Redeacted: The Cover-Up of a Cover-Up of a Cover-Up - Edinburgh Fringe Interview

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 Olivia Zerphy about her show Redeacted: The Cover-Up of a Cover-Up of a Cover-Up.

What can you tell me about your show?
Redacted: The Cover-up of a Cover-up of a Cover-up is a high-octane thriller about one journalist's attempts to expose a millennium-spanning conspiracy in 1970’s New Mexico. Think Fargo meets the Office with a sprinkling of James Bond.

How would you describe the style of your show to anyone who has never seen you before?
Our fast-paced physical style allows us to transform from an interrogation room to outer space, helicopter chases to underwater battles and avalanches in the blink of an eye, all accompanied by live musical underscoring.

Audiences seeing our work for the first time often tell us: “It was just like watching a film.” We use the language of cinema: pace, montage, genre, and visual storytelling, and translate it into a live theatrical experience.

What was the lightbulb moment that led to the creation of this piece?
We started this show with a question: can we convincingly create a plane chase sequence using just our bodies? After a lot of trial and error we discovered that yes, we can! The rest of Redacted came through us trying to justify this plane chase: who is chasing who, what do they want, and what is at stake?

We named this piece Redacted nearly a year before the word exploded in the international news cycle. While the show does not directly address the many events and facts routinely hidden or altered by those in power, it explores who gets to shape the narrative of an event, how stories can reshape our understanding of facts, and the forces that construct our personal belief systems.

At a moment when it feels increasingly difficult to distinguish fact from fiction, Redacted asks urgent questions about truth: what it is, who defines it, and how the stories we inherit shape the way we see the world.

How will you mentally and physically prepare for a run at the Fringe?
Mentally and physically, the most important thing to do before the fringe is to rest!

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 frisbee that looks like a UFO.

What is the one item in your Fringe Survival Kit that you can’t live without this month? 

Liquid! Coffee, water, and maybe a little wine.

What would you deem as success at the end of the Fringe?
New friends, a renewed zest for life, stacks of cash, and a Netflix deal.

Other than your own show, are there any other shows you would recommend at the Fringe this year?
Yes!

The Man Who Thought He Knew Too Much, from Voloz Collective (yes a completely shameless plug for the other show that the four of us will be performing every day at the fringe). 

Spin Cycle, from Berserk Theatre.

Bread and Circuses, from Seamus Lavan
Shakespeare Dice: As You Like It, from Dacha theatre

What is one Edinburgh spot that you would recommend people to visit when they’re not watching performances?
Portobello beach! More generally - anywhere in nature. It’s absolutely worth venturing outside of the city.

Can you describe the show in 5 words?
Americana, Thriller, Conspiracy, Cinematic, Unhinged (in a good way)

What keeps you inspired?
Laughter. Our own and that of the audience.

What would you hope someone takes away from seeing the show?
I hope people leave inspired to question their long-held beliefs and consider how they came to hold them. And, of course, I hope they leave laughing.

When and where can people see the show?
Every day in Pleasance King Dome at 13:55 (not 12th, 19th, 24th).

Tickets are available from https://www.pleasance.co.uk/event/redacted-cover-cover-cover

Photo by Toby Jeffries.