Edinburgh Fringe Chats (#115): Samantha Ipema, DEAR ANNIE, I HATE YOU
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 Samantha Ipema to find out more about her show, Dear Annie, I Hate You.
1. Can you begin by telling us about your show and what inspired it?
Of course! The play is called “Dear Annie, I Hate You” and it’s about an identity crisis I had at age 20 when I was diagnosed with a potentially fatal condition, my brain aneurysm named ‘Annie’. The show follows my retelling (and hers) of the events that happened throughout that period in my life. It’s wild, chaotic, and loads of fun despite it being ultimately a drama (or very dark comedy) about life and the way we change throughout it.
Going through the events in my 20s and suddenly thrust outside of my bubble of existence was the initial inspiration for the piece. But throughout my recovery, I actually discovered it was quite a common thing for people dealing with life threatening or lifelong conditions to give them nicknames such as ‘Annie’ for an aneurysm, ‘Mel’ for Melanoma, ‘Hodge’ for Hodgkins Lymphoma. Once I realised that–and how common of a coping mechanism it was–I realized that it was worth making a piece about. But besides that, it was mainly to process the way that my whole life upended and ultimately completely changed from that point on–largely, I’d say, for the better.
2. What made you want to bring this work to the Fringe this year?
We brought the piece to Fringe last year at a small venue for its original iteration. It was a much lighter version of the show and really just a testing ground to see if the idea had any legs. After an amazing reception and almost completely sold out run, my team and production company decided to upscale the show for Riverside. And now it feels like the perfect place to bring it back to. The Fringe feels like home in many ways for the piece–it’s where it was birthed and really where and what it was originally created for. So, I suppose it feels like coming home.
3. How would you describe your show in three words?
Surprising. Cathartic. ...Crazy
4. What do you hope audiences take away from watching your performance?
I hope they take away an empowerment in their own lives to go do something new and have the courage, if they need, to change their own lives at any moment as well. That’s what the thrust of the piece is about–it’s not that we need an excuse to change our lives, though those life changing events are useful prompts to. But sometimes we just need to see our own lives reflected back to us I think. And that’s what I hope they see and take away–themselves, reflected on the stage back to them, empowering them to get up and change their lives in the way that they’ve always wanted to as well.
5. What’s your top tip for surviving the Fringe?
Bring. Your. Own. Coffee. Maker.
And bring a very warm sweater and raincoat.
6. Where and when can people see your show?
Pleasance Courtyard at Pleasance Two, 12:00PM every day
X: @annieihateyou
INSTAGRAM: @annieihateyou
SHOW LINK: https://www.pleasance.co.uk/event/dear-annie-i-hate-you
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