Zoe Wohlfeld, Gaulier-trained American clown, makes her Edinburgh Fringe solo debut with ‘Dog Funeral’.

Previous work includes the live directed melodrama clown show ‘A Night of Drama’ (‘Best shows 2024’ — TimeOut NY; ★ ★ ★ ★ .5 —Reviews Hub), which had sold-out performances in New York and London, and three years running at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The show has been presented at the London Clown Festival at Soho Theatre and with Underbelly at the Edinburgh Fringe, where they were featured on the BBC’s ‘Edinburgh Unlocked’ with Miriam Margolyes.

“A hilariously unconventional take on grief…. Masterfully orchestrated” – Cog Journal

Zoe Wohlfeld: ‘Dog Funeral’

Zoe is holding a funeral for her childhood dog. Dressed in Victorian mourning garb and ready to cry on command, she’s here to teach you how to properly perform your grief. All she wants is your sympathy, your tears, and a goddamn glass of Pinot Grigio (please!).

‘Dog Funeral’ explores what it’s like to watch someone mourn: how they behave, how they might treat others, and what happens when they’re in the midst of grappling with comprehending loss and the existential dread that comes with it. Absurd at its core, ‘Dog Funeral’ uses dark comedy to explore grief laid bare but it also mocks the emotional grandeur and sentimentality that are commonplace in theatre productions that deal with heavy subject matter.

‘Dog Funeral’ is an ode to loss, dogs, and the loss of dogs. It’s an ode to every performer who thinks crying onstage makes them a good actor, and to that lady screaming in the Sainsbury’s because her father just died, she forgot her ID, and the teenager behind the register won’t let her buy a bottle of Pinot Grigio. Above all, it’s an ode to forgiveness, of ourselves and of others, because we all will be that lady in Sainsbury’s one day.