Sheffield artist beats personal and physical challenges to take on the world's biggest arts festival
Sheffield artist, Lexi Wolfe, is breaking down barriers with disabled and neurodivergent-led theatre company, Slade Wolfe Enterprises, with a return to the Edinburgh Fringe this August.
With a powerful trilogy of solo shows designed to dismantle long-standing myths and give voice to those silenced or misunderstood by time, Lexi Wolfe and Andrew Slade, the creative force behind the theatre company, are showing that anything is possible.
Operating as a disabled and neurodivergent-led company, Slade Wolfe Enterprises has often had to navigate a theatre industry that isn’t always built for accessibility. Rather than seeing these challenges as a barrier, the pair has utilised their unique perspectives to fuel their creative process, specialising in re-interpreting the past through meticulous research and emotionally raw performances.
Behind the scenes, bringing these productions to the stage is a monumental triumph over physical and mental health challenges. Lexi manages the daily, unpredictable realities of fibromyalgia alongside ADHD, often having to physically adapt her staging in real time to cope with chronic pain and exhaustion.
Meanwhile, Andrew’s return to performing follows a succession of complications, including a debilitating 15-foot fall that required bilateral knee surgery, and a severe case of Long Covid that left him with chronic fatigue and profound memory loss. For both performers, mounting these back-to-back solo shows at the Edinburgh Fringe requires immense resilience, turning their presence at the festival into a powerful testament to their dedication to their craft.
Andrew and Lexi are performing the three distinct solo shows in theSpace @ Symposium Hall, with Lexi performing two of the productions on altering nights, Andrew performing immediately after Lexi each night with his.
Returning after an acclaimed run last year, Wolfe presents the five-star hit After Shakespeare. The performance ventures beyond the final curtain of the Bard’s greatest plays, offering an opportunity for reflection to figures like Lady Macbeth and Hamlet, as they contemplate their legacy.
Wolfe also debuts A Forgotten Woman: Mrs Oscar Wilde. While Oscar Wilde’s legacy is global, his wife Constance Lloyd was largely erased by the scandal surrounding him. Based on her personal letters, the play reveals a woman of immense intellect and quiet defiance who survived the margins of an oppressive society.
“As neurodivergent artists, we often see the patterns and gaps in history that others might overlook,” says Lexi Wolfe. “Our work is about stepping into those shadows. Whether it’s giving Shakespeare’s characters a final word or restoring the very real Constance Lloyd’s voice, we want to display how society’s accepted narratives and understanding of others can be challenged."
To book a ticket to any of the trilogy of solo shows, visit: https://tickets.thespaceuk.com/events?s=Slade+wolfe