| “Brilliantly Observed Theatre” |
Wales at Edinburgh Fringe in the 2020s |
| How Not to Make It In America- House of Oz and Theatre Republic , Pentland Theatre Pleasance, Edinburgh , September 21, 2026 |
Emily Steel was interviewed for Arts Scene in Wales: “I was born in Cardiff and grew up in Sully. In my teens I acted in Shakespeare and Brecht at Llanover Hall and performed at the Sherman Theatre. I left Wales to go to uni and then drama school, and in 2001 I moved to New York with my then-boyfriend. He, sensibly, had a job to go to and a work visa. I, much less sensibly, had neither of those things. I probably thought I was going to get a part in a play, get discovered as an actor and then someone would sort out the paperwork for me. Yeah… it didn’t happen like that. “In my first few weeks in New York, I saw shows on Broadway and at tiny independent theatres like the Flea. I slept in the street outside the Public Theatre to get tickets to Shakespeare in the Park (which was actually Chekov’s The Seagull that year, with Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman). New York was exciting and overwhelming and seemed to be full of people who would barge past you on the sidewalks and let shop doors swing shut in your face. By early September, we’d barely found an apartment or furniture, much less a TV or a phone. On the morning of 9/11 my then-boyfriend left for work. An hour later he walked back in through the door and said his office had been evacuated because, “Someone’s flown a plane into the Twin Towers.” My first, inappropriate reaction was to laugh – out of surprise, I think. “We didn’t know what was happening. We went down to the street in Midtown, where no one else seemed to know what was happening either. There were no smartphones to show us news or videos. We gathered with a group around a hotdog stand, listening to the radio and watching smoke fill the sky above the skyscrapers. As the scale of what had happened became clearer, we tried to phone home to let our families know we were okay – but we had to use a payphone and the phone lines were overwhelmed. I couldn’t get through to my parents – the only person I managed to reach was my Nan, in Penarth. When I finally spoke to my dad the next day, he said when she told him she’d spoken to me, he was afraid she’d imagined it. “...Now I live in Adelaide, South Australia, with my partner (who’s from Swansea) and our two Welsh-Australian kids. My plays have been produced by State Theatre Company South Australia and my most recent play, Housework, will be on at the Sydney Opera House in September as part of the Sydney Theatre Company season.” From: https://asiw.co.uk/news/welsh-artists-okhams-razor-at-the-edinburgh-fringe-with-two-shows The publicity for “How Not to Make it in America” read: “It’s 2001. A naive young Australian actor arrives in New York, full of ambition and chasing the dream. Twenty-five years after September 11th changed the world, this is a gripping, darkly funny, story of survival, ambition and disillusionment inspired by Cardiff playwright Emily Steel’s experiences. Performer James Smith plays twenty-eight characters, bringing to life a kaleidoscope of personalities that capture the chaos, absurdity and emotional fallout of a life derailed and reshaped.” * * * * Whatsonstage was there: “Set in New York around 2001, the piece follows a fiercely ambitious, slightly pretentious Australian actor navigating the precarious edge of the American Dream. Visaless, broke, and couch-surfing after a relationship breakdown, he pays the rent with a soul-crushing gig at Kim’s Video (not the main one, mind) while holding out for “profound” work – the kind only found in off-off-Broadway profit-shares. Steel’s non-linear narrative cleverly bookends the shadow of 9/11, treating the tragedy not as explicit spectacle, but as a looming, disquieting backdrop to an era’s collective anxiety. “There are palpable echoes of Jonathan Larson’s tick, tick… Boom! in its portrayal of creative desperation. Stepping into the role mid-run, Jono Darby delivers an extraordinarily amiable performance. He grounds the protagonist’s millennial angst with a gentle, naive charm that keeps the audience firmly on his side, even as his personal life completely unravels. “It is a remarkably watchable, brilliantly observed hour of theatre. Steel strikes a delicate balance between romanticising the raw thrill of early-2000s Manhattan, seeing a screenwriter you’ve long admired, and exposing the brutal