REVIEW: Prophets, Jack MacGregor, EdFringe 2026 ★★★

Boasting an impressively accredited team, Prophets is the 2026 ART Award winning production from Fringe First (2023) winning writer Jack MacGregor. It is an unspooling of the complexities of faith, attempting to untangle the tricky knots where it becomes unhealthy and controlling.

When researcher Kerris visits the remote island of St John, she becomes fascinated by an extreme religious sect. But as she gets to know her guide Joe and understand his place in the religion, he begins to suspect that Kerris herself may not be all that she seems. The lines between faith and betrayal, truth and lies, and leader and follower begin to blur and Kerris’ commitment to knowledge threatens to turn both of their lives upside down.

The characters are beautifully written, particularly the central figures of Kerris and Joe, who are specifically and sensitively articulated on stage. However, I found the plot to be a little holey (pun intended), leaving unanswered questions in a confusing-for-the-audience way rather than a thought-provoking-and-intricate way. 

I found that the meat of the story was underwritten, and more attention was paid to sections that added little to the plot or merely served to labour themes that were already adequately introduced. For example, the sections of Kerris asking various people back in Britain about the island and failing to get answers added little, and could have happened offstage. This would have clawed back a bit of time to allow for the ramping up of cult activity, which was mysteriously absent from this play about a cult. 

The plot twist really came out of left-field, which could have been intentional but made me put my guard up as an audience member. I was so taken aback that I felt myself disengaging from the piece. Particularly due to the specific and upsetting subject matter, I think it would have been more powerful to breadcrumb what was to come for the audience, to make us more receptive to the twist when it arrived.

The actors do a lovely job, both providing grounded vulnerability alongside endearing moments of levity. Xander Cowan’s accent work is a tall order, and one that he mostly fulfils, although even his momentary accent slips unfortunately serve to pull me out of the play. Fraser Scott’s direction is vivid and impactful, and the use of torches allows for some striking stage pictures to emerge. 

Prophets struggles to cram itself into both the hour long slot and the tight venue that is RoxyBoxy. You get the sense that this run is being treated as an extended dress rehearsal and preview period for whatever future life this show is expected to have. The thrust venue works against it, and the striking production design does not work as well in this space as it may in a slightly larger venue. If some more care had been taken to work within the Fringe theatre form, many of these issues could have been resolved.  

The gravel on the stage isn’t used to any real effect, with time taken away from the text to allow the actors to scrabble aimlessly in the dirt, or to draw symbols that have no meaning as they are not plot-relevant nor referenced elsewhere in the piece. The haze is consistently too thick for the small venue and while the torches used throughout by the actors create some beautifully impactful moments, their proximity to the audience means that just as often we are temporarily blinded, meaning that I genuinely was unable to see much of the action despite my great view of the stage. 

Tackling some complex themes, Prophets is sometimes style over substance. With more time and space to fully delve into these themes and fill in the plot holes, Prophets could become a truly beautiful exploration of power, faith, and the damage done to all by systemic institutional patriarchy.

Performances of Prophets have now concluded for EdFringe 2026.