Kickstarter

***** "Five Stars" - Vue Weekly

***** "Five Stars" - CJSR Radio

“Wonderful! McKenzie proves utterly fearless and unflinchingly honest." - Toronto Sun

Yes, YOU can make dreams come true, by joining with us to raise $10,000 for the UK premier of NGGRFG, Berend McKenzie's critically acclaimed one-man show, at the 2012 Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Edinburgh, Scotland.

NGGRFG is a gripping, true, sometimes funny story, exploring issues of homophobia and racism. In a series of stories based on his life, actor-writer Berend McKenzie presents his one-man show about Buddy, a boy growing up both black and gay, who is the target of taunts and marginalization. Buddy fluctuates between being an outcast, a rebel, a dropout and a survivor. Ultimately, he finds the power to face down the two very different, wounding words that affected his life. From Vancouver to Halifax and most recently at the Young People's Theater in Toronto, NGGRFG has taken Canada by storm and received critical acclaim along the way. Stage managed by the amazing...Andrea Heald!

THE EDINBURGH FESTIVAL FRINGE is the largest arts festival in the world and takes place every August for three weeks in Scotland’s capital city. Each year thousands of performers take to a multitude of stages all over Edinburgh to present shows for every taste. From big names in the world of entertainment to up-and-coming artists like McKenzie, the festival caters for everyone and includes theatre, comedy, dance, physical theatre, musicals, operas, music, exhibitions and events. NGGRFG has the potential to be one of the "must see" shows at the fringe.

BEREND MCKENZIE is a Vancouver based award winning playwright, actor, and producer from Vancouver, BC. His first play, Get off The Cross Mary!, an outrageous puppet show for adults, won the 2006 Hero Award. He won the best actress award at the 2001 Vancouver International Fringe Festival for his portrayal of Charollette Wallace in Christopher Durang's Beyond Therapy. McKenzie also has the distinction of working with Academy Award winners Angelina Jolie and Halle Berry in two of the worst movies ever made.

For a SPECIAL VIDEO MESSAGE FROM BEREND click on the photo above!

TOGETHER WITH YOU we can reach our goal to raise $10,000 to cover the cost of the two week run, August 3 – 18, 2012, at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. NGGRFG will be produced at theSpaceUK on the Mile, an award-winning venue. Your contribution will directly impact the following:

EXPENSES $467 - Festival Registration
$3791 - Venue Rental
$1,650 – Roundtrip Airfare
$1,800 - Housing Rental 
$750 - Production Design (Set, Costume, Lighting, and Sound)
$1,542 - Marketing and Public Relations
TOTAL: $10,000

Note, these are estimated expenses based on the current exchange rate between the US dollar and British pound. Cost changes may occur in relation to price increases for travel, short-term housing, production, and marketing-related expenses.

NGGRFG includes Berend McKenzie (writer and performer), Allen MacInnis & Tanisha Taitt (co-directors), Gavin Fearon (sound design), Michael Kruse (lighting design), Tyrone Brown (co-producer), and Berend McKenzie (co-producer) . NGGRFG is an international co-production of Brownbox Theatre (United States) and Small Brown Package Productions (Canada). Visit the Small Brown Package website for more information.

If you are a backer on this project, thank you. We would like to encourage you to tell your friends "I am backing a show on Kickstarter called nggrfg. What do you think of the title?" See what kind of dialogue you can start. Go to the "comments" icon at the very top of this page and share your experience with others. You may be surprised by what is shared. 

*Click on nggrfg image to watch video*

*Photo Credit Ian Jackson/Epic Photography*