From LIPA to Fringe: Graduate Embarks on Biggest Tour Yet with Award-Winning Solo Show

LIPA Acting graduate Stephen Smith is embarking on the largest tour yet of his internationally acclaimed solo production One Man Poe, following five years of growth from a small-scale experimental performance into an award-winning theatrical phenomenon. Across the production, Smith performs six Edgar Allan Poe stories entirely solo, having committed more than 19,000 words of Poe’s original text to memory.

As part of our 30th anniversary celebrations, we spoke with Stephen to find out more about the inspiration behind One Man Poe, LIPA’s impact on the shows development and the excitement of an Edinburgh Fringe run this summer.

Smith, who studied BA (Hons) Acting at LIPA between 2014–2017, first developed One Man Poe during the pandemic before premiering the production in 2021. Since then, the show has toured nationally and internationally, receiving sell-out runs at the Edinburgh Fringe in both 2024 and 2025, alongside major recognition including The Derek Award for Best Overall Show and the Spookies Award for Best Horror Solo Show.

“One Man Poe actually began during the pandemic,” Smith told us. “I started creating live-streamed adaptations of Edgar Allan Poe's stories and quickly realised how naturally theatrical his writing already is. When venues reopened, I challenged myself to memorise four of his most famous works and present them back-to-back as a solo show.”

“Audiences can expect an atmospheric evening of gothic storytelling that stays remarkably faithful to Poe's original writing. Across the three different double-bills, I perform six of his stories entirely solo, bringing to life a huge range of characters through performance, lighting, sound and imaginative staging. It's somewhere between theatre, storytelling and a live audiobook, with plenty of suspense, dark humour and psychological horror.”

Smith credits his time studying here as a key driver behind his performance career. “LIPA played a huge role in giving me the confidence to create my own opportunities and develop ambitious independent work. One Man Poe simply would not exist in its current form without the support and encouragement I received there.”

The production has previously received LIPA Enterprise Funding and, in 2023, One Man Poe was invited back to perform on the Paul McCartney Auditorium stage during Induction Week for new students.

This summer, One Man Poe embarks on an extensive UK tour visiting Barnstaple, Exeter, Manchester, Prescot, Ripon, York, Watford, London, Colchester, and Edinburgh, culminating in a 42-night run at the 2026 Edinburgh Fringe. “This is by far the biggest undertaking the show has ever had,” Smith admits. “It's certainly daunting, but the show has grown so much over the last five years, and it feels like a really exciting moment to share it with even more audiences.”

You can find out more and book tickets here.