Catch-22

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
Performances 12 -16 November, 19:30 The Biscuit Factory
Tickets £12 advance, £15 on the door.

“That’s some catch, that Catch-22.”

Captain John Yossarian is a U.S. Army bombardier and the last Assyrian alive, and he would very much like to keep it that way. Convinced that an entire army is trying to kill him, Yossarian desperately tries to evade battle (and the increasing demands of his superior Colonel Cathcart), but finds that there is always a catch. Meanwhile, the unit’s long-suffering Chaplain has found himself inadvertently caught up in a strange war of his own. And everyone is trying to locate the mysterious Washington Irving.

EGTG has established itself as one of the city’s most respected amateur companies, earning a reputation for tackling challenging work. And the theatre company builds upon that tradition with Catch-22 – the rarely performed script made its UK debut in 2014 to mixed reviews. Director Hannah Bradley, whose directorial debut won her an award at the SCDA One Act Festival, first fell in love with Heller’s novel as a teenager, and was captivated by its use of irony and wordplay to reflect the cyclical and timeless nature of warfare.

Heller’s satirical war classic will be performed at The Biscuit Factory in November, taking place in a recreation of the nose cone of a B-25 Mitchell bomber. The iconic framework of the bombardier seat will encompass the space, placing the audience intimately close to the action. 

Bradley has secured an accomplished cast to take on the cult classic, with 14 actors performing a total of 40 parts. Returning actors include Richard Godden, Laurence Wareing, Wendy Brindle and Steven Croall; as well as some of Edinburgh’s best emerging talent, Gordon Houston, Bethany Cunningham, Graham Pritz-Bennett, and Dimitri Woods. 

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller 
Performances 12 – 16 November 2019, 19:30 The Biscuit Factory

Tickets £12 advance, £15 on the door www.theegtg.com

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⭐⭐⭐⭐
Gordon Houston’s Yossarian is a winning mixture of the crumpled and the defiant, providing a thoroughly likeable anti-hero. 

Hugh Simpson for All Edinburgh Theatre

⭐⭐⭐⭐
What Edinburgh Graduate Theatre Group are performing at this moment is one of the closest adaptations… there is no doubt Heller would be proud of its creative impossibility and is an absolute must-watch.

Dominic Corr for Corr Blimey

There’s little not to recommend about this play and for a regular, if technically amateur, company a major major, major, major triumph of a production.

Graeme Strachan for British Theatre Guide

A fine calling card for the ability of this veteran company, their director and cast.

Gareth Vile for The List

EGTG has brought to us a stellar production exploring the original text.

Laura Woodland for SNACK Mag

“We’ve spent a lot of time in making sure those characters feel real.”

Director Hannah Bradley talking to The Fountain

In taking on Heller, Bradley is continuing EGTG’s reputation for tackling challenging work.

Thom Dibdin for All Edinburgh Theatre

Cast list 

Wendy Brindle  – Patient’s Mother, Mother in Law
Steven Croall  – Towser, Clevinger, Investigating Officer, English Intern  
Bethany Cunningham  – Nurse Duckett, Nately’s Mother  
Richard Godden  – Colonel Cathcart, Psychiatrist, Doctor  
Gordon Houston  – Yossarian  
John Lally  – Doc Daneeka, Investigating Officer, Nately’s and Patient’s Father
Joshua McDiarmid  – Wintergreen, Patient, CID Man, Military Police
Alan Patterson  – Texan, Cpt. Black, Military Police
Graham Pritz-Bennett  – Nately, Snowden, Aarfy, Gus, Patient’s Brother
Rebekka Puderbaugh  – Mrs Daneeka, Old Woman  
Keegan Siebken  – Milo, Whitcomb, Wes, Doctor
Eirini Stamkou  – Luciana, Nately’s Whore 
Laurence Wareing  – Major Major, Korn, Old Man
Dimitri Woods  – Chaplain