Taste of Edinburgh Festival in Greenwich

I have often written in this column about the importance of the Edinburgh Fringe for theatre companies and for programmers. For an emerging company the festival can give you the chance to present your show to critics and venue representatives from around the country, while programmers have the chance to seek out the most exciting new shows to book for their venues. However, those companies often look for opportunities to try out their shows before heading to the festival. Just as a stand-up comedian will test new jokes at a series of small gigs in advance of a big tour, theatre companies will test their material before the festival – which gives select audiences the chance to see the shows before anyone else.

Here at Greenwich we are delighted to be able to offer audiences the chance to see four shows all headed for a run at the Fringe. On 19 July, mixing magical visuals, movement, live song and clowning, Haste Theatre will present Where The Hell Is Bernard – a show which I first discovered when it was shortlisted alongside our own production of Gazing At A Distant Star for a northern touring prize. Set in an office high above the city in a strange imagined future, the show sees four women hard at work. Their sole job is to anonymously return lost items. Everything runs like clockwork under a strict regime, until one day a box of returned objects mysteriously bounces back, leading to a mission that could change the future of humanity.

On 20 July, we present an eagerly awaited revival of Pants On Fire’s take on Ovid’s Metamorphoses. Five years ago we hosted a performance of this madcap extravaganza which features live music, puppetry and film and it went on to win a Best Of Edinburgh award. Now the company are back with a new version of the show, calling in at Greenwich before returning to the fringe.

On 21 July, in an evening of adult cabaret, we present a first visit to Greenwich for Lord Hicks with Sod’s Law which promises a musical romp through gay history from a performer who has serenaded audiences from Paris to Reykjavik and from the Science Museum to Pride.

Then, to complete the line-up, I am proud to present the winner of this year’s Les Enfants Terribles Edinburgh Partnership Award – a show selected by us from hundreds of applications to receive a package of support as it heads north to the festival. The show, by Incognito Theatre, is called Tobacco Road and tells an original story inspired by Peaky Blinders, Brighton Rock, Alice Diamond and real life events. Using explosive physicality the show follows five resourceful young men and women as they attempt to carve out a place in the murky underworld of 1920s London.

These preview performances are incredibly important to the performers as they try out new ideas, and I’m sure audiences will be seeing a lot more from all four companies in the future, but this is a chance for Greenwich audiences to get in first.

Find out more and book your tickets here

James Haddrell is the artistic and executive director of Greenwich Theatre