How would you describe your show to someone discovering it for the first time at the Fringe? This is an interactive, one-woman comedy show about ending the loneliness epidemic. It’s designed to help people meet friends, and maybe even lovers! What moment, idea or frustration first sparked this show into existence? In 2022, I moved to a new city by myself. I lived alone, was single, and worked remotely. Dating apps weren’t working for me, and out of sheer loneliness, I started winking at cute strangers I passed on the street and documenting my successes (but mostly failures) on Instagram. As that gained popularity, I turned the campaign into a hidden camera series where I hit on people (and got rejected) to inspire others to respectfully approach each other IRL! The positive feedback led to me developing my character, Lt. Love Dr. Hotty McTotty, who stood outside bars recruiting people for the “Grassroots Movement to Revive Human Connection.” That led to a 5 minute theatre act, and finally a full-length show! So I guess the initial frustration that sparked this show was my own genuine loneliness. How has the show evolved from its earliest idea to what audiences will see now? Once upon a time, this show was just a 5-minute guest act in cabaret shows. It has since become a 50-minute interactive theatre show that has traveled to NYC, Chicago, Atlanta, Boston, Las Vegas, and now Edinburgh. I’ve received multiple 4-star reviews and am just getting started! What makes Edinburgh Fringe the right place for this show right now? People from all over the world come together at the Edinburgh Fringe! It is a great chance for solo travelers to make friends they otherwise wouldn’t meet, and for locals to connect with international visitors. The energy of the Fringe fosters a really beautiful, communal energy. What does bringing this particular show to the Fringe represent for you personally? For me, bringing this show to the Fringe is a powerful reminder that we all play a part in building the future that we want. It feels like the world is becoming more isolated.. people are turning inwards and spending more time looking at devices. I want audiences to leave my show reminded that their actions play a part in creating our social culture. For me, this show represents a more connected future grounded in real, tangible experiences. What has been the most unexpectedly challenging part of getting this show to Edinburgh? I don’t know if there have been any big, unexpected challenges, just a series of small challenges I work on every day. Marketing is probably the most consistent hurdle. It’s very difficult to convince people to come to something they have a hard time imagining (like an alternative, interactive comedy show/social experiment, for example). If audiences leave the venue holding onto one thing, what do you hope it is? Hope and less fear! At the end of the show, audiences literally repeat the mantra: “our actions create the world we want to live in, and other people are not scary.” After that, I encourage everyone to go mingle at the bar. How do you think performing this show during a Fringe run will shape it? I would like to make the performance more about showcasing the lovely audience. If a person comes to the show to meet people, I want to give them a chance to say “Hey! My name’s Melanie. I’m 35, single, and a lot of fun! Who wants to get a coffee?” By the end of Fringe, I want my character to be not only a fictional, futuristic soldier, but also a genuine matchmaker. Who do you hope this show finds at the Fringe? I hope this show finds some buzz! I want people to come with an open mind, laugh a lot, feel hopeful, then say to others, “Did you hear about that dating comedy show?? Lt. Love Dr.. or something like that? It was fun!” Finally, if this show came with a warning label, what would it say? Warning: You might get laid Lt Love Dr’s Boot Camp for Lonely People Like You runs at The Edinburgh Festival Fringe from 6th-30th August 2026 (except 18th).
Next in our Edinburgh Fringe interview series, we speak to Chloe Matonis who is bringing the show Lt Love Dr’s Boot Camp for Lonely People Like You to Edinburgh Fringe. ”Meet Lt Love Dr Hotty McTotty – a futuristic soldier who has travelled back in time from 2075. Her mission: to revive human connection. Through a series of drills including: small talk, eye contact and speed dating, audiences will rally together to combat our increasingly isolated reality. This hilarious, heartfelt and surprisingly impactful show will inspire you to make friends, disconnect from the digital world and rediscover what it means to be human.”
