Denver based theater troupe receives rave reviews in Edinburgh Scotland

It was by chance that a Denver-area theatre troupe and Colorado producer April Alsup, were given the opportunity to open this year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the world’s largest performing arts festival and one of the greatest celebrations of arts and culture on the planet. Each year, Greenside Venues randomly selects just twenty shows to open the festival. The event invites professional theatre guests and media from around to world to preview the works of several performing arts organizations who have traveled to Scotland to participate in the festival.

The cast and Crew of  BANNED Musical backstage at Riddle’s Court in Edinburgh Scotland

It was the second year in a row for this troupe to be invited to perform in Edinburgh and expectations were high. Last year the group’s show received five-stars and became a local sensation for its stage portrayal of the community buyout of the small Isle of Eigg in the Scottish Hebrides. The show went on to be selected by Broadway World readers as the Best New Musical of 2023; naturally, everyone on both sides of the pond were delighted when the troupe agreed to return in 2024.

BANNED cast performing "All we want is sex" to kick off the 2024 Edinburgh Fringe Festival

Early on, the troupe discussed how the new show needs to be different than “Eigg.” and the members decided to reinvent “WYSIWYG,” an April Alsup musical about the sensitive issues of online dating, gender and sexuality. The new musical has now become known as just “BANNED,” since it follows a group of gender misfits through the events leading up to their debut at a local performing arts festival. There were all sorts of clever marketing tactics deployed that followed the clandestine theatre troupe to the festival.

BANNED Poster for 2024 Edinburgh Fringe Festival

After opening night it was clear that the theatre troupe had another hit on their hands. The Scotsman, Scotland’s National Newspaper, gave the show four stars and praised the composer April Alsup. “The songs are strong and memorable, in nicely complex arrangements too – tunes are swapped back and forth in complicated ensemble numbers, and the cast offers glowing harmonies as well as vivid solos.” It also hailed the actors, the choreography and declared that “Online dating gets a merciless take-down, while the pleasures of sex are dutifully celebrated.”

BANNED cast and crew celebrate opening night at Posto Pizza in Edinburgh Scotland

“Best of all, however, BANNED offers a deeply human perspective on issues of gender and sexual identity, its flawed characters navigating their own mistake-filled routes through pronouns, preferences and plenty more,” the review continued. “It’s a complex, compassionate show of missteps and misunderstandings, and one that warmly applies the tolerance it requests of others onto its own damaged but likeable characters.”

BANNED theatre troupe gathers in front of Pollock Hall before heading home to Denver Colorado

Theatrical success doesn’t come about in a vacuum; it really does take a village to mount a new musical production and Denver has a vast array of organizations that support the performing arts. From rehearsal spaces to performance venues, from theatre professionals to theatre goers, this community is the perfect place to incubate a meaningful, relevant and important show for international stages.

For more information on “BANNED the Musical” or to watch a video of the Edinburgh performance run, visit www.banned.show.

Denver area music theatre troupe sails to Scotland.

It's that time of year again, when theatre enthusiasts from around the globe start planning for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. It's hard for any Colorado theatre goer to forget the success one of our Denver area music theatre troupes had at the festival last year. This week the Edinburgh Fringe society added over 1,300 shows to the festival's 2024 online ticketing portal. It's a pretty big deal and they even had a shoutout to Greenside and BANNED at Riddle's Court. With that many venues and performances on the calendar it's hard to get visibility for your show and it's nice to see the fringe society take an interest in Colorado's theater scene and support the Denver based theatrical team.

2024 Edinburgh Fringe mentions BANNED the Musical

The Fringe's online ticketing system has lots of options and the Fringe organization has been super helpful with explaining all the ins and outs. Our venue is Riddle's Court and the theater is Willow Studio. It has a three quarter thrust stage and roughly 60 seats. We've tried to set the ticket prices at a reasonable price to accommodate everyone who wants to see our show. During the preview week we have all sorts of specials, the weekdays have some special offers too and of course the weekends are crazy. See you there!

