ABOUT THE SHOW
I Didn’t Know I Was Polish is a funny, heartfelt solo show based on my real-life experience as a Canadian trying to stay in Europe when my French visa was about to expire. In the middle of the panic, I discovered something wild: my Ukrainian grandfather was technically Polish. That unexpected loophole led me on a journey through bureaucracy, heritage, and the meaning of identity, especially when you're claiming a connection to a place you've never even been.
I first performed a short, cabaret-style version in 2019 in Paris, where I was living at the time. The audience response was incredible—they were curious, moved, and engaged with the story. I knew then that there was something here, but I had to live through a bit more before I could finish it.
After Russia invaded Ukraine, everything shifted. The story suddenly felt more urgent than ever, and by 2024, now living in London, I was ready. The full show premiered at Voila! Europe Festival and was nominated for an Offie Award. We also crowdfunded £3,800 to pay our creative team fairly, which included a majority of Eastern European women—something I was deeply committed to. Our community of supporters is still behind us and excited to see the show grow.
WHY EDINBURGH FRINGE?
Fringe feels like the perfect next step. The show combines personal storytelling with bold theatrical choices (think: French New Wave cinema meets live theatre) and explores themes that don’t often get the spotlight—like migration, Eastern European identity, and the emotional cost of borders. It’s deeply personal, but also connects with a wider conversation about belonging, freedom, and resilience.
As a migrant artist new to the UK, Fringe is also a rare opportunity to build the professional network I’ve struggled to access. It’s where work gets seen by audiences, programmers, and producers alike—and I’d love for this piece to tour both across the UK and internationally in the future.
WHY WE NEED YOUR HELP
Fringe is incredible—but it’s expensive. Last time, our budget went entirely toward paying our creatives. Marketing took a hit, and we only filled 10–25% of seats. Then our Voila! venue went bankrupt and we lost £500 in box office income. So this time, we’re doing it differently.
We’re raising £3,000 to make this run truly viable and set us up for the future:
💡 Pay our lighting designer to redesign for both our Hope Theatre previews and Edinburgh run
🎵 Pay our sound designer to refine existing cues and compose a new song
🎭 Pay our technical stage manager to support both runs
🎬 Pay our director to return for rehearsals
📣 Cover marketing costs so we can reach audiences—and the industry
🚐 Help with venue fees, insurance, travel, and contingency
WHY IT MATTERS
This show is about borders—physical, emotional, political—and the surprising connections we find across them. It’s also about what it means to belong, especially when your story doesn’t fit neatly into a box.
Your support will help us bring this story to more people. It will make sure the team behind it is paid fairly. And it will give this work the chance it deserves to go further.
If you can support us, thank you. If you can share, thank you. We can’t wait to see you at the show.