This year’s Fringe experience has once again been a tremendous success for the Macready's Youth Theatre Companies. The diverse student company performed to sell-out audiences throughout the run, attracting significant publicity and receiving glowing reviews from both audiences and professionals. The show itself was a resounding success, and the company can be extremely proud of their achievements.

The creative journey began in October with a workshop led by Georgie Dettmer, the group’s commissioned young writer for this year. Additional workshops and research and development sessions took place over the following months, leading up to the final script going into rehearsal in February. After performing previews in Rugby during June and July, the company embarked on their 10-day run at the Fringe.

This year, the group enjoyed pre-Fringe publicity, being highlighted as ‘One of the 12 Best Shows at Fringe’ and ‘Top 10 Best Titles at Fringe’ by What’s On Stage and The Handbook, respectively. The group's distinctive costume, combined with Louisa’s performance on the baritone saxophone, earned the group considerable attention while flyering. Louisa also featured on the cover of The New York Times (pictured here). Over the course of the 12 days, the group attended dozens of shows daily, ranging from the bizarre to the beautiful, including everything from dance to puppetry. As a cultural experience, it was second to none, offering the students mind-expanding encounters.

A clear testament to the impact of this trip is the number of Rugbeians who return year after year as performers, writers, directors, and audience members. This year, the following Rugbeians, who were part of this trip, returned to Edinburgh with their own work:

Freddie Walker (SF 12-17): Performed in the 2018 show 1 Singular Sensation. This year, Freddie returned as a writer and performer at Pleasance.

Kat Johns (RB 12-17): Also performed in the 2018 show 1 Singular Sensation. Kat returned this year as a performer at Pleasance.

Stella Cohen (Tu 14-19): Performed in the 2019 show 21 Futures. Stella was back this year as a performer at C Venues.

Emily Browning (S 19-21): Was set to perform in the 2020 show, which was cancelled due to COVID-19 but later became a radio play. This year, Emily returned as a director at Riddles Yard.

Oliver Butler (T 21-23): Performed in the 2022 show 7 Seventeen Year Olds in a Screwed Up World. Oliver was back this year as a performer at Riddles Yard.

We congratulate the Macready’s Youth Theatre Companies on their fantastic achievements and look forward to seeing what they will accomplish next.

About Macready Theatre Young Actors’ Company

Macready Theatre Young Actors’ Company and Rugby Connected Youth Theatre run programmes as part of a year-round offer in conjunction with Rugby School, Rugby Free Secondary School and in partnership with Macready Theatre, Bloomsbury Festival as well as other local primary and secondary schools. Our focus with both groups is on new writing and we regularly commission new work. These opportunities attract talented young writers and actors from all backgrounds to join the company and offers them the chance to develop new work with professional directors, choreographers, musicians, producers and technicians. Generous financial support is available for those who need it in order to widen access to the programme. The groups work with a range of practitioners, agents and others throughout the year as part of the programme and our older members go on to perform in our touring company Square Pegs which works in partnership with London’s Bloomsbury Festival to co-commission young and emerging writers to develop a brand-new play for the Edinburgh Fringe and Bloomsbury Festivals each year, whilst our younger members take part in National Theatre Connections programme.