isolation of chasing a dream without a safety net. For anyone who has ever been forced to juggle creative dreams and financial realities, this superbly written piece hits close to home.” Abridged, with thanks and acknowledgement, from the full review which can be read at: https://www.whatsonstage.com/news/how-not-to-make-it-in-america-at-summerhall-edinburgh-fringe-review_1729928/ * * * * Rialto Arts was there: “How Not To Make It In America follows a young Australian actor, Matt, who ventures to New York in the summer of 2001 in search of his big break. He’s on a 90-day tourist visa, so the clock Is ticking. He’s somewhat under the radar – paying to sofa surf and being paid in cash, working at a video rental shop, but of course below minimum wage. “Matt puts himself forward for role after role, but the odds are stacked against him, especially as an alien. He lives hand to mouth, carefully calculating how to make it through the day on a pittance. “He struggles for connection. He has an uncertain relationship with Michelle. His flatmates seem to regard him as the butt of their jokes. He feels the full weight of the 10,000-mile distance from home. It’s financially draining enough being an actor – travel, headshots, agents – without the threat of deportation looming. He is tempted to pay an agent over $4,000 to fast track a green card application, which would significantly compromise his already precarious financial position, if he actually had the money. Michelle is alarmed at his naivety and offers to pay his airfare home. “...Emily Steel’s script provides a rich texture for the production, taking us back to the pre-mobile phone, internet and streaming era. She paints a picture of the sights, the sounds and smells of 9/11, but using a non-linear, disjointed structure, which lends the production a fragmented memory feeling. Ground Zero leaves an olfactory residue, akin to burning hotdogs. Telephone lines are down – more disconnection for Matt. “...But at the heart of the production is its depiction of the aspiring actor’s travails. How Not To Make It In America examines the anguish, the disappointments, the misplaced optimism, the expectations of friends and family, the vulnerability, and the relentless pressure to simply survive, laying bear its impact on mental health. Abridged, with thanks and acknowledgement, from the full review which can be read at: https://www.rialtoarts.com/post/how-not-to-make-it-in-america * * * * Theatre in Edinburgh was there: “It’s always good to see a single performer take on a range of characters, including Matt’s mother, father and grandmother, as well as work colleagues, work manager, casting directors and fellow actors, amongst others. The attention to detail in Emily Steel’s script is at the right level, enough to give the narrative credibility but without getting the storyline bogged down in minutiae. “One of those shows that relied heavily on the art of storytelling, it’s a compelling and nuanced production. The character development is strong in this play, surprisingly amusing even the central character’s myriad challenges. Far from a pity party, it’s a story of resilience and versatility when dealing with life’s curveballs. So despite my initial reservations within the first few minutes of the show, the production redeems itself through a poignant and nuanced narrative.” Abridged, with thanks and acknowledgement, from the full review which can be read at: https://theatreinedinburgh.co.uk/reviews/how-not-to-make-it-in-america-summerhall/ * * * * UK Theatre Network was there: “Jono Darby should be applauded, not just for playing 28 characters in Emily Steel’s tender, heartfelt account of an aspiring Australian actor trying to make it in New York at the time of 9/11, but because he stepped into the role at the last minute when the original actor couldn’t make it. “And he has nailed it! As Matt, a naive young Australian actor working illegally in New York while turning up for numerous auditions, he is nervous and unsure of himself and we feel for him. But then he becomes his mother, his lawyer, his best friend Ben… a whole myriad of characters, which he seamlessly inhabits, and we laugh and hang on his every word.” Abridged, with thanks and acknowledgement, from the full review which can be read at: https://uktheatrenetwork.com/2026/08/14/edinburgh-fringe-how-not-to-make-it-in-america-at-summerhall-former-gents-locker-room-1-hr/ |
Reviewed by: Adam Somerset |
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