Edinburgh Fringe stagehand ‘nearly dies’ from audience member’s perfume

A stagehand at the Edinburgh Fringe came close to death after having a near-fatal allergic reaction from inhaling an audience member’s perfume.

Bryn Jones, 22, was carrying out his technical duties for a production of Harold Pinter’s The Dumb Waiter at the New Town Theatre when, due to a severe allergic reaction, he went into anaphylactic shock shortly before the close of the show.

Though he told the Scottish Daily Record that perfumes “are not usually too much of an issue for me,” this one proved particularly potent, as it caused his throat to tighten and made him struggle for breath.

He managed to text a friend to bring him his medication, while nobly carrying on with his technical duties. He said, “I haven’t had a reaction quite like that before but I had to finish the show.”

By the time his pills arrived, Bryn’s face had turned blue and he was lying on the floor.

Thankfully however, help was on hand before the final curtain: “A friend of mine came into the room, grabbed me and gave me what I needed just as the show ended. I was in a pretty bad way.”

When asked why he didn’t leave the performance space when he became aware that he was having a reaction, he said he didn’t want to disturb the audience:

“The only entrance out is behind the audience, so I couldn’t really leave. I’d have had to cross the stage and move through the audience, but I didn’t want to interrupt the show.”

After the performance at the New Town Theatre on George Street ended, Bryn managed to make it in time to his next gig at the city’s Bedlam Theatre – his third show that day.

– Alex Gordon