With set, props and performer all in black and white, David Shopland explores the life of one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, Orson Welles, in a brand-new solo show.
After continuously having his theatre style and work ethic compared to Welles by friends and family, Shopland is stepping back onstage for the first time in a decade to portray the historic figure. In 1941 a precocious young upstart of New York's glittering theatre scene tried his hand at making a movie and accidentally created the greatest motion picture of all time.
Shopland energetically delves into the making of Citizen Kane and the trials and tribulations of Welles' life, based on real interviews and recordings, while also reflecting on his own history and self-analysis in anachronistic moments. Triumphs, tragedies and the truth are twisted upside down until fact and fantasy inevitably collide.
Writer, performer and Artistic Director of Fake Escape, David Shopland, said “I've been a little obsessed with Orson Welles for as long as I can remember. His bravery, subversiveness and eye for detail are second to none in the history of film, and after a decade of being the other side of the curtain, portraying one of my heroes seems like the most appropriate way to return to the stage. We're creating a black and white world of nostalgia, which I really hope will resonate with people, but we're also throwing in a pretty big twist that Orson himself would be proud of - and if you're a fan of anything meta, I think this could be the show for you!"
Established in Bath 2013, Fake Escape is an award winning international touring company, specialising in uncovering unheard voices in the city of Bath. David Shopland has been a playwright, director and producer since 2008, and his work has been produced extensively around the world, including Riverside Studios, Theatre de Menilmontant in Paris, and the National Theatre of Beijing. David’s most recent play, Saving Britney, reponed the Old Red Lion and played for 3 weeks to sold out audiences, being nominated for two Offies and a WhatsOnStage Award for best Off West End production. It subsequently toured the UK for three months in early 2022 before transferring Off Broadway to New York's Soho Playhouse. Previous Edinburgh shows include A Dream of Dying in 2016 and My Father The Tantric Masseur in 2019.
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