Fourteen years after leaving Glasgow in the aftermath of a traumatic sexual assault, Bargeddie-born performer Jon Gerrard McFaulds (JG) is returning home with his critically acclaimed autobiographical play, Acts of Contrition, making its UK premiere at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2026.
The powerful show tells the remarkable true story of how a working-class Catholic boy from Glasgow’s East End became one of Spain’s best-known drag performers, Bonnie Oui Laddie, transforming shame and secrecy into self-acceptance, sequins and stardom.
Already a sell-out success in Barcelona, where it has enjoyed four sold-out runs, Acts of Contrition explores Catholic guilt, queer identity, family expectations and the transformative power of drag through a deeply personal lens packed with millennial nostalgia, humour and emotional honesty.
Raised in the east end village Bargeddie within a devout Catholic family, McFaulds spent years battling feelings of guilt and shame around his sexuality. Now 37, he reflects candidly on coming to terms with his sexuality during the 1990s and 2000s.
McFaulds said: “I grew up in the east end of Glasgow with my granny in a quite an old-fashioned Catholic family, but from a young age I carried an enormous amount of guilt about being gay.
“I actually play my granny in the play, and another actress plays a nun that was also my granny’s best friend.
“Growing up as a gay kid in 90s Glasgow was tough. I became very good at pretending to be straight because I genuinely believed there was something wrong with me. Looking back now, I realise how exhausting it was living a life that wasn’t mine.”
McFaulds did not come out until he was in his 20s in 2013 and soon afterwards made the life-changing decision to move to Barcelona, following a traumatic assault.
“After that, I felt I had to leave Glasgow behind,” he said. “Barcelona gave me the freedom to rebuild myself and discover who I really was. That’s where Bonnie Oui Laddie was born. In many ways, drag saved my life.”
The show charts that journey from schoolboy to internationally celebrated drag performer, blending comedy, confession, music and theatrical storytelling. Audiences meet a cast of vivid characters including Madonna, a formidable nun and the fabulous queen McFaulds was always destined to become.
“This isn’t a poor me play – this is my full-circle moment,” he says. “Edinburgh will be the first time I ever take the stage in Scotland as Bonnie Oui Laddie. Fourteen years ago, I left the country still hiding. Now I’m coming back completely at peace, in full drag, back to the scene of the crime – and I’ve never been happier to own every single chapter of that story.”
Alongside the Fringe production, McFaulds has also been filming a documentary charting the creation of the play and his journey back to Scotland. While celebrating progress for LGBTQ+ communities, he also hopes the show will spark conversations about the challenges facing queer people today.
McFaulds continued: “Making this show has been pure therapy. Every performance feels like another layer of healing. The documentary captures that process and what it means to return home after spending years trying to outrun parts of your past.”
Described by audiences as “heartbreaking, heartwarming and humorous”, Acts of Contrition is ultimately a story of survival, self-forgiveness and finding pride in every chapter of your life.
PERFORMANCE DETAILS Venue: Braw Venues (Hill Street), Edinburgh AoC Tickets Dates: 7–30 August 2026 Time: 13:00 Duration: 60 minute Tickets: £14 / £12
Acts of Contrition: The Drag Origins of a Guilty Catholic
UK Premiere – Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2026
Written and performed by Jon Gerrard McFaulds / Bonnie Oui Laddie.
Born and raised in Glasgow’s East End, Jon McFaulds is now based in Barcelona, where he has spent more than a decade performing as Bonnie Oui Laddie, a tartan-flamenco, saxophone-playing Scottish drag queen and cabaret performer.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bonnie.oui.laddie/
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