Wright & Grainger to Return to the Edinburgh Fringe With the World premiere of HALF MAN || HALF BULL

HALF MAN || HALF BULL by WRIGHT&GRAINGER will be presented Summerhall, Dissection Room 1st - 26th Aug (not 12th & 19th).

Times: Part 1 @18.40 Part 2 @19.50

A Keep It Fringe fund 2024 recipient.

A LIVE VERSION OF THE EPIC DOUBLE ALBUM, A WILD RETELLING OF TWO INTERLINKING MYTHS, STAGED AS A PAIR OF GIGS, IN THE ICONIC DISSECTION ROOM AT SUMMERHALL.

A lad heads off to kill a monster. 

A boy falls out of the sky. 

Two inextricably linked stories of hope and loss, wildly retold by internationally acclaimed 'masters of storytelling'(FourthWall).

Wright&Grainger and Oliver Tilney reimagine two myths - the adrenaline fuelled Theseus & The Minotaur and the heartrending Daedalus & Icarus. Two stories, two gigs - two tales of escaping things and proving things. This epic theatrical album full of virtuosic spoken word and soaring live music is performed live for the very first time. 

Known for their thrilling, narrative-led weave of spoken word and music, HALF MAN || HALF BULL picks up in style where internationally acclaimed THE GODS THE GODS THE GODS left off. A seated audience for two gigs, played back to back. Each story is told through ten tracks. Each track is a chapter in a story, fuelled by misplaced arrogance of young lads, and the tender loss and isolation of old men. 

'Okay, here's the thing' says Alexander Wright, of critically acclaimed UK company Wright&Grainger, 'Oliver Tilney is one of our best pals and-long time collaborators. He called us wanting to scratch an itch - something in the stories of Theseus & The Minotaur and Daedalus & Icarus had got under his skin. It was a great idea. So, during lockdown, we wrote a double album and sent it out to 2,000 people as an at home listening experience.'

Wright&Grainger make hugely acclaimed adaptations of ancient stories, bringing them bang up to date told through soaring live music and heart stopping spoken word. Their previous shows ORPHEUS, HELIOS and THE GODS THE GODS THE GODS have played over a thousand times around the world, scooping up awards in the UK, Australia and New Zealand playing at venues and festivals including Sydney Opera House, Brunswick Picture House, Theatr Clwyd and Underbelly's Boulevard Theatre in Soho. 

'We made 2 albums' says Phil Grainger of Wright&Grainger. 'When we were in the studio, digging into the beautiful details of the beats and melodies and synths and sounds, we didn't dare let ourselves imagine a live show.'

But now, three years later in a post pandemic landscape, HALF MAN || HALF BULL is making its world premiere in The Dissection Room at Summerhall. Two interlinking stories about men trying to become master of animals told in the heart of an old veterinary college. 

'It's the perfect spot' says Oliver Tilney, the brains behind the initial idea. 'Al & Phil have an amazing ability to reimagine these ancient stories for a modern day. We've made 2 halves of an epic story - you can watch them together or separately - which really resonate with our modern world. At the heart of it, they're stories about wanting to prove yourself, about failure, about getting stuck in shame and, ultimately, about hope and the possibility we find in connection with other people.'

The story is told in two parts:

HALF MAN || HALF BULL: PART ONE - THESEUS

HALF MAN || HALF BULL: PART TWO - DAEDALUS

"You can watch each part separately or together - back to back on the same day, or with a little break in between,"explains Tilney. " Whatever suits your fringe schedule. But we'd love you to see both," adds Phil, "They each have such a different flavour."

This year, Wright&Grainger and Oliver Tilney are teaming up with acclaimed Olivier award winning US producer Molly Morris. "We hope this Edinburgh run is part of a long life for the show," she says. "I fell in love with the albums as soon as I listened to them. I can't wait for people to experience the nuance, the gut punch, the soul, the sadness and the hope live in a room together." Molly Morris is known for her work as one of the original producers on Come From Away as well as transferring UK show Islander to New York. She runs Ghost Light Global, bringing some of America's most renowned industry to the Edinburgh Fringe each year. 

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