Henderson, Tennessee -Twenty-one individuals representing Freed-Hardeman University’s Theatre program will travel to Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2023 to present “The Feed,” an original show co-created by FHU Director of Theatre Cliff Thompson and Theatre Design Professor Brandyn Graves.
According to a press release from Tajuana Cheshier – The Bramblett Group – the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2023 is held in Scotland and is the largest performing arts festival in the world with 3,000 productions taking place over three weeks from Aug. 4 through Aug. 27, 2023.
Before the production heads to Edinburgh, the group, which consists of faculty, students and alumni, will perform “The Feed” locally at 7 p.m. July 31, 2023, in Loyd Auditorium. Tickets are $5.00 and will be available at the door. FHU will present four performances of “The Feed” during the Fringe from Sunday, Aug. 6 – Monday, Aug. 9, 2023.
In “The Feed” characters explore social media and obsession. Based on a story by Graves, “The Feed” was inspired by a series of social media posts he made during COVID-19 about a mysterious crock pot near a parking space. The posts generated attention and inspired Thompson to ask Graves to collaborate to turn the story into a play.
They invited a cast of student performers to work with them in preparation for the initial performance in September 2021. That performance resulted in more edits and notes before they applied to the International Collegiate Theatre Festival, which arranges lodging, marketing, ticket sales and all other enrichment activities during their stay. Following auditions in the Fall 2022, a new cast was selected and the process of refining the play continued for several months.
The upcoming trip will be a first for FHU senior Collett Heenan, who is part of the technical crew. It is her first time traveling outside of the United States and attending a festival of this magnitude. “I think this is a huge deal for Freed-Hardeman to have a place at this level,” she said. “I’m excited for this cultural exchange among people who love this art form that we all enjoy.”
