Coming to Edinburgh Fringe 2026
Hollywood Fringe 2026
Top of the Fringe & Solo Theatre Award Nominee
Brendan Scannell: The Abyss
Part stand-up, part surreal deep dive in a sinking submersible, The Abyss is an hour-long descent to the depths of Brendan’s brain, where his mother is a life coach obsessed with death, his bipolar brother is communing spiritually with Gwyneth Paltrow, and his inner child is a total asshole.
HOLLYWOOD FRINGE 2026 NOMINATIONS
Top of The Fringe Award
Solo Theatre Award
Adelaide Fringe Exchange Award
Drew Spears Productions Medal of Valour
Written/Performed by Brendan Scannell
Directed by Emily Olcott
Produced by Cara Christian
Sound Design by Taubert Nadalini
Presented in the UK by RBM Comedy
Key Art Photo by Austin Cieszko
Poster by John Robert Allman
Producing a show at Hollywood Fringe and Edinburgh Fringe is expensive!
We’re talking venue rental, advertising and promotion, housing and travel
Plus paying the artists who have helped along they way!
To help with these costs, click below to check out our Merch or Book A Personalized Cameo
Creative Team
Brendan Scannell is an actor and comedian known for starring in the Netflix dark comedy series Bonding, for which he was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Actor in a Short Form Series. He previously starred in Heathers, Paramount’s TV adaptation of the cult classic film. He also has appeared on After Midnight with Taylor Tomlinson, Apple TV’s Loot, the FX anthology The Premise, Diary of a Future President, and co-starred in the film Bromates on Hulu opposite Snoop Dogg. He was a New Face of Standup at Montreal’s JFL Comedy Festival and has headlined shows at NY Comedy Festival and Netflix is a Joke. His standup and sketch videos with Comedy Central have over 20M views on Youtube and won the 2021 Webby Award for Best Comedy Video. Follow him on instagram https://www.instagram.com/bscan/
Emily Olcott (Director) is a performer, writer, and director based in NYC. Directing credits: The Story Pirates National Tour (JFL, Lincoln Center, Solid Sound Music Festival at MassMOCA); Chet Siegel’s My Dead Wedding (Ars Nova, UCB); Josh Nasser and Michelle Chan Bennett’s Bada Swing! (54 Below, Joe’s Pub); Kaytlin Bailey’s The Oldest Profession (currently touring); Michelle Cohn’s Hadid (upcoming: Edinburgh Fringe); Marty Miller’s BETH (Joe’s Pub, UCB). Emily is currently associate director to Ellie Heyman on Jesse Malin’s Silver Manhattan (Gramercy Theater, Bowery Electric). Select performing/comedy credits include Kafkaesque! (Theater 154, Off-Broadway premiere); Downtown at the KC Cabaret (The Kennedy Center, opening for Amber Ruffin); Dear Kiko (The Bell House); and several original solo shows performed all over NYC. BA Northwestern. https://www.instagram.com/emilyolcott/
Cara Christian (Producer) is an independent producer based in Los Angeles. Her recent theatre credits include Hitch: The Musical… A Parody (written and directed by Chanse McCrary), Dad’s Leg (written and directed by Zach Shields, starring Rain Spencer), Big Bear (written and directed by Patrick McDonald), Love Kills (starring Kaley Cuoco and Tom Pelphrey), and A Steady Rain (starring Lewis Pullman and Shaun Sipos). She also produces Essays, a bi-monthly comedic essay reading series at The Hunt Vintage that has been featured in the Los Angeles Times. With a background in both television and theater, Cara is dedicated to bold storytelling and the transformative power of live art. https://www.instagram.com/caradoodlebop/
