This year we have been developing a cabaret in the pitch dark, and this August we took it to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
4 blind performers tantalised full houses for two nights at Theatre Workshop with an interactive offering of absurd songs and sketches that had a rye perspective on blindness. Performers were Sandy Easton, Andrew Hodgson, Kirin Saeed and Maria Oshodi, with sketches co-written by Maria and Sophie Sweatman.

“In a witty blend of live music and sketch, the central theme is the day to day experiences of visually impaired people… It's to be hoped that Extant continue to grow as a company as this show's broad appeal deserves more than a few performances.” Lucy Ribchester My Village

“It’s not all about the laughs at Edinburgh though. Theatre is very much an integral part of the Fringe with some of the most imaginative stage plays starting out here. There’s serious shows (a new take on Racine’s Phaedre, Outside In Theatre’s Darkness Within), laugh out louders (the touching Teenage Kicks, which follows John Peel’s story), classics (Macbeth) and hilarious cabaret (Ladyboys of Bangkok return and Effing and Blinding Cabaret takes performance to new levels of the absurd).”

“The commentary is very clever at times… and it is exciting to experience work made and managed by visually impaired professionals who no doubt have their own opinion on what ‘total theatre’ is.” Total Theatre.

The Cabaret next went to Zagreb Croatia (Read more below, and about our future plans in the ‘Coming Up’ section.)

At the festival we were also pleased to again spend time with Lynn Manning and Gary Burgman, who Extant toured in 2005 in Weights, and who returned to Theatre Workshop with the same show… Word has it that it might even return again to next years Edinburgh Festival.

Effing and Blinding! Cabaret