8th – 31st January 2021
Welcome to the FringeReview dedicated page for Online@theSpaceUK.
Watch Brand New Shows from the comfort of your living room with Online@theSpaceUK Season 2
Opening 8 January, Online@theSpaceUK Season 2 features over 50 shows from around the world
Brand new shows from creative companies & artists packed with plenty of Cabaret, Comedy, Film, Music, Spoken Word & Theatre
All available online, completely free of charge, at www.theSpaceUK.com
ONE FESTIVAL, THREE WEEKS, EIGHTY SHOWS, all written and produced in lockdown. Join us online, 8th-30th August, 2020.
Browse the programme
Here is the full programme brochure
With shows available from 8th August through until 30th August this is true Fringe spirit. With the official Edinburgh Fringe cancelled for 2020, many of the shows that were to have played live at the many theSpaceUK venues in Edinburgh have transferred, transposed and tranformed their work into the digital realm and they are available for your to watch and witness their creative restlessness in these challenging times we find ourselves in. We raise our hats to them all.
I want to see … Online at theSpaceUK…
Here is our indispensable guide to the shows that comprise Online at theSpaceUK…
I want to see…
… an award-winning solo comedy show based on comedian Erick Acuña real life as a Peruvian Latino living in the United States. Then see Acuña Acuna
… a Viennese virtuoso Cellist. Then see Cello on Fire. Also check out Sleepwalking
… some burlesque. Then see Winter Seduction
… some piano bar cabaret, with music from James Taylor, Carole King, Joni Mitchell. Then see Virtual Cocktail Hour Piano Bar with Patricia
… some poetry read by the author. Then see Ronnie Dorsey Poetry
… an online mockumentary. Then see Happily Ever After
… some solo performance, a suspenseful testament of addiction and the inescapeable darkness behind it. Then see Rosegold
… a comedy variety show that gives you the TRUTH about work life. Then see The Corporate Knobs
… some autobiographical performance, told with humour, warmth, music, and banjos. Then see Tomatoes Tried to Kill Me But Banjos Saved My Life
… a multi-media, community collaboration. Then see Snapshot Stories
… a solo performance, a unique blend of being Jewish and Scouse.. Then see With All Jew Respect – Parts 1, 2 and 3
… some stand-up, socially distanced spoken word. Then see The Late Christmas Show
… a sketch show. Then see Is This Thing Still On?
… character-based scenes are interspersed with computer-generated Dada poetry, art, music and dance. Then see Readymade Cabaret 2.0
… an animated show. Then see Project Spudway
… a continuous series of monologues analysing a diverse range of characters’ perceptions of love. Then see To me, that’s what love is
We’ll be adding more recommendations in the run up to, and during the season.
PREVIEW
A Two-hander play – Walk of Shame
Glass Half Full Theatre and Lights Down Productions presents ‘Walk of Shame’ by Stephanie Silver and Amelia Marshall-Lovsey at Online@theSpaceUK, launching on 8th January and available to watch for free until 31 January, 2021.
‘Walk Of Shame’ is a two-hander play about sexual consent from Lights Down Productions. Through two intersecting monologues, we follow the stories of Alice and Liam and the events around a night out in the city.
The show was headed to The Space for Edinburgh 2020 but has been postponed until 2021 due to the Coronavirus pandemic but we are grateful for the opportunity to showcase the piece as part of the festival.
“This is a vital play that looks at the topic of sexual consent and places the audience’s prejudices and unconscious bias at the forefront and from our performance at The Space UK we are looking to plan a tour of colleges and Universities to bring this play directly to its target audience”.
Join them on Facebook here.
PREVIEW
Female-centred comedy
Charlotte Anne-Tilley Productions present Twenties. “Follow 21 year-old Hope, as she moves out of her childhood home in Cheshire to the bright lights of London.”
You are invited to “relive your Twenties with a show that promises laughs as well as a refreshingly honest depiction of what it means to be 21 in 2021. Join us as we visit a dinosaur themed bar, a nightclub and some very grubby toilets. Charlotte Anne-Tilley’s apt comedy will leave you feeling nostalgic for those mixed up years when you were still working things out.”
From the team that brought you Adolescent in 2018, comes another female-centred comedy that gets to the heart of what it means to be a young northern woman. After a memorable debut at Manchester’s Up The North Festival, this multi-person version of Twenties is returning for Online@theSpaceUK before visiting Edinburgh Fringe this summer as a one woman comedy.
With an outstanding comic cast, be prepared to chuckle in your desk chairs as you watch this online version from home.
About the performer/writer
Charlotte Anne-Tilley is an actor-writer who has been producing comedy and drama about growing up in the 21st century since graduating from LAMDA in 2018. Producing increasingly original and honest work, Tilley offers all the excitement and vibrancy we expect from an up-and coming actor-writer.
