Every woman deserves an apology.
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"A tightly written two-hander that combines theatrical minimalism with thematic boldness"
- FringeReview
The Lolita Apologies, written and directed by Talia Fossum-Wernick,
premiered at The 2025 Edinburgh Fringe Festival where it received 4 star reviews and was deemed FringeReview's "Hidden Gem" of the Fringe.
The Lolita Apologies returns to the stage in New York City at
The Tank Theater in August 2026.
EDINBURGH FRINGE REVIEWS
"The kind of theatre that provokes conversation in the bar afterward and lingers in your thoughts days later."
FringeReview
ABOUT THE PLAY
Every woman deserves an apology. The Lolita Apologies is a one-act play, written and directed by Talia Fossum-Wernick, and starring Jackie McKenna and Alex Keane. The Lolita Apologies is a exploration of the enduring effects of Vladimir Nabokov’s controversial novel*, and one woman's need for an apology. The play does not retell the story of Lolita—it interrogates its aftermath. Through a series of imagined conversations with the famous men who have interpreted Nabokov’s work, the production asks: who gets to tell the story, and at what cost?
*Lolita is a 1955 novel written by Vladamir Nabokov. It follows a man named Humbert Humbert, who kidnaps and abuses a 12 year old girl. This book has since been adapted into movies, plays, and short stories. These adaptations have rarely been written by women.
INTERVIEW ON BRINGING FEMINIST THEATRE TO EDINBURGH
"The Lolita Apologies is a two-person play in which a young woman confronts a rotating cast of men about their complicity in perpetuating the mistold story of [Nabokov's] Lolita.​
Danielle Solof talks with the team to unpack their experience bringing feminist theatre to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and if the festival itself is, in its own way, a continuation of the story."
- FringeReview
Listen to this interview to hear Talia Fossum-Wernick, along with the cast and creative team of The Lolita Apologies, speak with Danielle Solof from FringeReview on bringing feminist theatre to the Edinburgh Fringe. Talia speaks on her experience with the play from its inception, to rehearsal, to its reception in Edinburgh, and to its ongoing relevance in daily life.