Westbury woman to take two original shows to Edinburgh Fringe

A Westbury actor and director is preparing to tour two original shows locally before taking them to the Edinburgh Fringe later this year.

Lou Cox will take her one woman play, Having a Baby and The Sh!t They Don’t Tell You in Books, and the Wharf Acting Company’s original production, Whose Play is it Anyway?, for a week-long run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival from 17th August to 22nd August.

Local performances for both shows will take place as part of a pre-fringe tour.

Lou produced the play, Having a Baby and The Sh!t They Don’t Tell You in Books, following the loss of her baby girl Hattie in 2022. Due to lack of oxygen during a traumatic birth, Hattie was left severely brain damaged and after a few days, the decision was made to turn off her life support. Hattie was able to breathe independently for 36 hours but died at just five days old.

Lou describes the play as a “comedic and brutally honest one-woman show which gifts audiences an emotional, and at times highly entertaining, whirlwind of witty anecdotes and graphic storytelling, with an ending no mother could ever imagine.”

A first-night review of the show said, “The courage that Lou displayed whilst reliving this personal trauma was like nothing I’d seen on stage. It was raw, generous and insightful.”

Lou also runs the Wharf Acting Company in Devizes and has devised and directed their production, Whose Play is it Anyway?

The production uses a gameshow format to explore a range of devised, scripted and improvised pieces, many created by the cast themselves. As part of the game, each performance’s order will be left to chance, creating a unique experience every time.

Tickets for performances at the Wharf Theatre in Devizes are available now. Both plays are suitable for over 18s.

Lou will perform Having a Baby and The Sh!t They Don’t Tell You in Books at the theatre on Saturday 30th May at 7.30pm.

The Wharf Acting Company will perform Whose Play is it Anyway? on Friday 29th May at 7.30pm and Saturday 30th May at 2.30pm.

Tickets for both shows are available to buy at https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/the-wharf-theatre/