FILM PREVIEW
An exclusive early screening of Strangers
Are you ready to be transported into the shocking world of Strangers? Come with Jess and Gary as their ill-fated encounter dives into deeper and darker territory than you ever thought possible. Desperate circumstances lead to desperate action that results in a shocking revelation with deeply disturbing consequences. Can things ever be the same again? Strangers will make you question everything – and everyone – you thought you knew…
Join Strange Write Productions on this zoom-filmed (and covid secure) emotional rollercoaster and let Strangers take you on a journey. Written and directed by Nick Card, Newbury’s premier creator of dark and disturbing productions, this story is guaranteed to shock.
Emily Browne is an experienced actress who was nominated for ‘Best Supporting Actress’ at the Totton Drama Festival for her role as Victoria/Actress 2 in Nick Card’s play Acting.
Steve Schollar also has plenty of acting experience and was nominated for ‘Best Supporting Actor’ at the Henley Drama festival for his role Mr Stone in J.B. Priestley’s Rose & Crown.
Stage Write Productions was established in 2011 and has taken numerous other dark, gritty plays to festivals around the UK including A Grave Reunion to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Pot Noodles & Knickers to the Camden Fringe Festival and Revelations to the Lewisham Fringe Festival.
The film will be available to stream online for free from 8th – 31st January (inclusive) via theSpaceUK’s website – https://www.thespaceuk.com/.
PREVIEW
Three Chairs and a Hat
So, here’s a chance to catch two reflections and a song. First up we have…
HAGS
Two songs and a dash of animation give a taste of new musical ‘Lady M
Following great feedback for their contribution to the digital fringe festival last August, Three Chairs and a Hat return to the screen for the winter season of Online@theSpaceUK, with HAGS, a short taster of Nia Williams’s new musical ‘Lady M’, and a glimpse of the company’s new venture into animation.
The video features two songs from the show, performed here by the composer, and illustrated with her cartoons and animations. ‘This is a completely new direction for Three Chairs and a Hat,’ says Williams, ‘and one which we probably wouldn’t have explored if it hadn’t been for the constraints on performance imposed by the pandemic.’ Plans are underway for a fully animated version of the musical, featuring actor Susanne Hogson and directed by Alice Evans, as a digital companion piece to the stage show. ‘We turned to animation and puppetry from necessity,’ explains Williams, ‘but are now finding that it’s informing and influencing the live show, so we’re excited to see how that will develop.’
Lady M is loosely based on Shakespeare’s iconic character Lady Macbeth, and tells the story of an online life coach with a dodgy past.
Now, onto…
THREE STAGES
Two reflections and a song about friendship, loss and hope
Following great feedback for their contribution to the digital fringe festival last August, Three Chairs and a Hat return to the screen for the winter season of Online@theSpaceUK, with THREE STAGES, featuring two poems and a song written about the sudden death of a friend.
Nia Williams, founder of the company, wrote the material, and is joined by singer Matthew Allison in the performance. The poems and song were inspired by Nia’s friendship and working relationship with mezzo soprano Rebecca Allison—Matthew’s mother—who died in 2016 after contracting sepsis.
‘It’s a very personal video,’ explains Nia, ‘and I was particularly unsure about making the poems public, as they were written soon after we lost Becca, as a way of expressing both my grief and my gratitude for her friendship. But so many people have faced sudden bereavement this year particularly, I hoped it might resonate with some viewers. And having Matt involved, and showcasing his beautiful voice, was the deciding factor. Becca would have been thrilled to see him perform.’
Three Chairs and a Hat are also contributing HAGS to the winter festival, which features two songs from Nia’s forthcoming musical ‘Lady M’.
Three Chairs and a Hat was established by Oxford-based musician and writer Nia Williams (www.niawilliams.com), whose staged, published and broadcast work includes musicals, novels and short stories. The company made its Edinburgh Fringe debut at the Space on the Mile in 2019 with her four-star musical Verity.
Apart from her writing, Nia works as a pianist, musical director and workshop-leader, and is an associate artist of English National Ballet.
PREVIEW
I KNOW THE TRUTH
Poetry – the antidote to lies
When lies become alternative facts, what happens to truth? Using only the 56 words in a Marina Tsvetaeva poem as her palette, writer/performer Anne Rabbitt re-shapes them and finds new truths in a moving and thought-provoking film, I Know The Truth.
This is the second film Anne has made with her son, artist & filmmaker, Finn Rabbitt Dove.
