Paines Plough’s Roundabout at Edinburgh Festival Fringe – Full listings information
Three Paines Plough grown World Premieres:
A Paines Plough, Sherman Cymru and Theatr Clwyd production – World Premiere
Love, Lies and Taxidermy
By Alan Harris
This is a boy meets girl story. Son of a Polish taxidermist meets daughter of a failing ice cream salesman. At a medical research facility in Merthyr Tydfil. First date in Tesco and things are going well.
But it’s difficult to fall in love when your parents need saving from themselves, their weird hobbies and the threat of a prison sentence.
An offbeat love story about Mr. Tutti Frutti, a stuffed owl and the struggle to fit in from writer Alan Harris (BBC Radio 4, National Theatre Wales, Sherman Cymru).
5, 7, 10, 12, 14, 17, 19, 24, 26, 28 August
1.35pm (70mins)
A Paines Plough production – World Premiere
Growth
By Luke Norris
“That? That’s. I mean.
Yeah.
It’s a lump in a bag of lumps.
I mean.
It’s normal.”
Tobes is young, free and having a ball. Off.
He’s successfully ignored his lump for two years but it’s starting to get in the way. Cramping his style and worse than that – affecting his sex life. So now there are pants to be dropped, and decisions to be made… It’s a real ball ache.
Growth is a comedy about growing up and manning up from rising star Luke Norris (So Here We Are, Royal Exchange; Goodbye To All That, Royal Court).
6, 8, 11, 13, 15, 18, 20, 22, 25, 27 August
1.35pm (70mins)
A Paines Plough and Half Moon production – World Premiere
I Got Superpowers For My Birthday
By Katie Douglas
Ethan, William and Fiona are about as different as three almost-teens can be. The only thing they have in common is that tomorrow is their birthday. And they’ve just discovered they have superpowers.
Which is lucky because someone needs to protect the world from The Darkness. An evil overlord with plans to turn everything to ice.
Join our three heroes on an epic quest to save the planet in this brand new play for ages 7+ from award winning writer Katie Douglas.
5 Aug – 21 Aug (not Tues 9, 16 or 23)
11.00am (45mins)
All performances of I Got Superpowers For My Birthday are Relaxed Performances.
Joining these three new productions from Paines Plough and its collaborators are a further seven works of fresh, funny, poignant, brilliant theatre, comedy and music.
A Paines Plough and Pentabus Theatre Company production
Every Brilliant Thing
By Duncan Macmillan with Jonny Donahoe
Following an international tour, the hugely acclaimed Every Brilliant Thing by Duncan Macmillan with Jonny Donahoe will embark on its third nationwide tour in autumn 2016. A sell-out success at Fringe 2015, this play about depression and the lengths we go to for those we love has won plaudits around the world, Every Brilliant Thing will return to the UK in Edinburgh before going out on tour.
Saturday 6 – Sunday 28 Aug (not Tues 9, 16 or 23)
3.15pm (60mins)
Prime Cut Productions presents
Scorch
by Stacey Gregg
For those who don’t feel like they’re in the right life, online is a place to be yourself.
“Happiness. Aching, constant, consuming- on there it’s. More real than real life. I’m honest on there. I’m being honest.”
Out in the real world though, things can be very different. A story of first love through the eyes of a gender-curious teen Scorch examines how the human story often gets lost amidst the headlines.
Inspired by recent court cases Scorch won Best New Play at the 2015 Irish Times Irish Theatre Awards and Best New Play at the Writer’s Guild of Ireland ZeBBie Awards. It brings the very talented young actor Amy McAllister, with already many stage and tv credits to her name to Festival audiences.
Friday 5 – Sunday 28 Aug (not 9, 16 or 23)
6.05pm (60mins)
Fly By Night Productions for STV
Des Clarke’s All Star Comedy
Join award-winning comedian Des Clarke at the recording of a brand new stand-up TV show featuring the comedy stars of today and tomorrow.
