'FLUSH' AT THE FRINGE
Have you met your bestie in the club toilet?
Have you ever hidden in the toilet to escape a terrible date?
Have you ever wondered what women talk about in the ladies bathroom?
If yes, then you might be interested in supporting our show...
We are Launch Box Productions and we are proud to present our show FLUSH, a new comedy drama by April Hope Miller at 12:15 at Upstairs in the Pleasance Courtyard from 30th July - 25th August 2025.
https://www.pleasance.co.uk/event/flush
April Hope Miller’s debut play is a wildly funny and profoundly moving exploration of the sanctity of sisterhood, set in the seemingly mundane yet magical space of the ladies bathroom. Following one woman’s experience of assault, FLUSH dives deep into the lives of different women, navigating their shared vulnerabilities, triumphs and frustrations and examines how women rally around each other in moments of crisis and catharsis.
The play uses its setting - a bathroom in a popular Shoreditch bar - as both a literal and symbolic safe space, where women come together to confide, cry, and seek solace from each other. The characters in FLUSH are flawed, messy, complicated, and wholly relatable and their stories reflect universal truths about growing up, facing assault, forming friendships and navigating societal expectations.
FLUSH was shortlisted for the Charlie Hartill Award 2025.
WHY THIS PLAY?
A ladies bathroom is a magical place. It is a melting pot, an equal playing field and most importantly, a safe space, sacred and confessional by structure and nature. It is a space where nothing is off limits, where people bare their souls and greet vulnerability as easily as they flush the toilet. This space of safety encourages connections between strangers in a way that probably wouldn’t exist outside these walls and are unlikely to continue beyond them. These walls are the perfect environment to depict portrayals of real, nuanced and complicated women.
Too often in theatre, tv and film, women are pitted against each other or have their character arcs centred around the men in their lives. This play celebrates all the nuances, complexities, messiness and beauty of women and their relationships with each other and shows the strength of sisterhood in all its glory.
WHY NOW?
At a time of growing misogyny and violence towards women and girls at alarming levels, we feel it’s the right moment to be exploring these complex and challenging themes.
We have officially partnered with ‘Ask For Angela,’ the national non-profit scheme that helps anyone who is feeling vulnerable on a night out get the support they need. This is Ask for Angela’s first collaboration with a theatre show and will help increase awareness and exposure for FLUSH through public affiliation, marketing and social media. We will be raising awareness of the scheme on our social media and will provide information to audiences on our digital programme.
WHO WE ARE
Launch Box is an all-women team of dedicated, enthusiastic and ambitious actors and producers who have come together to take FLUSH to the Edinburgh Fringe. The team consists of April Hope Miller (writer/actor/producer), Madeleine Akua, (actor/producer), and Joanna Strafford (actor/producer). Launch Box was founded by April and Madeleine to provide opportunities for emerging artists and platform a diverse range of voices.
ORIGINS OF FLUSH
FLUSH originated as a short sketch written by April that was part of HERE IS GOOD, a sell-out showcase at the Bush Theatre produced by Launch Box. Launch Box then took a developed version of FLUSH to a scratch night at the Pleasance Theatre and from there, with the support of the team at the Pleasance, it evolved into a full ensemble play. Joanna then joined the team to create the current iteration of Launch Box Productions. Launch Box was shortlisted with FLUSH for the Charlie Hartill Reserve at the Pleasance.
HOW WE NEED YOUR HELP
Taking a show to the Edinburgh Fringe is an exciting but costly endeavour. As a team of emerging female artists, we are dedicated to making this project a reality, but we need financial support. We have £4k left to raise to reach our target and would be SO grateful for any donation, big or small.
Costs required to get FLUSH to Fringe:
- Venue - Cost of securing the space
- Accommodation - Housing our cast for the duration of the festival
- Marketing & Promotion - Helping us reach the widest audience possible
- Production - Covering set, props and technical elements
- Creative - We want to be able to pay our wonderful creative team and performers proper ITC rates
Thank you so much for supporting our show!
INCLUSIVE SISTERHOOD
We believe that the safety, solidarity and sanctuary of the ladies bathroom should be extended to all women. In a time where trans women face escalating hostility, erasure, and violence, we want to make it explicitly clear: FLUSH stands firmly for inclusion. Our play is a celebration of all those who seek safety and sisterhood in spaces that have too often been policed, politicised, or denied to them. This is a space for all women, and we honour the right of trans women to be seen, heard, and supported - on stage and off.