Holden St Theatres to Present ECHOES

Following a critically acclaimed season at Edinburgh Fringe 2015 and London's iconic Arcola Theatre, Holden Street Theatres in association with The Gilded Balloon and Henry Naylor present the Australian premiere of Echoes by Henry Naylor, a provocative and brutal tale of colonialism and the rhyme of history.

Written by Edinburgh Fringe First Award and The Spirit of the Fringe Award winning playwright, Henry Naylor (a former comedy specialist) Echoes by Henry Naylor finds surprising similarities between the Islamist adventurers of today and early Victorian pioneers.

Presented as a pair of intercut monologues, Naylor tells the stories of two women, born 175 years apart.

One is a student jihadi from London, the other a Victorian member of the Fishing Fleet (the women who travelled to India to be brides of those men who were setting up the Empire). Both are idealists: intelligent adventurers, with strong religious beliefs. Both travel to the East with a mission to impose a system of government upon an unwilling people. The Victorian would play a leading role in the establishment of the Empire; the jihadi, a caliphate ...

Henry Naylor is best-known for his comedy work with Andy Parsons, with whom he presented nine series of Parsons' and Naylor's Pull-Out Sections on BBC Radio 2. He's also been a prolific satirist for TV, having been the lead writer on Spitting Image and having written for Alistair MacGowan, Rory Bremner, Dead Ringers, among others.

Echoes by Henry Naylor plays in The Arch, 34 Holden Street Hindmarsh from 10 February to 13 March (with discount preview on 10 February).

On transferring the show to Adelaide, Martha Lott, Holden Street Artistic Director commented: Henry Naylor's passion for his work is clear in this evocative new piece and we are excited to work with the Gilded Balloon and Henry to present a successful work.

In 2014, Henry began writing hard-hitting drama. His first straight play, The Collector, explored the issue of prisoner abuses during the western occupation of Iraq and questioned how essentially decent people became brutalized by war. The play won the coveted Fringe First Award and subsequently collected many four and five-star reviews during its run. The Collector went on to play a sell-out season at the Arcola Theatre, London.

Tickets through Holden Street Theatres and Fringetix. Duration 60 minutes. Check the Holden St Theatres' Weslo Guide, the Adelaide Fringe Guide or Holden Street Theatres website for performance times (various).

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