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 Izzy Lane about her show Operation Market Garden.
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| Photo by Anna Gungaloo. |
What can you tell me about your show?
Operation Market Garden is a gripping verbatim theatre piece built entirely from the wartime diary of my great-grandfather, Welsh paratrooper Neville Neads, who took part in the Arnhem drop during Operation Market Garden in 1944. Through his own words, the show explores courage, fear, friendship, sacrifice, and the lasting impact of war on those who lived through it and those who inherited their stories.
Operation Market Garden is a gripping verbatim theatre piece built entirely from the wartime diary of my great-grandfather, Welsh paratrooper Neville Neads, who took part in the Arnhem drop during Operation Market Garden in 1944. Through his own words, the show explores courage, fear, friendship, sacrifice, and the lasting impact of war on those who lived through it and those who inherited their stories.
Created by an all-female, disabled creative team, the piece brings a never before told Welsh perspective to one of the most famous failed campaigns of the Second World War. It is a story about history, but also about memory, family, and the responsibility of carrying someone else’s experiences forward.
How would you describe the style of your show to anyone who has never seen you before?
It is intimate verbatim theatre piece that is part historical storytelling and part personal journey. Rather than presenting war as a distant event, the audience is invited into one man’s thoughts, fears, and hopes through his own recorded words. It is raw, human, and deeply personal.
It is intimate verbatim theatre piece that is part historical storytelling and part personal journey. Rather than presenting war as a distant event, the audience is invited into one man’s thoughts, fears, and hopes through his own recorded words. It is raw, human, and deeply personal.
What was the lightbulb moment that led to the creation of this piece?
The starting point was discovering my great-grandfather’s diary and realising that his experience had been preserved in his own handwriting for decades. Reading his words felt like hearing his voice across time. I knew there was a story there that deserved to be shared - not simpy as a family memory, but as a piece of Welsh history and a reminder of the individual lives behind major historical events.
What makes 2026 the perfect year for this specific story or performance?
2026 feels like a significant moment to revisit stories from the Second World War, especially as fewer veterans remain to tell their experiences firsthand. This show is about preserving those voices before they disappear. It also feels like the right time to explore different perspectives on history - including the voices of Welsh communities and the creative voices of disabled artists bringing new approaches to storytelling.
2026 feels like a significant moment to revisit stories from the Second World War, especially as fewer veterans remain to tell their experiences firsthand. This show is about preserving those voices before they disappear. It also feels like the right time to explore different perspectives on history - including the voices of Welsh communities and the creative voices of disabled artists bringing new approaches to storytelling.
How will you mentally and physically prepare for a run at the Fringe?
The Fringe is an incredible challenge, so preparation is about building resilience as much as rehearsing the performance. We’ve focused on looking after each other as a team, protecting our energy whilst rehearsing a show that is at times harrowing, and remembering why this story matters. Every performance is an opportunity to honour Neville’s words and the lives of men who never made it home.
The Fringe is an incredible challenge, so preparation is about building resilience as much as rehearsing the performance. We’ve focused on looking after each other as a team, protecting our energy whilst rehearsing a show that is at times harrowing, and remembering why this story matters. Every performance is an opportunity to honour Neville’s words and the lives of men who never made it home.
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 tiny replica wartime diary with the words “Open me - there’s a story inside” written on the cover. Hopefully people would be intrigued enough to discover that the smallest objects can hold the biggest histories.
A tiny replica wartime diary with the words “Open me - there’s a story inside” written on the cover. Hopefully people would be intrigued enough to discover that the smallest objects can hold the biggest histories.
What is the one item in your Fringe Survival Kit that you can’t live without at the Fringe?
A good water bottle! Fringe days are long, and keeping your voice and energy going is essential, especially for our lead actor who has over 75% of the plays lines! Plus a notebook as seeing so much incredible theatre can seriously get the ideas flowing!
A good water bottle! Fringe days are long, and keeping your voice and energy going is essential, especially for our lead actor who has over 75% of the plays lines! Plus a notebook as seeing so much incredible theatre can seriously get the ideas flowing!
What would you deem as success at the end of the Fringe?
Success would be audiences leaving the theatre feeling that they know Neville a little better. If someone who came in knowing nothing about Operation Market Garden leaves wanting to learn more, or if someone feels connected to their own family history, then the show has done what we hoped.
Other than your own show, are there any other shows you would recommend at the Fringe this year?
The Fringe is full of incredible work, particularly from emerging artists and underrepresented voices. I always recommend audiences take chances - see something they know nothing about! Last year I watched the incredible Managed Approach about the UK’s only ever red light distric and followed it up with Swamplesque!!
What is one Edinburgh spot that you would recommend people to visit when they're not watching performances?
Arthur’s Seat. It’s the perfect place to escape the Fringe crowds, take in the city from above, and reflect.
Arthur’s Seat. It’s the perfect place to escape the Fringe crowds, take in the city from above, and reflect.
Can you describe the show in 5 words?
Personal. Powerful. Welsh. Human. Unforgettable.
Personal. Powerful. Welsh. Human. Unforgettable.
What keeps you inspired?
The people whose stories have been overlooked or forgotten. I’m inspired by the power of theatre to preserve memories and connect generations. Neville’s words continue to inspire this entire project. One of my favourite lines of the show honours a young man named Jacko who has no family but his mother. Whilst being kept as a prisoner of war Jacko dies – Nev recollects how Jacko’s mother died before Nev made it home so there was no one else left to remember Jacko but him and his friends.
What would you hope someone takes away from seeing the show?
I hope audiences leave understanding that behind every historical event are individual people with their own fears, dreams, relationships, and stories. Operation Market Garden is about one man’s experience, but ultimately it is about the universal need to remember, listen, and value the voices of those who came before us.
I hope audiences leave understanding that behind every historical event are individual people with their own fears, dreams, relationships, and stories. Operation Market Garden is about one man’s experience, but ultimately it is about the universal need to remember, listen, and value the voices of those who came before us.
Operation Market Garden runs at Theatre 1 at theSpace @ Surgeons' Hall from 17th to 29th August 2026 at 19:25. For tickets and more information visit https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/operation-market-garden
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