Following our successful run in London in April, we are raising funds to help us take 'Dear Cathy' to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2026.
Hello and thank you so much for being here!
We are really chuffed and blessed to have had a fantastic work in progress run at The Bread & Roses back in April. We had a brilliant response:
“An unpredictable narrative, but one anchored by the assured central performance, leaving a lasting and memorable impression.”- Five stars ***** - A Youngish Perspective
“Expertly performed by a single brilliant actor. immediately unforgettable.” - Lemn Sissay - Poet -Playwright curator - Broadcaster
SHARE THIS. DEMAND IT. LIFT DEAR CATHY WHERE SILENCE CAN’T HIDE. DEAR CATHY BROKE ME. ONE WOMAN. ONE BRUTAL TRUTH. INFERTILITY ISN’T JUST BIOLOGY. IT’S A MARRIAGE UNDER SIEGE. A FUTURE TURNED GHOST. THIS PLAY DOESN’T FLINCH. NEITHER SHOULD YOU. - Qian Zephaniah - Activist
We are here to ask if you could help us take Dear Cathy a little further - to Edinburgh and beyond! At the moment, this project is completely self-funded and running on a profit-share basis. This is a choice of course and until we get funding from elsewhere we have decided to keep running with it. We have a brilliant, dedicated team who all have a real passion and belief in this project.
Dear Cathy follows Lucy, one woman’s struggle to confront the truth of how her life and marriage has fallen apart due to out of the ordinary circumstances and a brutal biology that has been imposed on her marriage, on her past and on every aspect of her future.
Through listening to Lucy recount her journey and trauma to her sister Cathy, we witness her vulnerability and resilience to make sense of everything. Dear Cathy throws into question everything that makes us human ; love against all odds and themes of grief, obsession, resilience, isolation and identity.
This solo show takes an unflinching and unconventional look at the emotional toll of infertility and grief and what happens when we don’t get what we most desire and the often-unspoken mental health struggles that can accompany it.
Amelia, our actor says “ I connected with this piece on a very deep level and I believe this play creates space for honesty, empathy and connection, especially around mental health which is something we all need more of."
I am sure you are aware of how challenging making theatre is - in its very nature it is high risk and low reward ( in terms of financial viability) but we believe that the intrinsic value of live arts and theatre is undoubtedly very much high reward.
It brings us together as a collective, it brings us into the moment ; it takes us off our screens for a little bit, and for us and our show DEAR CATHY, we hope it challenges you to ask questions about what makes us human and to live more fully and authentically. For us that is enough to keep going and we hope you agree!
We would love to be able to fundraise to help pay for some of our upfront costs so that we can pay the team's expenses and allow for fairer pay.
So that is why we are here asking for your help! Your donations would go towards:
- Rehearsal space hire fees (£350)
- Rehearsal transportation costs for entire team (£250)
- Transport and accommodation costs for essential in-venue team (Amelia, Tom, Kim) (£1200)
-Transport and accommodation costs for other team members ( John, Georgia & Emma) (£1200)
- Micro marketing budget ( £500 - includes digital marketing, outdoor marketing & flyering).
- Anything in addition to this will go towards doing a future run in London and to try to secure funding which is a key goal of ours.
It's important to say here that even your £5 or £10 donations really do count. It's likely that they will help pay for us to have a coffee while we flyer on the Royal Mile.
We so appreciate you taking the time to read this and consider supporting us - it means the world, especially during these somewhat turbulent times but then that's why we are pushing on, knowing that theatre and the arts can really lift us when we need it most.
We hope and will endeavour to secure funding further down the line but for now - we are all in this together and we are HUGELY GRATEFUL for helping us bring DEAR CATHY to life! Thank you for supporting a grass roots project which we believe will make an impact.
Love, the DC team xxx
Funding method
Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 24th August 2026 at 12:00pm