■ Classified — Do Not Distribute

I Was Never Here. There Is No Spy Show.

Everybody be normal.

A blundering sleeper agent has lost his memory. You — an audience of initiate spies — must help him get it back: crack codes, defuse doomsday devices, and try to follow one simple rule. Don't talk about spy show.

Leo Lion in character as the sleeper agent, in a red fedora and trenchcoat
Mission Briefing

World Premiere — Edinburgh Fringe 2026

Leo Lion, an NYC game-theatre artist known for interactive/immersive experiences, returns to Edinburgh Fringe with the world premiere of I Was Never Here (There Is No Spy Show). In a fusion of absurd clown and escape room, audiences race against the clock to help a blundering sleeper agent recover his lost memories and save the world. An hour of retro thriller meets looney tunes meets ASMR, jam-packed with bizarre and frenetic crowdwork, as an audience of initiate spies cracks codes, defuses doomsday devices, and tries to follow one simple rule.

Don't talk about spy show.

Lion's second Edinburgh Fringe outing follows the 2025 hit run of HELP ME!!!! (An Interactive Mime Seance), which toured to 10+ US festivals and stages in NYC, Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle & more. This show is created with Matthew Schott, creator of Saga of the Shining Emblem and A Thousand Rainy Mornings.

Upcoming Operations

Dates

Fundraiser — Hosted by The Firebird Project

There Is No Party

July 13, 2026 · 8:00 PM
The Armory BK, Brooklyn NY
No secret missions. No secret prizes. Not a fundraiser for anything.
RSVP
COD
ESP
YGA
MES
NYC Preview

BAH — EdFest by Duces Wild

July 18, 2026
Brooklyn Art Haus, Brooklyn NY
Get Tickets
World Premiere — Edinburgh Fringe

theSpace @ Niddry Street Studio

Aug 7–25, 2026 (No show Aug 16)
22:20 · 0h55 · All ages
£8.00 / concessions £6.00 · Box Office 0131 226 0000
Book Tickets
Phoenix Festival — Nyack

Rose Hall, Prohibition River

Oct 16, 2026 · 7:00 PM
82 Main Street, Nyack, NY
Festival Info
Praise

For Leo Lion's HELP ME!!!! (2025)

★★★★★

"A remarkably nimble and emotional performance… Interactive, hilarious, and touching, this hidden gem of Fringe theatre is an existential must-see, must-do theatrical experience."

BingeFringe Magazine
★★★★

"It's perhaps what it might feel like to be trapped in an escape room with an excellent mime performer… It's clever stuff, and he's very funny in his spontaneous interactions."

The Scotsman
★ Nominee

Best Theatre — nominated at The Spooky Awards.

The Spooky Awards
"Instantly gripping" "An unforgettable night out" "Life-affirming"
Personnel File

Creative Team & Company

Creator / PerformerLeo Lion
Created WithMatthew Schott
Production VideographyAnna Rishik
Produced ByThe Firebird Project
Inquiries

Produce Spy Show

Interested in producing or booking I Was Never Here? Too bad. There is no spy show.

Press, photos & interviews: Leo Lion · leo@firebird.nyc
theSpaceUK Press Office · publicity@theSpaceUK.com · 0845 557 7519