A new play from Selina Helliwell comes to the Manchester Fringe Redux 2020 in November.
Her production Burnout had two sell-out runs in Manchester, as a short, fringe-style piece and as a full-length, two-act play.
The new work, Fruit Salad, follows two girls called Cherry and Peaches who form a close bond. The play consists of their meetings at the same pub from their late teens until their mid to late 20s as they go through the challenges of university and relationship issues and one of them struggles with darker problems. But is their bond strong enough to pull them both through even the trickiest situations?
It blends heartbreaking moments with humour to create a love story of sorts about an unlikely friendship. It hopes to deliver a message about mental health and self-worth, whilst also entertaining.
Writer Selina Helliwell and Burnout co-star Mary Taylor have had glowing feedback for their on-stage chemistry. They went to the same school and college (Elton High School and Holy Cross Sixth Form, both in Bury, Greater Manchester), but after playing alongside each other in The Crucible for GCSE Drama, they then didn’t share a stage for 10 years.
It’s at the Kings Arms, Salford 13–14 November at 7PM. Due to likelihood of reduced capacity, and should the show sell out, it will be repeated at 8PM for half of the audience in order to maintain social distancing. Streaming options are also being looked into.