A Cat in a Box
A Cat in a Box is a show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2026, performing at theSpace @ Surgeons' Hall. It has 9 performances listed, running from Fri 7 Aug, 14:05 to Sat 15 Aug, 14:05. The run has finished — every listed performance has taken place.
About this show
A deeply personal solo play that tells a story everyone can relate to. Through darkly humorous and dramatic monologues, Tom explores love, loss and hope growing up in an alcoholic, dysfunctional family, showing how trauma shapes our lives. Offering that no matter how dark the past, the present holds the possibility of light. 'Nemec avoids all of the flaws of the genre that make autobiographical solo plays cringeworthy' (Showtones.com). 'For a moment, we were united in our collective experience, and in our resolve to heal' (ArtsIndependent.com).
Details
- Venue: theSpace @ Surgeons' Hall
- Space: Theatre 3
- Genre: THEATRE, Storytelling, Dark comedy
- Country: UNITED STATES
- Running time: 50 minutes
- Room size: about 42 seats (Theatre 3) — the Fringe box office sells a share of the room, not all of it
- Performances listed: 9, of which 0 still to come and on sale
Accessibility
- Wheelchair access: level
- Access features: Step-free access, Accessible toilet
- Venue notes: Accessible entry: Up shallow ramp from the external courtyard, then level access into the theatre Wheelchair access type:Level Access Stairs: None Number of stairs is provided as guidance and is not in addition to any wheelchair access type (lift/ramp etc) stated above.
What the reviewers said
We have captured 3 published reviews and 6 audience reviews for this show from the Edinburgh Festival Fringe’s own listing. The excerpts below are the reviewers’ words, not ours — follow each link for the full review.
A Cat in a Box by Tom Nemec at Surgeon’s Hall is a powerfully moving story of Tom’s own experience of overcoming adverse childhood experiences through a healing lens.
— Rhys Reviews. (5 out of 5 stars)
3.5 stars Tom Nemec delivers a heartfelt retrospective with effective simplicity
Many Edinburgh Fringe shows consist of someone telling their own private story, and sometimes they can be a little on the dull side as the narrator falsely believes their story is more interesting than it is.
Performance dates and ticket availability
- Fri 7 Aug, 14:05 — Already performed — £11.00
- Sat 8 Aug, 14:05 — Already performed — £11.00
- Sun 9 Aug, 14:05 — Already performed — £11.00
- Mon 10 Aug, 14:05 — Already performed — £11.00
- Tue 11 Aug, 14:05 — Already performed — £11.00
- Wed 12 Aug, 14:05 — Already performed — £11.00
- Thu 13 Aug, 14:05 — Already performed — £11.00
- Fri 14 Aug, 14:05 — Already performed — £11.00
- Sat 15 Aug, 14:05 — Already performed — £11.00