Aim

Something Educational is Act Two Scene One's debut fringe show and we are raising money to take it to Scotland's biggest arts festival!

Something Educational is a new Scottish comedy/drama about a group of friends at a Boarding School in the Scottish Highlands. The play is set on their second-last day of school and while everyone else is having fun and creating their last few memories of school, these lot have landed themselves in trouble. Being stuck inside and having to complete a writing task as a punishment was not the day they had planned and eventually tensions start to rise, truths come out and secrets are revealed all for them to learn Something Educational (ish). 

The main themes behind Something Educational are friendship, family and change. One of the things that inspired the idea was the phrase "Sunset Periods" which describes a time in which one thing in your life has to end to allow another to begin. Many people have been through big changes where you don't feel ready for something in your life to end even if what's to come is better. I wanted to encapsulate this into a story about friends who had not only gone to school together but had also lived with each other and, in turn, become each others family. 

The money we raise will go towards paying for our set, costume, props and other expenses that come with putting on a show. We have calculated our show costs to £2000, excluding marketing as we are kindly being sponsored by Laila Lunch and Brunch Edinburgh. It also excludes pay for our cast and crew, which is why we have an extended target of £4000 so we can pay them for their hard work and dedication towards this project. 

Every penny donated helps us get closer to our goal and closer to performing in the largest arts festival in Scotland, which will be a wonderful opportunity for us all as young aspiring creatives. 

Archie Reid played by Ben Boulton-Jones

Archie is sort of like an excitable dog. He's cheerful, finds pretty much anything funny, even if no one else does, and will try to crack a joke when tensions get high. He tends to be optimistic when it comes to dealing with situations which can often be a bit of a juxtaposition in comparison to the others. His consistent positive outlook is hard to break down but if anyone can do it it's his closest friends. He's mature and smart and will often have an interesting fact to share if you ask.

Blaire Campbell played by Rosie Mackay

Blaire is an ambivert. She'll go out when she wants but definitely cherishes her time to herself, which in boarding school she doesn't get much of. She likes to poke fun at her friends and is definitely the first one to come out with a childish joke. Despite her pessimistic outlook on the world, she remains hopeful for the future, yet sometimes a little unrealistic. Even if she'd never admit it, she will jump through hoops to make sure her friends are happy and will always be their biggest supporter. 

Brodie Duncan played by Charlotte Edwards

Brodie has grown up with wild, artistic parents that told her she could be anything she wanted to be. Which was great for her self-esteem, but not so great when facing the real world. She is 100% the biggest party animal at the school, which means she is the one who gets the others invited to the parties. Her lack of judgement means she sometimes lands herself in trouble or even sometimes in danger. But with her parents being beneficiaries of the school, she never has to worry about expulsion.

Grace Watson played by Gabrielle Henderson

Grace is undoubtably the mum of the group. She can be very argumentative with the boys as she believes it is her job to humble them. Both of her parents work at the school which means she has to be careful about following the rules. She can be stubborn but if anyone is going to get her to crack it's Blaire and Brodie. She cares deeply for her friends and will spend a bit too much time worrying about them. Especially Brodie when she's up to her usual antics. If anyone were to hurt her friends, she'd find a quiet way to ruin their lives.

Robbie Taylor played by Samuel Bergson

Robbie definitely thinks he has the potential to be a stand-up comedian. His friends think otherwise. he is very laid-back which some people (Blaire) find annoying as their anxious mind cannot compute calmness in times of stress. His popularity also means he tends to know of all the drama circulating around the school. He likes to describe himself as a lady's man and will flirt with your mum if you're not careful. He is, however, a complete secret romantic and deeply cares for his closest friends. They are his world and if they needed something from him, he'd do anything, no questions asked. 

The actors portraying each character have trained together at The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in their Junior Conservatoire Acting programme. 

Director/Writer Rosie Mackay

This is Rosie's second time writing and directing a theatre piece that debuted at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Something Educational comes after Rosie's sell out original show Chicago, Chicago! which was the top-selling show at it's venue last year. 

Production Manager Abigail Horne

Abigail has worked predominantly in TV (Outlander) and film but expanded to theatre last year working on the sell-out show Cam, Die With Me. Rosie and Abigail will be working together to keep things running smoothly, promote the show far and wide as well as using their contacts in the industry for their further ambitions of developing it post-fringe.

Technician Megan Dunlop

Megan is an experienced, self-taught freelance technician who has worked the lights on many fringe productions and over 20 shows overall thus far. Megan worked with Rosie last year on Chicago, Chicago! and will not only be working on each performance but designing the lighting for the show. 

This project successfully funded on 29th June 2023