'You and Me (and Whoever Comes Next)' wins the Summerhall Mary Dick Award!

We are incredibly excited to share that our new play 'You and Me (and Whoever Comes Next)' by Keron Day and Alex Howarth with Helen Chong has won the Summerhall Mary Dick Award, and will have its world premiere at Summerhall this August as part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe! Co-produced by 3HeartsCanvas and in association with Hall for Cornwall, we are so excited to be coming back to Edinburgh with a brand new play.

4 days ago1 min read

'The Soaking of Vera Shrimp' wins overall Critic's Circle Award at Adelaide Fringe!

We are honoured to share that our production of Alison Carr's 'The Soaking of Vera Shrimp' performed by Martha Walker at Holden Street Theatres has won the overall Critic's Circle Award at Adelaide Fringe 2026! Thank you so much to our incredible team; we couldn't be prouder of this incredible show.

Apr 81 min read

Last chance to see Cassie and the Lights at Southwark Playhouse!

Cassie and the Lights must end at Southwark Playhouse this Saturday, and we would love to see you there before then. With 7 ★★★★★ and 5...

Apr 15, 20241 min read

Brand new Cassie and the Lights trailer!

Check out our brand new trailer for Cassie and the Lights, now playing at Southwark Playhouse until 20th April, before transferring to...

Apr 11, 20241 min read

Cassie and the Lights opens to seven ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ reviews!

Cassie and the Lights opened this week at Southwark Playhouse, and we are delighted to have received an incredible seven ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ...

Apr 7, 20241 min read

Cassie and the Lights opens on Wednesday!

We are only four days away from opening Cassie and the Lights at Southwark Playhouse! We can't wait to be back onstage with our funny and...

Mar 30, 20241 min read

Rehearsals have started!

We have LOVED being back in the room this week with our incredible new Cassie and the Lights super-swing Martha Walker. We also had our...

Mar 24, 20241 min read

Cassie and the Lights is being published!

We are so excited to be only three weeks away from our get-in at Southwark Playhouse for Cassie and the Lights. There are a few tickets...

Mar 11, 20241 min read

New Trailer!

We are so excited to share our new trailer for Cassie and the Lights at Southwark Playhouse! Get some tickets now- the first preview is...

Feb 3, 20241 min read

Cassie is back!

We are so excited to share that our award-winning play with music Cassie and the Lights will open in London this April after runs in New...

Jan 23, 20241 min read

You and Me (and Whoever Comes Next)

by Keron Day and Alex Howarth, with Helen Chong

Summerhall, Edinburgh Fringe 2026

WINNER- THE SUMMERHALL MARY DICK AWARD

Cast includes- Keron Day, Lauren Koster and Martha Walker

Directed by Alex Howarth

Producer: Patch of Blue and 3 Hearts Canvas in association with Hall for Cornwall

Development supported by Arts Council England and Theatre Royal Plymouth

Costume Design: Alice McNicholas

Social Media: Helen Chong

Artwork: Vlada Nazarova

TICKETS- https://festival.summerhallarts.co.uk/events/you-and-me-and-whoever-comes-next/

Keron Day is disabled. Dani is his Personal Assistant (not as fancy as it sounds). A touching and funny exploration of how care goes both ways with live music, inspired by a true story.

The winner of the prestigious Mary Dick Award for work led by a disabled artist and supported by Keron's local theatre Hall for Cornwall, the play began life as an R&D at Theatre Royal Plymouth in 2025, and will have its world premiere at Summerhall as part of the 2026 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

KERON DAY

Keron is an actor and writer from Cornwall. Screen includes KIRKMOORE (BBC), SEX EDUCATION (Netflix) and WE'RE TOO GOOD FOR THIS (Macpoppy Films). YOU AND ME (AND WHOEVER COMES NEXT) is his debut play.

LAUREN KOSTER- DANI

Lauren Koster is an English, Irish and Burmese actor and writer. Television includes THE CROWN. Film includes Emily in I AM YOUR SISTER, Mara in MAYWARD ROAD, and Elnora Green in MS GREEN AND OTHER LOVELY BEASTS. Stage includes CAMP SIEGFRIED at The Old Vic.

MARTHA WALKER- SOPHIE AND OTHERS

Martha trained at Italia Conti. Her credits for Patch of Blue include Kit in CASSIE AND THE LIGHTS (Southwark Playhouse London and Theatre Royal Plymouth) and Vera in their award winning THE SOAKING OF VERA SHRIMP (Holden Street Theatres Australia). Martha recently played Dorothy in THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ (Redbridge Drama Centre) and Wendy in PETER PAN (Guildford Fringe). Her credits in training include Tobias in SWEENEY TODD. She can currently be seen in a Suzuki E Vitara advert.

The Soaking of
Vera Shrimp

by Alison Carr

Holden Street Theatres, Adelaide Fringe 2026

VERA SHRIMP- Martha Walker

Directed by Alex Howarth

Producer: Patch of Blue in association with Verse Unbound and Joanne Hartstone Presents

Writer: Alison Carr

Producer: Patch of Blue, Verse Unbound and Joanne Hartstone Presents

Costume Design: Alice McNicholas

Technical Design: George Cort

Rain Design: Rachel Sampley

Technical Operation: Matthew Erdely

Production Support: Mark Wickett

Social Media and Graphic Design: Helen Chong

‘I can feel the rain. The colours, the sensations, the words inside each drop when they land on my skin and seep inside me, so that means that everything is different now, and I can make things alright again.’

