Established in 2017, Wonder Fools is a theatre company with a track record of delivering relevant arts projects and theatre productions with young people and communities across Scotland and beyond. They have announced their season of programmes for the coming year.
Starting at Ayr’s Gaiety theatre and commissioned by Greenspace as part of the Covid memorial project ‘Remembering Together’, The Bunker, is a new comedy musical reflecting on diverse experiences of lockdown. The co-production with the Gaiety is created in collaboration with the local community, and follows four strangers who gather in a bunker to spend lockdown together. Songs from artists such as The Clash, Rod Stewart and Dua Lipa will be performed live by a professional cast joined onstage by 50 community performers.
The company’s first ever production at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in August will be Òran, a hip hop retelling of the Greek classic of Orpheus and Eurydice combining spoken word, lyrical storytelling and an electronic live score. This piece of contemporary theatre is a collaboration with the hip-hop artist Owen Sutcliffe in partnership with Pitlochry Festival Theatre & Pleasance Theatre as part of the Edinburgh National Partnership 2024 with music by VanIves,
Octoberin Cumbernauld sees The Events, a new production of David Greig’s modern classic. Directed by Jack Nurse, it tells the powerful story about community, empathy and resilience. This new staging is an exciting collaboration between the professional cast and a community choir specially created for the production.
Wonder Fools’ successful international project Positive Stories for Negative Times,now in its 4th iteration, is a yearlongparticipatory project for young writers and theatre makers working alongside a line-up of international artists such as Ella Hickson, Mammalian Diving Reflex, Adura Onashile, Travis Alabanza and James Ley. Over the year it will engage over 3000 young people and 200 youth leaders nationally and internationally and culminate in 4 major youth arts festivals in summer 2025 at partner venues in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Stornoway and Dumfries.
This project will also include a national call out for a new young writer giving them the opportunity to have their first professional commission and the successful writer will be announced on Wonder Fools social media on 20th May 2024.
PSFNT is created and produced by Wonder Fools in association with the Traverse Theatre, Citizens Theatre, An Lanntair and Dumfries Theatre Royal in association with Youth Theatre Arts Scotland.
Wonder Fools will continue their Artist Development strategy that includes working with 40 of early career artists in Scotland; 20 CPD workshops for professionals who work with young people led by UK’s artists; opportunities for 20 associate artists via PSFNT who will offer in-person artist development for teachers and teaching artists working with disadvantaged young people to further their practice and develop their work for PSFN;hosting open advice sessions for freelancers supporting around 60 people a year; 3 New Year New Work events, a paid opportunity for early career and established music and theatre artists to test new material at SWG3 Glasgow.
This ambitious and far reaching programme is delivered by a young company who currently receive no regular funding.
Dates and Venues:
The Bunker – 26th June 2024 @ The Gaiety, Ayr
Òran – @ Pleasance, Edinburgh – 31st July-25th August 3.15pm
The Events – @ Lanternhouse, Cumbernauld – 28th September -5th October 2024
Positive Stories for Negative Times:
Season 4 – across Scotland – September 2024 – September 2025
Irene Brown
Radio Summerhall Arts 