Shay Mace
Zofia Zerphy’s upcoming Edinburgh Fetival Fringe show Spin Cycle: The Lesbian Launderette Play arrives as part of the 2026 Culture Ireland Edinburgh Showcase next month, a bittersweet, absurdist queer launderette meet-cute set in a launderette that exists outside of space and time. We caught up with playwright Zofia from Berserk Theatre to unload the show and find out more about what makes it tumble.
You can catch Spin Cycle at Underbelly Bristo Square (Clover) from 14:25 (60mins) on August 5–31. Tickets are Available Through the EdFringe Online Box Office.
Shay: Hi Zofia tell us about creating this queer love story and why you have decided to bring this to the stage now?
Zofia: Spin Cycle: The Lesbian Launderette Play was born on the London Underground. Plastered on the wall was a shoe advert set in a vintage launderette, and, as I sat in a metal tube hurtling under the streets of London, visions of a launderette that exists outside of space and time filled my mind. That’s how the play was written, in little bursts on my notes app late at night. The team that then came together helped to breathe life into the words, and that’s when I knew we could have something really special on our hands. But it wasn’t until after the first public showing that I understood that this piece could be more than just a good story. An audience member told me this was the first time they’d seen a non-binary character on stage, and they felt seen in the theatre for the first time. That’s really why I make theatre- to tell real stories that connect with real people.
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.
Zofia: I applied for the very first Underbelly Scratch with only the opening of the play written, and that became the catalyst for everything that followed. Since then, Spin Cycle has grown through rehearsed readings, workshops, scratch nights, countless rewrites and its debut at Camden Fringe. Winning an Off West End Award this year was an unexpected but wonderful boost as we head towards our London previews and Edinburgh. We’ve developed the show across three countries while juggling survival jobs and acting work, so spending August fully immersed in the play feels incredibly special.
Shay: What will be the first thing the audience sees, feels, and hears as they enter the space?
Zofia: As you walk in, you’ll see the blinking neon lights of the launderette, hear the soft whirr of a washing machine, and might even smell the faint scent of fabric softener wafting in the air. You will feel as though you’ve pushed open the creaky door and stepped into the liminal world of the launderette. There will be no doubt where you are- the only question is, who will come through the door next?
Shay: What are you hoping the audience might take away from the experience, if anything?
Zofia: I hope leaving Spin Cycle feels like leaving a really good lesbian date, you can’t stop thinking about it and you’re already planning when you’ll see it again. But beyond that, I hope audiences leave with more questions than answers. I hope they find themselves torn between Kitt and Noel, laughing one moment and unexpectedly emotional the next. If people walk away feeling seen, understood, or simply having had a wonderfully strange hour in the theatre, then we’ve done our job.
Shay: What journey has the show been on to find itself at EdFringe 2026?
Zofia: The journey of Spin Cycle is one of connection with our community. It is a play by lesbians, for lesbians. Every work in progress, rehearsed reading and Fringe run has been tried and tested with the local queers and we have organically put new layers on every iteration. We want our community to feel represented whilst also presenting a surprising story that leans into absurd themes. This play explores how queerness can exist within an absurdist context, when absurdity deals with what exists outside the norms, something that queerness inherently does. But for ourselves, and for our community, queerness is not absurd, and it might just be the more normal thing about this play. Playing with this element brings a new kind of queer play to the stage, something that is complex, and real, just like the people who made it. Bringing Spin Cycle to the Edinburgh Fringe feels like introducing a more confident, fully realised version of the piece to new audiences.
Shay: With EdFringe now just around the corner, what are you most excited for?
Zofia: We are excited to be surrounded by amazing artists that are taking risks, and joining the Edinburgh Fringe fray. It’s a rare opportunity to be able to show our work to people from all over the world in one location. We want to share our love for theatre, comedy and performance, and also meet as many new faces as possible!
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?
Zofia: “A Laundromargarita” Cocktail: A double shot of tequila, a floral infused triple sec, with a dash of blue simple syrup and zingy lime juice. To make: built in tin and violently shake, serve on the rocks, garnish with a lonely pink sock. The Laundromargarita is bittersweet and leaves you refreshed, feeling special gay tingles.
A reminder, you can catch Spin Cycle at Underbelly Bristo Square (Clover) from 14:25 (60mins) on August 5–31. Tickets are Available Through the EdFringe Online Box Office.
Image Credit: Bethan Rose
Improbotics
