A Jersey writer and performer is halfway through a month-long run of his one-man show at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival – but its origins lie far from the stages of Scotland.
In 2021, Wayne Stewart set out on a 650-mile solo walk across France.
Each day, he filled the pages of a private travel journal, chronicling not only the shifting landscapes but also the questions and revelations that surfaced along the way.
Those raw, unfiltered entries – never meant for public eyes – eventually grew into Wayne’s one-man show Chrome Yellow.
Now, with the show running from 1 to 24 August at the Fringe, Wayne is performing to intimate crowds, building a steady buzz, and relishing post-show conversations with strangers whose responses remind him why he first stepped on stage.
Express caught up with Wayne to chat about the unlikely birth of Chrome Yellow, the demands of life at the Fringe, and why belief in your work is the fuel that carries you through…
Can you tell us a bit about the thought process behind your show Chrome Yellow?
In 2021, I walked 650 miles across France. I think the intention was to set out and just go for a long walk really; it was never the plan to discover anything or turn it into a show.
I’d been keeping a journal while I was traveling. The more I wrote, the more it stopped being a travel tale and started to feel like an excavation, unbeknownst to me. I was trying to understand what made me do something so extreme in the first place, and what I’ve learned about myself.
The show grew from a journal I never meant anyone to read. There’s a rawness to that honesty, the kind you stumble into rather than plan for. Chrome Yellow is about doubt, discovery, and finding something close to meaning in the chaos.
I want to leave it open to people for interpretation. I don’t believe in describing an idea or value. I want to tell people my story and share my feelings, and the beauty is, in my opinion, that everyone takes something different from it, and that’s what I love about it.
What has the experience performing at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival been like so far?
It’s been fantastic. At the moment, it is literally just getting off the ground. We’ve started creating a bit more buzz and generating bigger audiences. It’s been quite intimate, and intimate is lovely. I really enjoy performing for small audiences. I think it’s the kind of show that lends itself well. It’s very, very personal.
I’ve had some really lovely conversations with audience members after the show. It’s great when people want to stick around for a chat afterwards, and it’s always special for me hearing how the show is affecting people in different ways.
I’ve had a few of those moments, and even doing the show itself is wonderful. I never get bored of it and I was worried I would, having to do it so many times, that I’d get sick of it – but really, I’m in love with it, and I really hope it shows.
Have you faced any challenges?
Even when you’re not on stage, it’s constant work and networking, and it is constant from morning to night.
I’m trying my hardest to make sure that I’m delivering it in the best way possible. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and I’ll be doing everything I can to make the most out of it.
I’ve got no doubt about the show. I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t feel that, like I wouldn’t be presenting if I wasn’t confident. You’ve got to have that belief in what you’re doing.
What is next for you?
I’m hoping that the show itself has got some kind of longevity.
If we can get enough interest then we can plan to get the show on the road next year, all around the UK to reach wider audiences.
Is there any advice you can offer to other emerging artists?
Work hard. I think there are too many young creatives at the moment who are just looking around, waiting for opportunities to come to them, and it doesn’t work that way. Put yourself out there.
Tickets to see Chrome Yellow at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival can be purchased here.
