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Get the Barden Party to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival!

$8,430 of $10,000 goal
Given by 63 generous donors in around 4 months

Help us raise funds to get our sassy sexy version of the Scottish Play to Scotland!

International

The Barden Party was created after COVID-19 led to a constant stream of cancellations in the performing arts industry for performers. The company was founded in Nelson by Laura Irish four years ago during the pandemic and has taken its musical twists on Shakespeare’s works to backyards, vineyards and theatres across New Zealand and Australia.

The Barden Party have been touring our sassy sexy Bluegrass version of Macbeth around Aotearoa and Australia since November 2024, to critical acclaim. We have decided this year, to take the biggest risk we've taken and take the Scottish Play to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Critics are calling the show:

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “Heartfelt, sexy, inspired.”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “Exciting and brilliant theatre.”

WINNER Adelaide Fringe Best Theatre - Week 2, 2025.

We've secured ourselves a performance spot at the iconic ZOO VENUES, and are excited to show the world what we've got.

However, getting to the Edinburgh Fringe is expensive! We've managed to cover costs for accommodation and flights for seven actors, but need to raise a little more in order to rent a van to get us around in the initial part of our trip, and to feed the hungry mouths of seven actors.

Use of funds

The money will be spent on renting a van for transporting the cast of 7 around in Scotland and to support cast members with a small per diem for day-to-day costs. Any additional money raised will go towards marketing the show to our new Scottish audiences.

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Latest update

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We're Heading Back to Edinburgh!   16 December 2025

We are excited to announce that we're heading back to Edinburgh with our new original musical, Heracles Part I & taking Macbeth back for another run at the world's largest arts festival! We have managed to gain the support of two very generous sponsors who have organised a tour of Scotland for us AND paid for our PR and venues for BOTH shows at the Edinburgh Fringe 2026. That means, we have to raise the funds for our flights and accommodation. We applied to Creative New Zealand for these expenses and out of 29 applications, they funded 19 of them. We were not one of the funded.

Even in times when communities are stretched, artists are expected to keep asking for support. It is not our favourite thing to do. It can be demoralising and detracts from the actual job of creation. Yet it is exactly at these moments that art matters most, to inspire, to challenge, to connect, and to keep culture alive. After one successful season at Edinburgh and four international tours, we want to keep taking risks, doing big things, and representing New Zealand on the world stage, but we cannot do it without your help. Every donation directly puts our artists and stories on stage, bringing independent theatre from NZ to Edinburgh and beyond, ensuring these voices continue to be seen, heard, and celebrated. So we appreciate you. And if you are in the position to help us go even further, a new link has been created for our next venture: https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/help-the-barden-party

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Givealittle’s Generosity Report for FY2025
Givealittle’s Generosity Report for FY2025 has been released, and once again it offers a powerful snapshot of how New Zealanders show up for one another. Learn More

Latest donations

Colin
Colin on 21 Aug 2025
Delighted to support you after seeing you at Forest Wines in Blenheim and now in Edinburgh. Great to see you Colin and Jane Stewart
$450
Natalie
Natalie on 20 Aug 2025
Wishing you fair winds and following seas!
$15
Guest Donor
Guest Donor on 19 Aug 2025
Love this show!
$50
Henry
Henry on 17 Aug 2025
Private
Klaas
Klaas on 16 Aug 2025
Private

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This campaign started on 30 Apr 2025 and ended on 22 Aug 2025.