New York-based playwright and performer Jake Alexander is making his Edinburgh Fringe debut this Summer with the solo show Like a Good Neighbor. In this new piece of theatre the performer reflects on his lifelong passion for helping people, alongside trying to help the audience in real-time with their own everyday problems. Inspired by the community theme of the show, I recently had the opportunity to ask the performer some questions about where the concept came from and what he is looking forward to, performing at the festival for the first time.
How did you get into playwriting and performing?
I’ve been a performer since I was 8-years old. I saw my older sister in a production of The Music Man, and I was in love with the stage ever since. I wanted to be an actor for so long, and when the pandemic hit NYC, I took to writing to fill the time I could no longer dedicate to performing with our industry shut down. I had always been interested in and dabbled in playwriting, but it wasn’t until I could focus all my energy on it that I realized how passionate I was about it. It was my wife, Hayley (who is also my director), who suggested I blend the two and write solo shows.
What made you decide to write a show about the concept of being a neighbour?
If I had a love language, it would be “acts of service”. The show goes into it in more detail, but the truth is I love my neighborhood and I love being a part of it. And I connect to it by putting myself out there and helping any one I see in need; sometimes to horrible results. The show is an exploration of that philosophy of “help everyone”, and whether it’s really worth it. I’ve always been this way, and once this thing happened to me (the stray cat I tried to save attacked me, spoilers), I began to think about whether I could continue on this way.
Why did you decide to bring Like a Good Neighbor to the Edinburgh Fringe this year?
The Fringe has always been a dream of mine: I’ve always been jealous watching friends and other creatives I admire bring their shows to Edinburgh. After a successful run of LAGN last summer, I decided to take a chance and apply for the Fringe this year. It’s been a challenge so far, but one I’ve been eager to take on.
In the show you attempt to help the audience with their day-to-day problems in real time. To what extent is each show unique?
Every show is different! When the audience arrives at the theatre, they’re asked to fill out a slip of paper with the prompt “what do you need help with today? (big or small!)”. The slips then go into a bucket and throughout the show, I randomly select slips, and stop the story to help the audience member who filled out the selected slip. I’ve gotten requests like “help me bring my grandfather back from the dead” and “help me quit my job” and “help me convince my partner to adopt a dog”. There’s no way to prepare for what kind of request I might get throughout the show, so each performance is unique. That’s why I encourage everyone to come to more than one performance!
How will audiences be able to relate to the material?
We are all a part of a community, oftentimes more than one: whether it’s our groups of friends, or our families, or the spaces we live and work in. We all connect to one another every day, even if we don’t think we do. The smiles to your neighbors in your apartment building hallways. The “thank yous” to the person giving us coffee. The mutual frustration when our bus is late. This show is about how we can be more to that community than how we have related to it thus far. How else can we help each other? And for what reason do we try to help each other? I hope that every audience member walks away asking what it means “to be a good neighbor”.
What are you most excited about, performing at the festival this year?
I’ve never been, so this is a real thrill for me. But mostly I’m excited about getting new audiences to see my work, to support other shows and artists I know that are going to the festival this year, and to be immersed in a community of art that is looking to push boundaries.
Catch Like a Good Neighbor at the 2026 festival
At a time where we are all increasingly online, this new piece of writing sounds like it will remind audiences of the importance of looking out for both your local community and neighbourhood. It is also wonderful to hear that Jake gets to live out one of his dreams this Summer, performing at the Edinburgh Fringe for the first time. Like a Good Neighbor is based at The Vault at Paradise in The Vault (venue 29) from 8th – 22nd August (not 16th and 18th). Performances start at 20:35 (1 hour 15 minutes) and the show is on sale via the EdFringe website now.
Comments