Fridge, a play by Emma Zadow

Aim

Help us pay our cast and creatives for the production of Emma Zadow's new play Fridge at the King's Head Theatre this summer!

Fridge is a culmination piece of nostalgia, growing up and millennial mental illness woven together with spoken word, storytelling and original music by Singer-Songwriter Phoebe Robinson. As the millennial generation are finding they are the newest adults, the youngest grown-ups, no longer babies of the Internet, so does a new kind of retrospective story of youth immerge. The play unashamedly addresses our generation’s obsession with 1990s Disney films and the tales promised to us we would live out after the final dong of the midnight clock on January 1st 2000. The play explores depression and millennial mental illness in a unique and original style of theatre.

We know Alice hasn't been home for a while. Seven years in fact. But when her little sister, Lo, decides to try to take her own life in an effort to get Alice back, the journey from South London to Norfolk proves to be more than just a simple change of pace. As nostalgia kicks in with Disney VHS tapes and the shared memories with a childhood friend named Charlie, Alice must confront what she left behind and what exactly brought her back. At the same time, Lo and Charlie must tackle their mixed feelings about Alice returning to them and to the land she once called home. Together, the three try to rekindle a family broken. Set amongst the flat wilderness of the Norfolk landscape, with original music, this is a story of nostalgia, family, childhood, and the desire to escape to another world, another city, and another time.

There is definitely amongst our generation a need for escapism, for fantasy; unprecedented by any other generation before us, and Fridge captures the reality of a fantasy-led world through a multi-sensory theatrical experience. The performance have recieved the opportunity to be part of a new writing festival called Festival 47 at the King's Head Theatre in London, which will be a massive step in the right direction for this piece.

Reviews

The latest stage of the play’s journey was a rehearsed reading at the Etcetera Theatre on the 7th of June 2016, which resulted in positive reviews from the press for example:

James Bell, A Younger Theatre

• “Emma Zadow offers a powerful and thought-provoking look at the intricacies of memory, nostalgia and the tribulations of early adulthood."

• “Fridge is an arresting piece of new drama which delivers a powerful emotional punch, often undercut by moments of bittersweet humour. Despite the briefest of runs in Camden, it deserves, and I’m sure will secure, a much wider audience.”

Heather Jeffreys, London Pub Theatres

• “The Music by Phoebe Robinson composed for guitar achieves a kind of mournful reflection in keeping with the theme of nostalgia and depression.”

• “In one perfect scene between Lois and Charlie, actors Wilson-Read and Garrick make a lovely connection, similarly this is reached in another scene between the two sisters (Wilson-Read and Bennett). The writing for both of these scenes show outstanding promise by Zadow. Reversals are one of Zadow’s strengths and result in edge of the seat story-telling. These scenes also benefit from excellent direction by Tonje Wik Olaussen.”

Why this piece is important

The disturbing influx of both Depression and Suicide in our youngest adults is a troubling one and according to the National Institute of Mental Health, Suicide is the second leading cause of death for young people ages 15 to 34. We need to start exploring and delving into these minds in order to better understand their condition. It is not simply about representing them as victims, as helpless, but as people disconnected with the world around them. And thus, the story of Lois, a teenage girl who escapes into Disney films and Disney mythology, only cements this disconnection further. She, like many of our generation, can only connect through the media and the media of her childhood.

Festival 47 at the King's Head Theatre will be a fantastic platform for Fridge as a way to receive feedback on our performance, create connections, show our work to the industry and public, and to finally have the chance to stage this important play.

What we need the money for

As a young company in this industry, we pride ourselves in paying our actors and creatives. Therefore, we are paying our actors minimum wage in keeping with the necessity to pay artists by respecting their work, commitment and set of skills. We also hope to be able to pay our creative a set fee for their hard work. On top of this come all the other expenses such as building the set, buying props and costume, rehearsal space, and paying for the venue.

We would be eternally grateful if you could help us out with a donation - and please do come see the show in July! 

Who we are

 Cast: 

Alice - Emma Zadow

Lois - Mary O'Loan

Charlie - Leo Garrick

Creatives:

Director - Tonje Wik Olaussen

Playwright - Emma Zadow

Music - Phoebe Robinson

Producer - Pippa Davis

Stage Manager - Monika Jastrzebska

This project successfully funded on 26th June 2017