WE'RE GOING TO SCOTLAND! Thank you to every person who donated and made it possible to reach our largest financial hurdle of paying for the theater. Having cleared that, we are set to spend August in Scotland performing at the Fringe!

I'll be leaving the fundraiser open for a little bit to cover additional expenses (the less-glamorous-but-vital stuff: street flyering, marketing, poster printing, and the PR that gets us in front of the right critics!).

Hi! My name is Simone McAlonen. I’m an artist and producer, and I'm bringing my solo show, Wild Wild Christian, to the 2026 Edinburgh Fringe Festival this August, and I could really use your help!

Fringe is the "Olympics of Theater," and as an international artist, the stakes (and the costs) are high. I have spent nearly a decade developing this show, navigating two cross-country moves and a global pandemic, and I am thrilled to announce that it has been programmed at Riddle’s Court, a gorgeous and intimate venue in the heart of Edinburgh.

Story Synopsis:

High Desert. High Holy. High Stakes.

Wild Wild Christian is a hilarious, true coming-of-age story about puberty, spiritual awakening, and purity culture, all while living at a Christian summer camp (awkward!).

Based on my original journal entries, the show picks up where the Emmy-winning Netflix documentary Wild Wild Country ends, when a former cult compound in rural Oregon is transformed into a wholesome Christian camp.

Through my own spiritual de-awakening, I begin to trace the surprising connections between American Evangelicalism and the current political climate in the US, all seen through the sharp, funny lens of an unlikely observer: a 12-year-old girl.

"Godhood is like girlhood; a begging to be believed." -Kristin Chang

About the Production:

Wild Wild Christian had its world premiere at Three Clubs in Los Angeles in August of 2018. It began as a one-off staged reading, and I had no intention of doing it more than once. But when I read it, it was a hit. People told me to keep going with it; everyone from my comedy friends to people in my theater company, and even Lynn Shelton, the late, great film director I had worked with on a commercial, who came to the show and emailed me afterward.

This led to a collaboration with theater director Kevin Comartin, who helped me refine and develop the full show.

Production History has included;

Why I need your help:

Performing at the Fringe has been a dream of mine since developing this project, but doing it properly means covering costs like hiring tech, securing music licensing, and covering the hefty venue deposits that keep the lights on. Specifically, I have a major $7,000 final venue payment due on May 15th. Your support directly ensures that I can step onto that stage.

Thank you for believing in this story and helping me get to Scotland!