Linus Karp is an actor, director, and writer from Sweden best known for theatrical productions that comment on pop culture. He has created the shows ''How to Live a Jellicle Life'', ''Diana: The Untold and Untrue Story'', and ''Gwyneth Goes Skiing''. Karp has acted in the films ''Hope of Deliverance'' (2014), ''Mile End'' (2015), and ''A Fistful of Karma'' (2022).

Career

Linus Karp and his partner Joseph Martin co-created Awkward Productions in 2017. This production company came about in part due to a desire to play roles Karp would not have been otherwise selected for (such as

Princess Diana Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997), was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William ...

), due to his identity. Karp initially rose to fame in 2017 as a result of Awkward Productions' first hit show, an adaption of Rob Hays' ''Awkward Conversations With Animals I Have F*cked.'' Karp played "lovelorn loser" Bobby in an initial run the Lion and Unicorn Theatre in London. Following excellent reviews the show went on to

Edinburgh Fringe The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as the Edinburgh Fringe, the Fringe or the Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest performance arts festival, which in 2024 spanned 25 days, sold more than 2.6 million tickets and featur ...

in 2018 and then a world tour, ended with a final run at the

King's Head Theatre The King's Head Theatre, founded in 1970 by Dan Crawford, is an off-West End venue in London. The original venue was the oldest operating pub theatre in the UK. In 2024, the pub theatre, and the King's Head Theatre now operates from a purpose-b ...

, London in 2019. Following this success, Karp set out to write his own solo show. He was inspired by the 2019 movie ''

Cats The cat (''Felis catus''), also referred to as the domestic cat or house cat, is a small domesticated carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species of the family Felidae. Advances in archaeology and genetics have shown that the ...

'' to write ''How to Live a Jellicle Life: Life Lessons Learned from the Hit 2019 Movie Cats'' during the COVID-19 lockdown. The show played at the 2022 and 2023

Edinburgh Fringe Festival The Edinburgh Festival Fringe (also referred to as the Edinburgh Fringe, the Fringe or the Edinburgh Fringe Festival) is the world's largest performance arts festival, which in 2024 spanned 25 days, sold more than 2.6 million tickets and featur ...

and has been performed in London. Linus Karp's next role was as

in his next creation, ''Diana: The Untold and Untrue Story.'' The show began as a 60th birthday gift for Karp’s mother-in-law before getting developed into a full solo show. The show follows Princess Diana, who narrates the events of her life from Heaven. The show has had a UK run, a London residency at The King’s Head Theatre in spring 2024, and a sold-out run at the 2023

. ''Diana'' also played at the 2024

. The playscript for ''Diana: The Untold and Untrue Story'' has been published internationally in paperback by Reconnecting Rainbows Press. In early 2024, Awkward Productions staged their next production, '' Gwyneth Goes Skiing,'' at The Pleasance Theatre in London. This is the first non-solo show that the company has produced, going on the 2024

and a US tour including performances in LA, and

Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

, in January 2025. Inspired by the 2016 skiing incident featuring Oscar winner

Gwyneth Paltrow Gwyneth Kate Paltrow ( ; born September 27, 1972) is an American actress and businesswoman. The daughter of filmmaker Bruce Paltrow and actress Blythe Danner, she established herself as a leading lady appearing in mainly mid-budget and perio ...

, the show featured Karp as Paltrow and Joseph Martin as Terry Sanderson, with original music by Leland, an American singer-songwriter who has written for ''

RuPaul’s Drag Race ''RuPaul's Drag Race'' is an American reality competition television series, the first in the ''Drag Race'' franchise, produced by World of Wonder for Logo TV (season 1–8), WOW Presents Plus, VH1 (season 9–14) and, beginning with the fi ...

'' and

Troye Sivan Troye Sivan Mellet ( ; born 5 June 1995) is an Australian singer-songwriter and actor. After gaining popularity as a singer on YouTube and in Australian talent competitions, Sivan signed with Universal Music Australia, EMI Australia in 2013 and ...

’s ''Something to Give Each Other''. On 27th March 2025, Awkward Productions announced a new show written by and starring Linus Karp and Joseph Martin, titled ''The Fit Prince (who gets switched on in the square in the frosty castle the night before (insert public holiday here))''. According to Karp, the show follows the fictional country of Swedonia, where the king has died and the prince must marry or forfeit the crown. Meanwhile in New York, a struggling baker receives a mysterious royal commission to create a wedding cake for the Swedonian prince. The show will play at the

in the Pleasance Courtyard before a run in London at the

in December 2025 and January 2026.

Notable works

* ''How to Live a Jellicle Life'' * ''Diana: The Untold and Untrue Story'' * ''Gwyneth Goes Skiing''

Awards

* OffFest Award for Best Play - Edinburgh Fringe 2023

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Karp, Linus Living people Swedish male dramatists and playwrights Swedish male actors Edinburgh Festival Fringe Diana, Princess of Wales

Career

Notable works

Awards

See also

References