Urban dictionary - Adulting (v) to do grown up things, and hold responsibilities such as 9-5 job, a mortgage, a car payment or anything else that makes one think of grownups.

Glasgow based theatre company Spilt Milk’s debut Fringe show deals with the reality of ‘Adulting’, the idea that anyone can be an adult, if they act like one, because we all either are, have been, or will be an adult at some stage in our lives.

The group was originally formed by 10 members of the Tron Theatre’s Commonwealth Company after a sell-out performance of Gareth Nicolls’ Under Milk Wood in 2015. This show focused around the idea of social division and the search for the ‘perfect love’.

With just four original members of the company now remaining, Catherine Ward-Stoddart, Jacqueline Thain, Anthony Byrne and Grant McDonald are heading to the Edinburgh Fringe to debut their brand new show, Adulting.

This performance covers both the pros and cons of being an adult, and presses on the idea that no one, no matter what age they are, really knows what they’re doing when they become an adult, they just pretend they do. The term ‘Adulting’ is a popular discussion between millennials (that's people born after 2000 to you and me) on social media and has swept across the internet in the past year, with the term even appearing on items of clothing, adding to the theory that everyone feels the same when it comes to ‘Adulting’.

This show is much more autobiographical than anything the group have done before, for example, previous performances including ‘Love Sect’ and ‘Nowhere’.

The actors reflect on their own personal quarter life crises, and all experiences described in the play are personal ones of the actors themselves, who are also using their real names.

After the shows first run in Glasgow, founding member Catherine Ward-Stoddart said that the group found themselves feeling quite emotional afterwards.

She said: "It was very personal, and quite emotional, which was strange, I think we do open ourselves up to the audience, but then always pull it back with the humour side of things. We can all pretend we know what we’re doing in life but really we don’t. All the stories in our script are true, we build it up with stuff of course, but all the stories we tell in it are real.”

The show involves a lot of audience participation, which Catherine said has been great so far.

“We’ve had a really good reception so far, the shows have been popular, and great audiences, I think it brings back childhood nostalgia for a lot of people, ” she added.

When asked about what kind of audience the show attracts, Catherine revealed that after a sold out show at Tron in Glasgow last year, the audience was very varied, and believes that people of all ages can relate to the script.

‘‘I think you can carry the spirit of your childhood at any age”, she said.

The performers pride themselves in all their work, and want to keep making different forms of it. When speaking about what’s next for the group, Catherine revealed that they have already started planning their new show, which will see Catherine herself and Jacqueline perform, whilst Grant and Anthony will take on the directing. This next venture will explore women and how they are portrayed in society today.

This is the group’s first time performing at the Fringe, but they are all keen visitors. When asked if they were planning on returning next year, Catherine said: “It’s definitely a possibility, we’re all really enjoying it. It’s started a real fire in us, and has been a lot of hard work and really stressful at times, but it’s all paying off and the hard work is definitely worth it.”

Catch Spilt Milk and their debut Fringe show, Adulting every Monday-Sat during the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

LEILA WALLACE