Created by Andrew Agress
Starring Connor Wahrman & Andrew Agress
Design by Nick Orvis & Becky Ho 

Great question! Grab your fedora and holster your puns because Raiders of the Local Adventure is an interactive comedic expedition. Renowned archeologist Dr. Grones and his assistant Milo guide attendees on a perilous journey through the dangerous and mystical lands of a local park in search of a mysterious lost artifact, spoofing your favorite pulp adventure stories along the way. Watch out for cryptic clues, derring-do, deception, dangerous wildlife, meddling academics, and more in this wacky adventure!

Oftentimes, especially in a city, we become so accustomed to our surroundings that we take them for granted, aware of them but not really tuned in.  And nowhere do we risk missing so much when we do this as in our parks. As such, our show aims to imbue the park--any park--with a sense of adventure and get people to see it with new eyes. A spoof of adventure stories felt like the natural fit, as the genre and its tropes focus on searching for wonder in the world. We hope this experience can get people to appreciate the world around us, even just our great parks, and associate them with a sense of adventure.

After a highly successful test run of Raiders of the Local Adventure in Central Park in the fall of 2024, we knew we wanted to bring the show back. Audiences praised the show for providing joy but also for making them see Central Park with new eyes (figurative eyes, not to be confused with The Cerulean Eyes of The Lost Temple of Optometry). Thanks to our success this past fall, we’ll bring the show back to New York this spring. But the adventure never ends at the first stop. So we figured, why not bring the show to another park to showcase its nature and splendor?

Having attended the Edinburgh Fringe in 2012 and 2017, Andrew knew that Edinburgh has a lovely park, Holyrood Park, which would be perfect for the show. And Historic Environment Scotland agreed! The agency, which is the leading institution managing heritage land in Scotland and only allows a select few programs in the historic park each year, approved Raiders of the Local Adventure for the Edinburgh Fringe. We're incredibly honored to be able to present our show in such a beautiful park that has ponds, hills, and real ruins!

The Edinburgh Fringe is the world's largest performing arts festival, with more than 3,000 shows. As the only one in Holyrood Park this year, we're excited to provide festival goers with a daytime show that will get them out of the theater and into nature. And the Edinburgh Fringe is famous for its diverse audiences who seek out experimental shows. On top of that, the Edinburgh Fringe is a great springboard for networking with other artists, building a name for our shows, and looking for new opportunities. Who knows what park we'll perform in next! And don't worry, before we go to Edinburgh we'll have another New York run for our local friends. 

If we could sell rare artifacts for cash, we could easily get to the Edinburgh Fringe on our own. But as any principled archeologist/adventurer will take you, that's no bueno.

So we need your help to get us to Edinburgh! 

For a successful & exciting series of performances in Edinburgh, we need:

Andrew Agress (Creator/Dr. Grones) is a dramaturg, experience designer, and writer based in NYC. Recent credits include The Fantastical Fellowship, an interactive fantasy spoof that enjoyed sold out performances at FRIGID, Der Ring Gott Farblonjet, another fantasy spoof, The Gorilla Wore Fur, a noir spoof, as well as Jyoti's Bridge, She Walks the Air, and The Seagull (The Tech Rehearsal). Andrew also writes for The Theatre Times and The Outerhaven. Andrew received their MFA in Dramaturgy from Columbia University. He previously lived in Chicago, performing and studying improv at The Second City Conservatory, The Annoyance, and iO. Andrew believes in making shows experiential and engaging the audience in the live event. www.andrewagress.com

Connor Wahrman (Collaborator/Milo Snatch) is a New York-based and Mikwaukee-raised actor with a lifelong love of adventure... stories. Prior stage experience includes undergraduate productions of The Zoo Story (Peter), As You Like It (Jaques), and Taking Ages (Ensemble), and more recently classes with The Barrow Group. Prior park experience includes Doctors Park, Rock Creek Park, Roger Williams Park, and Summit Park.

Rebecca Ho (Collaborator) is a half Vietnamese, half Chinese actor originally from Brisbane, Australia. She is absolutely thrilled to be a part of this quest! Select NEW YORK: The World's Most Boring Murder (The Players Theater), The Fantastical Fellowship... (Frigid NYC), The Seagull, Loves Labours Lost, Office Hour, A Lie of the Mind (Columbia University); Single Asian Female (Australian Theatre Festival). REGIONAL: A Christmas Carol (Portland Stage), Richard II, As You Like It, The Importance of Being Earnest, Eurydice (Theater at Monmouth). FILM: Amici, Maybe Today, Maybe Tomorrow... VO: Bibigo Dumplings. Columbia University MFA Acting (2023). www.rebeccahoactor.com

Nicholas Orvis (he/him) (Collaborator/Design Consultant) is a dramaturg, critic, and doctoral candidate at the David Geffen School of Drama. His previous dramaturgy includes Mojada: A Medea in Los Angeles by Luis Alfaro and Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf (Yale Repertory Theatre); Green Suga Bloos and Almost (nearly) Fucking Finally (David Geffen School of Drama at Yale); The Hedgehog’s Dilemma (Yale Cabaret); and the father, the son, and the holy spirit (Yale Summer Cabaret). From 2014-2019 Nick was the Literary Associate for Premiere Stages at Kean University, where he helped develop new plays by writers including Deborah Brevoort, Nicole Pandolfo, Keith Josef Adkins, and Tammy Ryan. Nick is a former managing editor of Theater magazine and a co-creator and producer of the ongoing Dungeons + Drama Nerds, a podcast exploring the intersections between theater and tabletop roleplaying games.