When The Friendship Has Sailed

WHY ARE WE FUNDRAISING?

We really need help to bring our show ‘When The Friendship Has Sailed’ to Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2018. We’ve been offered a great venue – a lovely theatre right next to Edinburgh Castle, however the festival is very expensive and we need help to cover some of the costs.

 

WHAT’S THE SHOW ABOUT?

‘When The Friendship Has Sailed’ is a comedy about loneliness and how hard it is to make/keep friends. It follows the story of Carrie who, after being fed up spending night after night talking to her goldfish Christina, decides to brave the world and make new friends. It is written by Jessica Palfrey and directed by Edwina Strobl, and the cast includes stage and screen veteran Elizabeth Edmonds (as the singing goldfish, Christina).

 

WHY LONELINESS?

Studies have found loneliness is as detrimental to your health as smoking fifteen cigarettes a day, but little work is going into ending this health crisis. The elderly are particularly at risk, though they are by no means the only sufferers, with studies showing that in the UK 13% of the population feel lonely all the time. ‘When The Friendship Has Sailed’ aims to shine a light on this issue, but as a comedy, do so in a way that is entertaining, enlightening and inspiring. We want people to leave the theatre determined to spend more time with their friends, and to call their grandparents!

 

WHERE WILL MY DONATION GO?

Your donation will go directly to paying the final instalment of the venue hire. While we’ve managed to find the funds for accommodation, promotional material, costumes, props, insurance and so on, the largest cost is certainly the venue, and very difficult to pay in bulk upfront.

 

WHAT WILL YOUR SUPPORT MEAN TO US?

Unfortunately the UK Arts Council does not fund Edinburgh Fringe, so without donations we will struggle to raise enough money to get to the festival. Your donation would ensure we could, which would mean so much to all the cast and crew involved, as this will be everyone’s first time bringing a show to Edinburgh Fringe (which, for everyone, has been a lifelong dream). Shows that do well at Edinburgh Fringe also tend to be picked up for other festivals, regional tours, and so on, so this show could lead to other, greater career opportunities.

 

WHO ARE WE?

Jessica Palfrey is an Australian playwright living in London. She is developing this show with assistance from the SOHO Young Company and recently had her short play ‘The Milk of Human Kindness’ performed at Theatre 503 as part of their Rapid Write Response program. In Australia she has written and directed a number of shows, including two commissioned Shakespeare adaptations, she co-wrote and directed the feminist cabaret Ragtime: There Will Be Blood!, and directed an educational touring production of Macbeth for Grin&Tonic Theatre Troupe. www.jessicapalfrey.com 


Edwina Strobl is the co-founder of independent company Flugelman Productions, and she also works as a freelance director. Edwina was a StoneCrabs Young Director 2016-17 and studied an MA in Text and Performance at Bribeck and RADA. Her most recent show, Boxman by Daniel Keene, recently received a five-star review at Brighton Fringe and will continue to be performed in various venues over the next two months. www.flugelman.com