My Shows
News on your favorite shows, specials & more!

GULLIVER RETURNS Comes to Edinburgh Fringe 18

By:

Lil and Lem's world has been torn apart by loss. In an attempt to escape his grief Lem has retreated into the imaginary world of Gulliver's Travels. Now he believes he's adventurer and author Lemuel Gulliver; a man on a mission to save humanity from itself. As a result, Lil has her own mission of mercy to perform. No matter what the cost, she must find a way to drag this broken man out of his fantasy. She must find a way to bring him home.

Inspired by Jonathan Swift's savage masterpiece Gulliver's Travels, Gulliver Returns is a haunting new play about broken dreams and enduring love. Raging, tragic and magical, it digs deep into the heart of Swift's sweeping epic to reveal the story of a grieving couple trying to put themselves back together in a world that's tearing itself apart.

First published in 1726, Swift's ground-breaking epic has never been out of print. In 2013 it was voted number three in the Guardian's list of the hundred greatest novels ever written, and its profound influence on modern fiction looms large over many of the great dystopian novels of the 19th and 20th centuries, including Orwell's 1984.

Dawn State makes dynamic new work inspired by classic texts and forgotten stories. Its productions connect the most important questions of today with the shared narratives of our past to create theatre that is urgent, passionate and timeless. The company was formed in 2012 through an R&D Project supported by the Royal Shakespeare Company called A Fever Longing Still. Their full debut production The Man Who Would Be King began at the Edinburgh Festival in 2014 before transferring to Oxford Playhouse Studio and VAULT Festival London in 2015. Their other productions include The Wonderful Discovery of Witches (Edinburgh and London) and The Man Who Would Be King (UK tour). Dawn State is led by director and producer Dan Coleman and supported by English Touring Theatre through their ETT Forge development programme.

Dan Coleman's recent work for Dawn State includes The Wonderful Discovery of Witches in the County of Lancaster (New Diorama & Greenwich Theatre 2016; Oxford Playhouse & Edinburgh Festival 2015) and The Man Who Would Be King (UK Tour 2016; New Diorama & Edinburgh Festival 2014) which he also adapted. Recent freelance work as director includes Paradoxy (Pegasus Theatre & Trafalgar Studios); Philistines and A Month in the Country (both Oxford School of Drama); The Merchant of Venice (RSC workshop production); Hedda Gabler (Drama Centre London) and Skittles (BAC & Edinburgh Festival). Recent work as dramaturg includes Years of Sunlight (Theatre503) and Dirty Great Love Story (Arts Theatre, UK Tour, 59E59 New York & Edinburgh). Recent producing credits include Child of the Divide for Bhuchar Boulevard (Polka & UK Tour) and My Name Is for Tamasha (Edinburgh & Scottish Tour). He was the joint programming director at Theatre503 in 2009, the resident assistant director at Sheffield Crucible in 2010, and the recipient of the TDA emerging producer bursary at Tamasha Theatre Company in 2015. He trained at Birkbeck College

Edinburgh Fringe
Theatre

GULLIVER RETURNS
Written and directed by Dan Coleman

August 2 - 26

14.00 (60mins)

Underbelly Big Belly

http://www.underbellyedinburgh.co.uk
0844 545 8252

August 2 to 3
£7 (previews)

August 8-9, 14-16, 20-23
£10.00 (£9.00)
August 4-7, 10-12, 17-19, 24-26,
£11.00 (£10.00)
Day off August 13

http://www.dawnstate.co.uk

Theater Fans' Choice Awards
2026 Theater Fans' Choice Awards - Live Stats
Best Original Score - Top 3
1. The Rescues , The Rescues - The Lost Boys
41.7% of votes
2. Jim Barne, Kit Buchan - Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)
28.2% of votes
3. Cinco Paul - Schmigadoon!
22.8% of votes

Need more Scotland Theatre News in your life?
Sign up for all the news on the Spring season, discounts & more...


Videos


The Trials of Magnus Coffinkey in Scotland The Trials of Magnus Coffinkey
Summerhall (Red Lecture Theatre) (8/06-8/31)
100 Years of Magic in Scotland 100 Years of Magic
Aberdeen Arts Centre (9/04-9/05)
Glob in Scotland Glob
Underbelly (McEwan Hall) (8/05-8/30)
The Second Best School Shooting in Scotland The Second Best School Shooting
Pleasance Courtyard (Baby Grand) (8/05-8/30)
An A to Z Guide to Dating in Scotland An A to Z Guide to Dating
Underbelly (Buttercup) (8/05-8/31)
Heated Rivalry: The Musical Parody! in Scotland Heated Rivalry: The Musical Parody!
Gilded Balloon Patter House - Other Yin (8/05-8/30)
The Steamie in Scotland The Steamie
Alhambra Theatre (10/29-10/31)
How Not to Make it in America in Scotland How Not to Make it in America
Summerhall (Former Gent’s Locker Room) (8/06-8/31)
Count Arthur Strong - And it''s Goodnight from Me! in Scotland Count Arthur Strong - And it''s Goodnight from Me!
EICC (5/30-5/30)
Long Way Home in Scotland Long Way Home
Gilded Balloon (Snug) (8/05-8/31)