Performing Arts Project announces online accompanist initiative

The Performing Arts Project (PAP) announced today a tentative agreement to identify talent for the website accompanist.com. The online accompanist platform will use local Denver talent to provide rehearsal tracks for the YouTube channel @accompanists and their online subscribers. The brand new online music education portal will include Broadway song book standards for soloists and complete piano arrangements for vocalists. Accompanist.com plans to utilizes technology to give artists the resources and services they need, where ever they need it. More to come!

YouTube Channel @accompanists

"You Are Too Beautiful" is a popular song from the 1933 musical comedy film "Hallelujah, I'm a Bum," where it was sung by Al Jolson credits to Rodgers/Hart - Real Book circa 1977. 

In the video below Jolson is backed by Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians. Song is from the movie "Hallelujah, I'm a Bum" in which Jolson starred. Recorded December 20, 1932.

PAP announces headliner for New Horizons Festival

The Performing Arts Project announced today it is teaming up with Florida based New Horizons on their 2024 Summer Performing Arts Festival Series. The partnership came together after PAP worked out a new talent agreement for this year's theatre festival including the first appearance of the "Organized Confusions" in Colorado. The new music ensemble has added Denver to their upcoming 2024 World Tour that concludes later this Summer in Edinburgh Scotland.

"We are so pleased that we could secure such an exciting new act for the first night of the festival this year" said a New Horizons spokesperson. "We're happy to be working with PAP on this project and we look forward to working with their team in the future. They've been able demonstrate a unique ability to engage with the performing arts community here and abroad." Details are forthcoming as the event schedule is finalized.

Performing Arts Project announces new sponsor

Earlier this month, we picked up our first major sponsor of 2024. Viewmark^®, a privately held Colorado Corporation, has signed a definitive agreement to support PAP on upcoming Colorado productions with knowledge, expertise and financial assistance. The marketing communications company has a long history of domestic and international success with digital content creation and design.

Viewmark staff near Fairplay Colorado

Viewmark^® was one of the first web design agencies in the country and has a long history of providing state of the art software and project management for many of Colorado's largest firms including Hewlett Packard, Baby Einstein (now Disney) and Frontier Airlines. "We are confident that our commitment to the Performing Arts Project will make Denver a better place to live", said a Viewmark spokesperson.

Eigg Musical wins "Best Musical" from Broadway World Denver

It's not everyday a new Musical comes out of nowhere and is selected as the best music theatre show of the year. It's hard for a small theatre troupe to compete with the public media outlets and the larger venues in the area, but that's really part of the magic of theater. Every year Broadway World provides the Denver theatre community with an online portal to get the people's vote for the year's best theatrical productions around town.  This year is the 20th anniversary of the event and "Eigg the Musical" was nominated in nine categories and snapped up four of the 2023 awards, more than any other show. Eigg wins included "Best Musical", "Best New Musical", "Best Director of a Musical" and "Best Supporting Performer in a Musical." BroadwayWorld requires the performances premiere between Oct. 1, 2022, and Sept. 30, 2023. Audiences members and their friends can then vote and make their selections on an online portal for the best in each category through December 31, 2023. Winners were announced on January 9th, 2024.

2023 BroadwayWorld Denver Awards 

“I’m ecstatic for the cast & crew and the show too,” said April Alsup, producer and composer of the work. “The amount of time and effort that goes into a production like this is unreal. To see those efforts acknowledged in a regional and statewide way is really fabulous. The people voting validate that the work we’re doing is high caliber and at an elite level. It acknowledges the hard work that the leadership team has put into developing the show and the performances of the actors.” BroadwayWorld is an international organization that’s broken down in different regions across America, Canada, Central and South America, Europe and Asia. “This is a peoples' choice award and it's really the only theatre award like it in our area, so it’s a big deal. Kelly McAllister and Antigone Biddle did such a great job and deserve to be recognized for their individual roles, but everyone in the cast was fantastic and it was a team effort for sure." Alsup said.

