Homeless theatre lovers grab £1 tickets for Edinburgh Fringe show

A theatre company has slashed tickets prices for their production at the Edinburgh Fringe for people who have experienced homelessness.

The production of Cardboard Citizen’s critically acclaimed Cathy, will make its Fringe debut next week following a sell-out UK tour with homeless, ex-homeless, and vulnerable people offered tickets for just £1 throughout the production.

Cathy is a modern reimagining of Ken Loach’s seminal Cathy Come Home which inspired the Housing Act following its release in 1966, and sparked the creation of housing charity Shelter later that year.

Fringe audiences will be encouraged to take action of their own after each performance – when they will be given the chance to voice their own opinions, shaping and contributing to proposals for new housing laws. Shelter Scotland will be providing guidance to the theatre group on how to use these suggestions to influence and effect change in the housing sector.

This format follows a high-profile performance of Cathy at the House of Lords earlier this year, when the company presented to MPs the top five housing laws that had been suggested by audiences on their UK tour.

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As Cardboard Citizen’s and The Big Issue both celebrate their 25^th anniversary, some of our very own vendors have been invited along to write their own reviews of the performance.

Directed by Adrian Jackson, the production looks at how life might be for the Cathy of today, continuing the company’s exploration of modern housing and homelessness. The show, researched in partnership with Shelter and based on true stories, is said to provide a reflection of the social and personal impact of the spiralling cost of housing in the UK.

Jackson said: “During our 25th anniversary year, Cathy Come Home has been prevalent throughout our work – first with a theatrical community staging of the play at the Barbican supported by Ken Loach and latterly with our modern reinterpretation, Ali Taylor’s exceptional Cathy – and so it is fitting to join forces with the charity that was formed as a result of this still powerful film and had a hand in determining the story Cathy tells.”

Cathy by Cardboard Citizens will run from August 2 – 26 (not August 9, 14 and 21) at the Pleasance King Dome, 3.30pm

Tickets available at pleasance.co.uk

To find out more about £1 tickets, email mail@cardboardcitizens.org.uk