A play that has been produced by ARC and written and performed by Middlesbrough born Daniel Bye has received a prestigious award at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
A Scotsman Fringe First Award has been awarded to the brand new show Going Viral which received a series of 4 star reviews last week at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The awards are one of the most long established at the festival and are only awarded for new pieces of work making this a fantastic coup for all involved.
The show has been praised for Bye’s trademark blend of comedy, storytelling and performance lecture and explores the spread of disease, panic and ideas. Drawing on science and social study, it is performed solely by Bye himself and delves into the terrifying knowns and unknowns of epidemics, how they spread and how society reacts.
Dr Mark Booth, Senior Lecturer in the School of Medicine, Pharmacy and Health at Durham University is the scientific advisor for the show and has helped to inform its material and structure through his background in epidemiology of parasitic infections in developing countries.
Bye said: “Winning a Fringe First is about as big as it gets, so I’m absolutely thrilled.”
ARC’s Chief Executive and producer of Going Viral, Annabel Turpin commented: “Winning a Fringe First is a huge accolade and further evidence that some of the UK’s best new theatre is being made right here in Stockton.”
Bye’s recent work includes The Price of Everything, How to Occupy an Oil Rig as well as Story Hunt; a show which took the form of a treasure hunt-meets-walking-tour of town centres which has been performed in Stockton, Middlesbrough, Gateshead and Berwick as well as other towns around the UK.
Going Viral will be performed at ARC on Thursday 3 December at 7pm and is priced as Pay What You Decide, tickets can booked person at ARC, via www.arconline.co.uk or by calling the Box Office on 01642 525199.