Aim

We're taking the phenomenal debut play Can't Wait To Leave to the Edinburgh Fringe 2023 - but we need your help to do it.

"Crafted and articulated so well... spot-on with realism" ★ ★ ★ ★ ★  - LondonTheatre1

Overview

Following the initial run in February, I'm thrilled to announce that Can't Wait To Leave has secured a slot at this year's Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Taking place entirely inside a hospital waiting room, Can't Wait To Leave is told by Ryan - battered, bruised, bisexual, and entirely alone. Finding the provided incident form inadequate to explain the reason for his visit, Ryan instead begins to reflect on the course his life has taken over the last six months following the sudden departure of the older brother he always hero-worshipped.

Can't Wait To Leave had its world premiere in February and received overwhelmingly strong reviews, with praise directed at the play's humour, staging, and deft handling of challenging topics. Fierce, razor-sharp, and uncompromisingly honest, this revolutionary solo show explores themes of displacement, substance abuse, and sexual identity.

"So much depth... a really interesting and thought-provoking show with lots of potential." ★ ★ ★ ★  - One Show At A Time

Where is it going?

We're delighted to have secured the brand-new Stephenson's Theatre as our venue, part of TheSpaceUK's historic Surgeon's Hall venue. Located on Nicholson Street just off the Royal Mile and boasting an elegant courtyard bar, the venue has a reputation for programming quality content from a range of genres and is a must-visit venue for Fringe attendees.

"A powerful play... written with a refreshing honesty and compassion" ★ ★ ★ ★  - TheatreAndArtReviews

Why is it important?

Can't Wait To Leave explores themes of detachment, hopelessness, and familial estrangement, highlighting the damaging effects of isolation on younger people and the inherent vulnerability of being alone with no-one to turn to.

Central to Ryan's story is the importance of finding a place to belong and finding your way in the world, however rough the path to get there might be. Ultimately, Ryan's story is a story about overcoming adversity to reach your potential and become the person you were always meant to be.

Praise has been levelled at the way the darker elements of the story are handled, the readiness with which it tackles rarely-discussed topics as well as the nuanced and accurate portrayal of bisexuality. Our hope is that the show will go at least some way to prompting conversations into the topics it addresses.

"A superbly written and superbly performed piece of theatre." ★ ★ ★ ★  - LastMinuteTheatreTickets

Why do we need your help?

We're thrilled to be giving this show a second life - but there's a lot to do before we can make it happen properly. Sadly, most theatre projects can't be fully realised without some form of financial assistance. In addition to self-funding part of our budget, we had hoped to secure a grant to bolster our resources but as our bid was unsuccessful, the viability of this project has been thrown into question.

That's why we need your help: to make this show the best it can be and to allow us to pay the creatives and technical staff who make great live theatre happen.

"Gripping from start to finish" ★ ★ ★ ★  - Lambco Reviews

Where will your money go?

Your contribution will help us to fund:

• Venue costs
• Marketing, publicity, and advertising
• Print costs
• Tech and operator fees
• Actor fees

Any donation, of any size, would be warmly appreciated and to thank our backers, we've a list of reward tiers you can choose from.

"Hard-hitting and honest with plenty of laugh-out-loud moments - a very strong debut" ★ ★ ★ ★  - Theatre and Tonic

Final Words

We are aware that it's a difficult time for everyone right now. If you cannot make a donation, please do consider sharing this page with anyone you can or spreading the word via social media. Sharing this project as widely as possible helps us enormously and every donation brings us that little bit closer to reaching our target. Thank you for supporting in any way that you can.

This project successfully funded on 15th May 2023