28 Aug 2026
A St Albans School sixth former has written and starred in his own original play at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, receiving rave reviews from critics.
Kai Yilmaz-Porter, an A level drama student at St Albans School, wrote Make Me Good Again, a new play exploring family life, identity and neurodiversity. He also played the lead role of Daniel in the production, which was performed at theSpace @ Venue 45 (one of the original surviving Edinburgh Fringe venues) during this year’s Edinburgh Fringe.
The play centres on 18-year-old Max, who is autistic, and his younger brother Daniel. When the family is offered a new beginning in America, they encounter problematic attitudes towards autism and, as tensions within the family grow, Daniel is forced to confront questions about his own identity and whether he may be more like his brother than he realises.
The production was reviewed by theatre critic West End Best Friend, which praised the play’s “raw and personal” writing and described Kai’s performance as “wonderful and deeply moving”.
The review also praised the relationship between Kai’s Daniel and James Jacklin’s Max, describing their on-stage relationship as “heartwarming and heartbreaking”. The reviewer highlighted the work of the young cast and praised St Albans School for giving its students the opportunity to present their work at the Edinburgh Fringe.
For Kai, the play was inspired in part by his own experiences of friendships involving autism and neurodiversity, as well as his concerns about misinformation readily available to young people online.
He said: “I hope audiences will gain an appreciation for those who live in close proximity to someone with severe autism. I want them to realise that some people do live difficult and very different lives. As much as awareness and help surrounding autism has significantly improved in the UK over the past decades, those who care for the individual often go under the radar, and their struggle is left invisible.”
He continued: “I also hope that audiences will start to contemplate their media consumption critically and question the validity of their sources, even if the messenger is officially verified or in a position of power.”
The production was directed by Lucy Hanneghan-Birt, head of drama at St Albans School, who also worked on the lighting design alongside Guy Lewis. The cast included fellow St Albans School students James Jacklin as Max, Grace Brabin as Miranda, Neeam Kotecha as Harry, and ensemble members Grace Ferguson, Leo Harrison and Henry Reece.
Lucy said: “The Edinburgh Fringe Festival is the world’s largest and most open-access arts celebration. Known as a global launchpad for fresh theatrical voices and new writing.
“For me, the Fringe is the highlight of the school calendar, and to be able to watch so much creative work in the space of a few days is thrilling. To perform there is even more gratifying and hopefully an experience our students will cherish for many years to come.
“At a time when arts subjects are under threat and with a growing decline in entries for GCSE and A level drama, it is encouraging to know that St Albans School remains passionate about the Arts and willing to invest in the creativity and talent of its students.”
The Edinburgh production marks the latest chapter in St Albans School’s continuing involvement with the Fringe. The drama department has now taken six productions to the festival since 2018, including four new plays and two written by A level drama students.
The process of staging Make Me Good Again began almost a year before the cast travelled to Edinburgh. Alongside writing and rehearsing the production, students and staff also undertook fundraising activities to help make the trip possible.
