18th-23rd August, 21:45, the Space @ on the Mile (Space 1), at Edinburgh Fringe

“As morning breaks, a rooster crows.”

In the aftermath of a global pandemic, Jay and Weronika are trying to build a life together in a tiny Edinburgh flat. He’s charming, obsessive, and full of big ideas. She’s methodical, anxious, and reliant on routine to feel safe. What begins as tenderness quickly becomes a quiet tug-of-war for space, power and autonomy — marked by growing loneliness and a lack of real communication.

“I’m drawn to Chickens as I believe it is a highly convincing post-lockdown and post-Brexit text that examines how a situationship fails to develop into a healthy relationship. The play examines vital themes of coercive control, obsession and mania but does so with great humour and vitality.” – says director Ben Harrison.

At its heart, CHICKENS asks: When does care become control? And what happens when someone starts designing your life for you — all in the name of love? The story unfolds through subtle domestic moments, spiralling tension, and a growing sense of claustrophobia. It’s raw, relatable, and, at times, painfully funny — perfect for fans of Fleabag or Baby Reindeer.

Playwright Monika Klisch trained as a physicist before moving to Edinburgh in 2021, where she fell unexpectedly in love with theatre. She wrote CHICKENS between acting classes and adjusting to life in a new city, but shelved it for three years while navigating unemployment, health struggles, and the sudden loss of her father.

“I’d given up on ever doing anything with it,” she says. “But one friend read it and said: Some people will laugh. Some will cry. Let them see it. He offered to support the production. So I said yes.”

Now, Klisch brings her debut play to the Edinburgh Fringe with a story that speaks to anyone who’s tried to rebuild a life from scratch or established their boundaries – and faced the hard truth that even love can be controlling, if we’re not careful.

Director Ben Harrison directed his first play on the Fringe in 1989. Best known as the Co-Artistic Director of internationally-acclaimed site-based specialists Grid Iron, which celebrates its 30th birthday in Edinburgh this year, he has directed for the National Theatre of Scotland, Almeida Theatre (where he was Associate Director) Citizens Theatre, Tron Theatre, Dundee Rep, Dogstar amongst many others. His production of Peter Pan for 360 Entertainment was seen by over a million people in the UK and across the US. He is delighted to be directing CHICKENS which he sees as a taut psychological tragicomedy – a genuine post-pandemic play.

Further information on his work at www.benharrison.info.

Book Tickets: Chickens (Monika Klisch)

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