SLAY to Make Edinburgh Fringe Debut as First GOBBY AND GILDED Production
Lois-Amber Toole's SLAY will premiere at Gilded Balloon's Teviot venue as part of a new female talent initiative.
Gilded Balloon and Gobby Girl Productions have announced a new partnership: GOBBY AND GILDED, a development initiative designed to discover, produce and elevate new female talent from stage to screen launching with the debut production of SLAY by Lois- Amber Toole at Gilded Balloon's Teviot venue at Edinburgh Fringe.
GOBBY AND GILDED brings together the complementary strengths of both organisations to support bold new voices and female storytellers, with a minimum three-year commitment to nurturing female talent and those from marginalised genders and backgrounds for the future in Comedy directing and writing for stage and screen.
The initiative will identify and develop writers through both companies' networks and Gilded Balloon's annual Fringe submissions, with a focus on supporting women and creatives who might otherwise be unable to bring their work to Edinburgh. The long-term ambition is to create original IP with a life beyond the stage, championing new female working class voices into television and film.
Selected projects will enter the unique co-production between GG & GB, which will provide a prime Fringe slot, cover upfront production costs, and provide a pathway to a future screen development. The joint venture pioneers a model that rethinks traditional Fringe economics, with any future screen development contributing back towards the original financing of the stage production, ensuring a fair and sustainable pathway for all collaborators.
As part of the programme, Gobby Girl Productions will also be prioritised within the new Gilded Balloon's Show Support Fund, further strengthening the infrastructure around emerging artists.
The partnership launches with its first selected project: SLAY by Lois-Amber Toole, a darkly funny and urgent new solo show exploring trauma, identity and survival in the age of performative healing. SLAY follows twenty-something waitress Kit who moves to London with a fresh diagnosis, PTSD and is directed by Fringe First winner Anna Morris (Son of A Bitch).
Writer and performer Lois- Amber Toole said: “SLAY is a deeply personal piece and was born out of being told by a casting director that all I'd ever play was a scummy Geordie. After wolfing down two chicken bakes, I wrote it on the shop floor of my retail job, and the show now exists because of people believing in the work.
Being the first artist backed by GOBBY AND GILDED feels surreal. It's given me the chance to realise the work at the scale it deserves and think beyond the Fringe, which is rare for emerging writers. There's still so little authentic North East representation in our industry, so this kind of support is life-changing - and proves not all Geordies steal in audition rooms.”
Director and Dramaturg Anna Morris said: “I'm thrilled to be directing the first ever GOBBY AND GILDED production. I hadn't planned on returning to the Fringe for a while, but the moment I read SLAY, I immediately said ‘ME PLEASE!'
What excited me most was discovering an emerging writer with such a distinctive and confident voice. SLAY is funny, fresh, dark, and exactly the kind of bold new work that I love and that firmly belongs at the Fringe. Working with GOBBY AND GILDED is a real honour, and I'm incredibly excited to be part of the beginning of this ambitious new collaboration.
SLAY will be my 13th show at the Fringe, and my directorial theatre debut - which makes this production feel even more special.”
Producer Gina Lyons said: “At Gobby Girl Productions, we're always looking for bold, distinctive voices and stories that can travel beyond a single platform and we particularly want to support working class women in comedy - who statistically are less represented. Partnering with Gilded Balloon allows us to root that development in the Fringe, where so much exciting work begins, while properly building a pathway into screen. GOBBY + GILDED is about long-term investment in female talent and making sure those voices are supported at every stage.”
Katy Koren, Co-Artistic Director of Gilded Balloon said: “The Fringe has always been a launchpad, but it's getting harder and harder for new writers to access it. This partnership allows us to go further- not just getting work on stage, but properly backing it and thinking about what comes next. Slay is exactly the kind of bold, urgent storytelling we want to champion, and we're thrilled to be starting here.”
Gobby Girl Productions has produced a wide range of work across stage and screen, including a six-part sketch series for BBC Studios / Funny Parts, a feature film starring Hugh Bonneville, Michael Socha and Ella Bruccoleri, and multiple short films and television developments. Their live work includes sold-out runs at the Edinburgh Fringe and Soho Theatre. Executive Producer Eugenio Perez joined the company in 2026, having previously co-founded Fable Pictures and delivered films including Stan & Ollie and Wild Rose.
Gilded Balloon is one of the leading producers of live comedy and entertainment at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. A proudly female-led, Edinburgh-based family business, Gilded Balloon has spent over 40 years supporting emerging and established artists, with a reputation for launching careers and championing new work.
Get Broadway News on WhatsApp
Receive the latest updates, breaking news, and exclusive coverage from Broadway directly in WhatsApp.
Videos
|
Sitting (In Silence) Summerhall (Anatomy Lecture Theatre) (8/06-8/31) |
|
How Not to Make it in America Summerhall (Former Gent’s Locker Room) (8/06-8/31) |
|
Shall Roger Casement Hang? Hill Street Theatre (6/15-6/19) |
|
Glob Underbelly (8/05-8/30) |
|
The Trials of Magnus Coffinkey Summerhall (Red Lecture Theatre) (8/06-8/31) |
|
Remember, Remember! Pleasance Dome (Queen Dome) (8/05-8/30) |
|
Trainspotting The Musical Edinburgh Playhouse (10/19-10/24) |
|
Venue Premium - Two Doors Down OVO Hydro (9/25-10/11) |
|
You Are What You Eat theSpace on the mile (8/07-8/22) PHOTOS |
|
The Borrowed Room Summerhall, Edinburgh (6/19-6/21) |
| VIEW ALL SHOWS ADD A SHOW | |
