Always on
This project successfully funded on 30th April 2026, you can still support them with a donation.
Help get 'Gannet' to Fringe!
London, Greater London, United Kingdom
Aim
We're a young theatre company hoping to make our Fringe 2026 debut with our black comedy 'Gannet', co-written by Daisy Day and Peggy Pollard
About the Show: 'Gannet'
Gannet is a black comedy which explores the loneliness and isolation of modern life through the eyes of an outsider: a bird called Gannet. Blending clown, character comedy, and physical theatre, the audience follows Gannet through a series of absurd encounters, often becoming the humans he meets- from a Year 7 classroom, to finance bros, to midwives. It explores how everyday acts of disregard, however small or unconscious, can accumulate and amplify the disconnection many already feel in a highly induvidualistic society.
Why Edinburgh Fringe 2026;
We believe 2026 is the year Gannet should go to the Edinburgh Fringe.
The show has already built strong momentum via:
- A sold-out run at Camden Fringe
- Development support from Theatre Deli’s Allotment scheme
- The script selected for Soho Theatre’s Writers Lab 2025/26
Edinburgh Fringe feels like the next logical step—allowing us to share Gannet with wider audiences, connect with industry professionals, and place our work within the alternative comedy and experimental theatre scene that has inspired us for years.
Who We Are:
We are Fat Crow Productions, a young theatre company made up of Peggy Pollard (writer/director) and Daisy Day (writer/performer). We’re childhood friends, united by our weird sense of humour, and have been making fringe theatre across Bristol and London for the past five years. We first collaborated on Peggy’s debut play The Ponds, praised as “the perfect fusion of comedy and meaning” (Epigram), which Daisy designed the set for. The show sold out and saw rave reviews, and we haven’t stopped working together since.
We are committed to creating heart-led clown work that tackles issues such as mental health and isolation with playfulness and care.
Why 'Gannet' Matters:
A show about loneliness and isolation…
Loneliness is rising sharply, particularly among young people, and has become a major contributor to mental health struggles in a post-pandemic, hyper-online, increasingly polarised world. Gannet is the ultimate outsider. He is a wild seabird who finds himself lost in a vast and uncaring city. Seeing the human world through his eyes allows us to explore the absurdity of modern life and the myriad ways in which people can become isolated.
A show exploring mental health through clowning…
The show grew from Daisy’s personal experiences of OCD and an eating disorder, which began, as it did for many people, during the isolation of lockdown. Gannet was originally conceived as a one-woman play, drawing on the colloquial English use of the word “gannet” as a synonym for greed.
Through rehearsals, the story increasingly centred on the seabird Gannet itself. As we integrated more techniques of clowning and physical theatre, we realised we wanted to create a show with a literal Gannet at the centre and use humour to navigate its darker themes.
Who This Show Is For:
Gannet will resonate with:
- Young people experiencing mental health challenges or loneliness
- Fans of clowning, alternative comedy, and experimental theatre
Given all of this, we feel Gannet needs to reach wider audiences. We are self-funding our run for Fringe, but as young artists this is a massive financial undertaking- so we appreciate any help we can get!
Your donations will help us fund the following:
- Venue hire fee
- Travel to and from Edinburgh in August
- Accommodation for the month
- Advertising costs (we would like some shiny flyers for Gannet)
- Fringe Society registration
- Technician support for the show (Peggy’s tech skills have got us this far, but we’d like to invest in technical training)
- Costume and props
- Rehearsal space in the lead-up to Fringe
Some audience reviews of ‘Gannet’ from our Camden Fringe WIP:
“Intelligently crafted to completely disarm the audience, then swiftly unite them in joy. I will never forget this show!” Biba Jones, Unigram Productions
“Superb comedic integrity.” Rebecca Dike, Almeida Theatre
“I laughed all the way through and it terrified my boyfriend. Best night ever.” Audience member at Camden Fringe
We thank you for taking the time to read all of this; any donations are much appreciated!
Funding method
Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made