THIRST Comes to Edinburgh in August

The solo debut of actor and writer Callum Hughes is a showcase of sympathetic yet humerous diaries on his battles with alcoholism, his life as a musician, and a reminder that not everything you love is necessarily good for you. Hughes carefully comprises stories from childhood to a few years ago, navigating his struggle with alcohol with a parallel narrative on his relationship with music and performing. With a guitar in hand and performing original music, Hughes goes into his personal life, theatre, religion, and his love for music, shedding light on the bleak, enabling side of the gig industry. Far from a story of hitting rock bottom, Hughes shares how his ability to keep going and never miss a gig while heavily intoxicated was enough to be life threatening, but his new sobriety is joyous. 

Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain, Amy Winehouse… the 27 Club is the cultural phenomenon of celebrities and artists who died at 27; in July 2018, two months before his 28th birthday, Callum Hughes nearly joined that list. Showcasing his journey from a small Oxfordshire town to the bright lights of the Big Smoke, Callum attempts to discover who he is without looking through the bottom of the bottle. Featuring original and familiar music, Thirst is both a love letter to sobriety and a celebration of all things alcoholic with a joyous and uproarious outlook at life, family, theatre, religion and most importantly, the positivity of the pub with 0% lager. 

Thirst's UK tour was met with critical acclaim, including a sold-out performance in Bristol and a successful four-night run at VAULT Festival 2022.  

Callum Hughes said "Despite working on several one-person shows as a creative, I never envisaged performing in one myself. However, after some heavy petitioning from my peers, I realised that my story is quite unique. Shows that tackle addiction often fall into a trap of doom, gloom and self-flagellation - but whenever I've been with other recovering addicts, the room is filled with laughter, wit and self-awareness. I wanted Thirst to include some of that joy and make a show that would have spoken to a younger version of myself. Obviously I want to entertain folks, but you never know, perhaps it might help someone too." 

Fake Escape was founded in 2013 and has since been committed to spearheading exciting new artistic projects that not only entertain and engage audiences, but open a dialogue with a new generation of theatregoers and theatremakers alike. Fake Escape has seen over a dozen productions in the last nine years, including productions at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, London, Paris and across the country. Previous Edinburgh shows include My Father The Tantric Masseur, at Assembly Venues George Square (2019), and A Dream of Dying and Space UK at Surgeon's Hall (2016). This year, Fake Escape will also be presenting Raising Kane at Assembly George Square. 

Callum Hughes has been making theatre as an actor, writer and musician for over a decade in a variety of genres including musical theatre, live/performance art, immersive theatre, site specific theatre, folk/story-telling, classical texts, film and television. Callum was a long-time member of Bob Carlton's award-winning ensemble of actor-musicians where he performed in countless productions including Godspell, The Great Gatsby, As You Like It, Treasure Island and Return to the Forbidden Planet. Since then, Callum has performed in UK No1 tours, at fringe festivals, in films and commercials and regularly records audiobooks as a narrator.  

Running Time: 60 mins | Suitable for ages 12+  (Contains strong language and themes of alcohol addiction.) 

 

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