Their first, Bookshelf Ballad, was the unexpected result of last year’s cancellation of the Edinburgh Festival. Anne was to have returned for the first time since 1986. Then, she was in a double act with Doon Mackichan. 2020 should have seen the premiere of her solo show, Self Service, but after twenty years of setbacks (including the Savoy Theatre burning down before her West End debut opposite Griff Rhys Jones and writing the worst-rated sitcom in BBC One’s history) it seemed the 2020 pandemic was the biggest spanner in her works yet. However, theSpaceUK turned this into an opportunity, which resulted in Bookshelf Ballad.
It would be more accurate to say, using the 56 words of Elaine Feinstein’s translation, for Tsvetaeva’s words have already undergone a transformation. In I Know The Truth they undergo another. Are poetic truths the only ones we can rely on, poetry’s secret weapon – ambiguity – a vaccine against the corrupting influence of untruths?
Listings Information
Venue: Online@theSpaceUK
Dates: 8-31 January 2021
Length: 0hr06
Ticket prices: Free
Suitable for all ages
COMEDY PREVIEW
Half-Baked Alaskan, a standup and cabaret show by a woman of substances
Award-winning NYC comedian and cabaret bitch Sally Ann Hall will be performing an early version of her Edinburgh Fringe solo show Baked Alaskan, which will be fully cooked by this summer. It’s a very personal hour of comedy featuring just a squirt of original music, directed by Ryan Cupello.
About the Artist
Inspired by the fiery volcanoes of Alaska and the swampy potato marshes of Idaho, Sally Ann Hall has a comedic style that combines wit and charm with childlike bladder control. She was recently named a Comic to Watch at the last New York Comedy Festival, she headlined Caroline’s on Broadway as a Breakout Artist, and won first place at both the Laughing Devil Comedy Festival and the She-Devil Comedy Festival. Her standup has been recommended by TimeOut New York and The New York Times. She sings regularly at the famous Duplex Cabaret & Piano Bar, and can’t wait to get back to lulling crowds into a restful blackout.
About the Director
Ryan Cupello is a theatre actor, director, and producer from NYC. He has performed Off-Broadway, at the Tony Award winning American Repertory Theater, and in US National Tours of Dirty Dancing and Fiddler on the Roof. He has produced and directed in NYC and Boston and received an MFA from Harvard University in conjunction with the Moscow Art Theatre in Russia.
Dates: 8-31 January, 2021
Length: 45 min
Ticket prices: Free
Suitable for all ages 18+ just in case 🙂
GUEST BLOG
By Lori Hamilton, US comedian, actor and singer.
Strange times – I put on an Edinburgh Fringe show last year but due to the pandemic I have not yet put a foot on stage in the city.
And that’s something I very much want to do.
Like many others I ended up having my production (The Silly and Unnecessary Variety Show) live streamed from my home, something that was made possible by the tremendous efforts by TheSpaceUK to shift its programme from the physical to the digital realm.
Since then there’s been a great deal of speculation about what impact the 2020 cancellation of the world’s biggest performing arts event will have on its future. After all, for performers it involves a huge commitment – planning, money, preparation and time.
The ravages of the past year mean that many performers just don’t have the resources to consider a run at the Fringe.
And as I sit here in New York right now I’m aware that there are huge uncertainties about what form it will take and whether audiences (especially from overseas) will be able to attend.
Even in the best years little can be guaranteed. Ticket sales, good reviews, decent weather – none can be taken for granted. We all hope that the threat of Covid will be receding by August, but we can’t be sure. Should I risk it?
For me, and many others, an Edinburgh Fringe appearance is a cherished ambition. Also, risk-taking and a large dollop of optimism are essential to any involvement in the performing arts. And I’m impressed by the way TheSpaceUK handle things. Indeed, I now have two shows in their Online@TheSpaceUK Season 2 free festival – The Corporate Knobs and Project Spudway (8-31 January).
So I’ve taken the plunge and signed up to bring another and rather different production, North Star, to Edinburgh this summer. It’s a one-woman show about surviving hideous events to find happiness and success. Perhaps that’s what we are all dreaming of as 2021 begins – an escape from darkness, a chance for joy, an opportunity to come together and engage with life in all its fullness.
That seems to be what the Edinburgh Fringe is about. A celebratory outpouring and exploration of every possible human experience. I yearn to be part of that and so, I suspect, do many thousands of other performers and hundreds of thousands of potential audience members.
Despite the risks, Edinburgh is something I dream of and I will seize the day if I possibly can.
For more about Lori see https://thelorihamilton.com.
VIDEO PREVIEWS
Readymade Cabaret 2.0
Speaking to the current COVID moment, this show asks whether our lives are determined by chance, fate, or free-will. Influenced by Duchamp and Dada, character-based scenes are interspersed with computer-generated Dada poetry, art, music and dance. Presented by Flying Solo! Presents and This Is Not A Theatre Company @presentsSolo
We’ll be adding more previews in the run up to, and during the season.
