HAPPY NEVER AFTER to Play Edinburgh Fringe Fest, Jul 31-Aug 26

Following a sold-out run at The Pleasance Theatre London in 2012, HAPPY NEVER AFTER will play at this year's Edinburgh Fringe Festival it was announced today. A new play by Hannah Rodger, HAPPY NEVER AFTER will run at The Pleasance Courtyard from Wednesday 31 July - Monday 26 August 2013. Full listings attached.

Jen and Neil are young, fun and moving in. They are head over heels in love and enjoying every minute of their new adventure together. But when faced with a decision about their future they could never have predicted, they soon start to wonder if they can survive on love and laughs alone. Will they get the fairytale ending they dreamed of? Funny, passionate and painfully true, Happy Never After is a powerful story of holding onto young love, keeping romance alive and keeping the real world at bay.

Happy Never After has been born out of a long term collaboration between members of The Old Vic Theatre's education and talent initiative Old Vic New Voices, with writer Hannah Rodger, director Luke Sheppard, producer James Quaife and cast members Jessica Ellis and Nick Blakeley all meeting on the 2011 Old Vic New Voices TS Eliot US/UK Exchange. Keen to work together again, the team started developing a play with a story that was drawn from real life experiences and characters written specifically for the actors involved.

Director of Old Vic New Voices, Steve Winter said: "I am delighted to support Happy Never After with an OVNV START-UP award. Having seen the original production in London I feel sure it will do equally as well in Edinburgh and am proud that the producer, actors, director and writer are part of the Old Vic New Voices family."

Many of the cast and creative team have also worked extensively in the West End before now coming together to collaborate on Happy Never After. Director Luke Sheppard is Associate Director for Matilda and Singin' in the Rain; Producer James Quaife is co-producing the forthcoming West End comedy Barking in Essex starring Lee Evans and Sheila Hancock; cast member Nick Blakeley recently appeared in The Sunshine Boys alongside Richard Griffiths and Danny DeVito; and Lighting Designer Derek Anderson is part of the lighting team for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Hannah Rodger was selected for the Old Vic New Voices 2011 TS Eliot US/UK Exchange where her play "Beware Soft Mud" was performed at theVineyard Theatre, New York. Hannah has been invited onto development courses at Soho Theatre, Paines Plough and the Manchester Royal Exchange, and has written plays for new writing events at Barons Court Theatre, Tabard Theatre, Rosemary Branch Theatre, Richmix, Pleasance Theatre, Old Vic Tunnels and Theatre 503. Hannah was recently commissioned by the Octagon Theatre, Bolton and has been shortlisted for her work byHightide Theatre, the Birmingham Rep, Traverse Theatre and Playwright's Studio Scotland.

The cast features Jessica Ellis as 'Jen' and Nick Blakeley as 'Neil'. Jessica Ellis has worked regularly with Old Vic New Voices on various high profile projects including "The 24 hour plays: Old Vic New Voices" at The Old Vic Theatre and "Time warner IGNITE" and "TS Eliot US/UK Exchange" at the Vineyard Theater, New York. Jessica has just finished the Summer Season at Theatre By the Lake in Keswick where she has was in rep for seven months in "Bedroom Farce", "Dry Rot" and "Roma and the Flanelettes". Television credits include "Eastenders" and "Doctors" for the BBC. Nick Blakeley's theatre credits include "Damned by Despair", "13", and "A Woman Killed With Kindness" at The National Theatre, "The Sunshine Boys" at the Savoy Theatre, "The 24 Hour Plays: Old Vic New Voices" at The Old Vic Theatre and "Lovesong" at the Pleasance Theatre. Television includes "Doctors" and "The Old Bailey" for the BBC.

Luke Sheppard is currently Associate Director for "Matilda" in the West End and on Broadway, and "Singin' In The Rain" at the Palace Theatre, having previously worked on the productions at the RSC and Chichester Festival Theatre respectively. Directing credits include "Happy Never After" at the Pleasance Theatre, "Wind In The Willows at the Wilde Theatre", "Betty Blue Eyes" for Arts Ed, London, "Peter Pan" at the Beck Theatre", "Mort" at the Kingston Rose and Greenwich Theatre, "Bed And Sofa" at the Finborough Theatre, "Beware Soft Mud" at the Vineyard Theatre, New York, and "The Great British Soap Opera" and "Jet Set Go!" at Jermyn Street Theatre. Work as Assistant Director includes "Into The Woods" at the Open Air Theatre, "Private Lives" at Salisbury Playhouse and "Hamlet" at the Tobacco Factory.

James Quaife is an independent theatre producer and general manager working in the West End and on tour. James is a producer on the forthcoming production of "Barking In Essex" starring Lee Evans and Shelia Hancock at the Wyndham's Theatre, having recently been awarded the highest ever Stage One Start Up Fund for new commercial producers. Other recent credits include "Step 9 (of 12)" starring Blake Harrison at the Trafalgar Studios, "Happy Never After" and "People Like Us" at the Pleasance Theatre, "Precious Little Talent" at the Trafalgar Studios, and "Death of Long Pig" at the Finborough Theatre. From 2010 - 2011 James worked as Project Manager for Old Vic New Voices where he project managed "The TS Eliot US/UK Exchange" in London and New York, "The 24 Hour Plays: Old Vic New Voices" at the Old Vic, "The Arden Project" at Warner Brothers in London and 3LD in New York and "Time Warner IGNITE".

HAPPY NEVER AFTER is written by Hannah Rodger and directed by Luke Sheppard, with scenic design by Gabriella Slade and lighting design by Derek Anderson.

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