Valerie Chidiac reviews Claire Collective Company's Epicaricacy, written by and starring Samantha Dewar and directed by Shakira Cheers, at The Actors Pulse Playhouse for Sydney Fringe 2026. A trio of friends in their early twenties — Savannah, Leah and Addy — are pulled apart by peer pressure, substance use, sexual violence and one destabilising Guy. Chidiac finds a piercing study of friendship breakups and gaslighting that centres the trio rather than its interloper.

Presented by Claire Collective Company, Samantha Dewar's debut original production Epicaricacy makes its Sydney premiere at Sydney Fringe 2026. A contemporary psychological drama about the fracturing of a young female friendship in the wake of a house party, it plays at The Actors Pulse Playhouse in Redfern from 10 – 12 September. Dewar (writer, producer and performer) and director and stage manager Shakira Cheers spoke with Valerie Chidiac during rehearsals ahead of the season.