit beneath emotional exposure.
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| Photo by Elly Wel Photography |
How would you describe the style of your show to anyone who has never seen you before?
Clown. Surreal. Real. Drag. Too hot to handle…you know the usual spaff.
(NOTE TO READER: That spaff bit was Johnny, not me, I’d NEVER say spaff. I allowed him that as he likes to type)
What was the lightbulb moment that led to the creation of this piece?
I’ve been both performing and writing for Johnny since 2016. There have been many lightbulb moments during the creation of this ‘complex’ man.
Johnny the Biblical Rapper (birth name) was born out of an experience of sexual assault when I was 25yrs old. For many female identifying people the experience of the Me Too movement was both a blessing and a curse, the most challenging element: being forced to acknowledge the trauma we believed we were managing to suppress, all these women walking around trying their best to ignore an event/events because we didn't want our lives to lose momentum, we didn't want our goals being interrupted by having to fight with the beast of a truth.
Some time after the assault I’d started writing poems in the style of a white male spoken word poet. These poems proper creased me! I wrote them initially for myself. Then I wrote one I thought was so funny I had to read it out loud so I gathered three of my loved ones one night (shout out Yorkshire Embassy!!) and donning a deep mancunian accent - I’m originally from Bolton - I performed this poem - they cracked up and had a cry. We ended up talking long into the evening about the feelings and themes the poem brought up in all of us collectively. That's when I felt perhaps this guy was best to be shared.
Later that year, in 2016, I performed as Johnny for the first time at an event curated by Alex Swift in Newcastle. I became obsessed with a certain liberation I experienced while performing him. I discovered drag kings - thanks to Jack Halberstam and Del Lagrace Volcano, which led me to seek out DIY queer spaces in the North where I could safely develop this man.
I've been writing and performing Johnny ever since.
What makes 2026 the perfect year for this specific story or performance?
The ever-widening class divide and the discourse around troubled masculinity.
Johnny's insecurities are alarmingly familiar to men.
Men just choose not to talk about them.
So I’ve chosen to ‘be the man’ that will - I love Johnny for that.
How will you mentally and physically prepare for a run at the Fringe?
Mentally: I’ll start the day by thinking : “I can't wait for a mocha, eee I really cant”
Physically: I’ll drink the mocha, feel fantastic and then enter into the wave of the day.
If you couldn’t use a flyer to attract audiences, what ridiculous object would you hand out to people to get them into your show?
A sweaty mint imperial…if you know you know!
What is the one item in your Fringe Survival Kit that you can’t live without this month?
A beautiful green marble I found on the pavement in Newcastle. It's always problematic when someone loses their marbles so when you find one you have to guard it with your life.
What would you deem as success at the end of the Fringe?
Having all my faculties with me, meeting some mighty fine humans along the way with a similar pull to change this society from the bottom up.
Other than your own show, are there any other shows you would recommend at the Fringe this year?
I dont know about recommendations but I am really excited about seeing these:
Anatomy of Survival/ FOC IT UP! with Kemah Bob/ In Bed With My Brother/ Basque Showcase: Jarraibiderik Gabe and Trembling Frequencies/ Creepy Boys: SLUGS/ Brit Barron CHURCH/ Naughty Cabaret/ BIGGER - Sofiane Chalal / Julius Caesar variety show/ Up: Violin Vs Football/ Border Bodies/ Boys Don't Dance/ Kismet/ Fanny Bleach: The Nearly Naked Show/ They’re Just Small Town (Northern) Lads/ Bog Witch/ Surreally Good/ Man or Bear/ Transmission. I'm obsessed with dance, so the entirety of the Dance Base programme.
What is one Edinburgh spot that you would recommend people to visit when they're not watching performances?
Portobello beach: Get your bum on the sand. Look at the sea. Eat chips and watch dogs living their best lives.
Hidden secret: Around Edinburgh on specific stone bridges and buildings there are small stone carved flower motifs. If you look close you’ll see tiny balls of chewing gum placed delicately in the petals of some of them. It's been happening for decades. It’s a work of art, like a geographical riddle. Once you’ve spotted one you’ll get fixated on finding the next. I'll start you off at North Bridge!
Can you describe the show in 5 words?
Lad(ie)s, Form An Orderly Queue
What keeps you inspired?
Those chewing gum balls in the petals of stone flower motifs. Art. ANYONE who gives a shit. My anger; that's always good information. A splendid mocha. Tarana Burke. Moving slowly - I'm a quick mover, so it's helpful to embody the opposite. Photosynthesis!
What would you hope someone takes away from seeing the show?
A renewed sense of sanity.
When and where can people see the show?
Venue: SUMMERHALLl: Red Lecture Theatre
Time: 18.15
Date: Daily (except 17th + 24th Aug)
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