Aim

We're taking Brief Candle, a piece of brand new theatre, to the Edinburgh Fringe this year, but we need your help to get it there

Who Are We?

We’re Blushing Caligula Theatre, we’re a brand new company who are bringing our debut production to the Edinburgh Fringe this year. We have the intention of creating work that, much like the Emperor Caligula, is surprising and absurd. We explore contemporary themes by provoking our audiences to look closer at the world around them, pointing out transgressions and engaging them in conversations as they play out on stage. 

What sets us apart, is that we want to challenge not only the conventions of story and theme, but also access to the industry as a whole. Blushing Caligula has a mission to offer as many roles as possible to recently graduated artists who are having a tough time establishing themselves in a competitive industry. We’re delighted to say that the full cast and creative crew so far have all graduated within the last five years, so this is a phenomenal opportunity for us to create our calling card for our futures.

We are:

David R. Ford - Playwright and Producer

Edoardo Berto - Director

Clare Nolan - Assistant Director

Emma Ford - Playing the role of Isla Kerr

The Play

Deep beneath the streets of regency Edinburgh lies a labyrinth of pitch dark vaults, housing the downtrodden and hiding a criminal underworld. Within, Isla dreams of one day lifting her ill Mum out of their basement vault. Today though, her Mum’s birthday, just seeing her face for the first time in years will do. As Isla fights to find a candle, she discovers secrets about the place she calls home, and the people who run it, while the Great Fire of Edinburgh rages above. Class war meets climate emergency satire in this new play by David R. Ford.

This is the story of Brief Candle, a monologue play making its world premiere at the prestigious Edinburgh Fringe Festival this August. Performed a stones throw from the very place the play is set 200 years ago, Surgeons Hall, we are so incredibly excited to be able to tell the stories of the people who’ve been lost to time ever since. But we can’t do their stories the justice they deserve without your help. If you can spare anything to give towards this daring and urgent production, please donate whatever you can, it’ll make a huge difference to all of us.

Your Support

With the money we raise on this platform we’re aiming to be able to cover our

• Venue costs

• Prop hire

• Marketing 

And once all of this has been covered, we would absolutely love to be able to pay our company in advance of the box office takings being released. As we’re a self funded company, so far all of our talented artists have forgone any fee until after the show. We want to strive to make UK theatre a place where young talent can thrive, so all the help we can get will help us to cultivate and enhance the careers of all our great cast and crew.

You’ll also be able to feel great for supporting a show that shines a light on both the current cost of living crisis, and the global climate emergency. We know this play is important, and we want to deliver the very best version of it possible.

This project successfully funded on 13th June 2023