The standout of my Fringe so far, without a doubt, must be the breathtaking and fresh Eight Hours, a story that felt entirely comforting and familiar, yet completely original in the same vein. Eight hours, a fringe debut written and directed by Lily Stuart is a modern-day love story written for our generation of Lesbians, a beautiful love story without traditional tragedy or a sad coming-out revelation, our two characters (Jamie and Isabella) exist beautifully in each other’s space, as we watch them fall in love, and learn more about themselves and each other, as we wonder, is eight hours enough for them to fall in love? Does it mean everything? Or does it mean nothing?
I was lucky enough to speak with Lily and the cast (Edie Cooke who plays Isabella, and Amelia Jean Crabtree who plays Jamie) about all things Eight Hours, and wider fringe madness.
Something very important when creating this play for Lily, was the normalcy of the story, the two girls meet at a bar, and go home together, something many viewers I am sure can relate to, Edie notably commented that “being able to relate to something is maybe the most important kind of representation.” Lesbian stories that have been told on a global stage, whether that be in theatre or on the big screen, so often end in tragedy, death or an arranged heterosexual marriage, so it was beautifully refreshing to feel at ease in the familiarity of a queer space which felt not so far from my own reality.
The fluency of the dialogue is what makes this natural atmosphere of the theatre bloom, as the audience sat politely in the actors’ palms, a testament to the beautiful chemistry between Edie and Amelia, who I am shocked to learn have only met recently. Lily cannot sing their praises enough, as she commends their openness and the collaboration between the three. As Lily’s first script, she brought to the table this project, which she said wouldn’t have been finalised in the way it is without the input of Edie and Amelia, who beautifully adlib and bounce off each other throughout the show.
A huge theme within the play is that of finding home, Jamie and Isabella meet at a crossroads; Jamie is just about to leave the city for Australia, and Isabella has just arrived, Amelia aptly described Isabella as a “parting gift” for Jamie, whilst Jamie is a “welcome to the city, this is what your life could be” for Isabella. Found family and found home is a theme well-loved within Queer media, so I was eager to learn a time when our cast felt like home for the first time, when perhaps, as Isabella states in the play, her “quietness didn’t feel so loud”, or, in Jamie’s circumstances the opposite. Lily, who did a year abroad in New York, notes how moving to a huge city like that for a year made her feel brave and for the first time, that she was just as crazy as everyone else in the same space, a feeling echoed by both Edie and Amelia, who note they also want to move to New York. For Edie and Amelia, home is about people, not a place, and it is being with friends that make them feel the most grounded and themselves.
The vulnerability of the play was captured most beautifully in my favourite scene, after opening up to each other Jamie helps Isabella take off her makeup, followed by Isabella giving Jamie a rather humorous makeover. The mirroring of the exchange in vulnerability, as they rub off on one another, with exchanging their makeup was beautifully done. And is what makes Eight Hours so excellent, it is in the quiet moments, in which the power of the play is most loud, and creates such a beautifully safe, and realistic play, one which I wish beyond anything I could show younger me who craved so desperately lesbian media without tragedy, life does not have to end when you come out, there is a beautiful world beyond that, which Eight Hours is a testament to.
I, for one, cannot wait to see what the future holds for these talented young artists. Lily has an upcoming internship with Spotify, and Edie is about to begin her second year of university, whilst Amelia has just graduated. Wherever their paths tread next, weather that be on the boards, screen or behind a mic, I am sure their futures are bright. I hold onto a (not so) secret hope that I may see Eight Hours on the big screen someday!
Eight Hours has now finished its run at Fringe 2026.
Images Via Lily Stuart.
