Latest news with #Fuselage
The National
06-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
Actress to share personal tragedy of Lockerbie bombing in Fringe play
Annie Lareau was studying theatre at Syracuse University in 1988 when she came over to London with her fellow students for a semester abroad. Her classmates were booked onto Pan Am 103 to travel home for Christmas. Lareau – who was booked onto a plane the following day – desperately tried to book herself onto the same flight, having wanted the comfort and company of her friends following a series of panic attacks and nightmares about flying. Having had an expensive weekend in Paris, she was unable to afford the flight change and so instead waved off her friends – of which there were eight including her best friend Theodora Cohen – for what turned out to be the last time. Thirty-five students from Syracuse University were on the flight in total. READ MORE: Edinburgh Fringe 2025 programme launches with 3350 shows across 265 venues More than 30 years on from the tragedy which saw Pan Am 103 explode over Lockerbie following a terrorist attack, Lareau is now bringing her play called Fuselage to the Edinburgh Fringe stage to tell her story. She said it meant a great deal to be able to debut the play in Scotland where she said she feels 'safe and understood'. 'The reason I was drawn to doing it in Edinburgh first is because Scotland is very embedded in this story,' she told the Sunday National. 'It is part of your history. It's in your bones as it is in mine. 'In my country [Pan Am 103] has been usurped by 9/11. People don't remember it. 'I feel like it's a great gift to do this show in Scotland first because I feel safe and understood. Annie Lareau and Theodora Cohen (Image: Supplied) 'I also think it's very important we don't forget because this remains the biggest terrorist attack on UK soil. It was the first time American civilians were targeted in the US. Many things were changed in how we deal with terrorism because of it in both countries.' The Lockerbie bombing – more commonly referred to in the US as Pan Am 103 – has come into sharp focus this year with two docudramas on Sky and the BBC telling the story of the ongoing search for the bomber. But since Lareau, now 57, began writing a memoir in 2019 following the 30th anniversary of the disaster, she has been keen to share her more personal story of losing people she loved so suddenly. It was in 2019 that she also visited Lockerbie for the first time, a place she says she now feels 'intricately connected to' after striking up friendships with people involved in the aftermath. 'It took 30 years to happen, but my story and their story are the same, even though we are across the pond. Our grief is similar in the fact that we are forever connected,' she said. While both the Sky docudrama Lockerbie: A Search for Truth and the BBC series The Bombing of Pan Am 103 both focused on the who bombed the plane and the geopolitics of the time, Lareau said she wanted to focus on the humans who were lost and the opportunities that were taken from them. READ MORE: Palestinian artists to take to the stage at Edinburgh Fringe Lareau said: 'For me it's such a personal story. I lost eight friends, I've lived through the aftermath, and I have to live it every time I see one of those documentaries. 'I was really motivated to write the memoir to tell the story of the people, the human lives we sometimes forget. We get desensitised in our world by the news, we just see a roll call of names. 'What I want people to remember is them [her friends] and our story and how it's all so relatable because we all lose people throughout our lives and mine just happened to be in the lens of an international tragedy. 'It's about trying to remind people of the vibrancy of the people we come into contact with in our lives and how precious and how fragile they are and how we should cherish them while we have them because you never know when they are going to disappear.' (Image: GIAO NGUYEN) It was a 'flicker of fate', as Lareau calls it, that had led to her not being on the flight herself. Incredibly, she had had premonitions of planes exploding prior to her own flight home and her best friend Theodora encouraged her to try and change her flight to be with them. In the aftermath she said she took a 'deep, dark dive' mentally as she battled with a huge sense of guilt. She had to face the agony of packing up her best friend and roommate Theo's belongings back at Syracuse, with the media banging on her door. She said while she will likely never find complete closure, she has healed gradually over the years and part of that has been making the most of the 'gift' she was given. 'When we got back to university and graduated, we wasted no time in trying to do what we wanted to do because we knew the gift we had been given,' she said. READ MORE: I'm a performer at the Fringe - here's why I'm having to CAMP in Edinburgh 'There was no being afraid of going to auditions or becoming Broadway producers – which two of them have become. They were just willing to take the risk because there was an understanding we were lucky and we had to do it not only for us but for them, who lost that opportunity to do what they wanted with their lives.' The show Fuselage brings Lareau's story together with the story of those in Lockerbie who watched as the plane wreckage crashed down on their town, killing 11 people on the ground alongside the 259 people on board. 'I take you back to 1986 and the start of university where you meet my friends,' she said. 'I take you through the process of meeting them and that becomes intertwined with the story of 2019 when I go to Lockerbie for the first time in 30 years and I meet Colin Dorrance and Josephine Donaldson who were both involved in the situation. 'It switches back and forth and how those stories meet. 'Then I take you through the aftermath, what happened in Lockerbie, what happened for me, and how my time in Lockerbie in the following years sort of healed us all.' Lareau added: 'I absolutely hope it will tour, and I can show it to other people across the UK and Europe and the US, and I hope someone will publish by memoir, but if none of those things happen, I will be okay with just performing in Scotland, because that is the most important thing to me.' Fuselage will be performed throughout August at Pleasance Courtyard. For tickets click here.
