Shadow Road Productions is going back to Edinburgh! After many years as enthusiastic audience members, we made our Fringe debut last year - an amazing experience which would never have been possible without the support we received from friends, family and followers of the company! We learnt so much and earned some fantastic reviews. This year we are returning, once again with TWO shows - our acclaimed production of Macbeth: Sleep No More, and our brand new adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island!
Last year we dipped our toes in the water, hoping to find out how the Edinburgh Fringe worked, to gain some good reviews, and to meet other actors and producers in similar situations to ourselves. This year, we hope to build on those successes, make more connections in the industry, and lay the groundwork for touring both productions afterwards.
We are again lucky enough to be returning to the wonderful theSpaceUK, but this time we will be at theSpace on the Mile with both shows - and have three hours, rather than one, between the two performances. No more running between two completely different venues, while cleaning bloody swords, buying lunch, and applying new makeup, arriving with mere minutes to spare before we were due back onstage, this year!
Here's a little more about the two shows:
TREASURE ISLAND - Edinburgh Tickets are available HERE.
Treasure, treachery, mutiny and mayhem all await young Jim Hawkins, as he leaves the Admiral Benbow inn behind and embarks on a thrilling and dangerous voyage to recover Captain Flint’s hidden gold. Pirates, parrots, and plots abound, and Jim must risk everything to save his friends lives – if he can…
Our exciting and emotional new adaptation brings Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic to life in a 50-minute masterpiece which includes our usual stirring sword fights and riveting stage violence. A timeless tale of adventure, courage, friendship, and the endless lure of the distant horizon.
This show is officially premiering at the Festival - though we will be testing it out with a handful of preview performances down south beforehand!
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MACBETH: SLEEP NO MORE - Edinburgh Tickets Available HERE
Originally created during the first lockdown in 2020, Emma King-Farlow’s electrifying adaptation of the Bard’s infamous tragedy is performed by a cast of four outstanding female actors and features a certain amount of original material. The shapeshifting witches bookend the play, interacting directly with the audience, and then weave themselves throughout the story, revealing just how easy it is to tempt a man – even the greatest of men – to ruin.
Additional scenes also include a heart-wrenching leave-taking between Macduff and Lady Macduff. This serves to contrast their relationship with the Macbeths’, and brings new heights to the final climatic battle scene between the two warring and grief-stricken Thanes – which, performed by two highly skilled sword fighters, is especially exhilarating.
With a cast of only four, the atmosphere is markedly intimate – this new take emphasising the importance of the individual relationships between characters. It remains true to its source, both in tone and content, and has been a hit with audiences at many different venues, including the Turbine Theatre and Southside House. With “universally strong” performances and a generous helping of Shadow Road’s characteristically stirring sword fights and riveting stage violence, this production is not to be missed.
What have critics said about this show?
“A sparkling gem of a show with a really innovative take on the physical and mental damage that flows from misplaced political ambition. ...King-Farlow’s skilfully edited and staged adaptation is perfectly pitched from witchy start to blood-letting finish...” - Fringe Review 2023. (Read the whole review HERE.)
“Everything’s interesting and shines a new light on the text. Among a strong set of performances Lady Macbeth (Emma King-Farlow) is particularly electrifying, and the couple’s immediate grief for what they’ve destroyed really shines through. With the all-female cast [of] just four actors, they find smart solutions to the logistical challenges, while the staging is bold and sparse. The climactic fight scene is thrilling! ... Stand not upon the order of your going but go at once.” - The Wee Review 2023
“Amy Floyd (Macbeth) has a formidable, almost frightening stage presence, inhabiting Macbeth with gravitas and political cunning that makes Machiavelli look like a pussy cat.” - Fringe Review 2023
“A fast flowing reworking, this is certainly a version well worth seeing and an interesting addition to the Macbeth canon. [Victoria] Adler’s sword fighting scene with Amy Floyd’s Macbeth is one of the highlights of the whole show, with audience members visibly shrinking back and pulling up legs from the thrusting and whirling bodies as the contest progresses to its inevitable bloody climax. Absolutely riveting stuff!” - North West End 2023
“Verbally it was superb, words being spat with a vehement intensity that raised hairs on the back of the neck. Physically, it was breathtaking, sword fighting that felt real, blood that looked it. Peerless...I’ll be making tracks for a repeat run. Yes, it was that good.” - Fringe Review 2023
What do we need the money for?
Taking a show to Edinburgh is an incredibly expensive and risky undertaking - though also a hugely exciting one! Any money raised via this crowdfunding campaign will go towards our production expenses, which include but are not limited to the following:
- Show Registration
- Venue Hire
- Insurance
- Donations of free tickets for every performance to the Community ticketing scheme, which allows local people in financial difficulty who might not otherwise be able to do so, to come and see our shows.
- Travel (Both to get up to Scotland and to travel in to and out of Edinburgh each day, as we have found slightly cheaper accommodation outside of the city.)
- Advertising & Marketing Costs (This includes the printing of flyers and posters, etc.)
- Accommodation
- Technical support (We are not taking a technician with us, so will have to hire one up there!)
- Costumes & Props (Happily, we already have most of what we need for Macbeth, having performed it so many times before. With Treasure Island, however, we have a lot still to acquire - though we have made a good start with the fabulous drama boxes pictured below!)
How can you help us?
We would be eternally grateful for any financial support you feel able to offer us, but there is more than one way in which you can help us achieve our goals! These include:
- Making a donation via this page.
- Signing up as a Patron on our Patreon page - donations start from £2 per month.
- Buying tickets for either of our Edinburgh shows via theSpaceUK's website - either Macbeth, or Treasure Island, or both!
- Attending our fundraising coffee morning at St Mary's Barnes, SW13 9HL, on Saturday 8th June from 10am-12.30pm, where you can enjoy some delicious tea, coffee and homemade cake, all in a very good cause!
- Sharing this campaign on social media, via email, or on your own websites - every bit of buzz will help us! You can find us on Instagram (@shadowroad_ ), X/Twitter (@shadowroadprods), on TikTok (@shadowroadproductions) and on Facebook (facebook.com/ShadowRoadProductions)
- Talking about us and these shows to anyone who will listen, both online and off - good word of mouth can work wonders! :-)
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Thank you so much for your interest in Shadow Road and our productions. We will keep you updated on our progress via this page, on our social media and - for those who choose that particular reward - via postcards from Bonnie Scotland!
We really hope to see some of you in one or more of our audiences, and we wish you a lovely summer in the meantime!
With all best wishes and many thanks,
Emma King-Farlow & Amy Floyd