Norfolk-based theatre company Ned Fleeman Theatre Co have today announced details of their next theatrical production, ​Apollo 11​. The one-act play, which will become their Edinburgh Fringe debut in August, will also be previewed in their home town of Norwich at the Maddermarket Theatre next month.
Equal parts comedy, drama, anthology, historic reenactment, and 50th anniversary celebration, Apollo 11​ is a moving recreation of a moment that would change the world forever, featuring some of Norwich’s finest up-and-coming talent.
The entire cast and crew of ​Apollo 11​ are entirely made up of students from the University of East Anglia. Since their inception in January 2018, Ned Fleeman Theatre Co’s​ raison d’etre ​has been to break the mould of student drama with innovative leaps into fantasy, horror, science-fiction, black comedy, and immersive theatre; to boldly go where no company has gone before. Apollo 11 does just that!
July 1969. Across the world, Britons, Americans and Soviets alike are glued to their screens, waiting for Neil Armstrong to take that first historic leap for mankind. Gathered around the sofa are an array of colourful characters.
Apollo 11​ is written and directed by Ned Fleeman Theatre Co founder David McCabe, who has written and directed several previous productions for the Norwich-based company, including last year’s hit double bill of ​Little Green Men a​ nd ​Amygdala ​at the Garage Theatre, and black comedy ​Cold Comfort​ at the University of East Anglia in February. David is currently finishing off a degree in Scriptwriting and Performance; ​Apollo 11​ was his final piece of creative writing for his course.
Before heading to up the M1, ​Apollo 11​ will hold its premiere performance in Norwich, at the Emmerson Studio of the historic Maddermarket Theatre, at 7:30pm on the 21st of July, 2019, exactly 50 years since Neil Armstrong first stepped onto the surface of the moon. After that, ​Ned Fleeman ​will take their show on the road and mark the company’s first appearance at the Edinburgh Fringe, running from 2nd-10th August,10:30am.
“This is obviously a huge milestone,” says McCabe, “I’m so proud to be taking ​Ned Fleeman​ to something as prestigious as the Edinburgh Fringe for the first time, and with a project so close to my heart. That one small step was itself an unprecedented milestone for our species, and we’re so thrilled to be marking it in our own special way.
“I really don’t know how to make the moon landing sound any more exciting; it almost speaks for itself. Of course, we take it for granted now, but when you really stop and think about humans walking on the surface of the moon, you realise how weird and unsettling and exciting and adventurous it all is, and that’s kind of what I wanted for this play: to show how the world changed, let people see this miracle through fresh eyes.”
Listing:

The preview performance will be on Sunday 21st July 2019, 7.30pm at Emmerson Studio, Maddermarket Theatre, St. John’s Alley, Norwich NR2 1DR.
Tickets from: ​https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/maddermarket/apollo-11/e-dayxxg

The Edinburgh Fringe performances will run from Friday 2nd August to Saturday 10th August, 10.30am at Olive Studio, Greenside, 6 Infirmary Street, Edinburgh EH1 1LT.
Tickets are available from: ​https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/apollo-11

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