Public speaker, author and performer Lizzie Bean is making her Edinburgh Fringe debut with Phuckets and Rainbows: a new piece of theatre that reflects on the beauty of living and being. A solo show that dares to challenge societal norms and teaching, this piece aims to spark conversations beyond the curtain call, with theatre being one of many mediums where Lizzie is sharing her life experiences and reflections. I recently had the opportunity to ask the creative some questions about the show and her background, ahead of a 9-day run at Greenside venues this festival season.
How did you get into public speaking, writing and end up accidentally creating your own one-person show, Phuckets and Rainbows?
It has all been a bit of an accident really! And the truth is, that childhood cancer in my family unit made me sit up and notice that life is so fleeting and time never promised… that all those dreams you wished to live in, and those plans you wanted to make come true, all need to happen before it all runs out…
Couple that with how, as humans, we are so afraid to be seen because of judgment, and this idea that we simply aren’t good enough, means we limit our horizons. So afraid of falling short.
My show and my work are a means for me to help other humans to see, we are all born to live, not hide. That perfection is made up. That being ourselves, albeit just ordinary people, is actually quite remarkable!
And courage… to tell my story, through the way I see the world, is actually how my show happened. On the brink of another nervous breakdown… I wondered, what will help me? And it seems, speaking the tricky truth to a room full of strangers, was a tonic. Not just for my heart, but the hundreds of others, who have shared the rollercoaster of the show Phuckets and Rainbows with me too!
What can you tell me about the “beanology” framework that you created?
Beanology is what came first and has given me all the roots of my current existence. The framework for all I do and am. And how I keep myself and others psychologically safe. It’s built on the idea that we are all born with a magic bean inside us. An innate belief that we are made of wonder! Along the way, the shape of our cultures, families, society and systems dims that light and we all become the same. But inwardly, we all grieve for the magic we have lost!
For adults my work is about helping them unbecome all they have learned in these systems, and to rebuild their realities in a space that is freeing, accepting, self-celebrating, safe and full of all the things that make their lives shine. One of those things being honest about how we feel.
For children, the emphasis is more on protecting that uniqueness. To try their best, and to understand the win, is where we begin. Ever instilling in them, the power of possibility! Not to forget, that we are all born to be different… And that comparisons will only ever make us feel small…
This work is trauma informed and neurodiverse welcoming. Deeply rooted in seeking to understand, compassion and remembering we are allowed to choose ourselves too. That kindness is not the same as self-sabotage! I could talk about this for hours! Ha ha.
Phuckets and Rainbows explores what it means to be human and in the show you reflect on how precious imperfection is. How have your own life experiences encouraged you to talk about these themes so openly?
For much of my life I danced in spaces where I never felt “good enough” so I lived in the eternal loop of “If I achieve this… I’ll be worthy”. It wasn’t until my world imploded with a much bigger reality that I saw there was another way. One where we use love and compassion to build self-esteem. Not fear, judgment and criticism. My own imperfections are many when we measure me against all the rules of what it means to be a “perfect” person, but I think that those measures have been invented to make us all feel small. To inspire us to spend money on the things we should have to be more enough… but what if… those measures didn’t exist? How would we feel about ourselves then? What if we were all valuable because we all bring a different magic to the room?
I think seeing humanity with that mindset sets people free and I watch it work too. People see my show, experience my work, and I get messages long after the lights go down. Thanking me for my candidness, my honesty and my vulnerability. And it’s those moments… that keep me talking, listening, sharing… because this work matters. For us all. And so much so, for the children who are yet to question whether they are good enough and then lose themselves trying to prove otherwise.
How do you infuse storytelling, humour and personal reflections into the piece?
The show is not scripted. It follows a pattern, which is brought to life by the props and costumes, but the actual words just appear from my heart and my head. For me, this is how the show comes to life. I am nervous, every time I share it, and in that space. I attune to the room. The stories are told and they are funny. I’ve lived a weird and wonderful existence. Not many people have shut their heads in a car door, watched their car roll across a car park, fall off a bus, get stuck on a train! The stories are funny, but interspersed in the hilarity of what it means to be me, to be human, is the stuff that crushes you and makes the room feel the tricky. Something we all know, and yet so often don’t speak of. And I truly believe adding light to the shade helps no end, as it enables people to relate, to feel and also not to get lost in the trickery of it all. Both in my show, and indeed life itself.
Talking about such personal topics, how do you engage the audience throughout the 50-minute performance?
The way I tell stories is pretty wonderful. Immersive, comedic, feely experiences, coupled with costumes, props and wisdom, wit and warmth, delivered in a wonderful way. The show is up, down, left, right, and round and round… It’s magnetic.
If you were to look ahead to the end of August, what would you like to have achieved by the end of your Edinburgh run?
To have managed to share my show to a room full of people who it touches in all the right ways! To not lose myself in the drive to make it a “success”; a contagion that all too often mutes the mission! To find a way to get the show to more people. This message matters. Now more than ever… because we matter.
Catch Phuckets and Rainbows at the 2026 festival
Phuckets and Rainbows sounds like a reflective and powerful solo piece that aims to really help people. Lizzie’s spirit for life is infectious, celebrating the joy in the everyday and ordinary. Phuckets and Rainbows is based at Ivy Studio at Greenside @ George Street (venue 236) from 7th – 15th August. Performances start at 17:30 (50 minutes), with the show on sale via the EdFringe website now.
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