UK Theatres Join Forces To Present Next Generation Of Emerging Artists At The Edinburgh Fringe

A cascade of quality performance from across the UK will be playing to the world at Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2023 as part of the Pleasance Theatre Trust's Edinburgh National Partnerships programme.

Shows from remarkable theatre companies tackle, deconstruct and engage with a global palette of issues and themes from finding ourselves and a place in the world to the categorisations that make this so difficult, thrilling or just hilarious.

Glass Ceiling Beneath the Stairs explores sexism at NASA in a sleek multimedia style, whilst Bitter Lemons gives us nuanced and knotty insight into experiences of abortion. Collective histories spanning multiple generations provide an understanding of our present moment in state-of-the-nation play Guffy as well as The Half Moon's fiery rollercoaster of emotion. Light is cast on the internal struggles of living with intrusive thoughts in Choo Choo! (Or....Have You Ever Thought About ****** **** *****? (Cos I Have)), while Deal or No Deal meets Doctor Faustus as one soul's fate is decided by the cosmos in Edmonds. Bringing body image and the LGBTQIA+ experience to the fore, Buff explores the world of online dating & social media jealousy, while Scaredy Fat looks at fat and queer representation in horror films.

The Pleasance Theatre Trust is working with partner theatres across the UK to identify and support local exceptional artists and companies who want to take work to the Fringe. Each partner is a leading national producing house, with a commitment to supporting and developing new artists. This programme recognises the extraordinary work being created throughout the UK, and hopes to provide tangible support to these companies to present at the Fringe.

The aim of the Edinburgh National Partnerships is to make a substantial contribution to develop the next generation of leading theatre-makers by uncovering and supporting the best companies and artists from across the UK to present work at the Fringe. The Pleasance Theatre Trust works with its partner theatres to identify dynamic artists at different stages in their careers.

Joining the partnership in 2023 are Lyric Belfast with two shows alongside returning Edinburgh National Partnership venues Bristol Old Vic, Pitlochry Festival Theatre, Sherman Theatre, York Theatre Royal and Theatre Royal Plymouth.

Anthony Alderson Director of the Pleasance Theatre Trust said: "Our National Partnerships programme highlights the importance of the amazing regional spaces across this country and how valuable connections between theatres can be. Great work is created nationwide, in every corner of the UK, and the Fringe remains the leading place to spotlight emerging talent. Every year, I think this programme goes from strength to strength and we're thrilled to now also be supporting work with Lyric Belfast, our first Northern Irish partner."

Bitter Lemons - RJG Productions, Bristol Old Vic, Pleasance

In the worlds of football and finance, two women carve their own path. As a pitch gets closer, lives shift and world's collide in an explosive debut tackling abortion and power.

Buff - Sibearita Productions, Theatre Royal Plymouth, Pleasance

A 32-year-old gay primary school teacher navigates the cruel online dating world as a plus-sized man, alongside managing his rising feelings towards his buff flatmate. Funny yet timely, Buff is a heart-warming tale of the journey to self-acceptance.

Choo Choo! (Or....Have You Ever Thought About ****** **** *****? (Cos I Have)) - StammerMouth, Sherman Theatre, Pleasance

Everything's alright in Nye and Duncan's dream house but when Nye confesses his intrusive thoughts, things go off the rails. A tragi-comedy from the award-winning StammerMouth.

Edmonds - Cosmic Collective, York Theatre Royal, Pleasance

Twenty-two red boxes. One Soul. Edmonds makes a Deal (or No Deal) with the Devil. How far will they go for fame, fortune and free TV licensing? Deal or No Deal cosmically collides with Doctor Faustus.

Glass Ceiling Beneath the Stairs - Bric à Brac Theatre, Grace Dickson Productions, Pleasance

1992, NASA. A rocket launch set to change history and the lives of two women on board. A live cinema show based on true events investigating what it means to be a woman taking up space.

Guffy - Glenna Morrison, Pitlochry Festival Theatre, Pleasance

An allegorical tale on the state of the nation. Alba the past. Guffy the present. The bairn the future. Co-existing in the bottom end, Alloa. 'If yer frae the bottom end ye dinnae get oot!'.

The Half Moon - Alice Malseed and Emily Foran, Lyric Belfast, Pleasance

Four Women. Four generations. One Belfast family. Pam may have broken the cycle and moved away, but she can't escape the scars of their collective past. A ferociously optimistic love story of freedom and home.

Scaredy Fat - SkelpieLimmer, Lyric Belfast, Pleasance and LET

Come to the movies with Scaredy as they poke fun at fat and queer representation in horror, asking what it means to love a genre that doesn't love you back. We're gonna need a bigger shirt...

What the theatres say

"Supporting and developing new work is central to the Lyric Theatre's mission, so we were delighted to partner with the Pleasance Theatre Trust to support local shows to perform at the Edinburgh

Fringe Festival this summer. We had exceptional submissions and are proud that two shows have been selected - The Half Moon by Alice Malseed and Scaredy Fat by Colm McCready. The support

from the Pleasance Theatre Trust helps to strengthen our commitment to supporting Northern Irish artists and their work." Jimmy Fay, Executive Producer

Speaking about the opportunities offered by the Edinburgh National Partnerships, Pitlochry Festival Theatre said, "Pitlochry Festival Theatre is delighted to be working with the Pleasance as a partner venue to nurture and champion amazing artists to bring work to the Fringe. In our third year as a partner, we are excited to be supporting Glenna Morrison with her new show Guffy, which will be rehearsing at the Theatre in July." Deborah Dickinson, Producer

Bristol Old Vic emphasised the importance of bringing work to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, "It's brilliant to partner with an organisation like the Pleasance on an offer that will help an artist or

company from the South West get their show up to the Fringe. We are now in our fourth year of partnership and it's amazing to see already how this collaboration has supported artists to make

work that has gone on to win awards, tour all over the country and given many artists a platform from which to build the connections they need for a sustainable career. The economics of the Fringe

are possibly the toughest they have ever been, and in the current climate the support of venues and organisations to help incredible emerging work find a footing on this amazing international stage is

vital." Ben Atterbury, New Work Producer

York Theatre Royal hailed the strong future being built through the Edinburgh National Partnerships, "We are delighted to be partnering again on the Edinburgh National Partnership programme. This initiative is not only a great support to theatre makers, but also gives us a valuable opportunity to directly connect with a range of local artists and companies during the selection process. We are excited to see a York grown piece head to Edinburgh this year and are looking forward to supporting the development of this year's piece, as well as the future life of many others in the making." Juliet Forster, Creative Director

Bric à Brac Theatre are "incredibly excited to bring Glass Ceiling Beneath the Stars to the Edinburgh Fringe. It's been four years since our last show and this is our most ambitious to date. We're extremely excited to blend film and theatre and can't wait to show fringe audiences this story about two amazing women breaking boundaries and taking up space."

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