put it on your
festival ‘to-do’s
— The List
If the Fringe gave out an award for the most ingenious design then Vox Motus would win hands down
— The Metro
an over-the-top live action cartoon that relishes theatricality
— Onstage Scotland
slickly acted and wickedly funny
— The Guardian
magnificently inventive
— The Herald
An absolute delight from start
to finish
— The Scotsman
again and again, it astonishes and entertains with its technical ability… a beautifully unusual piece of comic theatre
— The Sunday Herald
This one will warm your heart
— The Skinny
****
The Scotsman
****
The Herald
****
The List
****
The Metro
****
The Skinny
****
The Stage
The Not-So-Fatal Death of Grandpa Fredo
Written, directed and designed by
Jamie Harrison and Candice Edmunds
“I don't want to achieve immortality through my work; I want to achieve immortality through not dying.” — Woody Allen
Inspired by an incredible true story, Fringe First winners Vox Motus, open their new production at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe on Sunday 8 August at the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh.
Our new production 'The Not-So-Fatal Death of Grandpa Fredo' is a pitch-dark comedy featuring a host of eccentric characters, original live music and stunning design.
A frozen body found in a woodshed wreaks havoc in the local community, forcing them to confront questions of science, faith and immortality.
'The Not-So-Fatal Death of Grandpa Fredo' is a production where science, humanity and humour meet. Is there home for faith in the dry, factual world of science; can science itself be the deity in which we place our faith?
While it is easy to dismiss the Immortality movement as extreme and outrageous we aim for the audience to leave the theatre questioning their own response to 'conquering the blight of involuntary death' (the stated mission of the Immortality Institute) and the parallels this draws with world faiths.
The play questions what is sacred in today's media-saturated, Big-Brother-embracing, science-as-religion society. As well as delving into the dark, macabre and comically perverse it is also a quest for emotional truths, a sense of wonder and, ultimately, hope.
Interview and trailer.
Jamie Harrison and Candice Edmunds - Artistic Directors - Interview
The Not-So-Fatal Death of Grandpa Fredo Teaser
Credits
Written, directed and designed by
Jamie Harrison and Candice Edmunds
Composer and Musical Director: Michael John McCarthy
Assistant Director: Thom Scullion (supported through the Federation of Scottish Theatre's Creative Assistant Bursary programme)
Cast
Fridtijof Fredo: Ewan Donald
Marilyn Conquest: Imogen Toner
Archie Merkin: Simon Donaldson
Officer Mac: Harry Ward
Production team
Lighting Designer: Simon Wilkinson
Sound Designer: Graham Sutherland
Video Designer: Tim Reid
Costume Designer: Kat Smith
Production Manager: Fiona Fraser
Company Stage Manager (Festival): Mickey Graham
Deputy Stage Manager (Festival): Anne E. Page
Company Stage Manager (Tour): Anne E. Page
Production Technician (Lighting): Kate Bonney
Production Technician (Sound): Colin Wilson
Script Adviser: Stephen Greenhorn
Set Construction: B. Scenic Construction
General Manager: Susannah Armitage
Press Officer: Liz Smith
Graphic Design: Gary Birnie