Jake Mace
Niamh O’Farrell Tyler is the writer-performer of upcoming EdFringe show ROADKILL and founder of Irish Queer theatre collective DYKEish. ROADKILL follows a character called Cosmo, hit by a car in an act of transphobic hate and violence. The piece explores themes of sex and sexuality, trans euphoria, and survival amongst the backdrop of rising transphobic legislation and sentiment worldwide. We managed to catch up with Niamh for a pixelated pint to find out more about what inspired the show.
You can catch ROADKILL from August 1st – 9th at Space 2 at theSpace on the Mile from 19:30 (45mins). Tickets are available through theSpaceUK Online Box Office.
Jake: Hi Niamh! You say ROADKILL follows one young trans person fighting to not be seen as a representative for their community’s collective trauma – tell us what you mean by that, and more about the central character Cosmo.
Niamh: Cosmo is someone who has undergone a traumatic attack because of their identity. This is bad enough as is, but the issue they’re facing now is that that traumatic event is all anyone wants to hear about. Whether its from well-meaning supporters who want to show they care and spread awareness, smoking-area strangers who just want to hear the latest gossip, or the darker side of people wanting to hear about trans people coming to harm, they suddenly find themselves with very little scope to exist as their own person outside of what happened. The show follows their attempt to retrace their own life and coming-of-age for the audience in order to prove to us, and to themselves, that they are far more than what happened to them that night and what other people have projected onto them.
Cosmo themselves – as the writer and performer, I affectionately call them my drag persona! They are a showman, someone who thrives on attention and feeds off a crowd, but also someone who is carrying a lot of hurt and massive people-pleasing tendencies. They’re a little chaotic, very horny, quite vulgar, but definitely a character very dear to my heart, with a lot of complexities that I’m having a really interesting time exploring in rehearsal.
Jake: Tell us about what the audience can expect coming into the show, and what they might not expect about the show.
Niamh: The audience can expect dark humour; tender discussion of how it feels to be trans, growing into your own body, and how that affects your relationship with sex and other people; a surprising amount of queer and trans joy; and me in full Dr Frank’n’Furter lingerie, which will hopefully entice some kind of crowd in at the least! As cliche as it might be to say, I think the show really toes the line between light and dark. While there is exploration of difficult topics and themes, one of the overarching messages of the show is that even though being yourself can be painful at times, you are your own individual living your own unique life, and that is a remarkable thing in itself.
What the audience might not expect is that I take my clothes off at the end, but it’s really NOT in the way you might think.
Jake: What are you hoping the audience might take away from the experience, if anything?
Niamh: My hope is that the audience, particularly the queer audience members, come away from the experience with feelings of hope, rather than despair. The tagline of the show, that it’s not about being hit by a car, is as metaphorical as it is literal. The piece isn’t about queer or trans trauma and pain, it’s about not allowing yourself to be defined by what you’ve suffered through or with. While it’s essential to acknowledge the issues facing the queer community at present, especially the trans community, we also need and deserve space to celebrate ourselves as individuals.
I also hope that the show will spark conversation on public perception of the transgender community, and how this is influenced by the media and by our government policy. Hopefully it will be an eye-opening experience for some that the negative perception of trans people projected onto the community – particularly of trans women – is not the reality when you meet these individuals face to face.
Jake: With Edinburgh Fringe 2025 just around the corner, what are you most excited for?
Niamh: As a theatre-maker, I almost treat these trips to Edinburgh Fringe (this is my third Fringe, but first time bringing my own show, as I worked as a technician the last two years!) as research excursions. I’ve learned so much about what I do or don’t like, want to emulate, know I could never pull off, etc. etc., and I’m sure this year will be no different! There is no better way to learn how to make good theatre than going to as many shows as you possibly can, so I’ll definitely be spending every second I’m not on stage in different audiences.
As well as that, the past two years I’ve spent at Edinburgh Fringe, I’ve made such incredible friends from all around the world; most of them either fellow Fringe technicians or artists I’ve had the privilege of teching for. It’s such a creative and crazy time where the only way to survive the madness is to go through it with other people who are getting equally as little sleep as you are! So I’m very excited to reconnect with old friends and I’m sure make new ones.
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?
Niamh: ROADKILL would be a shot of tequila! It might burn a bit going down at first, but you’re definitely going to have an interesting night afterwards.
A reminder, you can catch ROADKILL from August 1st – 9th at Space 2 at theSpace on the Mile from 19:30 (45mins). Tickets are available through theSpaceUK Online Box Office.
Image Credit: Kallum Linnie
Lamesha Ruddock
Jasmine Silk
