Shay Mace
What do you do when you can’t find the words to describe how you feel? Maya Shoham thinks she has the answer. She’s the writer-performer of upcoming Edinburgh Festival Fringe solo show In Other Words, arriving from New York City and directed by Eden Zamir. The piece explores the most intangible parts of our emotions and thoughts, and trying to convey the unconveyable, teaching the audience the art of ‘word invention’. We caught up with Maya for a pixelated pint to try our best to explain the unexplainable.
You can catch In Other Words on August 6th – 30th (not the 18th) at Just The Attic at Just The Tonic at The Mash House from 16:00 (60mins). Tickets are available through the EdFringe Online Box Office.
Shay: Hi Maya! In Other Words sees you getting the audience to help you invent new words – tell us about that concept, and why you’ve brought it to the stage in this way.
Maya: In Other Words tells the story of Maya Shoham (played by me, Maya Shoham) trying to articulate a feeling she can’t seem to find the words for. The solution that makes the most sense to her is to invent new words. Which is why she invites an audience; word invention is an ancient art form that requires witnesses. Conveniently enough, so is theater. For words to reach their full power, someone else has to be there to capture them – to hear them, understand them, and process them. Which is also true of theater. Bridging words and theater is where the show lives. Where else can someone say, “I’m on a train,” and then we all agree to believe they are on a train, if not the theater? Words create realities – especially on stage.
Shay: How has the creative process been of putting the show together? Give us an idea of the journey you’ve been on with it so far.
Maya: Lots of trial and error. There were so many drafts, with so many endings, and I was constantly trying to understand what the play wanted to be about. Which eventually became part of the show: what are you about when you can’t find the words, or when you can’t find an ending? Because the world of the show is so literal, it allowed me to handle everything I was going through at face value. When I felt imposter syndrome, I added a character that personifies it. When I felt like I hit a wall, I added a game show section called “The Wall.” And as my director and I work in the rehearsal room, we figure out how to make all of that theatrical. When I say I’m on a train of thought, I hop on a train. Okay, I’m done spoiling my show!
Shay: What will be the first thing the audience sees, feels, and hears as they enter the space?
Maya: That’s a great question. One of the reasons we were so keen to perform with Just the Tonic at The Attic at the Mash House is that we felt we could transform the attic into something that feels like being inside someone’s brain. You’re literally climbing up the stairs to an attic, and the show is just that: an invitation into my brain. The set will be almost non-existent when audiences come in. It gets built as the show goes on, so by the time the show ends, they’re not only in the attic – they’re not only in the attic, they understand it.
Shay: What are you hoping the audience might take away from the experience, if anything?
Maya: I hope people will have more questions than answers – questions about their relationship with words and being understood, questions about the things they can’t articulate, and what they plan on doing about them. And more than anything, I hope the audience shares some of those questions with me after the show, preferably over a glass of whiskey. Theater is my favorite way to connect, especially if it’s something I wrote!
Shay: What journey has the show been on to find itself at EdFringe 2026?
Maya: EdFringe was the destination all along. I had a very early draft of an idea about words when I showed it to my now director, Eden Zamir. We used to work together at the same restaurant, and she was very keen for us to collaborate. I was nervous to share that draft with her, but she not only loved the idea – she immediately added her own perspective, building on it and helping me expand it. Because the show is so physical and literal, we knew we had to get it into a rehearsal room, even while it was still being rewritten. So we played, tried things, explored, and figured it out as we went. We put up a workshop in October to see if the work resonated with people. We were very happy it did. And ever since, we’ve continued playing and building the world of the show. We cannot wait to share it at EdFringe so soon!
Shay: With EdFringe now just around the corner, what are you most excited for?
Maya: For the chance that people might see the show and resonate with it! And to see so many other shows. I visited the Fringe last year and couldn’t believe the scale. I watched 24 shows in 5 days (!). Granted, I wasn’t performing, so it might be more difficult to watch that many shows this time around, but even if I manage to watch one show a day, I’ll be the happiest person alive.
Shay: 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?
Maya: A glass of red wine. It could be because that’s what I was drinking when I wrote some of the play, or it could be because the act of drinking red wine always makes you feel sophisticated, which is exactly how this play hopes to be perceived. Either way, I hope you give this red wine of a show a chance!
A reminder, you can catch In Other Words on August 6th – 30th (not the 18th) at Just The Attic at Just The Tonic at The Mash House from 16:00 (60mins). Tickets are available through the EdFringe Online Box Office.
