Edinburgh Fringe Chats (#118): Clare Fraenke, I WAS A GERMAN
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 Clare Fraenke to find out more about her show, I Was A German.
1. Can you begin by telling us about your show and what inspired it?
I Was A German came about after I found out I was entitled to German citizenship – you know, after Brexit, when loads of us decided to see if we could get an EU passport. But then I started digging around in my family history...
I’d always known, growing up, that my granddad – Heinrich ‘Heinz’ Fraenkel – had a very lucky escape from Nazi Germany. But when I found out I was entitled to a passport thanks to a German law restoring citizenship to descendants of Nazi persecution, I worried how he’d feel about it.
I discovered it’s a common dilemma amongst British Jewish descendants in the same boat.
He died in the 1980s, so I couldn’t ask him – but then I discovered he’d written a whole book about it all! The book – Farewell to Germany – tells his narrow escape from the Nazi Secret Police, his experiences as a refugee in Britain, and also his return to Germany after the war, before deciding to settle in the UK.
And his reasons for staying here were not what I’d imagined.
His story felt like nothing I’d ever heard before – which was amazing to me, as WW2 is such a well-trodden period of history. I really wanted to give voice to it. And being an actor, the natural way to tell it was as a play. So I started developing I Was A German, hopping between both our stories, which are 90 years apart.
I wanted both storylines to be distinct – with mine firmly grounded in the present moment – but Heinz’s story is fully theatrical, using shadow puppetry, projection, and original songs: a language inspired by his love of cinema and his beloved Berlin’s nightlife. With thanks to ACE NLPG funding, I worked with a very talented team of creatives to make I Was A German. I’d describe it as a playful, multimedia show, with interactive elements and a Cabaret twist.
2. What made you want to bring this work to the Fringe this year?
I’m astonished to say that in 2025, I Was A German feels more pertinent than ever! When I first started exploring the idea, I thought it spoke to the toxic political atmosphere in the aftermath of Brexit. But actually, right now, I think my grandfather’s 90-year-old story feels like an increasingly urgent warning from history.
I wish the themes in this story didn’t resonate quite so alarmingly today: how a person can become a refugee overnight; the dangers of underestimating the Far Right; and the uphill battle to find tolerance amongst people with opposing views...
But here we are.
I don’t want to make the show sound like it’s really ponderous – we’ve put it together in a pacy and playful way, so hopefully it’ll be a perfect Edinburgh show! I’m incredibly excited to bring I Was A German to Fringe 2025, as the Fringe has such an electric atmosphere – and I’ve always felt it would be a great home for this show.
3. How would you describe your show in three words?
Surprising, playful, moving
4. What do you hope audiences take away from watching your performance?
A fresh perspective on a seemingly well-explored part of history, a surprising viewpoint on Britain and Britishness from a refugee’s POV – and also, hopefully, something that feels a bit thoughtful and moving.
Oh, and I also hope they enjoy some of the silliness and theatricality of it all! It’s been a real labour of love – not just researching the story itself, but finding the right theatrical language to tell it. I hope it’s as much of a joy for the audiences as it is for me to share it.
5. What’s your top tip for surviving the Fringe?
I’ve done Fringe twice, and I very much learned this nugget of wisdom from experience: pace yourself! You don’t have to drink all the beer and watch all the shows and stay up all night, every night. The Fringe is a magical and buzzing thing, but if you’re performing every day, you need to let yourself rest. At least a bit.
And if it all gets a bit much, take yourself off and explore the city – go to the cinema, or let it all out at a random karaoke night. My first Fringe I remember an epic duet of Under Pressure (I was David) – and it was absolutely a Fringe highlight for me. Probably not for the other people who endured it, but yeah, I still think fondly of yelping “ee de ba be” into the darkness of a quiet Edinburgh pub on a Tuesday evening. If that makes me sound like the sort of person whose advice you want to heed, then you’re welcome.
6. Where and when can people see your show?
Zoo Southside in the Studio-1.50pm
1st-24th August (not 12th)
https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/i-was-a-german
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