Help Us Take Learning to Human to the Edinburgh Fringe 2026

After seven years of development, multiple US runs, and award wins in New York and Austin, Learning to Human has been accepted to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2026 — the largest arts festival in the world.

We’re proud to be presenting the show at The Gilded Balloon’s Wee Room, working alongside RBM Comedy as part of our Fringe debut.

This is an extraordinary opportunity. It’s also a significant financial undertaking.

Taking a show to Edinburgh means:

• Venue rental and festival fees

• Technical crew and production costs

• Marketing and flyering in a city of 3,000+ shows

• Flights and four weeks of accommodation

• Living costs during the run

Our base fundraising goal is $18,000.

This covers core venue, travel, and production costs.

Our stretch goal is $25,000, allowing us to invest properly in marketing and give the show its best possible platform.

Learning to Human is a raw, funny and deeply personal story of addiction and recovery — and we believe its message deserves an international audience.

If you’re able to contribute, thank you. If not, sharing this campaign means the world.

— Sims Holland & David McCusker

Press Highlights for Learning To Human:

“Do not walk to see this show. RUN.”

— Broadway World (2025)

“Plenty of laughter and quite a lot of self-dismissive clowning. Sims gives our empathy a workout.”

— Austin Live Theatre (2025)

“All I can say is that Sims Holland is a mesmerizing and hilarious performer and you absolutely do not want to miss this.”

– CTX LIVE Theatre (2024)

“Honest without indulgence, raw without voyeurism, and funny without flippancy… Holland shows what unfiltered storytelling feels like when it is live, dangerous, and shared in real time.”

— Broadway World (2025)

Her show brims with such moments: unfiltered, unremorseful, absurd, and devastating. Yet through the wild antics, we see a woman ready at last to face herself, ready to learn what it means—messy, complicated, triumphant—to “human.”

— Sun News, Austin (2025)

“Some nights at the theater hit like a freight train. Learning to Human is one of those nights… searing, soul-baring, and completely unforgettable.”— Broadway World (2025)

“Vivid, beautifully kinetic narrative… articulate, comical, and a bit of a poet.” — CTX Live Theatre (2025)