Fake Escape

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Fake Escape

Multi-award winning international theatre company. Produced by David Shopland, Lewis Oatley and Matthew Grace.

31/03/2026

Friends of Fake Escape, we have some big news...

In 2016 we produced our very first Edinburgh Festival Fringe production. 2026 marks 10 years of chaos, ambition, risk and some of the work we are proudest of.

For our , we are thrilled to announce 3 wildly different shows heading to this year’s Edinburgh Fringe, with the season directed by Fake Escape Artistic Director David Shopland alongside Fake Escape Associate Artist Roann Hassani McCloskey

🌇 DAY OF THE LOCUST
Pleasance favourite Callum Patrick Hughes detonates Nathanael West’s 1930s Great American Novel in a riotous gig theatre spectacle, where Hollywood’s Golden Age collides with an inflamed 21st century Los Angeles. Featuring original music composed by Hughes and longtime friend of the company Josh Benfield.
📍Pleasance Courtyard: Attic
📅 5 to 31 August: 12.50pm

🏫DON’T YOU FORGET ABOUT ME
5 teenagers walk into detention in 1985. 40 years later the forgotten 6th student hosts a reunion in a witty, nostalgic homage to John Hughes’ 80s cinema classic for anyone who wished life felt more like the movies. David Shopland returns to the stage following his critically acclaimed 2023 Edinburgh Fringe solo show Raising Kane.
📍Assembly Roxy: Downstairs
📅 5 to 31 August: 2.20pm

🎧 SAVING BRITNEY
The WhatsOnStage Award nominated Off-Broadway and UK sellout sensation returns, with co creator Shereen Roushbaiani reprising the role, in an hilarious and heart breaking nostalgic love letter to the 90s seen through the eyes of the Princess of Pop’s biggest fan.
📍 Underbelly George Square: Bluebell
📅 5 to 30 August: 6.15pm

3 shows. 3 venues. 1 very special year.

Tickets available from some venues already with all shows going live TOMORROW 1st APRIL at edfringe.com - keep your eyes on the links in our bio for updates!

Press Enquiries to be directed to Annabelle Mastin-Lee: [email protected]

27/03/2026

Happy to all those who celebrated today!

This is our 13th World Theatre Day at Fake Escape, and as much as we enjoy reflecting on the 23 productions we've produced in that time, we're even more excited about what's yet to come!
..And on that note - watch this space for some BIG news coming in just a few days!

09/03/2026

What an incredible time we had at the 2026

Of course we were a little bit disappointed not be taking home the beautiful gong for Best Studio Production, but we're over the moon for our friends at for winning with their fantastic production of Young Frankenstein. They were wonderful to work with when we took Saving Britney there in 2022, and they were very deserving of the award.

In truth, it was an honour just to be able to rub shoulders with so many brilliant, exciting people in our fabulous little industry, and we were especially delighted to catch up with our friends at rocking the media area as always.

Our Artistic Director and cast member represented us in style and are reporting very much deserved sore heads and feet this morning from an exuberant afterparty!

A huge congratulations to our good friend and everyone else involved in making this year's WhatsOnStage Awards a truly unforgettable evening!

05/02/2026

✨ BIG NEWS ✨

We are thrilled to share that Fake Escape has received Arts Council England funding to begin research & development on our new project THIS CITY IS A BODY 🎷

This R&D explores the transatlantic jazz root connections that link New Orleans & Birmingham; tracing shared histories of movement, resistance & sound. The project begins with a research trip to NOLA this April 🇺🇸

Led by Artistic Director David Shopland with Associate Artist Callum Patrick Hughes, this project is rooted in learning, listening & meeting artists and communities with care. We are excited to deepen our understanding and begin to platform a hugely important artistic, cultural and historic movement.

International collaboration has always been central to Fake Escape. From our ongoing development of the upcoming large scale immersive project SKIN IN THE GAME in collaboration with partners in Sarajevo to presenting MY FATE IS MY OWN: A WARNING as part of the 2017 Dreams Before Dawn Festival in Paris, we are excited to once again be working across borders, cultures & histories 🌍

Huge thanks to for believing in this work. We cannot wait to share what comes

25/01/2026

ANNOUNCEMENT:

After 13 years of being a remote, nomadic theatre company... WE HAVE KEYS. Actual keys. To an actual OFFICE! 🗝️✨

Fake Escape has officially moved into our first ever home and we could not be more thrilled.

A huge thank you to Sydenham Library. This beautiful 120 year old building has welcomed us in with such generosity, warmth and incredibly reasonable rent! To be housed in a place dedicated to stories, learning and community feels wholly appropriate!.

Even better, we are based in Sydenham Literary Piazza which feels even more fitting for a company rooted in new writing, bold ideas and stories that ask difficult questions. A literal piazza for literature. You could not script it better.

As a company that was founded in Bath but has spent much of its life strongly tied to South London, we're over the moon that we can stay rooted in a part of the capital that has been incredible important to us.

From kitchen tables and rehearsal rooms to trains, cafés and borrowed desks, this feels like a real moment of arrival; A base to dream bigger from. A place to write, plan, argue, laugh and make work that matters.

Here's to the next chapter. 📚🎭

23/01/2026

It's been a busy start to 2026 at Fake Escape HQ:

Our Artistic Director attended a fabulous nominations ceremony for the and had a great interview with about the incredible New York exchange programme he was lucky enough to participate in last September.

Meanwhile we have been snooping out the next generation of theatre talent at some excellent graduate showcases by the likes of and

A hectic January so far, which also included a pretty big upgrade to Fake Escape HQ - which we will reveal next week!

21/01/2026

ONE DAY LEFT TO VOTE FOR FOR BEST STUDIO PRODUCTION AT THE

CLICK THE LINK IN OUR BIO AND SCROLL UNTIL YOU FIND US - THEN JUST CLICK ON OUR PIC!

VOTING CLOSES 22ND JANUARY!

20/01/2026

2 DAYS LEFT TO VOTE FOR FOR BEST STUDIO PRODUCTION AT THE

CLICK THE LINK IN OUR BIO AND SCROLL UNTIL YOU FIND US - THEN JUST CLICK ON OUR PIC!

VOTING CLOSES 22ND JANUARY!

19/01/2026

3 DAYS LEFT TO VOTE FOR FOR BEST STUDIO PRODUCTION AT THE

CLICK THE LINK IN OUR BIO AND SCROLL UNTIL YOU FIND US - THEN JUST CLICK ON OUR PIC!

VOTING CLOSES 22ND JANUARY!

18/01/2026

4 DAYS LEFT TO VOTE FOR FOR BEST STUDIO PRODUCTION AT THE

CLICK THE LINK IN OUR BIO AND SCROLL UNTIL YOU FIND US - THEN JUST CLICK ON OUR PIC!

VOTING CLOSES 22ND JANUARY!

17/01/2026

5 DAYS LEFT TO VOTE FOR FOR BEST STUDIO PRODUCTION AT THE

https://awards.whatsonstage.com/26th-annual-whatsonstage-awards-vote-now/

VOTING CLOSES 22ND JANUARY!

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Website

http://www.fakeescape.org/

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