Olivia Ormond is a director, writer and filmmaker, known in the US for producing film, TV, original content, music videos and brand campaigns. She has even won two Emmys for her work in sports documentary storytelling. 

This summer, however, she’s headed to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe to perform a one woman show based on her own story, her experiences of chronic pain and the gender health gap.

It’s a common experience for women to have their symptoms dismissed and to not be listened to or believed when it comes to medical issues, so it’s an important topic and one that I wanted to hear more about. 

I spoke to Olivia to talk about the play and the issues it tackles, as well as the creative talent behind it and her expectations of the Fringe.

CM: Can you start by telling us a bit about the content of the play?
OO: ‘Call Me Crazy’ is what happens when your body falls apart and the world tells you it’s all in your head.

It’s based on my own experience navigating chronic pain, misdiagnosis and the slow-burn insanity of being dismissed over and over again by a broken system.

At its heart, it’s about what it costs to not be believed and what it takes to finally make people listen. 

CM: What themes are explored through the play?
OO: At its core, the play is about your voice; losing it, reclaiming it and using it until someone actually hears you.

It dives deep into medical gaslighting, chronic pain and identity, but it’s also very much about what it means to be a woman existing in today’s world. The ways we’re taught to doubt ourselves. To downplay pain. To shrink.

Womanhood runs through every inch of this piece, not the polished, pretty version, but the raw infuriating reality of trying to survive in a world that wasn’t built for us. 

CM: How much of the content of the play is based on your own experiences?
OO: All of it. It’s not inspired by a true story, it is the story. I tried to fictionalise it and it never worked. This version is the unfiltered truth, told exactly the way it happened.

CM: What was the inspiration for creating a performance focusing on these issues? What made you want to present them this way?
OO: I went to see a show on the West End in London and felt such an electric connection between the audience and the actors on stage. It felt so immediate and every word was important.

I never planned on writing a play, but when I couldn’t get the story to land on screen, I kept thinking about that connection. That kind of live, in-the-room energy where the audience breathes with you felt like the only way to tell something this personal.

CM: Is there a hope that this will help to raise awareness of the issue in question? Do you think it’s possible for work like this to help effect change, whether it’s social or political?
OO: Absolutely. I think storytelling is one of the most powerful tools for change. It makes the abstract personal. It breeds community. It brings people together and can turn one voice into many voices. 

CM: Can you tell us a bit about the creative process you went through to put the show together?
OO: It started with me trying not to write it. I kept handing the story off to fictional characters, hoping they’d do the heavy lifting, but they kept falling flat.

So I opened a Word doc, said screw it, and started writing exactly what happened: no filter, no format.

I’m working with a brilliant director who is helping shape the chaos into something stage-worthy, but we’re keeping the rough edges on purpose. The process is less “crafting a play” and more “surviving the truth and turning it into art”.

CM: Did you always plan to perform the show yourself?
OO: No, I actually tried everything not to act in it. Eventually I realised the story needed to be told by the person who lived it.

Once I committed to performing it myself, I had to learn how to separate writer-brain from actor-brain and really let my director shape the performance.

It’s been a constant tug-of-war, but in the best way, it keeps me accountable and keeps the piece alive.

CM: What made you decide to bring the show to Edinburgh?
OO: Edinburgh is the global epicentre of risk-taking performance. If this show belongs anywhere, it’s there. It’s intimate, weird, personal and rule-breaking – everything the Fringe celebrates.

CM: Have you been to the Fringe before? What expectations do you have of it?
OO: I’ve never been before, but I’m expecting pure chaos in the best way. I’m expecting it to be loud, busy, overwhelming and inspiring.

I’m not just going for my own show; I plan to see as many others as possible. I want to be in the thick of it, supporting other artists and soaking up everything the Fringe has to offer.

CM: Can you now tell us a bit about yourself? How did you come to be working in the arts and how did you begin your career?
OO: I started as a screenwriter and producer, mostly in documentary, scripted and branded work.

I’ve always been obsessed with real stories, what people hide, what they reveal and what it costs to tell the truth. I’ve worked across film, TV and commercial campaigns, but this is the first time I’ve told my own story this directly.

CM: Given your past work has mainly been in filmed media – how different is that to creating work for live performance?
OO: It’s a whole different beast. I’ve spent my career behind the camera, shaping other people’s performances, so stepping into the spotlight myself is a massive shift.

Acting live, with no second takes and nowhere to hide, is totally new for me. It’s raw and a little scary, which probably means it’s exactly what I should be doing.

CM: What have been the highlights of your working life, thus far?
OO: There’ve been some amazing projects, Olympic campaigns, Emmy wins, documentaries and branded work that really meant something to me.

But what I carry with me from each one is the people. The collaborators, the subjects, the teams, those relationships are the best part. They’re what I remember most and what I take with me into whatever comes next.

CM: What aims and ambitions do you have for the future?
OO: I want to keep telling stories that matter, stories that push conversations forward.

I have a screenplay that picks up where the play leaves off, and I’m working to get that made as a way to keep advocating for women and shine a light on issues that rarely get talked about.

I also want to keep creating space for overlooked voices and keep experimenting with form; film, theatre, whatever medium can carry the truth best.

CM: What’s coming up next for you after this?
OO: I’m hoping to tour ‘Call Me Crazy’ and get it to New York, London, and wherever else the story needs to be heard.

After that, I’m focused on developing the screenplay that picks up where the play leaves off. It dives even deeper into the themes of the show, but in a totally different way.

I’ll also be continuing my work in film, branded and documentary storytelling, always chasing the next bold, honest story. 

Olivia Ormond performed ‘Call Me Crazy’ at Greenside @ Riddles Court at Edinburgh Festival 2025.

LINKS: oliviaormond.com | instagram.com/_doubleohseven