EARLIER/LATER returns to Paines Plough’s Roundabout at Summerhall this August, as part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, after a successful series of events in 2015.

This year the EARLIER mornings will be filled with free industry workshops, aimed at introducing stage lovers to the professional world of theatre.  Leading experts in areas such as casting, producing, directing etc will hold concise, 45/60 mins long sessions that aim to lift the curtain and allow people to see behind the scenes and into diverse career opportunities within the theatre industry.  Workshops will be held by experienced professionals including Soho Theatre Casting Director Nadine Rennie and Paines Plough Joint Artistic Director James Grieve.

LATER will be filled with an eclectic late night line up of modern poetry sessions, live music, theatre, comedy and scratch nights.  The line-up includes award-winning writer Rob Auton’s The Sleep Show, following on from 2015’s The Water Show and 2014’s The Face Show; a new work in progress from Josie Long with Every Brilliant Thing co-writer Jonny Donahoe; Tamasha theatre company’s Split/Mixed, a captivating one-man show about a boy growing up in Rwanda in the 90s; and the return of Poleroid Theatre’s Write It: Mic It, an eclectic performance platform for the UK’s best emerging and established playwrights, comedians, spoken word artists and sketch groups.

Paines Plough’s EARLIER/LATER series offers an amazing opportunity for Festival audiences to discover some of the UK’s most up and coming and exciting new performance makers, and a dynamic space for artists to develop their work.  Paines Plough is the “UK’s national theatre of new plays” and renowned for discovering and championing exciting new artists.  Lemons, Lemons, Lemons, Lemons, Lemons by Sam Steiner and Walrus Theatre returns to the daily Roundabout programme after premiering at EARLIER/LATER in 2015.

The Programme

Poleroid Theatre presents
Write It: Mic It

After four years at Vault, Live Theatre, Hackney Attic, Manchester Castle Hotel, Wilderness Festival & Standon Calling, Poleroid Theatre’s acclaimed open ‘write’ platform returns for its second year at the Roundabout!

Triple Off-West End Award nominated Poleroid Theatre bring together the UKs most exciting emerging artists, offering audiences a sneak peak into new work at the first stage of its development and snippets of the best shows to see at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2016.

Artists include KATIE BONNA (Dirty Great Love Story/Soho Theatre), LUKE COURTIER (Musical Comedy Award Finalist 2015), MIXED DOUBLES (Dave Comedy Shorts Winners), TOM GILL (Kate Tempest Award Winner), PHOEBE ECLAIR-POWELL (Soho Theatre/Verity Bargate Award Finalist) & LAUGHING STOCK(Sketchfest Audience Choice Winners).

Tamasha Theatre presents
Split/Mixed

A Portrait of a Boy and a Country.

Split/Mixed is a captivating coming-of-age tale that tells the story of Eddy, a boy growing up in Rwanda during the 1990s.

Writer/performer Ery Nzaramba brings to life nearly a dozen characters, merging memories into a compelling narrative exploring kinship, cultural expectations and self-discovery, weaving the fantastic with the ordinary in his search for a singular voice.

Eddy’s memories of home and his changing country merge into a narrative that explores the search for personal identity of those who grew up during the genocide in Rwanda.

Josh Coates
Get Yourself Together 

One Christmas, Josh was diagnosed with depression and then hit by a car. The following year he was on Job Seekers whilst attempting to balance his sanity and gift buying. A show about being ill and being fit for work. A show about the DWP and being from Bolton. This is a show that explores the thin line between mental health as a clinical and a political issue.

Part stand up, part spoken word and part teenager in his room pretending he’s in a punk band, Get Yourself Together is the new show from Royal Exchange supported artist, Josh Coates.

PLAY Theatre Company presents
PLAY: Edinburgh

Hold on to your hats, it’s PLAYtime!

Award-winning theatre company PLAY champion a new approach to new writing, with an emphasis firmly on collaboration. We’ve brought together some of the industries’ brightest and best – 4 writers, 4 directors and 10 actors – to share a PLAYroom. Starting with a completely blank slate, they have just two weeks to collaborate, devise and create four brand new PLAYs.

Art with Heart presents
Declaration 

Instinctive, curious, bold and bouncy; Sarah is a mighty proud square peg, which wouldn’t be such a problem if the hole wasn’t so damn round.

Sarah grew up feeling different. Her childhood Dr. thought it was sugar. Her current Dr. thinks its ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder). Sarah still feels different, so what will a label do?

Declaration examines when we want, need or are forced to declare our differences and the faces we wear to fit in. With autobiographical comedy, storytelling and conversations with audiences, Art with Heart take you on vibrant and daring adventure.

Obviously We Only Want the Best for our Daughter

You’re sitting down to eat when there’s a knock at the door.  A couple introduce themselves.  They make their way inside. They seem at home here. You seem to have a lot in common. In fact, there’s something vaguely familiar about them.

The first showing of a new play by Joe Harbot (The Boy On The Swing, Arcola). Directed by Kay Michaels(Pelican’s Daughters, Shakespeare in Shoreditch, RIFT).

Barrel Organ present
Nothing

Barrel Organ’s award winning debut production returns to Edinburgh after selling out in 2014. Nothing is much more than a series of monologues. It is about – among other things –cupcakes, action films, crap television, shitting, sex, buses and stalking. It is about alienation and being young.

“This young company are the future”– Lyn Gardner

Josie Long and Jonny Donahoe: We Need To Talk (work in progress)

Josie and Jonny are two lefty comedians who often get told they are preaching to the choir, living in a bubble and listening only to a social media echo chamber. They see themselves as optimists who want to make things better. That’s what they think their politics is.

