Francesca Moody is a 38-year-old theatre producer who discovered global hit shows like Fleabag and Baby Reindeer at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival long before they became television phenomena. While many producers try to calculate what will become a financial success, Moody says she relies on her gut instincts and personal taste when choosing new projects.
Moody warns that trying to design a commercial hit from the beginning can ruin what makes a story special. Instead, she looks for a strong feeling of excitement when reading a script, even if the work is still incomplete. When she first agreed to produce Fleabag in late 2012, writer and star Phoebe Waller-Bridge had written only one page of the script.
Taking risks on unfinished ideas can be stressful. Just one week before rehearsals began for Fleabag, the play remained largely unwritten, requiring Moody to lock Waller-Bridge in a room so she could finish writing. However, Moody believes that festivals like the Edinburgh Fringe are meant for messy and unfinished ideas, because that spontaneous environment is where creative magic often happens.