Acclaimed Scottish actors Claire Dargo and Scott Fletcher, both widely recognised for their roles in River City, will star in the world premiere of Overtone, the powerful new play from Fringe First award-winning theatre-maker Tom Brennan (Education, Education, Education, Fringe First Award-winning; Last of the Pelican Daughters, Winner of Pleasance Indie’s Best Theatre production) and double Fringe First winners The North Wall. Overtone is an unflinching new play about love, memory and the relationships that shape us.
Scottish stage and screen actor Dargo is well known to audiences for playing Karen Connolly in River City. Her theatre credits have seen her double nominated by The Stage Awards for roles in Thread (Nutshell Theatre, Assembly St Mark’s) and Crush (Iron Shoes, Underbelly). She has worked with venues including the National Theatre of Scotland, Dundee Rep, Citizens Theatre and Perth Theatre, alongside appearing in Shetland, Doctors, Catastrophe and the forthcoming BBC drama The Ridge.
Joining her is fellow Scottish actor Fletcher, best known for playing Angus in River City. He has also appeared in The Little Vampire, Gary: Tank Commander, Only an Excuse?, Monarch of the Glen, Taggart, and numerous productions for the National Theatre of Scotland, Royal Lyceum Theatre and the Citizens Theatre. He returns to the Fringe having appeared in the original Edinburgh Fringe production of Kieran Hurley and Gary McNair’s acclaimed Square Go.
Directed by John Hoggarth (The B*easts, Oliver Award nominated; Brown Boys Swim, Popcorn Award and Fringe First Award-winning), with set and costume design from David Spence and lighting design by James Bailey, Overtone ventures into what a ‘healthy’ relationship actually looks like and asks if it’s ever truly possible to outgrow the forces that first shaped us. Through confronting the past, the play delves into the uncomfortable crevices in a couple’s long-term relationship as they journey to arrive at an unconventional but honest and loving place.
The North Wall has produced two new plays at the festival by alumni of their artist development programme (ArtsLab): Brown Boys Swim by Karim Khan (Popcorn Award, Fringe First Award 2022) and E8 by Marika Mckennell (Stage Award and Fringe First Award 2019). Overtone by ArtsLab alumnus Tom Brennan marks their third world premiere of a new play at the fringe.
Overtone will take place at Pleasance Dome (Jack Dome) at the Edinburgh Fringe at 2.40pm from 5 – 30 August.
