Emotional realism meets rave delirium in bold new theatre work
An unflinching exploration of emotional abuse, mental illness and personal survival makes its worldwide debut at this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Her Raving Mind, written and co-directed by Brighton-based Greek playwright Fenia Gianni, opens at Just The Tonic: Caves – Up The Road on 31st July, running through the 24th August (excluding 12th August).
The play centres on EL, a woman unraveling in the wake of narcissistic abuse. Her weekly therapy sessions become a gateway to dark revelations, as she re-enters the emotional terrain of her childhood and unearths haunting memories involving her controlling mother and abusive ex-husband. As she spirals between psychotic delusions, eating disorders, and club-fuelled hallucinations, EL’s journey exposes the long-lasting psychological scars of emotional trauma—and the desperate search for freedom.
Written, produced, and co-directed by Gianni—herself a survivor of emotional abuse—the show blends stark realism with rave delirium, confronting complex themes with raw vulnerability. Drawing on interviews with other abuse survivors, the piece aims to give voice to women often silenced, while igniting urgent conversations about mental health, family trauma and resilience.
Awarded funding through Keep It Fringe, Her Raving Mind is the first major production from tríada, the Brighton-based theatre company co-founded by Gianni. The company supports work from marginalised artists often underrepresented in the industry—across age, gender, race, and sexuality. The production features a cast and creative team that reflect this ethos, including artists of English, Greek and Asian heritage, and a spectrum of sexual identities.
The three-actor cast features Gianni in the lead role as EL, Kat de Leiros as both EL’s therapist and mother, and Edward Garcia as her father, ex-husband and a surreal prison warden figure. The show’s immersive technical design is by Irish theatre maker Gabriel Magill, who brings a rave-inspired intensity to the play’s darker psychological beats.
Gianni brings over 15 years of stage experience to the Fringe debut, alongside a background in clinical research, mental health counselling and behavioural coaching. Her recent theatre credits include Circle Mirror Transformation, Death and the Maiden, and Can’t Pay, Won’t Pay. In 2023–24, she co-produced the Brighton and London runs of WOMXN TALKING and MEN TALKING, two mental health-driven projects staged with tríada.
At its core, Her Raving Mind is a tragicomic odyssey into the fractured mind of a survivor. Fusing Ancient Greek theatrical elements with psychological thriller and moments of dance-fuelled catharsis, it asks whether healing is truly possible after long-term emotional abuse—or whether revenge and madness may take its place.
Her Raving Mind will be at the Just The Tonic Caves Just Up The Road for the month of August for tickets go to www.edfringe.com