Shallowspace Cryotech Feverdream
★★★★☆ Haunting and tragic
theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall (venue 53): Mon 18 – Sun 24 Aug 2025
Review by Erin Frances Speirs.
Shallowspace Cryotech Feverdream, from Queer Edinburgh-based company Elastic Fantastic at theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall for the final week of the Fringe, is a haunting one-person sci-fi tale which plays with body horror and fascinating visuals to explore bodily autonomy.
The play begins with August (Callie O’Brien) waking up in her pod, where her body is kept alive but frozen. She is a shepherd on a Theseus spacecraft designed to keep the history of human civilisation alive.
Callie Smith in Shallowspace Cryotech Feverdream. Pic: Jake Mace.
The Theseus initiative was established so that no person will ever again experience the third and final death—in which no one remembers you anymore, and your name is never uttered again. August was chosen as one of twelve other humans to live on the spacecraft, making repairs, and keeping human history alive.
It is a lonely life with only an AI voice (Ally Haughey) to keep her company. August wakes up every thousand years to make repairs and safeguard the ship. Each time this happens, August must complete memory and cognitive tests, which is played with throughout the play to show her deteriorating state.
August, a Trans woman, speaks directly to the audience in a very casual and personable manner. Callie O’Brien has naturalistic manner, presenting this well and with great humour. However, these lower stakes moments can often feel one-note as she information dumps sci-fi jargon.
Ikea shark plushie
August explains how she got to the ship, as well as her identity. She does not explicitly state that she is a Trans woman, however references to changing her name, her former body, and of course her possession of the Ikea shark plushie make this clear.
She is proud to have been chosen to represent humanity. But she is aware of her loneliness, remembering her life before the Theseus Initiative. She tries to explain the feeling to her AI companion—who was programmed not to care for the shepherds on an emotional level—begging to be touched one more time.
Callie Smith in Shallowspace Cryotech Feverdream. Pic: Jake Mace.
As the play progresses, the cryogenic freezing process as August’s body begin to turn on her. It is horrifying to witness the cheerful shepherd wake up with blood smeared across her body, with her own blood still frozen inside of her. Callie O’Brien’s physical performance is spectacular. She writhes around on the floor, creating suggestions of missing limbs, screaming in pain.
The crux of Shallowspace Cryotech Feverdream is bodily autonomy. August chose to change her body to feel like herself and was then chosen as a shepherd and forced to have unwanted things added to her. Similarly, her AI companion is a combination of bits and pieces of a previous model that August cared for. Neither have had a choice in what happens to their bodies or even their lives.
The play successfully uses stunning projections, also designed by O’Brien, to draw audiences into the sci-fi setting, capturing us from the moment the play begins. Alongside Callie O’Brien’s strong presence, this creates an engaging, fascinating, and tragic 50 minutes of theatre.
strong physical storytelling
The play begins to lose drive once August begins to lose control of her body, but with some tighter direction from Mike Dorey, this would not be an issue. Certainly, O’Brien’s strong physical storytelling helps keep her audience with her through August’s story.
O’Brien’s writing is engaging and heartbreaking, if sometimes too overloaded with science fiction language. Mike Dorey’s direction is rapid, swinging from one scene to the next with force. There are moments where the writing and direction do not go hand in hand, with a need to slow down the pace for emotional moments to hit. However, this is only in specific moments.
Shallowspace Cryotech Feverdream is a technically outstanding and tragic horror sci-fi play that keeps audiences on the edges of their chairs and Callie O’Brien carries the play with grace. Elastic Fantastic have a true gem of Queer, sci-fi theatre on their hands.
Running time: 50 minutes (no interval).
theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall, (Haldane Theatre), 19 Hill Place, EH8 9DW (Venue 53).
Monday 18 – Sunday 24 August 2025.
Daily: 9.15pm.
Tickets and details: Book here on EdFringe.com.
Elastic Fantasic website: https://www.elasticfantastic.co.uk
Instagram: @elasticfantasia
Callie Smith in Shallowspace Cryotech Feverdream. Pic: Jake Mace.
ENDS
