Charly Clive and Ellen Robertson to Bring 'JOHN' to Edinburgh Fringe

Following on from their sellout debut with Britney, the hit comedy on the unlikely subject of a real-life brain tumour, Charly Clive and Ellen Robertson bring you John: an onstage USA road trip punctuated by documentary footage the pair filmed as overconfident and underprepared 18-year-olds.

For most people, mistakes made as teenagers are confined to a few photos, some anecdotes and a bit of awkward social media. For Ellen and Charly, preternaturally self-assured about their film-making genius, much of it is thankfully saved for posterity in shaky cinema.

John is a sly glance at mythmaking, ignorance and arrogance, through the lens of the Ellen and Charly's footage of their 2011 journey across the states by Greyhound Bus. It's a nostalgic and irreverent look back at the pair's 'documentary' based on the founding father, big signatory of the Declaration of Independence and the original unscrupulous businessman: John Hancock. Filled with a cast of transatlantic nonconformists, John is the heartwarming tale of two teenagers embarking on the adventure of a lifetime, and very nearly missing it in their desperate attempt to be filmmakers.

Charly's play, Camel, recently premiered at Under St. Marks in New York, and her previous US writing credits include On Prosperity (AADA), Safety Dance (Origin Theatre Comedy, winner of the Breaking Ground award for new writing) and as associate playwright, Shows for Days (Douglas Carter-Beane, Lincoln Center NY).

Ellen's new play, Nesting, debuted at the Watermill Theatre this summer (directed by Emily Burns). She is developing The Point of Use with support from SLAMKingsCross and last year wrote the book for a new musical, The Last Post, which has been in development with LTD productions.

BRITNEY in: JOHN is directed by Emily Burns and produced by Country Mile Productions.

Britney, Ellen and Charly's joint debut, was recommended by The Guardian, London Evening Standard and Time Out, and winner of a 2017 VAULT Festival Award.

IF YOU GO:

BRITNEY IN: JOHN.

Bedlam Theatre, 11b Bristo Place, Edinburgh, EH1 1EZ.

2nd August - 28th August, (not 13th or 20th), 18:30-19:30.

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