Aim

A comedy-cabaret about Abortion! This is Lilly’s story; a bracing, booming and brash autobiographical tale. Lets normalise the conversation!

HIYA BABES! 

(Disclaimer: I'm wildly dyslexic and always find it worth mentioning now so you don't think I'm drunk or really lazy)

My name is Lilly and I am thrilled to announce I am taking my debut solo show, "All Aboard! At Termination Station" a Comedy Cabaret about my personal experience of abortion, to The Pleasance Courtyard at The Edinburgh Fringe Festival, 02nd-28th of August, 2023. 

This has been a long time coming, 5 years of grafting, performing and protesting under my belt and now (finally) the show is going to fly at The Edinburgh Fringe 2023, the biggest performance festival in the world! Whether you have seen the show or watched my activism online, you might have notice I've been on mission (with my mega phone on full blast). 

WHY NOW?

The social and political landscape for reproductive freedom, rights and access is at risk! 

I first developed the show in 2019, when Irish abortion law "Repeal The 8th" was thrown into the limelight and the conversation surrounding abortion in the UK and Ireland, was suddenly amplified. Since then both the Republic and Northern Ireland have legalised abortion. However a lack of funding put into the newly available services means 100's of women travelling to the England and Scotland to access reproductive health care.

In Poland since January 2021, abortion is legal only in cases: when the woman's life or health is endangered by the continuation of pregnancy, when the pregnancy is a result of a criminal act.

In America the the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022, many states have passed near-total bans on abortion with very limited exceptions or banned the procedure early in pregnancy.

In England June 2023, A women, a mother of three has been jailed for 28 months for taking abortive pills after the 24 week limit during the pandemic. Abortion in the UK is still a criminal act under legislation that dates back to 1861. 

ALL ABOARD!!!

This show is not just a piece of theatre but my campaign in normalising and de-stigmatising the conversation surrounding abortion.

The positive impact my show has already had with audiences has led me to become and executive committee member of Abortion Rights UK. 

It has also led to me becoming speaker at University College London (UCL) for first year medical students. I recall my accounts and experiences of accessing reproductive healthcare, to help give the next generation of healthcare professionals perspective on the importance of "how" they conduct their services and the impact this has on patients.  

SHOW TIME

My show is here to remind the world abortion is personal, not political! In my bracing, booming and brash autobiographical tale of pro-choice, I ask: have you ever just closed your eyes and hoped that it’ll all just go away? A misadventure. A cry-to-arms that will have you slamming down your pints in support of reproductive rights.

This show is for the people who felt lonely, guilty, relieved - or nothing at all. For the people who think about it often and the people who don’t. For the boy who never knew, for the girl who never said and for anyone who didn’t know how to ask about abortion!

HOW WILL YOU HELP?

The Edinburgh Fringe is an amazing platform for artists and performers to showcase their work, network with other creatives and get the industry exposure they need to help lift off our careers. It's a brilliant opportunity but, unfortunately, it doesn't come cheap.

With your support, I'll be able to:

• Pay my technical and production team fairly.
• Help me pay for marketing such as flyers and poster. So I can spread the word about the show and bring in lots of lovely audiences in!
• PR to help get my show noticed on a number of different platforms to reach a worldwide audience.
• Help cover travel costs for myself and my set to get to Edinburgh safely.
• Help pay for my accomodation for the month.

AWARDS:

Brighton Fringe 2019: 

• International Youth Arts Festivals Director's choice for Entertainment

Pint-sized plays 2019: 

• Pint-sized plays New Writing Festival award 

REVIEWS

 “Lilly Burton’s All Aboard At Termination Station is the funniest show we’ve ever seen about abortion. Lilly’s extraordinary energy and glorious comic timing hold her in perfect stead as she articulates the arguments for access and challenges stigma through a frank account of her own abortion experiences.” -Bechdel Theatre

“Fearlessly funny and painfully poignant, Lilly Burton’s observation, writing and performance is just what the doctor ordered at such a dangerous moment for women’s rights.” - Shami Chakrabarti

THANK YOU

If you have made it this far, I appreciate your interest enormously. I truly believe in the positive impact my work and show has and will continue to have on audiences. Your help and support is making a difference in giving light to a topic people are all to willing to sweep under the rug. You are helping people feel less ashamed, your helping people feel more empowered and I am hugely grateful! 

 "Our Bodies, Our Choice" xxx

This project successfully funded on 20th July 2023