What do a gay man in a wheelchair, a young musician with delusions of grandeur and a male prostitute with a B.A. in Sociology have in common? They’re all going to Edinburgh this summer with two new plays written by young Liverpool-based playwrights. However before the Edinburgh Fringe has the chance to savour the two plays, the Unity Theatre in Liverpool will be previewing them on July 26th.
Three. Two. F*ck by Jack West tells the story of a band that has finally broken into the music scene after years of struggling on the underground circuit. When a prestigious music magazine names them “the next big thing” they begin to question the legitimacy of their legacy: doesn’t being the next big thing mean there’ll be someone bigger after them? The sudden fame provokes discord as the band argues about the validity of their career and whether the key to true success lies in the fate of legends like Kurt Cobain and Jimi Hendrix. They will not be remembered for being different…but that doesn’t mean that they can’t be remembered at all. By using simple staging, an intense script and a cast of three talented young actors, Three. Two. F*ck deals with the struggles of young artists in today’s music industry.
SPUNK by Stuart Crowther tells the story of three very different men with three very different views. James’s only desire is to reach sexual climax, which he hasn’t been able to do since the accident that landed him in a wheelchair. The way forward seems simple – he’ll hire someone to do what no one will do voluntarily: bring him to satisfactory orgasmic climax. James’s carer Aaron doesn’t understand why he would want anything to do with a sex worker and it is going to take more than a male prostitute with a B.A. in Sociology to convince him otherwise. Spunk is inspired by a documentary about sex workers who cater exclusively for disabled people, the play deals with issues such as disability, prostitution and prejudice within the LGBT community. How often, the author wonders, do we hear about people who aren’t “media-friendly” having sex in our increasingly sexualised society? What would happen if a situation arose in which a disabled person, sick of being desexualised by society at large, took charge of his own sexual destiny?
Both plays are part of MenSWEAR Collection, a double bill exploring male relationships in today’s society. Expect comedy, drama, strong language and lots of testosterone. Three. Two. F*ck and SPUNK will be previewed at the Three Minute Theatre in Manchester and the Unity Theatre in Liverpool on 25th and 26th July respectively. For more information visit www.MenSWEARcollection.co.uk.
Lights Up Entertainment is a Liverpool-based theatre company founded by students of the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts. Established in 2011, the company specialises in fringe productions of new work and aims to entertain audiences with quality productions whilst supporting the work of new artists working in theatre locally, nationally and internationally.
Lights Up quickly started leaving their mark in the Liverpool fringe theatre scene, with the 2012 British premiere of the American song cycle I Guess I Wish. They have gone on to hold several cabaret evenings around Liverpool, and in 2013 produced a special Valentine’s production of the off-Broadway hit I Love You Because.
MenSWEAR Collection marks their first time at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
For more information visitwww.LightsUpEntertainment.co.uk
Tickets for the plays are priced at £10 with concessions available at £8. Tickets are available by telephone on 0844 8732888, from the Unity Theatre Box or on line at www.unitytheatreliverpool.co.uk.