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Aim: Help us take 'Placeholder' to Milan and share this powerful Haitian-Creole story of resistance, memory, and finding your voice!
About Us
Fronteiras Theatre Lab is a Scotland-based company creating transcultural work that bridges languages, histories, and identities. 'Placeholder' is our latest production — written and performed by Catherine Bisset and directed by Flavia D'Avila — and it tells the story of Minette, a Creole opera singer in pre-revolutionary Saint-Domingue (present-day Haiti), inspired by real historical figures and shaped through imagined memory and ghostly encounters.
The Journey So Far
'Placeholder' was developed in collaboration with CECTON (Colonial-Era Caribbean Theatre and Opera Network) and shines a light on the silences in colonial archives — creatively filling the gaps to give voice to those erased by history. The show has resonated widely, earning multiple accolades: it was shortlisted for the Production of the Year award by Framework Theatre (2022), longlisted for the Alfred Fagon Award (2023) and Kavya Prize (2024), and it won the Dundee Fringe Award (2025). It has since been published in English, and in a parallel text in French and Kreyòl, both by Salamander Street.
One of our funders told us:
"You have achieved more with this play than any policy or manifesto ever could."
Why We're Fundraising
We’ve been invited to take Placeholder to Festival Milano Off in Italy this October – a vibrant international showcase of independent theatre and a great platform to connect with a wider network of festivals. This is an exciting opportunity to share this powerful and poetic story of resistance with new audiences and spark vital conversations beyond Scotland.
But we need your help to get there.
What Your Support Will Fund
We’re raising money to help cover flights, accommodation, and per diems for our small team of three (performer, director, and our wonderful dramaturg Jaïrus Obayomi).
Our Vision
'Placeholder' is more than a performance – it’s an act of remembrance and resistance. With your support, we can continue bringing these stories to life and ensure they are not forgotten. Whether you give £5 or £500, you become part of a collective voice that refuses to let the past be erased.
Funding method
Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 17th August 2025 at 12:00pm