I'm Leo Lion, a theatre & games artist from Brooklyn, and I need your help to bring my solo show I WAS NEVER HERE to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2026.

Last year, I was so lucky to get to premiere my show HELP ME!!!! An Interactive Mime Seance at EdFringe, the biggest international theatre festival in the world. Despite being a one-man marketing and producing team, I managed to pack the house with audiences for three weeks, the show got rave reviews from lead publications like The Scotsman and BingeFringe Magazine, and audiences called it "unforgettable," "instantly gripping", and "the most memorable show I've seen at Fringe so far." I learned so much, got to connect with so many world-class artists and companies, and went on to take the show on the road to a total of now 4 theatre festivals, 10 cities, and 12 venues. If you've been a part of this show's journey, I can't thank you enough for helping.

This year, I'm thrilled be returning to Edinburgh with my new solo show, I WAS NEVER HERE (THERE IS NO SPY SHOW) about a sleeper agent trying to recover his memories. This show builds on everything I learned last summer and over the past few years of producing game-theatre in NYC, and I can't wait to share it with Fringe audiences.

But just because the show isn't called "HELP ME" doesn't mean I can do without your help!!!! Fringe is an extremely expensive proposition, between theatre rental, international travel and lodging, indie marketing and PR expenses, hiring tech personnel overseas, and that's without even counting costumes, props, and design elements! I am asking my community to help me raise $6,000 for my trip to Fringe, to cover the cost of my theatre, lodging, and festival registration -- all expenses without which the show could not go overseas. With everything I learned last year, this trip promises to be a massive push for my career as an interactive entertainer, and I would be so honored to have your support.

But what is I WAS NEVER HERE? Here's a bit about the show:

DO NOT READ. NO SLEEPER AGENT. NO EVIL TECH. NO SAVING THE WORLD. NO COUNTDOWN. NO AUDIENCE INTERACTION. NO PUZZLES, CODES, KEYS, LOCKS, OR PRIZES. NO EASTER EGGS. NO STREET ARG. NO CHOCOLATE. BURN YOUR PHONE AFTER READING THIS. THERE IS NO SPY SHOW. BE NORMAL.

For more about SPY SHOW, visit iwasneverhere.show

For more about my past show HELP ME, visit helpmetheshow.com

For more about my other work, visit leolion.com

Every donation helps - if 300 people donate $20, I'll meet my goal!

Thank you so much, and I hope to see you at the show.

In gratitude,

Leo Lion