Edinburgh Fringe Chats (#70): Na-keisha Pebody, LEI-LDN

12 Jul

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 Na-keisha Pebody to chat more about her show, LEI-LDN.

01. Can you begin by telling us about your show and what inspired it?

LEI-LDN is a bold, one-woman show that follows Chardaye — a sharp-tongued, mixed-race teenager who is suddenly uprooted from her home in Leicestershire to South London. Now surrounded by aunties, accents and unwritten social codes, she’s forced to navigate the unspoken pressure to prove she belongs.

The show was inspired by my personal experience of navigating mixed identity and the pressure of constantly being told who I am and where I “fit.” I also moved from Leicester to London myself, which shaped my understanding of code-switching, social pressure, and how identity is affected by geography, family, and race.

I wanted to write a show that told the truth — not just about pain, but about joy, contradiction, and the awkward in-between. Through spoken word, movement, and comedy, LEI-LDN explores what it means to take up space when the world keeps asking you to shrink.

02. What made you want to bring this work to the Fringe this year?

We first performed LEI-LDN at Croydonites Fringe Festival, to an overwhelmingly positive response. Young people — especially those of mixed heritage — told me how deeply they related to Chardaye’s experience. Others said the show helped them reflect on their own unconscious biases. This feedback confirmed this story had power, and deserved to go further.

Through the National Partnerships programme with The Pleasance, and with support from Curve, we’re now bringing the show to the Fringe because we believe this story would do well on a national — and international — platform. The Fringe has a history of launching careers and opening doors, and as two artists of the global majority, we want to take up space and challenge whose stories are centred.

We’re also looking ahead. We want to adapt this work for screen and for Theatre-in-Education formats, and see Edinburgh as a way to reach new audiences — especially industry decision-makers, programmers and producers.

03. How would you describe your show in three words?

Bold. Funny. Unapologetic.

04. What do you hope audiences take away from watching your performance?

I hope audiences walk away feeling seen, moved, and a little more open to complexity — both in themselves and others. This show is about belonging, identity, and the pressure to pick a side when you exist across several.

For mixed-race and diaspora audience members, I hope they recognise their own story in Chardaye’s and feel empowered by it. For white audiences, I hope it offers new perspectives and challenges unconscious assumptions — especially for people raising mixed children. The show encourages them to think about how they’re supporting and understanding the complexity of their child’s identity.

At the same time, it’s about joy and humour, even in the mess. Chardaye doesn’t just survive her move to London — she reclaims herself through it. I want people to leave feeling like they, too, can take up space as they are — without flattening themselves to be understood.

05. What’s your top tip for surviving the Fringe?

As a first-time Fringe artist, I’m focusing on self care — of my body, my voice and my mind. Vocal warm-ups, movement and meditation are all part of my routine. But I also want to find time for fun: to see other people’s work and network. This balance is what will keep me grounded.

06. Where and when can people see your show?

LEI-LDN is on at The Green (Pleasance Courtyard) from 30th July to 25th August.
There are no shows on 11th, 12th or 19th August.

We’re really proud of this piece. Come through — you’ll laugh, reflect, and maybe even join Chardaye on the stage.