The Actors Kitchen is an Edinburgh-based community of professional actors in Edinburgh, who meet weekly to exchange skills and continue training.
Our ethos is all about collaboration: teaching each other, supporting each other's creativity and giving birth to new projects/companies.
In the face of a difficult economic climate increasing arts cuts, it is hard to hold on to a creative dream, and to not feel isolated. Women in theatre have it even harder, as there are around three times as many of them as male performers, competing for at least three times fewer parts.
Company history
We are still a baby company, entering our third year, but are now moving towards producing theatre, too. Our last show brought together 9 actors (7 women), 5 writers (4 women), and 1 director, for the vignette-based play, In Transit, to 4-star reviews and sold-out audiences.
In Transit reviews
- Scotsman (Joyce McMillan)- 3 stars
- Edinburgh Spotlight - 4 stars
We believe that when governments cut funding to the arts, artists should make them happen no matter what. We believe that crowdfunding represents a new model for possibilities within this changed economic climate. Lastly, we believe that this opens opportunities for more women to be heard.
This project
The Memory of Water is a timeless play, mixing buzzing comedy and high emotion. Three sisters get together to prepare their mother's funeral and chaos ensues. Guaranteed entertainment, laughter and tears included.
It is written by a woman (Shelagh Stephenson), will showcase 4 actresses, will be directed and produced by women, fulfilling our mandate of giving women a voice: girl power at its best.
Our team
The Actors Kitchen is composed of highly talented professionals who will make a great theatre experience happen. The story of its production could be a flagship for optimism in the current economic climate. Actors get together and make something happen. Art happens. Collaboration and belief (in people, in your craft, in women's creative voices, in theatre) goes a long way.
The bigger we can make our budget, the more we can publicise our efforts, the stronger the impact we can make in the arts communities and beyond.
What we would like you to fund
Specifically, we are looking for funding from Sponsume members to cover some of our technical costs. We need to hire in sound and lighting equipment and make sure we have someone competent and safe to operate that. Although we're trying to get as much as we can in kind, or through the barter system, this is a cost that cannot be avoided in order for us to mount a sleek, professional production.
Hello to all our new amazing backers! We can't tell you how much your support means to us. We're almost there, thanks to you, and we will be able to afford some tech support for the show which is, obviously, a MASSIVE DEAL for us! So thanks again everyone - we mean it from the heart.
On a practical note, IF your contribution comes with perks in the form of tickets, do contact to let us know which date you'd like tickets reserved for. We'll put your name on our very special guest list and have them available for you on the night/matinee.
Thank you so much everyone, again! We're very excited and working hard to put on a fantastic show!
Very best wishes,
Adrienne
Hello everyone and thank you so much for your support!
Sorry it has taken us such a long time to update everyone on the project, rehearsals are going fantastically and a wee taster of the play was performed yesterday at Oxfam's International Women's Day celebration, to many a chuckle: it went down a treat.
We are gathering momentum now as publicity starts, flyers almost printed, box office opened on Brown Paper Tickets, dance rehearsals have allowed for full choreography of the two acts opening sequences... Everything's going well and we're very excited.
Galleries can be found on www.actorskitchen.co.uk, and on our Facebook project page (The Memory of Water project)- feel free to browse!
Many many thanks again...
Adrienne
