Edinburgh Fringe Artist Interview: Emily Weitzman of Furniture Boys

As the shows have descended on the busy town of Edinburgh, I am so excited to launch my Edinburgh Fringe 2025 Artist Interview series. I'm hoping to share some amazing shows with you, as I chat to the artists who are working tirelessly behind the scenes to make them a reality! Today, I got the chance to chat to Emily Weitzman from Furniture Boys who talks about Scottish accents, Charlie XCX and furniture of course!

Photo Credit: Jordan Ashleigh

Without spoiling, what is your show about?

“Furniture endures, but boyfriends—not so much.” Furniture Boys is a genre-defying solo show mixing theatre, comedy, clown, spoken word poetry, and furniture showroom. A tale of pull-out couches and break-ups and art-making, Furniture Boys ultimately examines the impermanence of a relationship, an artistic project, a person, a chair, a self. As one reviewer says: “Furniture has never been more moving.” 

How did this show come to fruition?

Let’s just say it all began fifteen years ago with a pull out couch, continued with a broken chair, and has led to me personifying (well, furniturifying) all my exes as lamps, tables, futons, etc. But I can’t say too much because the story of the show coming into being is part of the show itself—you have to come see it to hear the full story!  

Why do you think this show is an important one for audiences to see?

Because boys and furniture are much more similar than audiences think! A clock can tell you the time—a boy can tell you the time, too. You can turn on a lamp—and you can turn on a boy. Chairs, like boys, have arms, legs, backs. Boys have names and chairs could. 

Boys being furniture in this play is fun and silly, but there are also deeper reasons for the comparison that emerge throughout the play. Furniture is made with people in mind: how we live, what we store, where we sit, who we are. So the show is about the things we make—relationships, furniture, art—and also about the meaning we make in our lives, through romantic relationships but also in our relationships to our art and to ourselves. Turning boys into lampshades and armchairs and futons is playful, but through that playfulness, the show explores mortality and impermanence, too. People who see the show have told me they never look at furniture in the same way again. 

How are you feeling about performing at the Edinburgh Fringe?

Excited for all of the Scottish accents! (The decorative accents that is.) 

What advice would you give somebody who wants to pursue a career in theatre?

I took a winding route to arrive here – I studied creative writing and became a writer and a professor. I teach courses to undergraduates on writing about performance. But at some point I found I missed performing: the connection, the laughter, the immediate response, the presence and attention, the feeling of connection to other bodies in a room. Now I write, teach, and perform – each one brings me different kinds of excitement and connection and relationships. So there’s truly not just one way to become a performer / theater artist! In fact, the detours become a part of what makes your artistry and work unique. 

Okay, now for an important question. Is a Jaffa Cake a Cake or a biscuit?

I’ve never tried one! But let me pose a question back to you, is a sofabed a sofa or is it a bed? 

If you could have dinner with anyone, dead or alive, who would you invite?

I’d invite a table and some chairs. We’d have a great time! 

What song would be represent your show?

“Boys” by Charli XCX. 

And finally, why should I buy a ticket to see your show?

Early in the show I say to the audience: “I know what you’re thinking: why are the boys furniture?” Buy a ticket and find out! (As the Orlando Sentinel put it: “You just might go home and hug your favorite ottoman.”) 

Ticket Information for Furniture Boys:

Furniture Boys is currently running 12:45pm every day at Underbelly George Square as part of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. You can buy tickets here.