With Edinburgh Fringe 2026 underway we speak to Emma Louise Lerner who is the writer, actor and producer for the show We’ve Got Time. ”Dani, a young and reckless stand-up comedian with endometriosis has everything and nothing going for her all at once. She lives with her childhood BFF Molly, and Jarred her college sweetheart. When Dani is fired from her job, by her influencer, nepo-baby boss Tasha, Dani is forced to attempt to navigate post-graduate life against an unforgiving New York City backdrop. Dani begins to have doubts about her relationship, career and future… She doesn’t know what’s ahead and she definitely doesn’t have control, but one thing she does have is time.”
How would you describe your show to someone discovering it for the first time at the Fringe?
A sitcom on the stage! We are New York twenty-somethings trying to figure out who we are, what we want to do, and who we want to share our lives with. For fans of Seinfeld, Girls, Broad City, a classic American sitcom with real twenty-somethings being reflected on stage. Remember when you were twenty five and it felt like you were racing to the finish line and already completely behind?
What moment, idea or frustration first sparked this show into existence?
I had just finished my third rewatch of Sex And The City and was looking for something to watch when I just couldn’t find anything I hadn’t already seen before. There is some incredible TV about being young and confused in New York, but nothing that reflects what it’s like NOW. We as Americans are living in a total economic and cultural crisis where being young feels like a curse. We can’t afford to do anything other than survive, and there’s nothing reflecting that and the choices and sacrifices many young folks are making to provide for themselves. So, I wrote episode one of We’ve Got Time, hoping I can reflect what my peers are experiencing in an authentic way.
How has the show evolved from its earliest idea to what audiences will see now?
The show has evolved quite a bit! After casting the perfect actors and doing table work and just really listening to them and their lives, I catered each character to highlight the interesting colors I was seeing pop out of the actors. I think most twenty something shows are written retrospectively. We’ve Got Time is about what we’re experiencing right now, and it evolves as we grow which keeps it thrilling and real!
What makes Edinburgh Fringe the right place for this show right now?
Our goal for this piece is episodic sitcom theatre, and the fringe feels like the perfect place to build this story and continue with future episodes in years to come.
What does bringing this particular show to the Fringe represent for you personally?
I came to the festival last year as an audience member totally lost and confused in my life, I had been auditioning and trying to find satisfaction in a totally unforgiving industry. As a last ditch effort to find some purpose, I came to the fringe, and I found it! Do it yourself theatre is the core of this artform, I just needed the confidence to take that leap. Now a year later I’m here with my very first show, having found myself along the way. We’ve Got Time explores all of these ideas and celebrates that monet of lostness as a badge of honor along the way to mature adulthood.
What has been the most unexpectedly challenging part of getting this show to Edinburgh?
The most challenging part has been juggling day jobs with the intense schedule of rehearsing and performing, several of our team members had to quit their jobs in order to be here. A huge risk!
If audiences leave the venue holding onto one thing, what do you hope it is?
I hope they leave hugging their younger selves. We are taught that there’s all these things we’re “supossed to do” but we never actually do all of those things. The expectations set for your life are unfair, and as you get older you slowly realize that, but in your twenties it feels loike the end of the world. To those in their twenties who come to the show, I hope they feel seen and give themselves some grace. To those past that point in their life, I hope they give their younger self a hug and pat on the back for how hard that period of life is and what a triumph it is to be past it.
How do you think performing this show during a Fringe run will shape it?
We hope to build an audience so we can come back next year with episode 2! And of course, being comedy we are constantly tweaking and adjusting based on audience reactions and feedback.
Who do you hope this show finds at the Fringe?
Young artists and those who love them!
Finally, if this show came with a warning label, what would it say?
Warning: this show may cause laughter, romantic feelings, and mild existential dread.
We’ve Got Time runs at The Edinburgh Festival Fringe from 7th – 29th August 2026 (Except 16th & 23rd).