Dawn Steele Will Lead SKYE: A THRILLER At Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2025

Dawn Steele will star as Annie in the world premiere of SKYE: A Thriller, the debut play by Ellie Keel, at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2025. Steele will be joined by James Robinson (Brawn), with direction by Matthew Iliffe.
 
The production opens at Summerhall on 2 August 2025, with previews from 31 July, and runs until 25 August.   Set on the Scottish island, SKYE: A Thriller explores ghosts, grief, and family relationships, as four siblings see their father standing on a beach, several years after his death.

Dawn Steele said, “I'm absolutely thrilled to be performing SKYE: A Thriller at this year's Edinburgh Festival Fringe. From the moment I first read the script, I was captivated by Ellie's writing and the depth of these beautifully crafted characters. I come to the Edinburgh Fringe every year and love it but I have never performed in a show for the whole Festival.   I have previously worked at the Traverse Theatre with John Byrne's The Slab Boys and Cuttin' A Rug but that was a while ago! I can't wait to start rehearsals and share this powerful piece of theatre with audiences at the world's largest arts festival.”
Ellie Keel added, “I'm delighted that two such talented and renowned actors are bringing my first play to life under Matthew's direction. Dawn and James capture the Annie and Brawn of my imagination beautifully while also bringing something fresh and compelling to both roles. In particular, I feel very lucky that Dawn has chosen this project to mark her return to the stage alongside her distinguished screen career. Rehearsals start next week — I can't wait to thrill audiences for a month at Summerhall.”  

'Real' is subjective. Subjective means you decide.   1995. Holidaying on the Isle of Skye, Annie and her siblings glimpse their father across the beach. Which seems impossible, because he died four years ago.    What follows is a relentless search for the truth, on a rugged island where real people and ghosts seem to walk hand in hand among the mountains and lochs.   A chilling, propulsive debut thriller by Sunday Times bestselling author and Olivier-nominated producer Ellie Keel, whose Edinburgh Festival Fringe hits include Callisto: a queer epic, SAP, An Interrogation, Bullring Techno Makeout Jamz and The Last Show Before We Die. Winner: The Stage Producer of the Year 2024.

Ellie Keel is a writer, producer, and campaigner. Her first novel, The Four, was published by HarperCollins in 2024, becoming an instant Sunday Times bestseller. In 2024, she became the youngest ever producer to win Producer of the Year at The Stage Awards, and was nominated for an Olivier Award for Isley Lynn's The Swell at the Orange Tree Theatre. She is the Founder Director of the Women's Prize for Playwriting, the leading award for female and non-binary playwrights in the UK and Ireland.

Dawn Steele plays Annie. Her theatre credits include The Perfect Murder (UK tour), Volcano (Vaudeville Theatre and UK tour), Blackbird (Rose Theatre Kingston), Rainbow Kiss (Royal Court Theatre), The Slab Boys, Cuttin' A Rug (Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh), Tutti Frutti (National Theatre of Scotland), and Verdict (Theatre Royal Windsor). Her television credits include Holby City (as series regular Ange Godard), Shetland, Granite Harbour, River City (as series regular Dr Annie Jandhu), Wild at Heart (as series regular Alice Trevanion), and Monarch of the Glen (as series regular Lexie MacDonald); and for film, Marionette.

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