Edinburgh Fringe 2025
Buried
FirstByte Theatre
Genre: Devised, Theatre, Youth Theatre
Venue: The Space UK: Surgeon's Hall
Festival: Edinburgh Fringe
Low Down
Burnley. Now. A group of teenagers are tasked with reaching through time, as they arrive at fateful milestones where decisions must be made. Some thrive while others are left behind. Burnley. Soon. Taking a stand against a looming wrecking ball, a group of hopeful young people come together to confront a bleak reality. Timelines splinter as both groups look towards their hurtling futures, asking the question: when did it all go wrong?
Review
Youth company FirstByte return to the Fringe with Buried, an ambitious and affecting piece of devised theatre, created and performed by a talented ensemble of emerging artists from Burnley. Since 2009, this company has been developing new work that speaks to the concerns of their generation, and Buried continues that tradition with confidence and emotional weight.
Set across two time periods – 2025 and a dystopian 2060 – Buried explores environmental issues, the erosion of memory, and the resilience of youth. In the near future, a group of teenage protesters occupy the ruins of their former school to resist its imminent demolition to build a new coal fired power station, a result of an AI influenced economic collapse. In 2025, a group of students – reluctantly thrown together in detention – begin composing letters to their future selves for a time capsule celebrating the school’s centenary.
This neat device forms the backbone of the piece, as the time capsule bridges the two periods, allowing the thoughts and fears of one generation to resonate with (and occasionally baffle) the other. The writing – devised and developed by the cast – is sharp, pacey, and authentic, capturing the rhythms and frustrations of teenage voices with great accuracy.
The performances are consistently strong across the ensemble. The cast feel entirely at home in their characters and display a strong sense of connection with one another. Particularly effective are the overlapping scenes, in which both timelines occupy the stage simultaneously. These are handled with remarkable precision and timing, creating a poignant juxtaposition of voices from Now and Soon.
The set is a simple evocation of a school classroom – effective for both Now and Soon, though perhaps a little snug for a cast of nine. That said, the director has worked with constraints, and the result is deft and economical, with each performer clear and grounded, even in the more complex choreographed sequences.
There’s nothing didactic about the way this story is told – instead, Buried offers a human cry for change, connection, and reflection from those whose own future lies in that land of Soon. A compelling piece of work from a youth company that continues to grow in confidence and craft. FirstByte have created a show that is thoughtful and urgent.
