Girlhood in the Bathroom: Edinburgh Fringe Interview 2026

Interview conducted by Olivia Bastin

There are few places where friendships are formed quite as quickly as the girls’ bathroom on a night out. From compliments exchanged between complete strangers to emergency pep talks, relationship debriefs and the occasional shared crisis, it’s a setting that has become almost synonymous with girlhood.

That experience sits at the heart of Girlhood in the Bathroom, a new Australian musical created by five young women who met at university. Set entirely in a nightclub bathroom on New Year’s Eve, the show follows five young women as they navigate friendship, heartbreak, mental health, sexuality, self-doubt and the uncertainty of what comes next, all through original music, humour and storytelling.

Ahead of their Edinburgh Fringe run, For The Plot’s Olivia Bastin caught up with the team behind Girlhood in the Bathroom to talk about bringing Australian theatre to Edinburgh, the real-life inspiration behind the show, its musical influences and, naturally, the Scottish food they’re determined to try while they’re here.

1. Can you describe your show in three words?

Girly, emotional whiplash

2. What is the inspiration behind your show, Girlhood in the Bathroom?

The idea of “Girlhood in the Bathroom” was originally conceptualised IN a club bathroom, on a night out, because we were inspired by the experiences in girls’ bathrooms that result in sisterhood, unity and camaraderie between strangers.

3. Why are you taking Girlhood in the Bathroom to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival this year?

We are impressed by the amount of theatre opportunities there are in the UK, and we feel like the next step for us and our show, is to bring it over to this theatre cultural hub.

We want to share Australian theatre with the world! Especially for young, emerging artists, the Edinburgh Fringe opens up opportunities for people to create their own work and share it with the world. We want to inspire other young artists to not wait for creative or performance opportunities to come their way; they all have the capability to make the opportunities themselves.

Edinburgh Fringe has been our goal since the start of this project, and to have been given this opportunity by the Gilded Balloon has been a dream come true. It’s the biggest open-access arts festival in the world, and to be given a platform to share a story so important to young women is an incredible achievement.

4. How do you feel it will translate to a UK and international audience?

Girlhood is a universal culture and experience. From our previous performances, we know our show is relatable, important, and brings people together. We feel that this will translate to UK and international audiences. In this day and age, particularly on social media, women post their experiences with a comments section full of people from all around the world who relate. This is what we are achieving, but through a musical form.

We do have several niche Aussie references, but that is what makes this show unique and exciting for an international audience, and why people in Edinburgh should see it.

5. Can you describe the Australian theatre scene?

All five of us currently live in Melbourne, which we all feel is the arts hub of Australia, with a range of large theatres in the centre of the city, and other independent theatres and companies that offer opportunities for artists and creatives in the industry.

Like many parts of the world, the “industry”, both professional and amateur, is highly competitive and often underfunded, which makes finding your way, particularly as a young artist, into the industry challenging. However, in the Australian festival scene, there is such a culture of creatives and people making things! This is really inspiring. There are so many people with such a love for creating theatre and work; there are just limited spaces and financial opportunities available to support these projects.

6. What are the musical influences behind Girlhood in the Bathroom?

We have such a broad range of musical styles in our show to highlight the multifaceted nature of girlhood, and have loved drawing inspiration from many different influences. This ranges from girly-pop to rap to ballads; we even have a doo-wap style song. Artists that we have drawn creative inspiration from include Olivia Rodrigo, Little Mix, Lemonade Mouth (2011 Disney film), Jagged Little Pill (2018 stage musical).

7. Are there any other shows you guys are planning to check out in between gigs?

AS MANY AS WE CAN – particularly other shows performing at Gilded Balloon. But some on our bucket list are…

• Heated Rivalry: the Musical Parody!
• FLOP! The Best Songs From The Worst Musicals
• Millicent Sarre Is Too Tired To Smash The Patriarchy
• Girlz – A Pop Story
• HR the Musical
• Endometriosis: The Musical
• Locomotive for Murder – The Improvised Whodunnit
• Our Town Needs A Nando’s
• Fuccbois: Live in Concert
• Bliss the Musical
• Puck Bunnies: A Heated Rivalry Drag Musical Parody
• Hater
• Slay
• Adi Parmar: Sunny Boy

8. Are there any Scottish delicacies you’re looking forward to trying?

This is all our FIRST time visiting Scotland, so we are all very excited to try anything and EVERYTHING! In particular…

• Haggis
• Whiskey
• Cullen skink
• Scotch pie
• Cranachan
• Full Scottish breakfast
• Tablet
• Rolo
• Shortbread
• Oatcakes
• Dundee marmalade
• IRN Bru
• Scottish salmon
• Forfar bridies
• Ribina

9. What are you hoping to get out of your experience at the 2026 Edinburgh Fringe Festival?

At the Edinburgh Fringe, we are hoping to meet new people, build our network, expose ourselves to new work, and explore the next opportunities or pathways we could take to progress our show!

From an idea born on a night out to bringing their work halfway across the world, Girlhood in the Bathroom is very much a product of the friendship and creative ambition at the centre of its story. For the five women behind the show, Edinburgh is not only a chance to introduce Fringe audiences to their particular slice of Australian girlhood, but also an opportunity to meet other creatives, discover new work and explore where the musical could go next.

And with a Fringe bucket list that seems almost as ambitious as their own run, plus haggis, Cullen skink, tablet and IRN-BRU still to conquer, it sounds like they’re planning to make the most of their first trip to Scotland.