REVIEW: Toast, Jude Green, EdFringe 2026 ★★★★

‘One Actor VS Universal Credit’ – A topic that’s ever-relevant with artists everywhere. Jude Green’s Fringe debut production Toast showcases the real impact of working class artists against the broken UK benefits system, with the perfect mix of comedy, satire and the same desperation everyone feels about the world.

This incredible two-hander shows Jude Green and Jack Wakely as a force to be reckoned with. While Jude is the only actor on stage for the majority of the show, interacting with Jack’s voice alone, the two have stunning comedic timing and a great connection.

We become completely engrossed in the story of an actor trying to survive in 2026 with agents, employers, their surrounding counterparts, and the dreaded hold tone of Universal Credit. You are certain to get hold tones stuck in your head for weeks – you’re welcome!

This is a system-challenging production, proving what we as Fringe-goers already know. UK creatives are struggling, existing in a system that’s designed to break them, pushing them into a corporate life that the majority of creators aren’t built to survive.

It’s productions like Toast that prove that we are not alone. We are allowed to laugh at ourselves and the strange situations we are put in, brave enough to take the risks that come with it. This show makes us remember why we are fighting to survive in the first place.

Selected as one of only five winners of the Shedload-of-Future Fund 2026 from Francesca Moody’s Sheinburgh, Toast has got a brilliant foundation. 

You can catch TOAST at Summerhall (Old Lab) from August 26-31 at 12:00 (60 mins). Tickets are available through the EdFringe Online Box Office.