During an almighty rainstorm, Vera Shrimp discovers she has a remarkable gift. She can read raindrops, each one having soaked up an emotion from those the water has come into contact with. But as her family disintegrates, Vera’s extraordinary ability takes on a darker and more urgent significance. Part science lesson, part story-telling, this is a poignant and playful solo-show about love, grief and never giving up.

‘The Soaking of Vera Shrimp’ was critically acclaimed during its first run at the Edinburgh Fringe. This revival production ten years later will mark its international premiere and precedes a national tour in China. “The Soaking of Vera Shrimp” Adelaide run is commissioned by Archimedes Theatre Project, China.

WINNER- Overall Adelaide Critic's Circle Award, Adelaide Fringe

★★★★★ ‘a perfect little jewel box of a play... This emotionally devastating play will break your heart in two and, if you’re lucky enough still to have her, make you want to call your mum’- The List

★★★★★ ‘a droplet of wonder that is both fascinating and heartbreaking… a Fringe highlight’- InDaily

★★★★★ ‘reminds audiences just how powerful simple storytelling can be when placed in the right hands... quietly and gently extraordinary’- On Your Markus

★★★★★ ‘It's whimsical. It's devastating. One of the highlights of the Fringe’- The Scoop

★★★★★ ‘a gem of a show’ - A Thousand Words

★★★★★ ‘a moving show that lingers, gently tugging at the heartstrings’ - Upside Adelaide

★★★★ ‘Will leave an imprint on your heart’- Stage Whispers

★★★★ ‘quite a marvel…a must see’ - The Barefoot Review

MARTHA WALKER- VERA SHRIMP

Martha trained at Italia Conti. Her credits for Patch of Blue include Kit in CASSIE AND THE LIGHTS (Southwark Playhouse London and Theatre Royal Plymouth) and Sophie in their upcoming YOU AND ME (AND WHOEVER COMES NEXT). Martha recently played Dorothy in THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ (Redbridge Drama Centre) and Wendy in PETER PAN (Guildford Fringe). Her credits in training include Tobias in SWEENEY TODD. She can currently be seen in a Suzuki E Vitara advert.

Alison Carr- Writer

Alison has written commissions for the National Theatre, Paines Plough, Traverse Theatre, and Live Theatre. She is a two-time North East Culture Award winner, and a Finalist for the Theatre503 Playwriting Award and the Women’s Prize for Playwriting. Her work has been performed on stages and non-traditional theatre spaces across the UK and around the world including America, Canada, India and Australia. She is part of the BBC Writers Group ‘North East Voices’, and in 2023 was made a member of BAFTA Connect. Her short film Doppelganger is part of BBC Three's 'Long Story Short' series.

Joanne Hartstone- Producer

Joanne is a South Australian theatre maker, actor and performer, playwright, director, producer and presenter, specialising in international theatrical collaborations, live theatre & cabaret, and immersive/site-specific events. Joanne has been presenting work in the Adelaide Fringe since 2006. She won the inaugural Made In Adelaide award, the Frank Ford award, Holden Street Theatres award, multiple best theatre, best event and Critics Circle awards, and two innovation awards for her theatre streaming platform Black Box Live™. Joanne is also a mentor to emerging artists, performers and playwrights.

Verse Unbound- Producer

Verse Unbound is a London based production and project management company for theatre. They regularly collaborate with Patch of Blue and were co-producers on CASSIE AND THE LIGHTS at Southwark Playhouse London, 59E59 Theaters New York and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, as well as its first ever scratch performance at the International Theatre Academy Awards in China. They were also the lead producers on the China tour of Patch of Blue’s acclaimed WE LIVE BY THE SEA.

Cassie and the Lights

Cassie and the Lights

by Alex Howarth

VAULT and Adelaide Festivals 2020

Big Belly, Underbelly, Edinburgh Fringe 2022

Brits Off Broadway, New York, 13th June- 2nd July 2023

Southwark Playhouse, London, 3rd-20th April 2024 & Theatre Royal Plymouth 24th-27th April 2024

Written and directed by Alex Howarth

Producer: 3 Hearts Canvas in association with Verse Unbound and Southwark Playhouse

Live score composed by Ellie and Imogen Mason

Set Designer: Ruth Badila

Southwark Playhouse Lighting Design: Will Monks

Lighting and Video Design: Rachel Sampley

Originally produced at VAULT and Adelaide Festivals by Sam Brain and Zoe Weldon

Stage Manager: Lauren Cross

Images: Claire Bilyard

PR: Kate Morley PR

CASSIE- Alex Brain

TIN- Helen Chong

KIT- Emily McGlynn

SUPER SWING- Martha Walker

MUSICIAN- Ellie / Imogen Mason

Can kids be parents? When Cassie's mother disappears, the teen wants to care for her younger sisters on her own. But is Cassie the right person to be a parent now, or should she let her foster parents adopt her sisters and create a new family? Based on real life events and interviews with children in care, Cassie and the Lights examines our ideas of what makes a family, and celebrates the incredible determination and resilience of teenagers.

Cassie and the Lights returned to London 3rd-20th April 2024 at Southwark Playhouse before transferring to the Theatre Royal Plymouth.

CRITIC'S BEST SHOWS OF EDINBURGH FRINGE 2022- The Stage

WINNER- Best Theatre Week 2, Adelaide Fringe