Absurdist Murder Mystery "A Foot Is Not An Appropriate Prize For The Tombola" Debuts At Edinburgh Fringe

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Daniel McVey's drag-led absurdist murder mystery will play Pleasance Courtyard's Attic stage.

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In a camp and interactive murder mystery, the audience is transformed from passive observers into a revolving cast of suspects when a severed foot is discovered at a village fete. Cosy crime and cosmic horror collide as the indomitable Lydia, performed in drag by Daniel McVey, attempts to keep the ‘bunting and bake-sale' festivities on track while navigating an absurd investigation. As the narrative peels back the quaint facade of Greenwold Village to reveal a sinister machinery at work, spectators are armed with scripts and puppets to inhabit the village's eccentric inhabitants.

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Delving into the unseen structures and traditions within communities, A Foot is Not an Appropriate Prize for the Tombola is an absurdist murder mystery that encourages audiences to question how authority figures handle and distribute the truth. Performances will run 5 – 31 Aug 2026.

Writer and performer Daniel McVey said, “With the state of the world as it is, sometimes we just need an hour of irreverent campy fun, and I've certainly had a blast creating the drag character of Lydia, and the bizarre village of Greewoldwith its eccentric residents. However just because it's full of humour and silliness doesn't mean it can't also explore important themes, and in a time when power is constantly being abused by the mega-wealthy and they are telling us to believe the version of the truth that best fits their ideology the show's message feels vitally important. Woven into the plot and its form as an interactive murder mystery, the message of questioning what we're told by people in positions of power is as intrinsic to A Foot is Not an Appropriate Prize for the Tombola's DNA as it's absurd and ridiculous comedy.”

Daniel McVey (he/they) is a writer, director, theatre-maker and stage manager from Nottingham. He has been writing for theatre for the past decade including Gnaw and Robert (1849) at the Nottingham Playhouse . Their script Richard of Yorkwas a Top 10 finalist for the Carlo Annoni International Playwriting Award in 2024. This is their Edinburgh Festival Fringe debut.

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_Originally reported by [BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/scotland/article/A-FOOT-IS-NOT-AN-APPROPRIATE-PRIZE-FOR-THE-TOMBOLA-to-Make-Edinburgh-Fringe-Debut-20260520)._