Get ‘Fat Chance’ to the Fringe!

Hi, my name is Rachel. I grew up in a single parent family on benefits from the top 1% of underprivileged areas in the UK - central Middlesbrough. (I know, I’m a smoggy, I can’t help it!)

Since the age of 7 I have wanted to be an actor. I worked hard at school, have always had at least 1 job and went to University. I then got a scholarship to drama school and graduated as a professional actor.

However, even though I have been told I have talent, I have found it hard to break into the industry, with top Agents telling me ‘you’re fat, Northern and female and you can’t be those things and succeed in this industry’.

As an incredibly stubborn person I have tried for years, and this play ‘Fat Chance’ is about my life and struggles to succeed in an industry that doesn’t want to represent people like me.

This play has been 4 years in the making, with 4 rejected funding applications and 3 theatres shortlisting but not selecting the play.

I am finally in a position where I have government funding to develop the play and Live Theatre in Newcastle have offered to preview it.

After a glass of wine on the final selection day, I applied to take Fat Chance to the Pleasance - the best venue at Edinburgh Fringe for new writing. And low and behold, it was selected!

However, you are not able to get funding to take plays to the Fringe - meaning an incredibly upper class playing field in Scotland every summer.

To make the most of this career-changing opportunity, I need to raise at least £7000. I need to pay for:

The deposit for the venue

Advertising my show in the fringe booklet

Marketing to sell tickets

Accommodation for a month for my Stage Manager & me (writer/performer)

And a little money to help my Stage Manager & I pay our bills and afford to eat!

We are (hopefully!) going to Edinburgh on the 2nd-29th of August and anything you can afford to donate would be deeply appreciated. And as they say, shy bairns get nowt!

Thank you for reading my story,

Rach x