Jake Mace
We last caught up with Lubna Kerr ahead of her 2024 EdFringe show Chatterbox, and now she’s returning to EdFringe in August to finish her trilogy of nostalgic storytelling shows inspired by her upbringing in Glasgow. Lunchbox will explore the impact of bullying through the eyes of a troubled Scottish boy, Steven and Pakistani girl, Lubna. We caught up with Lubna for a pixelated pint to find out more about the show.
You can catch Lunchbox between the 30th July and 24th August (not the 12th or 19th) at Pleasance Courtyard – The Green from 16:45 (60 mins). Tickets are available through the EdFringe Online Box Office.
Jake: Hi Lubna! We managed to catch up with you last at Dundee Fringe with Chatterbox – tell us about your upcoming new show Lunchbox, and what you’ll be covering in it.
Lubna: This is the final part of the ‘BOX’ trilogy of my childhood. However, it’s not about me, it’s about Steven McGregor, the bully who made my life miserable. I wrote the show jointly with my son Ihsan Kerr and that was a lovely experience. It will be interesting to see how people respond to it in comparison to my other two plays Tickbox and Chatterbox.
I was asked by Pleasance to do Chatterbox again from the 18th to 25th August.
You can also see me in Singin’ I’m No a Billy Jr, He’s a Tim Jr, directed by Scott Kyle.
The choir I sing in called Sing in the City is also performing at the Tattoo, so I will be doing one or two shows with the choir too.
Jake: Tell us about what the audience can expect coming into the show, and what they might not expect about the show.
Lubna: It’s a one woman show with 8 characters in it. There are some recurring characters but there are new ones too. There are more trigger warnings than ever before which is unusual for my plays. Themes of violence, racism and alcoholism are discussed in more detail. There is still comedy in it to lighten the tone of it.
Jake: What are you hoping the audience might take away from the experience, if anything?
Lubna: To think about who they could help, give a smile to, or spend some time with. Maybe they’ll consider forgiving people who were horrible to them. Or perhaps acknowledge that they were the bully and need to apologize to those they bullied.
Jake: With Edinburgh Fringe 2025 just around the corner, what are you most excited for?
Lubna: Seeing shows that come from abroad. It’s really important to support them. It must be so difficult to come and manage the fringe if you don’t live here.
Jake: Given the themes of Binge Fringe, if your show was a beverage of any kind (alcoholic, non-alcoholic – be as creative as you like!), what would it be and why?
Lubna: Mine would be a curry cocktail, made with lemon juice, pineapple juice, pomegranate and mixed with cinnamon and cumin powder.
A reminder, you can catch Lunchbox between the 30th July and 24th August (not the 12th or 19th) at Pleasance Courtyard – The Green from 16:45 (60 mins). Tickets are available through the EdFringe Online Box Office.