Cast & Crew of Eigg Musical

Situated in Scotland's Inner Hebrides, the Isle of Eigg has a fascinating history of sovereignty. Not long ago, the inhabitants of Eigg faced a different type of invader; a celebrity Laird looking to create his Gaelic island utopia. The transfer to community ownership hatched on Eigg is arguably the most captivating example of Scottish land reform. "The shows at Vintage theatre were packed and it's always nice to have your theatre friends support and vote for you." Alsup said.

Denver based musical about the Isle of Eigg takes Scotland by storm

Perhaps the most captivating music theatre work to ever come from Denver Colorado, Eigg the Musical took Scotland by storm this Summer at the Edinburgh Fringe. The festival is the world's largest performing arts festival and features performances from theatre companies from around the world. Established in 1947 as an alternative to the Edinburgh International Festival, it takes place in Edinburgh every August and this year's festival was bigger than ever.

With so much competition from other shows and venues, it's hard to get any sort of traction in Edinburgh, but by luck Eigg the Musical was selected as one of only 20 shows to kickoff this year's festival at an hour long press gala attended by all the major media outlets in Scotland. The event would provide the momentum needed to propel the show through the rest of the festival, but the story doesn't stop here.

The actors performances delighted the public and the locals quickly adopted the story as their own. The show sold out nearly every night and Eigg the Musical became an overnight sensation at the 2023 Edinburgh fringe festival. The critics agreed and the show was labeled a five star performance and given a unanimous thumbs up by the Scottish media. Learn more about this wonderful show at eigg.show

CRITIC REVIEWS:

"This show has great potential to be something big. It tells an important story and is expertly performed. It is an ultimate show of the power of community, telling an important story of Scotland's history. Could this be Scotland’s next Sunshine on Leith?"
* Abi Whitefield - The Scots Reviewer - August 10, 2023

"Eigg the Musical: Before we even talk about how great this show is, I just have to mention that the cast is full of wonderful people. So down to earth and so talented! The show itself is AMAZING. The music is awesome, the story is lovely, and it’s chock full of humor, love, and strength. If you want to see a wonderful musical based on a true story, this is the one!"
* Dan Lentell - Get Your Coats On - EdFestivals 2023

"The Hebridean story of the Eigg community and hopes of creating a Gaelic utopia are brilliantly told and wonderfully performed. Well worth the ticket."
Posted in Edinburgh Inquirer - August 14, 2023

NOTE: Broadway World selected Eigg the Musical as a top ten show you really don't want to miss at this year's Edinburgh Fringe Festival... Thank you Broadway World!

PERFORMANCE VIDEOS:

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Here's the opening scene of Eigg the Musical from a 360 degree camera hanging from the chandelier stage right in Riddles court. It seemed only fitting, the venue is over 500 years old and once held a coronation party for James VI. Check out the ceiling!

Here's the complete performance of Eigg the Musical in Edinburgh Scotland on August 10th, 2023. It's a small thrust stage venue, but it really allowed the actors to engage with the audience during the show. Thank you Scotland for all your support!

AUDIENCE COMMENTS:

"It’s really good and entertaining! You should tour it around the Highlands and Islands! I met Keith Schelenburg in the 80s. I worked for the Council. He sent his little plane to fly me from Fort William. The pilot was Patrick Burns. We flew from Camisky. He had really ambitious ideas for the island." Ken Johnston - Highlands, Scotland"

"Eigg the musical was fabulous with great storytelling of the history of that little island." Joyce Staniard Bell - Ayr, Scotland 

"We really enjoyed it! There were some great singers in the cast, it's a great story about the community buy out of Eigg." Wendy Weatherby - Edinburgh, Scotland."

"Brilliant! thank you for bringing this show to the festival." Ian MacGowan - Aberdeen, Scotland"

"What a refreshing, hilarious and beautifully written musical." David Hewitson - Glasgow, Scotland

"Never a dull moment, we really enjoyed your show." Sandy Byrne - Carnwath, Scotland"

"Really enjoyed watching your show....loved the music and choreography....and hats off to Lord Skillington for wearing that Aran jumper in such a warm space!" Stewart Furini - East Sussex, England