Aim

Making our Ed Fringe debut, we’re excited to present our original, witty, dark-comedy one-woman show. Now we’ve just got to fund it…!

Hey! We’re Emma, Evie, & Nicole - an independent production team heading up to the Fringe. We’re excited to present ‘Paper Cuts (and other small tragedies)’ - a new play written by Ashlee Austin!

“GAME ON, BITCH.”

Alone and severely regretting ever logging into Groupon, a spiraling woman finds herself accidentally attending a children’s origami class. She must endure paper cuts, screaming kids, and her inability to fold a piece over the course of two torturous hours. Will she crumple under the pressure?

PAPER CUTS (and other small tragedies) is a brand new play debuting at the Edinburgh Fringe 2026 created by an all-female cast and creative team.

As we all know, heading up to Edinburgh incurs a fair cost, including props, rehearsal space, transport, venue, and most significantly - accommodation! Having a strong network in London has meant we have kept costs to an impressive minimum so far, however, with venue costs at around £2,000, PLUS last minute accommodation falling through, we’re looking for any donations, small or large, to help us in our adventure. 

ABOUT US!

Emma Judge - Actor and Co-Producer

A London-based, LAMDA trained actress, Emma is excited to be multi-rolling both on-stage and off as both actor and producer. Recent acting credits include ‘The Trials’ (Southwark Playhouse) and ‘Treasure Island’ (The Orange Tree Theatre). Forever inspired by the likes of Rosamund Pike in Inter Alia and Jodie Comer in Prima Facie, particularly the female-lead stories of both, she is excited to be tackling the challenges of a one-woman show, and hopes the blood, sweat, and tears of making so much origami pays off! 

Nicole Austin-Paige - Director

Nicole Austin-Paige is a UK based South African director, writer, and performer whose passion is to bring stories to life. Her work focuses on creating original, character-driven narratives that are both entertaining and thought-provoking.

In 2023 before moving abroad, Nicole co-directed The Marvellous Wonderettes which earned her a prestigious Fleur du Cap nomination for Best New Director.

Recent credits include Supernatural Selection, The Ultimate Beast, and Magic Alan for The Lambeth Fringe 2025.

Nicole is thrilled to be working with such a dynamic team to bring Paper Cuts (and other small tragedies) to the stage!

Ashlee Austin - Writer

Ashlee Austin is a 20 year old South African theatre performer, writer, musician and artist. She is in her final year of training at the Luitingh Alexander Musical Theatre Academy (LAMTA) in Cape Town where she has been developing her skills in acting, singing, and dancing for the last 3 years. Ashlee is looking forward to upcoming projects such as portraying Florinda in ‘Into the Woods’ at Cape Town’s Theatre on the Bay and is thrilled to make her professional writing debut at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival this August!

Evie Desheva - Co-Producer

Evie Desheva is a British-Bulgarian actor and theatre producer who graduated from LAMDA in 2024. She later trained as a theatre producer on the National Theatre's 'How To Be a Producer' course led by Ellie Keel. Her acting credits include The Trials (Southwark Playhouse) and A Midsummer Night's Dream (The Cockpit Theatre). 

Evie's work centres around female-led stories and breaking barriers to entry in both the arts and sport. She is part of She Plays To Win (SPTW), an organisation dedicated to getting more women and girls into chess. Evie competes with SPTW in the 4 Nations Chess League as part of the only all-womens team in the tournament.

Follow along on our Instagram @papercutstheplay to stay updated on our journey. We aim to share as much of our experience on there as possible - both the highs and the lows. 

Thank you in advance. Truly, every and any donation is appreciated more than you can imagine.

Listings Information

Venue

theSpace @ Niddry St

Performances

PAPER CUTS (AND OTHER SMALL TRAGEDIES)

Friday 7th August – Saturday 15th August 2026 21:20pm – 22:10pm

See theSpaceUk website for full schedule.

Ticket Prices: £8.00 / Concessions £6.50

Suitable For: Ages 12+

Contains distressing or potentially triggering themes, Strong language/swearing.

Box Office Online: https://www.thespaceuk.com/shows/2026/paper-cuts-and-other-small-tragedies

For press enquiries and further information (including requests for interviews with the creative team) please contact Emma at [email protected]

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 20th August 2026 at 12:00pm