Issue #22 - Weekend 27th & 28th August (2nd) - FREE
AWARDS Special »»
»» Amnesty
International Freedom of Expression Mervyn Stutter’s Spirit of the Fringe
»» Fringe Firsts »» Holden Street Theatre »» Brighton Fringe Awards
Pleasance London Fosters
Comedy Award TALENT
3 Winners RecEIved support from pleasance london
ADAM RICHES
Best COMEDY Show
For the second year running, Pleasance has picked up all three Foster’s Edinburgh Comedy Awards. Adam Riches won Best Comedy Show, Humphrey Ker took Best Newcomer and The Wrestling picked up the Panel Prize. All three shows were supported by Pleasance London along their path to Saturday’s awards. Adam Riches, a comedian remaining independent of major promoters, has received support from Pleasance London for a number of years. Humphrey Ker previewed his show at Pleasance Islington. The Wrestling was co-produced and imaginatively facilitated by Pleasance. Riches’s show, Bring Me The Head Of Adam Riches, pumps life back into audience participation with the help of his intense character comedy. Collecting the prestigious award, he said, “It’s terrific, very overwhelming. When you come up you have limited ambition, you just want to put a good show together”; but better than merely ‘good’, Awards producer Nica Burns added that he is “Utterly original, extremely funny and a huge talent.”
Humphrey Ker
Best Newcomer
Humphrey Ker, who has performed for five years with The Penny Dreadfuls, has now made his name unforgettable in its own right with Dymock Watson: Nazi Smasher! Nica Burns called his “a beautifully written, witty show performed with consummate skill.” Cementing The Wrestling’s status as legendary, Pleasance’s phenomenal Comedians vs Wrestlers event picked up the Panel Prize. An idea sparked by doubleact Max&Ivan, The Wrestling spiralled into an immense clash of good versus evil; fought, commentated and facilitated by comedians and pro wrestlers. Chair of Judges Tania Harrison called it “an extraordinary story culminating in one of the best nights I’ve had at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this year.” Pleasance Comedy Programmer Ryan Taylor commented, “This is another fantastic achievement for Pleasance Theatre. It’s the second year we have won all three categories and we are immensely proud to have been able to support them all at various stages during their careers.”
The Wrestling
Panel Prize
Photography: Idil Sukan
AND THE WINNERs are... Pleasance’s Theatre Program stands proud alongside comedy on the podium
SCOTSMAN FRINGE FIRST AWARDS
2401 Objects
At once moving, informative and stunning, Analogue’s play charts the life and brain of Henry Molaison. Pleasance Courtyard, 3-28 Aug 16:40
The Table
The tragical tale of a puppet trapped on a table, inspired by Beckett, the Bible and Ikea. Pleasance Dome, 3-28 Aug 22:00
An Instinct For Kindness
Moving, bittersweet show reflecting on Chris Larner’s journey with his terminallyill ex-wife to Dignitas. Pleasance Dome, 3-29 Aug 16:10
Release
Explosive, highly physical theatre piece following three prisoners in their first months of release from confinement. Pleasance Dome, 3-28 Aug 14:00
Amnesty international freedom of expression award SOLD
Complex and urgent devised play about the hidden world of human trafficking based on original interviews. Pleasance Courtyard, 3-29 Aug 11:10
The holden street theatre award Translunar paradise
Theatre Ad Infinitum invites you on a journey of life, death and enduring love. [Photo: Alex Brenner] Pleasance Courtyard, 3-29 Aug 11:10
The Brighton fringe emerging talent award Wee andy (Fleeto)
Following the story of the boy wounded in ‘Fleeto’, Wee Andy portrays poetically the spiralling impact of violence on a community. Pleasance Courtyard,
Various days, inc 28 Aug 14:00
Your Last Breath
Human mystery is pieced together in the afermath of an extreme-skiing accident.
