Edinburgh Fringe Chats (#73): Madelaine Nunn, FLICK
As anticipation builds for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2025, we’re catching up with a range of exciting creatives preparing to bring their work to the world’s largest arts festival this August. In this series, we delve into the stories behind the shows, the inspiration driving the artists, and what audiences can expect. Today, we’re joined by Madelaine Nunn to chat more about their show, Flick.
01. Can you begin by telling us about your show and what inspired it?
I wanted to write a complex female character that was funny and dark and full of heart. I started to think about the role health care professionals play and was excited by the potential..
I was fascinated with the almost impossible task that we give healthcare workers; to connect without getting attached, to show empathy without getting emotional, to bear witness to humanity without letting it affect them. It’s this paradoxical ‘ask’, that gave life to FLICK. I was curious about the long-term consequences of clocking on and clocking off your emotional self.
FLICK follows the story of a character called Flick, a palliative care nurse. Our story starts with the arrival of Mark, a super-hot cancer patient under Flick’s care, an unconventional meet-cute, but a meet-cute all the same. Mark and Flick get chatting and there’s a natural chemistry between them, but then Mark asks Flick for a favour, something outside of her job description. It doesn’t take long for boundaries to blur and lives to intersect. We, the audience, witness as things begin to spiral out of control, the tension builds—how far will Flick go before the consequences catch up with her?
02. What made you want to bring this work to the Fringe this year?
I have been wanting to come to Edinburgh for ages so when FLICK sold out at the Adelaide Fringe and then went on to win the House of Oz Purse Prize all the stars aligned at the right time. FLICK is a show that embodies the spirit of the Fringe, it's one performer, a stool and a gripping story. Edinburgh audiences are going to love it. Hopefully Netflix will too!
03. How would you describe your show in three words?
Funny, dark, poignant.
04. What do you hope audiences take away from watching your performance?
Carpe Diem baby. Life is short. Life is precious. Make jokes, forgive. Empathise. Find humanity. Tell the people you love that you love them. Don't keep putting the good times off.
Seriously, audiences should expect twists and turns. Laugh out loud moments, as well as quiet, sad ones. FLICK takes audiences on an intimate journey, as it dives headfirst into the life of a raw, relatable character with a few secrets up her sleeve. As a solo show, audiences will be immersed in a night of storytelling, witnessing the actor transform into many different characters as we get pulled further along her journey, think Fleabag but standing up and a wild dance break in the middle.
05. What’s your top tip for surviving the Fringe?
Eat!!! When I get busy I forget to eat and then I get hangry and stressed. I'm like 'what's going on???' But food is always the answer, it's delicious and stops you getting sick!
06. Where and when can people see your show?
FLICK is at Summerhall from the 31st July to the 26th August. Tell your friends, tell your enemies. I would love to see you there and stay around after the show to say hi.
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