WRITER

Ed wrote and had published his first two novels while serving a three-and-a-half-year prison sentence for drug offences. Many years clean now, Ed went on to write for Brookside, The Bill and Holby City, as well writing short films for BBC 2 and Channel 4.

His most recent stage play The Political History of Smack and Crack won a Lustrum Award at the Edinburgh Fringe, toured nationally and is currently in pre-production as an animated feature film.

Ed is co-artistic director (with fellow writer and actor Eve Steele) of Most Wanted, a theatre and film production company based in Manchester, concentrating on work grounded in their joint lived experience of addiction and crime. Through Most Wanted, Ed directed Eve Steele’s hit theatre show Life By The Throat and co-directed the feature film Scrambled, currently in post-production.

Ed also teaches creative writing at a northern university and is currently making a series of narrative films with addicts in treatment for a Lancashire drug-rehabilitation and mental health charity.

https://www.mostwantedshows.com

DIRECTOR

Cress Brown directed Ed Edward’s award-winning The Political History of Smack and Crack at Paines Plough's Roundabout, Soho Theatre and UK tour.

Cress was resident director at the National Theatre Studio from 2007 - 2008 and although she has directed classical work nationally and internationally - including for the Globe, RSC and British Council - new writing is her passion. Since 2006 she has commissioned, developed and directed premieres with over 50 emerging and established playwrights.

Cress is probably best known for: Amphibians by Steve Waters inspired from interviews with former Olympic swimmers and staged in the hidden pool under the Bridewell Theatre stage; Walking the Tightrope by writers including Caryl Churchill, April DeAngelis, Timberlake Wertenbaker and Mark Ravenhill about freedom of expression; and the UK premiere of Obie Award winner Chris Chen’s Caught.

After nearly 20 years of directing Cress is probably most proud of her Septimus Bean and His Amazing Machine by Adam Peck where she transformed the Unicorn Theatre foyer into a playground for her 6-year-old audience during the final scene.

http://www.cressidabrown.com

PERFORMER

Mark Thomas has been a performer for 37 years; in his career he has had a TV show that changed the law, exposed corporate wrongdoing and put gun runners in jail. He has written plays, books and radio shows. He has awards ranging from four Fringe Firsts to a UN Association Global Human Rights Defender Award. This is the first play written for him.

LIGHTING DESIGNER

Previous work includes: The Olivier award winning Rotterdam (West End/Off-Broadway/UK National Tour); Dogs of Europe (Belarus Free Theatre at the Barbican and international tour); Richard III, An Arab Tragedy (Swan Theatre Stratford/International tour); Sampled and Danse Élargie (Sadler's Wells); Great Expectations (UK tour); Fiddler on the Roof and The Comedy about a Bank Robbery (Istanbul); Beowulf, Septimus Bean and His Amazing Machine, Jason and the Argonauts (Unicorn); What's On Stage 'Best Production' Winner Thebes Land (also video), New Nigerians, Drones Baby Drones (also video), Shrapnel (also video), Mare Rider; The Political History of Smack and Crack (Edinburgh Fringe and Soho Theatre); Oedipus at Colonus (Cambridge Arts Theatre); The Body (Barbican); The Dark Side of Love (Roundhouse); Amphibians (Bridewell); Thrill Me (Tristan Bates/Charing Cross Theatre/UK and international tour); Twentieth Century Boy (New Wolsey Ispwich); Re:Home (also video), Brenda (The Yard); The Al-Hamlet Summit (Tokyo International Festival/International tour).

Richard trained at LAMDA, is Head of Production for C venues at the Edinburgh Festival, is a Trustee of the Kings Head Theatre, and develops industry leading applications zoomOSC and zoomISO. www.richard-williamson.com

SOUND DESIGNER

Michael John McCarthy is a musician, sound designer & composer for stage & screen. He has worked on over ninety theatrical productions and has collaborated on the making of ten Scotsman Edinburgh Fringe First Award winners. He is also the musical supervisor & co-sound designer on Pride and Prejudice* (*sort of), winner of the 2022 Olivier Award for Best Entertainment or Comedy Play.

