Edinburgh Fringe Chats (#52): David Gibb, CINDERELLA ICE CREAM SELLER

4 Jul

Conducted by Emmie for Theatre and Tonic

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 David Gibb to chat about their show, Cinderella Ice Cream Seller.

Can you begin by telling us about your show and what inspired it?

Sure! Cinderella Ice Cream Seller is a new musical for families—and honestly, anyone who loves ice cream and a good tune. It’s a reimagining of the Cinderella story, where instead of going to a ball, she becomes a global ice cream magnate. There’s a Cinderella’s Ice Cream Parlour on every corner of the kingdom by the end!

The inspiration came from thinking about how ice cream is such a universally loved thing. It’s tied to childhood, birthdays, holidays—and I liked the idea of mixing that with the fairy tale world. I was also interested in how big companies become part of our everyday lives, so I threw that in too. Basically, it’s Cinderella meets global dessert empire.

What made you want to bring this work to the Fringe this year?

The Fringe is such a brilliant place to showcase work for families, and to be honest, it's one of the few places where you can perform a wild, musical, two-person, ice-cream-themed Cinderella retelling and find your people! I’m also really excited about being in a space where there’s so much other children’s and family theatre happening all around—it feels like the perfect place for this show to live and grow.

How would you describe your show in three words?

Delicious, tuneful, heartfelt.

What do you hope audiences take away from watching your performance?

First and foremost, I hope they have a really great time—whether they’re five or fifty. We want it to feel like something the whole family can enjoy together, genuinely. But underneath the silliness and the songs, there's a story about how we work together, how we get along with the people around us. So if people leave smiling, singing, maybe a bit emotional, and feeling a bit more connected—that’s the dream.

What’s your top tip for surviving the Fringe?

Plan ahead, but leave space to look after yourself. Know what your days look like—especially the big ones—and make time for proper meals, quiet moments, or even just ten minutes to breathe. It’s easy to burn out, but remembering why you're there—to make the show the best it can be every day—helps keep you grounded.

Where and when can people see your show?

Cinderella Ice Cream Seller is on at Underbelly, Bristosquare (Ermintrude) 30th July - 17th August, 11:40am.