Dear friends of iceandfire,

As you know, we have been preparing with much excitement for our forthcoming production of On the Record  at the Arcola theatre from 18^th July – 13^th August 2011.

Scripted by Christine Bacon and Noah Birksted-Breen and constructed from their interviews with independent journalists from Russia, Mexico, Sri Lanka, the USA and Israel, On the Record is a powerful piece – part-verbatim, part-dramatised – which exposes the work of journalists who, day-in, day-out, put their lives on the line so that we might see the truth behind the headlines. Read more about their stories here

Working alongside the show’s excellent director, Michael Longhurst (STOVEPIPE: Times Best Ten Theatre Events of the Decade) we are now in  developmental workshops to put the final touches on the script, and are gearing up to bring the show to the main studio in the exciting new Arcola venue.

However, we have just heard that we will not receive a full grant from Arts Council England for this play, due to 'competition for funds'. This is a major blow to the project, and to the company as a whole.

Naturally we are working hard and already securing other sources of income. The show must go on!  But, although we hoped we wouldn't need to, we now turn to you, our friends and followers in the hope that you can help us save this important show.

We ask you to give what you can, but if everyone were to donate just £5 to the project we will have reached our target. And, by donating £50 or more, you’ll instantly become an On the Record Champion, and for this you will get:

-          Acknowledgement to you in our programme and on our website

-          A beautiful poster, signed by all the cast and crew

-          An invitation to press night drinks with the cast and crew

To donate quickly and easily, simply follow the instructions on this page. If you are a UK taxpayer, we magically receive 23% on top of your donation from Gift Aid – hurrah!

Times are hard and cuts are being made across the board. Theatre continues to defy the recession despite being a low priority to the current government; but even we are not immune to the threat of funding restrictions. This goes further than one production – the future of the company could be at stake if we can’t perform this summer. Please help us make sure our fire doesn’t go out!

Please also help us spread the word about this appeal by forwarding to friends and colleagues.

Huge thanks from the iceandfire team!