HOLD ONTO YOUR BUTTS To Return To Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Recent Cutbacks will present Hold on to Your Butts, a live, shot-for-shot parody of the greatest dinosaur film of all time.

Performances, directed by Kristin McCarthy Parker, will takae place at Pleasance Courtyard, Forth, 30 July - 25 Aug 2025 (not 7 & 18), 12.30 - 13.30.

Following its critically acclaimed UK Tour and West End debut, the 2024 Fringe sell-out Hold on to Your Butts returns. Performed by just two actors and a Foley artist who creates the sound effects live on stage, the trio reenact each scene and perform every character (including the dinosaurs). Through comedy, physical theatre and the wildy inventive use of simple props - from cardboard cut-outs, traffic cones and muffin tins - they aim to present the game-changing CGI of the iconic film live and in low-fi.

Hold on to Your Butts will be part of Recent Cutbacks' double bill feature at Pleasance this August along with the UK premiere of Fly, You Fools! (Pleasance Courtyard 15.10 - 16.10) a live, shot-for-shot parody of the most epic fantasy film of all time. Actors Nick Abeel and Kyle Schaefer will be appearing in both productions.

Director and co-founder of Recent Cutbacks Kristin McCarthy Parker said, "We've been overwhelmed and utterly delighted by the UK's response to Butts in 2024-2025, both at Fringe and on tour. We can't wait to be back at Pleasance, where Butts is a perfect match for the Fringe's energy, creative spirit, and scrappy approach to making art. It's especially exciting to have Butts running alongside Fools - the shows are perfect complements to each other and utterly hilarious."

Kristin McCarthy Parker is a New York-based director and producer whose work has appeared across the US, UK, and Australia. She is Co-Founder of Recent Cutbacks, known for smart, comedic theatre. Kristin directed the Off-Broadway hit Puffs and its live capture (available on Amazon and iTunes), and has developed new work with Rattlestick, Ensemble Studio Theatre, New Georges, Powerhouse, PEN America, Ma-Yi, and others. She has assisted directors including Michael Greif, Trip Cullman, and Wendy C. Goldberg, and brings a unique lens shaped by training in clown, dance, mime, and Shakespeare. A company member with Broken Box Mime, Kristin also directs for film, with credits including ALPHA (250k+ views on YouTube), Can't Touch This, and Side Salad.

Recent Cutbacks is a creative ensemble founded in 2014. Their critically acclaimed work sits at the intersection of comedy and theatre. They are best known for their live movie parodies that fuse humour, nostalgia, and lo-fi spectacle. Their projects invite audiences to see the world with a newfound exuberance and remind us of why we fell in love with movies, theatre, and storytelling in the first place. The company made their Edinburgh debut last year with Hold on to your Buttswhich was held to high acclaim, transferring to London in 2024 ahead of a 2025 UK tour. Other shows include Fly, You Fools!, KEVIN!!!!!, Next Day Thrones, There is No Spoon and the Audible Original Master Lecture Series.

Performance Details

Running Time: 60 mins | Suitable for ages 8+

Company information

Creator Recent Cutbacks Director Kristin McCarthy Parker (she/they)

Lighting designer and stage manager James Appleby (he/him)

Cast

Laurence Pears (he/him), Nick Abeel (he/him) & Kyle Schaefer (he/him) in rotation, and Foley by Kristin Renn Parker (she/her)

Listings information

Pleasance Courtyard, 60 Pleasance, Edinburgh EH8 9TJ

30 July - 25 Aug (not 7 & 18), 12:30 - 13:30

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