We caught up with writer and performer Wayne Steward to talk about Chrome Yellow — his reflective solo show that blends storytelling, journal entries and original songs,heading to ZOO Southside Studio at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe.
You walked 650 miles across France – what made you decide to turn that experience into a show?
While I was walking, I started wondering what a solo show might look like – maybe even a return to stand-up comedy? I’d never written a one-man play before, but it had always been something I hoped to achieve one day. When I got home, people asked if I’d share something from the trip. At first, I wasn’t sure there was a story. But when I opened my journal and started to peel back the layers, I realised that I had discovered something that needed to be explored further. The show began to take shape from there – not as a retelling, but as an excavation.
The colour yellow is clearly important in the show – what did it come to mean for you?
Without giving too much away: yellow is both something and nothing. It’s meaning and absurdity, instinct and coincidence. I think we all have a ‘yellow’ – a word, a feeling, an object – something that tethers us to something bigger, even if we don’t fully understand it. Or maybe… it’s just a colour.
Do you think we live in a time where people are craving meaning and connection more than ever?
How does Chrome Yellow tap into that?
Definitely. We’re more distracted and disconnected than ever. Whether it’s alcohol, scrolling, or just constant noise – we’re all desperately avoiding stillness, or having to confront the “…terrifying finality of now!” (as the show says). When I was walking, I avoided even listening to music, trying to connect instead with the rhythm of movement, nature, and breath. Meaning and connection can feel like staring into the abyss – it’s unknown and asks you to let go. Chrome Yellow isn’t about finding answers, but about allowing space for the questions. I didn’t go looking for connection, but it found me anyway, and that feels like something worth sharing.
As a performer with roots in stand-up, how did you adapt your style for a more introspective piece
like this?
I didn’t write it with my stand-up brain, but I can’t deny its influence. Comedy teaches conciseness – how to land a moment and move on. Chrome Yellow isn’t self-indulgent; it’s sharp and pacy, with humour threaded through. It’s about knowing when to lighten the load, and when to let silence do thetalking.
What was your highest and lowest moment on the walk?
Highest: Any moment of total solitude, where I’d look up and realise there wasn’t a person or car insight for miles – just this quiet thought: “I’m really doing it”.
Lowest: Day one. Eighteen miles in heavy rain. I arrived in Dinan soaked, blistered, exhausted, and convinced I’d made a huge mistake.
What do you hope Edinburgh audiences take from the show?
I’m not one to prescribe meaning. But I hope it makes people curious – about what connects them, what keeps them moving. I hope they leave feeling a little more at peace with life’s nonsense, without rushing to explain it all away, or seeking tidy answers.
For tickets go to https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/chrome-yellow