Planning starts for the second season of Musical Theatre at George Square for Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2009

Following the popular, critical, and artistic success of Musical Theatre @ George Square, planning has now begun for 2009! The University of Edinburgh Festivals Office will again join forces with ChrisGrady.org and Pleasance Theatres in producing a Musical Theatre Programme to grasp everyone’s attention.

For August 2009, the project will be back offering Edinburgh Fringe audiences an alternative dedicated venue with a diverse programme of emerging talents, established talent and brand new Musicals. This year George Square Theatre also hosted a lively, and very sparkly, café bar and box office creating a hub for our other dedicated Musical Theatre Venues George 2, George 3 and George 4.

All four venues, cleverly created and adapted for this year’s project, were an amazing success, attracting new audiences and thrilling existing Fringe-goers. This year allowed for a large programme, ranging from an intimate exchange with a solo performer to the spectacle of dance and choral power - this project really is something to talk about!

Musical Theatre @ George Square in 2008 was the overall banner for five different audience experiences:

• George 1, with 481 seats, which this year rang to the battle cries of ONLY THE BRAVE starring Niamh Perry and Keith Jack.
• George 2, the intimate 87 seat space, offered the world premiere of JET SET GO which has already had a London transfer and is on the hot list of many producers.
• George 3 (Free) offered a dedicated free masterclass programme for performers, producers, singers and writers.
• George 4, with 275 seats, gave audiences the chance to be part of BIG BRUVVA – THE MUSICAL or to celebrate the coming of age of the lads from DEPARTURE LOUNGE (a new work also in discussion for long-term commercial production).
• And finally the Singers Café where performers and audience had the chance to let their hair down, sing and showcase the best of Musical Theatre.

Musical Theatre @ George Square is to British Musical Theatre what off-off-Broadway is to the New York and American scene – open to all, willing audiences to experiment, and giving a platform for professional discovery. The search for exciting new projects, enterprising producers, and shows that will pack a punch (and a large auditorium) begins in earnest this month.

The exact format for 2009 is to be confirmed, with details to follow at a later date.
For past details of the 2008 programme, please visit: http://www.festivals.ed.ac.uk/

Interested parties are invited to contact the programming consultants, ChrisGrady.org, at the earliest opportunity. For more information, please visit: http://www.chrisgrady.org/