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 Sofia May to discuss her show The Buddha Wears Prada.
What can you tell me about your show?
The Buddha Wears Prada is about my time as a member of the inner circle of a Buddhist cult. For a 7-year period I lived off the grid in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, working as the assistant to an impossibly chic and diabolical female Buddhist Cult leader.
How would you describe the style of your show to anyone who has never seen you before?
Jaw-dropping, interesting, dark, sometimes chilling, sometimes offensive, absurd, personal and zany.
What was the lightbulb moment that led to the creation of this piece?
I have always wanted to do a comedy show about this period of my life, but it is such an ambitious topic that I haven’t known how to get my head around it. Thoroughly traumatized, I have barely been able to speak of it at all. However, last September (2025) Be Scofield (the journalist responsible for exposing the UK doomsday cult: Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light) wrote an exposé about my cult. I am among the key witnesses in the exposé, am the only survivor to use their real name so far, and am also the whistleblower of this cult. The publication of the exposé led to sharing my story on major platforms, radio programs, and speaking in seminars. That is to say, it allowed me to find my voice. And now that I’ve found it, I can’t shut the f*ck up.
What makes 2026 the perfect year for this specific story or performance?
When the exposé came out, it was clear that there was an urgency to strike while the iron was hot and use comedy to shine light into the dark crevices where the leader still loomed in my psyche, to kind of light-blast her out. And in so doing, use humor as a blatant act of rebellion, breaking the mold of their narrative and rewriting it according to all the absurdity I have found it in. What better way to put these suckers on blast and weaken their power over others than making them the butt of the joke?
How will you mentally and physically prepare for a run at the Fringe?
Physically, I am jogging and attacking the stair-master as part of my regime to be ready for the whimsically-punishing stairs and hills of Edinburgh. Mentally, I am running the the show every week until Fringe to make sure the narrative is extremely cohesive by August. Telling the story of being in a Buddhist Cult for 7-years is complicated and requires a really precise narrative to bring it home to the audience.
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?
I would hand out dainty cups of Koolaid (with cyanide mixed in, of course)
What is the one item in your Fringe Survival Kit that you can’t live without at the Fringe?
Sneakers with a THICK-ASS sole
What would you deem as success at the end of the Fringe?
I would love to win awards and get great reviews, but the most important marker of a successful Fringe is growth. Did my show get a lot better? Did I become a much better comic? That’s what this whole thing is about for me. It also means a lot to get recognition from at least the audience. Having people in the audience who really get the joke to its core and appreciate my babies like I do is very rewarding.
Other than your own show, are there any other shows you would recommend at the Fringe this year?
I recommend my other show: “9/11 Birds and the Bees” This show is about my experience as a child survivor of 9/11. With my middle school at the foot of the Twin Towers, just 400 meters away, “9/11 Birds and the Bees” is a dark punchy 1-hour stand-up solo about my experience as a child survivor of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The show is basically a love letter to the World Trade Center.
I also recommend:
“1979 Persianality Disorder” by Sepideh Kaav. This show is by a dark female Iranian comic who I work with a lot. She’s an incredible writer and has such an incredibly unique voice.
“The Devil in Ms. Beros” By Anna Beros. This show is by another female comic but she is filthy as can be and such a brilliant weirdo. She’s sharp, punchy and mind-bending like a psychedelic drug.
What is one Edinburgh spot that you would recommend people to visit when they're not watching performances?
I think everyone should go to Hogwarts—or whatever the castle in the center of town is called. I’ve never had time to go, but I have always wanted to. Please do so for me.
Can you describe the show in 5 words?
Pissing on the Guru Show
What keeps you inspired?
Great comics keep me inspired. Watching great comics at work has the exact same effect on me today as it did the first time I saw Chris Rock perform his HBO special “Bigger and Blacker” when I was an adolescent: sheer awe at the elegance and magnificence of his craft. It makes me wish to embody the spirit of that magnificence and elegance as well.
What would you hope someone takes away from seeing the show?
I hope they will enjoy a lot of deep belly laughs at the expense of my former Buddhist teacher. I hope they will look her up and consume media about the horrifying stories amassing on her abuses. And overall, I’d love for people to open their minds to hating Buddhism.
When and where can people see the show?
3:15pm at The Dragonfly (except Mondays).
Tickets are available from https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/the-buddha-wears-prada
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