Edinburgh Fringe Chats (#150): Lewis Ian Bray, CARTOONOPOLIS
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 Lewis Ian Bray to find out more about Cartoonopolis.
1. Can you begin by telling us about your show and what inspired it?
Cartoonopolis is a one-person show full of heart, humour, and ham sandwiches cut into 8. It’s a riotous, coming-of-age comedy-drama inspired by my younger brother Jack, who is autistic. The show explores Jack’s vivid imaginary world, Cartoonopolis, home to mob bosses, wacky waiters, superheroes and super-super villains. It tracks the time in Jack’s life where he was just about to leave school and turn 18. For him, there was a whole lot of - quite frightening - change coming. But there was also a lot of change and uncertainty for my parents, navigating the move from child to adult services, DLA to PIP, school to… who knows what? The show was inspired by growing up alongside Jack and wanting to create a space where his voice, imagination, and joy could take centre stage. It’s about family, advocacy, and what happens when we give neurodivergent people the space to be exactly who they are.
2. What made you want to bring this work to the Fringe this year?
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the show and bringing it to the Fringe feels like the perfect way to celebrate. As a working-class artist, bringing Cartoonopolis to the festival was always the dream, but was just not possible 10 years ago. So much has changed for me since making (and because of making) the show. Cartoonopolis was my first piece of work as a writer, and whilst my career has more recently taken me into the screen world, returning to theatre with this show in particular really feels like coming home. That, plus the fact that the show feels more relevant now than ever. Conversations around neurodivergence and disability grow louder every day and there is still often so much nuance missed in people’s understanding of autism. I want to bring this story to a wider audience now, with the same heart and mischief it started with, but also with the depth and urgency that comes from a decade of learning, growing, and advocating.
3. How would you describe your show in three words?
Joyful. Personal. Imaginative.
4. What do you hope audiences take away from watching your performance?
First and foremost, this show is a whole lot of playful ridiculous fun; mainly because that’s the brain of my brother. I hope audiences laugh hard and come away feeling hopeful, because I think we could all do with a bit more hope right now. I want neurodivergent and disabled audiences, and their families, to feel heard, seen, represented, and celebrated, because Cartoonopolis is a celebration; of neurodivergence, imagination, and what it means to show up for the people you love.
5. What’s your top tip for surviving the Fringe?
This will be my first fringe as a performer, so I’m no guru, but I think what I’m going to do is keep looking out for the small, quiet moments, amongst the chaos. I’m going to try to stay grounded and surround myself with people who remind me why I’m doing this wonderfully bonkers thing.
6. Where and when can people see your show?
Come see Jack at Jack Dome (perfect right?!). We’re at Pleasance Dome (Jack Dome) at 1:10pm from 30th July to 24th August (not 6, 11, 18), with Relaxed performances every Sunday and Captioned performances on the 10th and 17th.