This unique comedy experience features the very best stand-up talent from around the world.
Proceeds from the performances will go to the STV Children’s Appeal. This series will be broadcast on STV later this year.
“Des Clarke is so funny it’s almost painful to watch him perform. Genius in action.” (METRO)
“Frighteningly talented.” (CHORTLE)
Tuesday 16 August
2.00pm, 5.00pm and 8.00pm (1hr50mins)
Katie Bonna and Paul Jellis production in association with Soho Theatre – World Premiere
All the Things I Lied About
by Katie Bonna
Would the world be a better place if we were all honest?
Fringe First winner Katie Bonna (Dirty Great Love Story) is giving a TED talk on the science of lying. Well, that’s not quite true. TED haven’t actually asked her to do one – yet.
From duping her sister into drinking her wee to repeated infidelities, Katie unpicks her history to confront humanity’s obsession with fibs.
Previous work:
‘Restores your faith in human nature and the Fringe’ **** (Telegraph)
‘Laughs are frequent, unsignalled….. brilliant.’ **** (Times)
‘Bonna puts in a simply dazzling performance’ (Stage)
Friday 5 – Sunday 28 August (not Tues 9, 16 or 23)
4.40pm (60mins)
Ghost Quartet presents
Ghost Quartet
by Dave Malloy
Ghost Quartet is a haunted song cycle about love, death, and whisky. A camera breaks and four friends drink, in four interwoven narratives spanning seven centuries: a warped fairy tale about two sisters, a treehouse astronomer and a lazy evil bear; a retelling of Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher”; a purgatorial intermezzo about Scheherazade; and a contemporary fable about a subway murder.
Murder ballads, doo-wop, angular bebop, Chinese folk, Islamic adhan, and raucous campfire drinking songs collide in this chamber musical from Dave Malloy, composer of the Broadway-bound Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812.
Friday 5– Sunday 28 August (not Tues 9th, 16thor 23rd)
9pm (65mins)
Supporting Wall presents – World Premiere
Jonny & the Baptists: Eat The Poor
In 2009, future Prime Minister David Cameron forgot how many houses he owned. Within five years, homelessness had doubled. A riotously funny musical epic about inequality, friendship and betrayal. Satire, silliness and song combine in the latest show from Jonny & the Baptists, multi-award-nominated stars of Radio 4’s The Now Show – fresh from a critically-acclaimed 40-date UK tour.
**** ‘Superbly crafted… very funny’ (Metro).
**** ‘Wickedly amusing’ (The Times).
**** ‘Gigglesome wordplay… broad, daft and punchy’ (The Guardian).
**** ‘A seriously funny dose of satire’ (The Stage).
Friday 5– Sunday 28 August (not Tues 9th, 16thor 23rd)
7.35pm (60mins)
Walrus presents
Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons Lemons
By Sam Steiner
Walrus’ award-winning show returns to Edinburgh in Paines Plough’s pop-up theatre Roundabout.
‘Let’s just talk until it goes.’ The average person will speak 123,205,750 words in a lifetime. But what if there were a limit? Oliver and Bernadette are about to find out. This two-person show imagines a world where we’re forced to say less. It’s about what we say and how we say it; about the things we can only hear in the silence; about dead cats, activism, eye contact and lemons, lemons, lemons, lemons, lemons.
“About as promising as debuts get.” – Time Out
Friday 5– Sunday 28 August (not Tues 9th, 16thor 23rd)
12.10 (60mins)
Following the run in Hackney and Edinburgh, Roundabout will tour to eight corners of England bringing audiences three brilliant new plays produced by Paines Plough alongside a range of specially programmed music, comedy, locally created work and arts activities for all in week long pop-up festivals. Starting in Salford, Roundabout tours to Margate, Lincoln, Kendal, Barnsley, and Stoke before finishing in Luton in late October (full details in notes).
