DON'T YOU FORGET ABOUT ME to Make World Premiere at Edinburgh Fringe
The new solo show inspired by The Breakfast Club will run at Assembly Roxy throughout August.
Fake Escape will present the world premiere of DON'T YOU FORGET ABOUT ME at the 2026 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Written by David Shopland and directed by Roan Hassani McCloskey, the production will run August 5–31 at Assembly Roxy, excluding August 17 and 24.
The new work reimagines the events of the 1985 coming-of-age film The Breakfast Club from the perspective of a previously unseen sixth student. The solo show follows the "forgotten" classmate as he prepares for a 40-year high school reunion and revisits the events of the iconic Saturday detention that shaped his life.
Described as a tribute to 1980s pop culture, the production explores identity, nostalgia, and the lasting influence of film and music on personal development. As the character reflects on his role within the familiar story, the evening becomes an examination of visibility, memory, and the desire to be recognized.
DON'T YOU FORGET ABOUT ME is part of Fake Escape's "Decade of Fringe" season, which also includes the return of the WhatsOnStage Awards-nominated Saving Britney and Day of the Locust, performed by Callum Patrick Hughes.
In a statement, writer and performer David Shopland said, "Although John Hughes' seminal coming of age classic came out a few years before I was born, being a teenage cinephile led to The Breakfast Club fast becoming one of my favourite films growing up. Now nearing my fifth decade on the planet, I wanted to dig into what some people call the first ever ‘teen' movie and explore the many universal truths contained within."
Shopland continued, "In 2023 I debuted my first solo show delving into the life and works of Orson Welles, and now I'm so excited to be returning to Assembly and Edinburgh Fringe to continue this somewhat autobiographical celluloid odyssey."
Shopland serves as Artistic Director and Chief Executive of Fake Escape, an award-winning theatre company founded in 2013 by Shopland, Matthew Grace, and Lewis Oatley. The company focuses on new writing and socially engaged storytelling, with previous Fringe productions including God Is Dead and I Killed Him, How Can I Help You?, Thirst, and A Dream of Dying.
A two-time WhatsOnStage Awards nominee and multi-Offie Award nominee, Shopland has worked internationally as a writer, director, and producer for more than 15 years.
Performances of DON'T YOU FORGET ABOUT ME will take place daily at 2:20 p.m. at Assembly Roxy.
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