What do my little sister, a Shakespeare/zombie mash-up and the Edinburgh Fringe 2015 have in common?
Answer: Thread Theatre Company!
My sister Helen (that’s her in the boater) is making a brave move into freelance theatre production. She’s been working in amateur theatre for years, producing multiple shows annually, making money for the company and gaining loads of experience at the sharp end of theatre. I’ve been to several plays she’s been involved in and the production values are very high. I know she can make a success of this career, if she can get a foot in the door.
This summer she has a big opportunity to go to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and work on two plays with Thread Theatre Company. This is huge because it means a professional credit on her CV – as with many professions, theatre production has the chicken and egg situation that you can’t get a job without experience and you can’t get experience without a job!
Thread sounds like a fantastic outfit.
It was set up by a self-starting, feisty gang of women who are taking big risks to help themselves carve out careers in professional theatre. An “emerging company producing new writing and innovative takes on classic plays”, Thread made their Edinburgh debut last year with “Much ado about Zombies” – a death-defying take on the Shakespeare love story.
“With such an intriguing name, the cynical part of me was almost prepared to be let down. How could this show possibly live up to its title? Happily, Thread Theatre Company has done an admirable job of delivering on their premise…there are many laughs to be had”
Participating in the Fringe is great experience and exposure for young and talented theatre groups. But here’s the rub – it costs a bomb and groups are much more likely to lose money than to break even on ticket sales. To make sure the show goes on, Thread have launched a fundraising campaign on indiegogo.
*** As I write, they are just £610 away from their fundraising target***
I think it’s testament to my sister’s skills of persuasion and ability to leverage contacts that she not only got me to donate to the fundraiser, but to help publicise it all over social media!
If anyone reading this would like to learn more about Thread and the productions they are taking to Edinburgh or would like to donate a few pounds to help them get there, then please click through to indiegogo below:
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/get-thread-theatre-to-edinburgh-fringe-2015#/story
Not only would you be helping Helen and Thread Theatre (a female-led company who are “particularly passionate about new writing which gives women a voice both on and off stage”), but you would also be helping to support anti-human trafficking charity “Stop the Traffic” for which the company will be fundraising whilst in Edinburgh. One of their plays is a new piece of writing dealing with the issue of sex trafficking in Europe.
I’m keeping my fingers crossed that they have a really successful season!
Update (29.07.15): Thread Theatre beat their fundraising target by some way and are off to Edinburgh! Hooray!
I wonder if I can get a cheap flight…?
JENNYBEGOODE 