how to make a good tea: By paper mug theatre

start with THE TEABAG

We are a graduate theatre company from East 15's BA Acting and Contemporary Theatre course, who have decided to take two amazing shows to two amazing venues at Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2019. We focus on naturalistic stories reflecting contemporary issues in Britain, and we need your support to reach a wider audience. 

add BOILING WATER 

Three startlingly handsome and effervescent individuals make up Paper Mug Theatre - Sebastian Gardner, writer of the award-winning I Lost My Virginity to Chopin's Nocturne in B Flat Minor who has never yet failed to drink three cups of coffee before 10am; Josh Tucker, director of A Partnership, and avid fan of any tea from an endangered rainforest you've probably never heard of; and Rory Thomas-Howes, writer of A Partnership who's happy with a strong builder's tea and a dash of soy milk. We're all trained actors, writers, directors and producers, happy to jump into any role and make our stories worth telling.

a splash of fancy milk

Edinburgh Fringe is an expensive festival (and a tough marketplace) for even one show. We succeeded in getting the shows to two of the Big Four venues - Gilded Balloon and Pleasance - which is an astonishing feat for a debut theatre company. We believe so much in the power of both our shows that we couldn't decide between them - they address underlying issues in British society that need attention.

• A Partnership and I Lost My Virginity To Chopin's Nocturne in B-Flat Minor are both two-handers, taking place over the course of an hour. A Partnership follows queer couple Ally and Zach in the final hour of their nine-year relationship, as internalised homophobia swallows them whole. Chopin visits Ollie and Laura at the end of their relationship, before flashing back to the night they met, exploring toxic co-dependency and male/female dynamics in 2019. 
• We make naturalistic, contemporary stories because we want to reflect the people watching them - the audience should recognise issues they've faced in their lives in our plays, and question how they would make better decisions than the characters presented onstage. Theatre has the power to change lives, and we aren't afraid to hold a mirror up to the audience and ask them to truly examine their own behaviour and role in society.
• Every donation you make helps us achieve financial security to take both shows to Edinburgh Fringe - they are alike in structure, but their messages speak to different sections of the community. We are committed to equality and awakening people to hidden, underlying problems in society, and any money you give to us helps us spread awareness of these issues, and provides a solid platform to rally against them. 

leave it to steep 

• We will be using the money initially to pay the venue fee for Pleasance - this will ensure that at least one of our shows will be financially secure at Edinburgh Fringe. 
• Should we exceed our target, our first prerogative is paying our cast and creatives - we do not ask artists to work for free, and we will always provide a fair wage before paying ourselves. Further to that, we will use the money to pay the venue fee for Gilded Balloon, as well as paying for our travel, printing costs (flyers and posters) and the Fringe Registration Fee and Joint Venue Brochure. 
• We will be available to contact at our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram handle at any time, and will provide regular updates on the Click page.
• We are more than happy to provide full transparency of our costs, but please find below a rundown of the major expenses:
• Venue hire (Pleasance): £2450
• Paying our cast and creatives - £1000
• Venue hire (Gilded Balloon): £1560
• Fringe Registration Fee and Joint Venue Brochure (combined): £1790
• Travel: £250
• Printing costs - flyers and posters (combined): £600

let's sweeten this tea

• We have a number of personalised gifts for our honoured and esteemed donors - those of you who spare a little extra cash will receive not only these personalised gifts, but also be in with a chance to win a number of cool mystery prizes. 

Instagram, Tweet and snapchat your bangin' cuppa

Check out our promo material!

tell others where you made this tea

Please please PLEASE follow us on our social media pages to find out more updates about our campaign and our shows - we update regularly and are always on hand to answer questions.

Twitter - @PaperMugTheatre

Facebook - Paper Mug Theatre

Instagram - PaperMugTheatre

enjoy with friends, family or other tea-friendly associates

• We desperately need support on this project - anything you donate, no matter how large or small, helps us towards our goal, and earns you our eternal gratitude. We're a company that exists to make meaningful theatre for a wide audience - the more you help us grow, the more we can give back to the community.
• The further this page is shared, the more chance we have of achieving our goal - even if you have nothing to spare, we would be incredibly grateful to anyone who shares our post. We'll do our best to give you a personal thank you whenever we see a share!