Milly Thomas wins Stage Edinburgh Award

Milly Thomas (Clique, BBC3; Clickbait and A First World Problem, Theatre503) has won a Stage Edinburgh Award for her performance in Dust – a self-penned piece, directed by Sara Joyce.

Thomas comments;
I’m absolutely overwhelmed by this. I’m so hugely proud of the show and the team behind it. Alice’s story in Dust is extremely important to me and it means the world to be sharing it with audiences every day. It’s an honour to be recognised by the awards at all but especially for a performance in the context of mental health. It feels like another step in the direction of smashing stigma which means the world to me. 

She goes on to say, If it weren’t for director Sara Joyce there’s no way I’d be giving this performance. When I write and perform my own material it has the potential to become all self-indulgent and she has grown this and had an unmistakable hand in shaping Dust into what it is. 

Dust is a refreshing, caustic and comedic treatment of one woman’s depression, suicide and everything that happens afterwards. In an unflinching examination of a suicide, this stripped-back monologue for one woman explodes the myth that death is a quiet affair, as it inspects the unavoidable practicalities, alongside the heart-wrenching decisions and pain – and the laughter.

Fergus Morgan, in his review for The Stage, wrote, [Thomas] is great – versatile and vibrant, and investing Alice with a likeable frankness and a dark sense of humour. 

Dust is at Underbelly Cowgate (Big Belly) until 27th August at 4:40pm. 

The Stage Edinburgh Awards are presented throughout the festival. They are not defined by category but recognise an outstanding performance at the Fringe.

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No Show wins prestigious Herald Angel

Ellie Dubois’ No Show has been awarded a Herald Angel Award – the production joyously and heartbreakingly reveals what lies hidden beneath the showmanship of circus. What do you expect when you go to the circus? The greatest show on earth?

In her review for The Herald Mary Brennan comments, …even on days when muscles ache and bruises need camouflaged, the show definitely must go on, served up with a big, happy smile and a theatrical flourish. This is the back-stage reality that Ellie Dubois acknowledges in her astutely-focused new piece, No Show, in which the five performers also offer details of what it takes to excel in their respective skills. If the battle to perfect those slick, quick moves on dangerous equipment seems cruelly unrelenting, there’s another challenge and it’s the gender trap. 

This is a show for anyone who has tried, failed and failed better. No Show deconstructs superhuman circus performers and shows them as vulnerable and human. This is a production that puts female strength, skill and power centre stage.

Ellie Dubois comments;

I am super delighted to receive a Herald Angel Award for No Show. The response has been beyond anything I could have dreamed of and I am so proud of our delicate little circus piece. It’s definitely the sort of show the Fringe isn’t always so kind to so I’m chuffed. 

Since their inception in 1996, The Herald Angel Awards have been an integral part of the Edinburgh Festival scene, celebrating and rewarding the diverse range of talent from the various festivals including the Edinburgh International Festival, The Edinburgh Festival Fringe, The Jazz & Blues Festival and The Edinburgh International Book Festival.

No Show has also been shortlisted for a Total Theatre & Jacksons Lane Award for Circus. Winners will be announced next week.

No Show is performed daily (not 21st) at Summerhall at 16:15. It is in association with Roundhouse and supported by Platform and Creative Scotland.

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