Aim

Support Mulberry Theatre Company to develop and premiere a student production and an alumni production at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2022

It has been 4 years since the Mulberry Schools Trust last made an appearance at the Festival Fringe and this year we are returning with our most ambitious project to date. Not only will we be premiering a new student production but for the first time ever, we will be taking our alumni company who will also be showcasing a brand-new show.

“Going to Edinburgh definitely developed my love for drama, it allowed me to come into GCSEs with different approaches which enabled me to make key contributions to our final performance… Following the project I was able to view the Arts in a much broader sense and appreciate how history, culture, tradition and current socio-political contexts can be expressed through Arts. This is particularly impactful in my studies of History… In addition, Edinburgh was something I was able to put down in my Personal Statement; it was something that stood out to universities.”

Student participant in the 2018 Edinburgh project

Your support will enable the Mulberry Theatre Company, consisting of current Mulberry Schools Trust students, to devise and perform an original theatre piece for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2022; and the Mulberry Alumni Theatre Company, consisting of women of all ages who were Mulberry Schools Trust students or live in the schools’ near community, to devise and perform an original theatre piece for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2022. 

We have taken five previous productions to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Our 2009 play, The Unravelling, won a Scotsman Fringe First – the first time a state school has achieved this award.

By supporting this work you will help give voice and visibility to young people and women, from the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, and foster meaningful connections within and between communities through experience and participation in the arts and culture. 

Since October 2021 both companies have been developing their shows with the playwrights to ensure the voices of the young people and women are embedded in the scripts. The playwrights are currently finalising the scripts and rehearsals will commence at the beginning of May. 

We are very excited that following the development workshops, these are the two shows we will be taking to Edinburgh:

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow

Written by Sam Maynard for Mulberry Theatre Company

Student Company

Everyone knows that Ayesha is going places. Top of every class, on course for every prize, it's only a matter of time before she takes over the world. Maryam, meanwhile, can only hope of scraping into uni, while Sal is desperate not to disappoint her parents. After a mysterious encounter with three strangers the girls are forced to question their choices, their ambitions, and whether they really are in control of their own destiny. Award-winning Mulberry Theatre Company present a new play about fate, ambition, and the price of pursuing your dreams.

Running with Ghosts

Written by Afsana Begum and Fin Kennedy for Mulberry Theatre Company

Alumni Company

At the start of the pandemic, PE teacher Aniqa’s school transforms into a food bank, as the East London community pulls together to get through lockdown. When an all-female running group is formed, Aniqa jumps at the chance to join - and the winding Thames path is the only thing still open. As the nights draw in, other local women join them. But one night, a mysterious stranger shows up, telling tales of resistance and revolution, before vanishing… Fringe First winners, Mulberry Theatre Company, return with a new play about identity, friendship, and feminist phantoms

The beneficiaries of this project will be Mulberry Schools Trust students and alumni, audiences in Edinburgh, and audiences in Tower Hamlets – with an estimated reach of 2000 people. The original theatre pieces will also be made available to others wishing to restage the productions. We will record and measure the impact of the project through regular surveys and qualitative research. We will produce an online guide to inspire other schools and organisations to pursue projects like this.

The power of the arts and culture to inspire all, enhance imagination, transform lives, connect and heal communities, tell stories and prompt curiosity and questioning about the world around us, is of vital importance to this borough’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. This project will: record and amplify the collective voices of young people and women in our community on an international platform; give increased self-belief, confidence and leadership opportunities to economically disadvantaged young people and women; equip the next generation of creative changemakers with the skills and network of industry connections needed to thrive; encourage more young people to pursue higher education pathways into the arts; enable young people and women from our community to take up their rightful place in the global creative and cultural landscape; build strong links with community organisations and future partners, and create a vibrant and unifying platform for the arts in Tower Hamlets.

To find out more please visit us online and follow our social media channels.

www.mulberryschoolstrust.org

www.mulberryarts.org

@MulbArts

This project successfully funded on 15th July 2022