Scotsman
01-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
New play 'Fuselage' explores the real life impact of the Lockerbie tragedy at Fringe
This year's Edinburgh Festival Fringe will host the worldwide premiere of Fuselage, a deeply personal and powerful new play written and performed by acclaimed American theatre artist Annie Lareau. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The play will run at the Pleasance Courtyard from July 30 to August 25 (excluding August 13 and 19), offering audiences a 70-minute journey into one of the most tragic moments in aviation history: the Pan Am Flight 103 bombing over Lockerbie. Rooted in Lareau's own extraordinary experience, Fuselage tells the story of how she narrowly missed boarding the doomed flight that claimed the lives of her best friend Theodora Cohen and 34 other Syracuse University students returning home from a study abroad program in London in December 1988. Unable to afford a last-minute ticket change, Lareau stayed behind while her classmates boarded the plane — a decision that would haunt her for years. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Through a blend of humor, compassion, and raw emotion, Fuselage explores the optimism and tight bonds of youth alongside the horror witnessed by Lockerbie locals, including Colin Dorrance, an 18-year-old newly appointed Constable who was among the first responders to the crash site. The play also reflects Lareau's personal battles with panic attacks, nightmares, survivor's guilt, and intense media scrutiny following the tragedy. (c) GIAO NGUYEN Presented by Lareau Creative and Suzanna Rosenthal Productions, the play features a dynamic three-person ensemble with direction by Makaela Milburn, known for her work championing inclusive and stylized theatre. The production also benefits from the multi-talented Peter Dylan O'Connor's scenic design and acting alongside Brenda Joyner. Lighting and projections are crafted by Ahren Buhmann, while sound design is by award-winning composer Rob Witmer. Annie Lareau brings more than three decades of experience in American theatre to the production, having served as Artistic Director of Seattle Public Theatre and performing widely across the US and internationally. Her theatrical background ranges from Shakespeare to new works, often blending classical technique with contemporary storytelling. Fuselage promises to be a poignant tribute to friendship, resilience, and the fragile beauty of life, reminding audiences of the enduring human spirit even in the face of unimaginable loss. 'Fuselage' makes its worldwide premiere at the Pleasance Courtyard Above for the entire fringe for tickets go to
The Herald Scotland
24-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
I could have been on Pam Am103: 5 Fringe comics who cheated death
Tickets for all these shows can be found at Alison Spittle Alison Spittle will be performing her new comedy show 'Big' at Monkey Barrel 1 at 4.45 pm for the entire Fringe. The show will focus on her life-altering year, where she won Pointless and ended up in the hospital in a near-death experience due to her weight loss journey. Alison's life took a turn after a fateful train ride, and her show is about the reflections that followed. Alison Spittle (Image: Matt Stronge) Alex Stringer Alex Stringer, who became sober at the age of 23, is set to make her debut at the Fringe. Her show 'Happy Hour' is a personal recounting of her struggles with alcohol, her mental health battles, attempts at self-harm, and her journey to find help. Alex Stringer (Image: Rebecca Need-Menear) Alex takes a light-hearted approach to these heavy topics, making her show a unique blend of comedy and real-life experiences. Happy Hour will take place at the Pleasance Courtyard Bunker 3 at 6pm for the entire fringe. Grace Helbig Grace Helbig, an online content creator for 16 years, is set to debut her stand-up show 'Let Me Get This Off My Chest'. After reaching a point of burnout from a decade of shooting, editing, and posting videos of her own face, Grace started studying psychology. Grace Helbig (Image: Kim Newmoney) However, her life took a sharp turn when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. Her show will be at the Pleasance Jack Dome at 7pm. Seaton Smith Seaton Smith, in his debut show 'Trauma Bonding', shares his near-fatal moped crash and the numerous mishaps that have marked his life. From a mountain biking disaster to a church bus hostage situation caused by his constipation, Seaton's life has been a series of accidents. Seaton Smith (Image: Mindy Tucker) His show is a comedic take on these experiences, filled with social commentary and ridiculous incidents. Trauma Bonding will be at the Pleasance Courtyard Bunker 3. Annie Lareau Actor and playwright Annie Lareau debuts her play 'Fuselage', based on her own experience of the Pan Am Flight 103 bombing over Lockerbie. In December 1988, she almost joined her 35 classmates on the ill-fated flight but could not afford the ticket change. The play mixes humour and compassion, detailing the optimistic spirit of her group of friends and the horrifying aftermath of the bombing. Annie Laureau (Image: Giao Nguyen) Fuselage is Annie's journey through the shock, grief, and media attention following the tragedy. Fuselage makes its worldwide premiere at the Pleasance Courtyard Above.
