TL;DR Driving’s headed to the world’s largest arts festival – and we need your help in producing this bold, original work of theater there.  What’s the Ask? It’s possible that you know Sam and Jay (The EPs) through your endeavors in writing, theater and/or the live arts. If not: hello and welcome! Last spring, in conjunction with an exceptional creative team and under the guidance of Artistic Director Megan Sandberg-Zakian, they premiered Driving in Circles at Boston Playwrights’ Theatre. The Boston Globe named it one of the year’s best productions and Jay earned an Elliot Norton Award for Outstanding Solo Performance. It was the culmination of a decade-plus-long effort to tell this deeply personal, subversively hopeful story on stage. In preparation for an Off-Broadway run, Jay and the production team are taking the show cross-continental for the storied Edinburgh Fringe Festival. We are excited and humbled by the opportunity, and we’re ready to show Scotland exactly what a solo concert musical about resilience, healing and community looks like. We’re now asking for your help in making the practical parts of this trip possible so that Jay &amp; co. can focus on the “manifesting creative genius” ✨ parts. What’s the Story? “Let’s be human together and to each other.”–Prelude, Driving in Circles Jay’s been telling this story for a long time. It’s taken various forms, including as <a href="http://epstheater.com/bare-cove" target="_blank">The Girl from Bare Cove</a>, a folk opera set in New England. Driving traces protagonist Jill/Bill’s experiences as a young femme subjected to sexual abuse and the aftereffects they navigate as a survivor. PTSD, seizures, panic attacks diagnosed with help from Steve Martin’s memoir: they all indicate the inner turmoil that Jill/Bill’s wrestling with. And during a journey that spans two continents, several regions of the country and many confusingly named Massachusetts towns, our protagonist comes to understand that healing isn’t something you have to do alone. Traversing the highway between confessional monologue, stand up set and rock concert, Driving invites you to pile in the car with us and take a trip towards something like happiness. And before its release as an album on August 2nd, you can <a href="http://epstheater.com/#driving" target="_blank">sample some of the show’s folktronica score here</a>.  Accolades for the show:  <ul><li>Richard Rodgers Award for Musical Theatre (American Academy of Arts and Letters)</li><li>Elliot Norton Award for Outstanding Solo Performance (Boston Theater Critics Association) </li><li>Jean Kennedy Smith Playwriting &amp; Musical Theatre Awards (The Kennedy Center) </li><li>One of the Boston Globe’s <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/12/13/arts/the-year-in-boston-theater/" target="_blank">10 best shows of 2024</a></li><li>One of <a href="https://www.theatermirror.net/?p=8168" target="_blank">Theater Mirror</a> and <a href="http://www.baywindows.com/story.php?337309" target="_blank">Bay Windows</a>’ top 10 shows of 2024</li></ul> Critical praise for the workshop production:  “Eddy is a fiercely compelling performer. And Driving in Circles is a remarkable achievement.”  “propulsive score”  “flashes of humor and warmth” -Don Aucoin, the Boston Globe “powered by an astonishingly cool folktronica score”  “must-see theater” “Eddy is an assured performer, alternately enraged, playful, and reflective, and their songwriting, orchestrations, and emotive voice make for as enjoyable a night of musical theater as you’re likely to experience this or any other year.” -Mike Hoban, Theater Mirror“Now here is something refreshingly different. Directed with energizing flair by Sam Plattus…Driving in Circles is essentially an emotionally-charged concert road trip through…events that have shaped Eddy’s life. It is powerful, sad, and disturbing at times, but is also hopeful, charming and lighthearted on this unpredictable road to healing…Eddy’s enthusiasm and interactive style is relatable, warm, sincere, and funny.” -The Sleepless Critic How Will the Funds Be Used? Here’s how the funds raised through this campaign will be used: -Renting the performance space (McIntosh @ Gilded Balloon) -Airfare, lodging and extra baggage for equipment -Equipment hire, insurance and registration fees-PR and marketing efforts Donation tiers and rewards:  $5 – Eligibility to vote on the official Driving in Circles album art! Choose your favorite of six cover designs.  $15 – Shoutout in campaign update and shoutout on The EPs’ social media, plus rewards from the previous tier.  $20 – Free album download (official release August 2nd), plus rewards from the previous tiers.  $50+ – Acknowledgement as a patron on The EPs’ site and in Fringe show program, plus rewards from the previous tiers.  Why Fringe? Why Now? Taking Fringe by storm this summer will allow us to 1) build on our momentum and keep growing grassroots excitement and 2) connect with industry folks who can support our road to an Off-Broadway production or our touring aspirations. But our most sincerely felt goals for this show are rooted in the traditions of consciousness-raising and Theater of Testimony: to increase awareness, knowledge and understanding of the aftereffects of childhood sexual abuse through storytelling; to validate the experiences of CSA survivors; and to inspire other CSA survivors to tell their own stories in their own ways. Right now, it feels especially necessary to tell stories that offer alternatives to the cynicism and fear fueling our political climate. Driving is not a re-creation of violence. It’s about finding hope and community and learning how to sit with the hard stuff together. In that spirit, we’re asking you to support the funding of a personally meaningful artistic venture – but we’re also inviting you to participate in a larger project that centers our shared humanity and stands in firm opposition to the forces that dehumanize us.  How Can You Help? “There will be a new world,We will build that world together.”–The World Is Ending Anyway, Driving in Circles -Consider donating to support the creation of bold, original theatrical work -Share the campaign through social media and e-mail -Follow The EPs <a href="https://www.instagram.com/epstheater/" target="_blank">on social media</a> and sign up for their mailing list/Substack-Tell everyone you know in Edinburgh this summer to see the show!  Thank you so much for your time and generosity. -The EPs (Sam &amp; Jay)

US$20,791.00