Other theatre credits include:The Grand Old Opera House Hotel, Crocodile Fever, Ulster American (Traverse Theatre); What Girls Are Made Of (Traverse Theatre/Raw Materials); Kidnapped (National Theatre of Scotland); Castle Lennox (Lung Ha Theatre Company/Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh); Cinderella, Tay Bridge, August: Osage County (Dundee Rep Theatre) The Last Return (Druid Theatre Company); NORA: A Doll's House (Young Vic Theatre/Citizens Theatre); Showtime From The Frontline, The Red Shed (Mark Thomas); Jimmy’s Hall (Abbey Theatre).

Work for screen includes the documentaries Where You're Meant To Be and Pitching Up. www.michaeljohnmccarthy.com

MOVEMENT DIRECTOR

Simon is an award-winning movement director, theatre maker, and Lecturer, working across the UK and Europe, focussing heavily on physical storytelling and liveness.

Credits include, Wendy and Peter Pan (The Royal Shakespeare Company); Flathampton (The Royal and Derngate); Therese Raquin (Bath Theatre Royal); All That is Solid Melts Into Air, The Hide, One Million, (Tangled Feet Theatre); Amphibians, The Drawing Play (Offstage Theatre); Moonfleet, The Secret Garden, The Ballad of Martha Brown (Angel Exit Theatre); Phone Home, The Situation Room (Upstart Theatre, Pathos Munich).

Simon collaborates with partner Jennifer Jackson, making new dance-theatre works, including the UK tour of Endurance; with the Barbican Theatre’s Open Lab on the new work Wrestle Lads Wrestle; and his solo piece, Marco, supported by ACE and MGCFutures bursary.

Simon is Lecturer in Movement at The Arden School of Theatre, Manchester.

www.simoncarrolljones.com

CO-PRODUCER

Tin Cat is a tour booking and production company, bringing new, high quality performances to a variety of venues and audiences. They focus on comedy and theatre that entertains, informs, and engages audiences in social and political purpose.

Tin Cat believe the arts can be inspiring and empowering. The performers they work with include Andy Hamilton, Jo Caulfield, Jon Ronson, and Mark Thomas.

Tin Cat build strong cultural connections around the UK, to develop long-lasting relationships and give a positive experience to artists, venues, audiences, and themselves.

This year they are proud to be co-producing this new play with HOME, Manchester, written by Ed Edwards and directed by Cressida Brown.

CO-PRODUCER

HOME is Manchester’s centre for international contemporary culture. Since opening in May 2015, HOME has welcomed over four million visitors to its two theatres, five cinemas, art gallery, book shop and restaurants. HOME works with international and UK artists to produce extraordinary theatrical experiences, producing an exciting mix of thought-provoking drama, dance and festivals, with a strong focus on new commissions and talent development. Since opening, HOME has co-produced and co-commissioned work with: Complicité, National Theatre, National Theatre Scotland, Javaad Alipoor, Boy Blue, Hofesh Shechter, Rhum and Clay, Kneehigh, MIF and many more.

HOME’s ambition is to push the boundaries of form and technology, to experiment, have fun, take risks and share great new art with the widest possible audience. The patrons of HOME are Danny Boyle, actress Suranne Jones, playwright and poet Jackie Kay CBE, artists Rosa Barba and Phil Collins, filmmaker Asif Kapadia, and actress and author Meera Syal CBE.

PRODUCER

Every year at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Holden Street Theatres select a recipient for the Holden Street Theatres' Edinburgh Fringe Award. The winner receives an invitation, as well as touring support, to perform at Holden Street Theatres in the Adelaide Fringe as the headline act of our program. The company is required to sign a contract supporting this in order to receive the award.

The award is the only one of it's kind that allows a company from Edinburgh to tour their show to the Adelaide Fringe, and it has brought us some fantastic acts over the years. From Henry Naylor to Molly Taylor and everyone in between, the award has uncovered some of HST's favourite artists.