If you think lefties are naïve and immature, or you don’t agree with how they see the world, come along, let’s talk.

Let’s try and be kinder to each other.

Let’s argue, but without being dicks about it.

This is a show about politics and identity and by the end of it; maybe, we will have sorted everything out and can just have a singalong.

Tap Tap Theatre present
Hansel and Gretel 

There’s one for the kids as well, with an EARLIER performance from Tap Tap Theatre: the people that brought you Captain Morgan and Handmade Tales.

Rose and her brother Ollie are going on an adventure. A big adventure. As big as the ones in storybooks. Bigger. With a rucksack stuffed with Hula Hoops and no sense of direction, follow brother and sister as they journey deeper and deeper into the forest. Climb in to the walking boots of adventurers past. Watch the forest come alive in front of your eyes. As they get loster and loster, what will they find? A boisterous and bold big adventure with an even bigger heart.

Tap Tap Theatre return to the Fringe with their spin on Hansel & Gretel, a fast and funny treat for the whole family. Featuring live music, suitable for ages 4+

Tongue Fu presents
Tongue Fu

The UK’s sharpest poets, storytellers, rappers and comedians perform with jaw-dropping improvised soundtracks from the Tongue Fu Band (Nostalgia 77, Jamie Cullum, Beardyman). Created and hosted by poet Chris Redmond (Scroobius Pip’s Beatdown- XFM; Pick of the Week- BBCR4), it is one of the UK’s liveliest and largest spoken word shows: a riotous experiment in live literature, music and improvisation.

With special guests from across the fringe.

Theatre Uncut presents
Theatre Uncut: Refugee

‘Theatre’s rapid response unit’ (Guardian)

Fringe First winners Theatre Uncut return with 6 brand new international short plays, responding to the refugee crisis, by British, Turkish & Danish writers including award winning Sabrina Mafhouz & Athia Sen Gupta. These plays were created in collaboration with Danish Teater GROB for the Copenhagen STAGE Festival.

A discussion with invited, expert guests will follow the performance.

Not Too Tame presents
TuckShop

Previous Roundabout collaborators Not Too Tame invite you to sample their TuckShop, a pick of new work from some of NTT’s favourite writers and a mix of our trademark electrifying energy, blended to create a new writing night with a twist. A night that’s not too well behaved, a little bit naughty and a little bit nice. So satisfy your sweet tooth, come get your fill and tuck into a night of fun, excitement and guaranteed good company!

Bang Said The Gun present
Bang Said The Gun

Bang Said The Gun is poetry for people who don’t like poetry. Voted the best poetry night in the UK by the Times, Bang Said The Gun has made poetry cool again.

A rollercoaster of emotions, it’s loud, raucous, political, trivial, serious and very funny. Normal rules do not apply here. Featuring a rich mix of the best and freshest talent, they will grab you by the collar and drag you into another world.

As recommended by Kate Tempest, ‘It’s like mud wrestling with words’, or as ex poet laureate, Andrew Motion puts it ‘BSTG is a vortex of energy and enthusiasm.’

Rob Auton presents
Rob Auton: The Sleep Show

Rob Auton has been standing up and saying things to audiences since 2008.

This show is about sleep. It is suitable for those who have slept. Following on from 2012’s The Yellow Show, 2013’s The Sky Show, 2014’s The Face Show, 2015’s The Water Show, award-winning writer and performer Rob Auton returns with 2016’s The Sleep Show.

The Workshops

Producer Workshop

Paines Plough is delighted to be hosting its first series of Producer workshops at this year’s Edinburgh Festival.

Here at Paines Plough we are always looking for ways to demystify how we go about commissioning, producing and touring new plays, in order to provide support for theatre makers at any stage of their careers.

Thinking about touring your show after Edinburgh? Join Paines Plough Senior Producer Hanna Streeter and Producer Francesca Moody for a first steps workshop on how to tour.

General Management Workshop 

Paines Plough is delighted to be hosting our next series of General Management workshops in Roundabout.

This workshop is a chance for anyone interested in working in theatre as a General Manager, or in Finance or Administration, to find out more about the profession.

The session will be a discussion and Q&A with members of the theatre community that work in General Management. Full panel list to be confirmed.

Acting / Directing Workshop 

Join Paines Plough Joint Artistic Director James Grieve in a workshop on working in-the-round. Looking at classic texts and new plays, this is a snapshot look at playing the most exposing, exhilarating and energising of all configurations – the round. Come on down to Paines Plough’s pop-up amphitheatre Roundabout for a quick and dirty guide to 360° theatre. Open to actors, directors and other interested parties.

Casting Workshop with Nadine Rennie

Casting Director Nadine Rennie, of Soho Theatre, joins us in Roundabout for a morning Q&A. Having worked with Writers from Dennis Kelly to Shelagh Stevenson, and Directors from Max Stafford Clark to Roxanna Silbert, Nadine has a wealth of knowledge and experience to share.

Whether you’re a budding young Casting Director, or an actor looking to find out more about the process and get advice, come along and join us for a morning of insight into casting.

Nadine has been Casting Director at Soho Theatre for the last ten years;  working on new plays by writers including Dennis Kelly, Roy Williams, Shelagh Stevenson, D C Moore, Steve Thompson, Vicky Jones and Oladipo Agboluaje. Directors she has worked with include Rufus Norris, Roxanna Silbert, Indu Rubasingham, Michael Buffong, Max Stafford Clark, Paulette Randall, Tim Crouch and Steve Marmion.

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