Genesis Lab playwright shines at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival

Playwright Sabrina Mahfouz has wowed critics at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival with her most recent dramatic creation, Dry Ice. Inspired by her own experience of waiting tables in London strip clubs, and featuring Mahfouz herself as the sole cast member, Dry Ice revolves around the character of 24-year old stripper Nina, a young woman trying to find her place in the world. Surrounded by shady personalities and dubious goings-on, Nina must work hard to prevent herself from getting sucked in to the darker depths of the strange society she is a part of. 

The play, created with the support of the Genesis Laboratory - HighTide Festival Theatre's Research and Development Studio for emerging theatre practitioners, was initially performed at the New Wimbledon Theatre in the spring of this year. Asked about the creation process, Mahfouz is quick to highlight the impact of having the Genesis Lab available to her. According to her, 'the Genesis Lab gave me the time and space to realise that even a one woman show needs a number of great people to make the solo ready to go'. She cites the importance of the connections it allowed her to make, and the confidence it gave her to fulfil her project: 'From the Genesis Lab premises and with their introductions, I met amazing, award-winning set designers… as well as many other practitioners who I hope to work with in the future. One of the most priceless things that Genesis Lab supplied was a belief in the work at such an early stage and the support…that really gave me the motivation to keep going'.  

After the original run in London, Dry Ice was taken to Suffolk for a one-night stint at the HighTide Festival, before moving on to the Edinburgh Underbelly, where its reputation as a must-see was further bolstered by the addition of ex-‘Friend’ David Schwimmer as director. According to the reviews, Mahfouz – both as playwright and actor – captured Nina’s world and character effortlessly, lightening the heavier moments with her verbal skill and a spectacular dry wit that prevented the play from being a story of victimhood. The Herald pronounced Dry Ice ‘fearlessly exuberant’, a sentiment echoed by What’s On Stage, who stated that ‘Mahfouz firmly impacts on the audience. She delights with impressive style of delivery…punchy, dry humour and piercing poetry’. The Guardian chose the play as ‘Pick of the Week’, commending it as ‘magical stuff… immense detail… high velocity’, meanwhile The Times drew attention to Mahfouz’ linguistic prowess: ‘in quite a different league… astonishingly assured debut performance… a really substantial piece of writing… the language is rich… wrapped up in a compelling narrative’. 

Mahfouz’s upcoming engagements include several poetry readings around London, and a run of her play Crystal Kisses in Manchester. For more information, visit her website.

To find out more about the partnership between Genesis and HighTide, click here.