Edinburgh Fringe Chats (#133): Nathan Jonathan, A SMALL TOWN NORTHERN TALE

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 Nathan Jonathan to find out more about A Small Town Northern Tale.

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

As a kid, I grew up in a Caribbean Jamaican household, then, quite suddenly, I found myself in a very white, very small Northern town. The culture shock was massive to say the least: It was the early 2000s, and casual racism was just… normal. Nobody questioned it. It was just everywhere.

It was a strange time for me. I ended up feeling like I didn't belong in that town and then over time, I also started to feel like I didn’t quite belong to my Caribbean roots either. 

In trying to fit in, I lost touch with part of myself. That’s really what made me want to write this. At its heart, A Small Town Northern Tale is about growing up in a place where you don’t fully fit, and what that does to you. I think that’s something a lot of people can relate to, no matter their background.

BUT. It’s also a love letter. To the working-class North, and to the 2000s, even though that era wasn’t always okay. I still have a deep nostalgia for it, warts n’all.

The journey with this show has been a bit of a whirlwind. As for acting, I’ve performed on TV, in features, and on the theatre stage. Additionally, I’ve been writing for a long time - novels, short stories, and spoken word - but this is the first time I’ve written and performed something so personal, live, and on my own. 

Putting everything together like this in such a raw, exposing way is probably the most fulfilling thing I’ve ever done. 

I’m proper excited to share it with people!

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

I wanted to bring this story to the Fringe because it felt like the right time to speak about this part of my life — but also because so many people, regardless of background, have experienced that same sense of not quite fitting in. The Fringe felt like the best place to connect with people through humour, heart, and nostalgia.

Plus… there’s something special about telling a working-class story in a space that doesn’t always make room for them.

3. How would you describe your show in three words?

Nostalgic. Honest. Chaotic.

5. What’s your top tip for surviving the Fringe?

Eat actual food. 

Not just beige stuff from the Co-op meal deal aisle. 

And find your people — whether that’s castmates, short term housemates, or someone who lets you borrow their portable fan. They’ll save your sanity.

6. Where and when can people see your show?

31st July – 24th August at Underbelly, Iron Belly (12:40 daily — not on the 12th). Come for the nostalgia, stay for a laugh with me at my trauma.