Fringe debut for LA-based playwright turning her prison romance into a one-woman show
American playwright and performer Laurie Magers brings her gripping solo theatre show 'Do You Accept These Charges?' to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this summer, marking its European premiere at the Pleasance Courtyard Below from the 30th of July to the 24th of August (excluding the 12th and 18th).
A powerful and darkly humorous exploration of obsession, coercion, and personal reckoning, the piece pulls back the curtain on an intense real-life relationship between Magers and a man serving time in prison.
Written and performed by Magers, the show opens on a prison visitation day in 2014 and spirals into a deeply personal account of a young woman who falls for—and stays with—a man she later discovers is a convicted multi-felon. What begins as a misguided romance unravels into a harrowing narrative of control, trauma, and transformation, told through a mixture of dramatic monologue, reflection, and brutal honesty.
Do You Accept These Charges? is not simply a confessional—it is an unflinching theatrical examination of intimacy under pressure. Through candid storytelling and moments of dark absurdity, Magers brings the audience into the hidden emotional terrain of someone who willingly enters a toxic dynamic and stays long after the damage becomes clear. It’s a story of how desire, denial, and addiction to chaos can shape the course of a life.
The production delves into themes of love addiction, physical abuse, female sexuality, and the American prison system with both gravity and unexpected levity. From prison letters and restraining orders to stories of smuggled contraband and misplaced hope, Magers holds nothing back. The result is a raw and confrontational piece of theatre that doesn’t seek redemption, but truth.
Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area and now based in Los Angeles, Laurie Magers trained at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and Upright Citizens Brigade. A former competitive poet, she’s brought her writing to television through projects with Netflix, Comedy Central, and Disney+, but Do You Accept These Charges? marks her most personal and theatrical work to date. Her writing draws deeply from her upbringing as the daughter of a Filipina political activist and refugee, a background that informs her understanding of power, survival, and rebellion.
Magers’ stage presence is as fearless as her material, commanding the space with vulnerability and fire. In a festival known for showcasing new theatrical voices, this debut stands out for its unvarnished emotional intelligence and refusal to sanitise the truth.
Do You Accept These Charges? Will be at the Pleasance Courtyard Below at 3.10pm for the month of August for tickets go to www.edfringe.com