Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1115758
CULTURE maltatoday | SUNDAY • 12 MAY 2019 8 THE cast of MARA, led by the popular musical duo The New Victorians, has launched a crowdfunding campaign on local platform ZAAR to take the critically-acclaimed original produc- tion to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2019. Celebrating women through time by means of sound manipulation and electro-acoustic music, MARA is a multi-disciplinary live performance starring an all-female Maltese com- pany. The show's audio-theatrical journey tells the stories of various historic fe- males, including inventors, scientists, artists, activists, musicians, politi- cians, writers, fighters, and mothers, highlighting that every story is worth telling, and that no voice should be silenced. The production has already gained international acclaim since its first shows in Malta in 2016, with perfor- mances at the National Theatre of Scotland's Exchange Festival in In- verness, as well as at London's The Vault Festival. Now the show has been offered an- other major opportunity to perform as part of the world's largest arts fes- tival, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, which annually features more than 55,000 performances of more than 3,500 different shows. In addition, MARA would headline the programme of one of the Festi- val's biggest and most highly-respect- ed venues, the Pleasance Theatre. "We have been offered a prime slot at the Pleasance Theatre for 26 shows over the full Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August at the King Dome, which is, of course, a pretty big deal and very exciting." Philippa Cassar and Bettina Muchmore, the sister duo behind MARA also known as The New Victorians, said. "This is a dream for us since it would mean getting the chance to represent Malta at one of the most renowned venues at the Fringe… but we need your help." To be able to accept the offer to perform at such a prestigious venue, the MARA cast must first raise the significant funds required to support the show throughout the festival. These expenses include accommo- dation and travel for the cast and crew, the cost of lighting, rigging and the set, as well as that of marketing and admin, and insurance, licensing, PR and venue costs, which altogether total more than £30,000. While the show is already sup- ported by notable sponsors such as V Squared, Fino, Ecco, Air Malta, FM Theatre Productions and St Michael's Foundation, the MARA cast has also launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise the remaining €10,000 need- ed to make their dream a reality. "We had a wonderful experience when we crowdfunded on ZAAR in support of our EP – which is where the song 'Lie Liar' was born," Philippa and Bettina said. "We were able to get in touch with backers and fans in a way we had nev- er done before – it really felt like we formed a community with those who helped us out. The ZAAR team was professional and helpful too, so it felt natural for us to use this platform to crowdfund again for our Edinburgh Fringe dream." Funds raised from the show's crowdfunding campaign on ZAAR will be specifically used to cover PR, marketing, production, travel, ac- commodation and living costs associ- ated with the Edinburgh production. Backers who support the campaign can also expect to receive exciting re- wards packages based on how much they donate, which include honour- able mentions, Thank You videos (offered in the accent of your choice), workshops, free merchandise and free tickets to local MARA shows. The campaign also forms part of a 'MARA-thon' of other fundraising events in support of the show's per- formances at the Edinburgh Fringe. For more information or to make a donation, visitors are invited to see the 'MARA at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2019' crowdfunding cam- paign at www.zaar.com.mt. MARA crowdfunds to headline at Edinburgh Fringe Festival The all-female Maltese production hopes to perform at one of the top venues at the world's largest arts festival