NSDF Emerging Artists: The winner
With so many of you talented students taking all kinds of shows up to the Edinburgh Fringe this year, we were spoilt for choice when it came to judging the Methuen Drama, The Pleasance and NSDF Emerging Artists’ Competition in association with the Royal Shakespeare Company and Spotlight. We’re now delighted to reveal the winner as Belleville Rendez-vous…
Five official NSDF11 Selectors – Lucy Briers, Tamara Harvey, Holly Kendrick, David Newman and Chris Thorpe – sifted through over 80 different entries in their search to find the most exciting and unique student theatre shows at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival. They decided to award the prestigious prize to FellSwoop Theatre, who impressed the judges with their playful Parisian tale that blends physical theatre, music and plenty of laughs.
Belleville Rendez-vous, which is based on Sylvain Chomet’s highly acclaimed animated film of the same name, tells the eccentric story of an old woman and her dog as they embark on a treacherous mission to rescue her kidnapped grandson. The play leads the audience through the 1950s Parisian underworld, complete with live jazz, puppets and a rowdy cast of grotesque characters.
The talented bunch of graduates who together make up FellSwoop Theatre hail from the halls of Warwick University. They have now been performing as an immersive and ensemble-driven company for over three years.
These inspiring winners will receive professional mentoring and workshops with the RSC, while their Fringe show will receive enviable transfers to the RSC and Pleasance Islington this autumn – along with £1,000 funding to boot. So if you sadly missed seeing this outstanding show in Edinburgh, save the date for this September – it’s bound to be a treat.
Missed them in Edinburgh? You can see Belleville Rendez-vous at the RSC’s Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, at 2.15pm on 18 September. The show will then run at the Pleasance Islington, London on 22-24 September.
Find out more about FellSwoop Theatre.
Photo credit: Ambra Vernuccio.