[Photo: Jasmine Robinson]
Pleasance Dome, 3-18 Aug 12:15
BELARUS FREE THEATRE
Belarus, the country that gave us a new type of sexuality: agriculture and sexual ignorance that leads to agrisexuality. Pleasance Dome, 3-18 Aug 12:15
Mervyn stutter’s spirit of the fringe award BANE 1, 2 & 3
One man, no set, no props, and the incredible stories of Bane, an American hitman. Pleasance Courtyard,
Various days, inc 28 Aug 14:00
Pleasance theatre programmer Cassandra Mathers said, “Pleasance are thrilled to have been recognised so favourably and gained such a phenomenal number of prestigious theatre awards. Congratulations to them all.”
Pleasance Purchases
LAST 2 Days - Available at Courtyard Info
Badges, assorted | £1 to £2
Branded pen | £1
@ThePleasance #pleztimes RT @natwalks Congratulations to @ThePleasance once again proving they are the home of comedy at the Edinburgh Fringe - another comedy award clean sweep! RT @GemmaCrosswell @Ryan_Taylor_ THE master of comedy programming @ ThePleasance clean sweep. An especially huge congratulations for The Wrestling
Kidz Club Yoyo | £2
Notebook | £4.50
2 for1 COUPON
SOLD A complex and urgent devised
piece about the hidden world of human trafficking.
Redeem On: MONDAY 29th Aug 2011, 11:10 Pleasance Courtyard
Presented by one of our comedy acts and featuring their special guests, including:
Joe Lycett, Matthew Crosby from Pappy’s, Jeff Leach, Katherine Ryan, Tom Price, Dan Clark, Kate Copstick and a regular daily message from Angelos Epithemiou. Thursday Friday Peacock + Gamble, Idiots of Ants, Jigsaw, Delete The Banjax, Karaoke Circus Adam Riches
RT @betamalescomedy If only the daily commute was as entertaining as @betamalescomedy #thepleasance #pleztimes #edfringe RT @pyjamasmith Many congratulations to @ thehumphreyker @maxandivan and Adam Riches! Hurray hurray hurrah, @ThePleasance team are so proud!
SUNDAY 28th MERVYN STUTTER’S SPIRIT OF THE FRINGE AWARDS Pleasance Courtyard 13:00 Technodelic Alvin Sputnik Ivor Dembina Bane Kev Orkian Soweto Entha
THE SHOWCASE SHOW Pleasance Courtyard 13:10 Phil Ellis (mc) Adam Crow Martin Mor Hannah Gadsby Tom Stade
VIVE LE CABARET Pleasance Courtyard 22:30 Des O’Connor Scott Capurro East End Cabaret Edd Muir - Frayed Knot Circus Legs Malone Mat Ricardo Hustle Gypsy & Viva - The Vive Showgirls
Please note that all line-ups are subject to change. Check the Box Office for the latest information.
FUNDRAISING FOR THE PLEASANCE You can support us in a number of ways:
1. Adopt a Pleasance cobblestone
2. Become part of “Pleasance History”
3. Simply donate your own amount
Famous for its cobbled courtyards, the Pleasance is the bedrock of great theatre and comedy. You can look after these very foundations by adopting your own pet cobblestone! We promise to provide you with regular updates on how it’s getting along.
We would be delighted if you joined our celebrity alumni on this extraordinary 231-ft long ‘Bayeux-esque Tapestry’, charting the history of the world according to the Pleasance. You will also receive a very beautiful portrait. All we need is a passport photo! And if you don’t have one immediately, it doesn’t matter, because you can always send it to us later!
TEXT: plez33 to 70070 (for any amount up to £10) BY TELEPHONE: Please call us on 0207 619 6868 ONLINE: Please visit www.pleasance. co.uk/islington/support-us IN PERSON: Complete the Gift Aid form on the back of the Fundraising leaflet and drop it into Reception at any of our box offices in Edinburgh and London, or pop it in the post.