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ED Fringe 25' | Behind the Curtain: An Interview with: Falling: A Disabled Love Story's Aaron Pang


Firstly could you introduce yourself and could you tell us what Falling: A Disabled Love Story is about?

Hi! I’m Aaron Pang, a writer, performer, and storyteller. Falling is an autobiographical solo show about what happens after a spinal cord injury changes the trajectory of my life. It’s a funny, uncomfortable, and deeply human look at sex, dating, intimacy, and the awkward mess of trying to find love in a newly disabled body. It’s part stand-up, part story, and 100% me trying not to fall over while performing.


How has it been writing your story in a stage format, what was your process in writing and adapting your story to the stage?

My writing has always started on stage. I come from the world of live storytelling. I’ve performed with The Moth Radio Hour and other platforms, so I build stories by speaking them out loud, feeling the audience, and writing through performance. With Falling, I would perform sections, see what landed, and then refine from there. I’m also incredibly lucky to be working with Connie Chen, who is both my director and creative partner (and also my life partner). Connie helps me shape the mess of personal memory into something theatrical, emotional, and clear. She challenges me to go deeper, cut bloat, and hold on to the uncomfortable moments. The process of writing this show has been iterative, intimate, and completely shaped by collaboration.


The show is described to be “playfully manipulate expectations to expose how society reduces disabled lives to simple, palatable stories” Can you expand more on this and tell us how you show this in the writing of the show?

We’ve all been taught to expect certain stories from disabled people. Usually they are stories that are inspiring, tragic, or tied up with a lesson. I don’t give the audience any of that. I just tell the truth, and that makes people uncomfortable in a really useful way. I let the audience sit in that discomfort and reflect on what they were hoping to see. What’s interesting is that people walk into the theatre already making assumptions about me. I come on stage walking with a cane, and right away, they start filling in the blanks. I lean into that with how I move, how I hold silence, and how I structure the reveals in the show. The writing and the physical performance both play off of what the audience is expecting from a “disabled story”.


The show is an autobiographical show. How important is it that the narrative of disabled people are told on stage and how important is it that your story is shown on stage?

It’s vital. So many stories about disabled people are told about us, not by us. And when they are, they often get flattened into something easy to digest. I want disabled stories that are messy, sexy, funny, and fully human. Telling my story on stage is a way to take back that narrative and complicate it.


What has been the easiest and hardest part of bringing your story story to the stage?

The easiest part has been knowing the story is mine. I lived it, I know it, I care about it. The hardest part has been letting go of the need to make people comfortable. I’ve had to trust that the discomfort is part of the story, and that the audience can sit with it.


What would you like the audience to take away after seeing your show?

I want them to reflect on the stories they expect from disabled people and why. I hope they walk away thinking differently about what makes a story worth telling, and who gets to tell it. But more than that, I want them to pay attention to how they’re feeling during the show, when they laugh, when they feel uncomfortable, when they want to be inspired. Those reactions say a lot. If people leave the theatre a little more aware of their own assumptions, a little more open to stories that don’t follow a neat arc, then I’ve done my job.


What is your main goal and hopes for the show?

I want Falling to carve out more space for disabled stories that aren’t tidy or motivational. My hope is that the show invites curiosity rather than comfort, and that it leaves audiences wanting to hear stories they haven’t heard before. Long-term, I’d love to tour the piece widely and build toward screen adaptations that carry the same tone: honest, funny, and unwilling to simplify. This show is a way of saying that disabled lives are rich and specific and don’t need to be reshaped to make others feel good. Ask ChatGPT


How excited are you to be performing at this year's Edinburgh Festival Fringe?

I’m really excited to be at a festival that attracts audiences who are hungry for theatre that pushes boundaries and takes risks. The Fringe is one of the few places where a show like Falling can exist alongside so many different forms of performance, and that makes it the perfect home for this piece. I’m looking forward to connecting with people who are open to being surprised.


Where can audiences see the show?

July 30th - August 25th. The Pleasance Bunker 2 at 3pm!


Describe the show in one sentence or three words.

Sexy Disabled storytelling.


Falling: A Disabled Love Story plays at the Fringe from 30th of July.



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