Award-winning comedian Kirsty Mann is set to deliver chills and laughs in equal measure at Fringe World 2026 with her highly anticipated new show, Corpse. Following the phenomenal success of her previous show Skeletons, Mann returns to Perth with another deeply personal and bizarrely true tale, this time centred on a haunted house purchase in London.
From Fringe Underdog to Award-Winning Star
Kirsty Mann's Fringe World journey is a story of remarkable ascent. When she first brought Skeletons to the festival in 2024, she began her run with just five tickets sold. By the season's end, she was playing to packed houses and took home the coveted overall comedy award for her show about juggling a double life as a comedian and a doctor.
Not expecting to top that experience, she returned for Fringe World 2025 with the same show, enjoying a complete sell-out season and the honour of hosting the Fringe World awards ceremony. Now, for her third consecutive year, Mann is poised to charm Perth audiences once again, this time with a spookier offering.
A House with a Hidden Past
Corpse finds its origins in a relatable Australian dilemma: navigating London's nightmare property market. After a two-year search, Mann and her husband Mark, both former doctors, finally purchased an East London home in 2023. The early Victorian house seemed perfect, with big windows, a garage, a large garden with fruit trees, and three bedrooms.
Being medical professionals, the couple was unperturbed to learn the previous owner, an elderly woman named Jean, had recently died in the house. "We understand that death is just part of life," Mann says. "It didn't bother us and we definitely did not believe in ghosts."
However, on moving day, Jean's sister arrived with a startling revelation: she had buried Jean in the garden, though she wouldn't specify where. From that moment, strange occurrences began. Mann describes a room covered in handwriting, toilets flushing by themselves, taps turning on and off, and a mysterious handprint appearing on the ceiling. The climax came when the couple made a grim discovery. "One day, we found Jean," Mann reveals, enticing audiences to see the show for the full story.
From Real-Life Spook to Festival Hit
While Skeletons was a comedy with heart, Mann describes Corpse as more of a campfire-style theatre piece with jokes, designed to make audiences laugh, jump, and think. The idea to turn her haunting homeowning experience into a show was born from a last-minute pitch opportunity at the Adelaide Fringe, suggested by her husband Mark.
The concept was an instant hit, receiving five venue offers on the spot at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, where a work-in-progress version thrilled audiences in August 2025. "Since then, I've spruced it up, made it better (scarier)," Mann says. After its Perth season, the show will travel to Adelaide, then to London's Soho Theatre and a full production at the Edinburgh Fringe.
"I want people to laugh, and jump, and be a little bit scared," Mann admits. "And if you don't believe in ghosts, I think I can change your mind. I do believe the house was haunted. I believe I saw a ghost and that is a weird admission, because I really didn't believe in them before."
Corpse will be performed at The Parlour at The Pleasure Garden in Northbridge from February 4 to 15, 2026. Tickets are available through the Fringe World website.
