Mr. Cardboard at Edinburgh Fringe!
Atlanta, Georgia | Theatre
Comedy, Experimental
Help bring 'Mr. Cardboard' to Edinburgh Fringe! The "surreal, sinister, and side-splittingly funny" (Luke Rollason) show and winner of the Atlanta Fringe audience choice award is going to the biggest comedy and theater festival in the world. This beautifully twisted clown play needs your support!
Mr. Cardboard at Edinburgh Fringe!
Atlanta, Georgia | Theatre
Comedy, Experimental
1 Campaigns | Georgia, United States
Green Light
This campaign raised $12,007 for festivals. Follow the filmmaker to receive future updates on this project.
150 supporters | followers
Enter the amount you would like to pledge
Help bring 'Mr. Cardboard' to Edinburgh Fringe! The "surreal, sinister, and side-splittingly funny" (Luke Rollason) show and winner of the Atlanta Fringe audience choice award is going to the biggest comedy and theater festival in the world. This beautifully twisted clown play needs your support!
About The Project
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
What and who is this, Mr. Cardboard?
Hey Everyone, Miles and Levi here,
Mr. Cardboard is our debut theater comedy show we're bringing to the famous Edinburgh Fringe Festival this August. It's a knowing pastiche of childhood fantasy stories, like The Snowman or Peter Pan. It begins following a classic narrative about a boy meeting his magical imaginary friend, Mr. Cardboard and tonally glides through moments of pathos, horror, absurdism, and more, all through an expertly stupid lens.
The story follows rotten five-year-old Huxley (played by Levi) on his loneliest Birthday when he is whisked away to the surreal Land of Cardboard by his imaginary friend, Mr. Cardboard (played by Miles). However, can the treacherous Land of Cardboard live up to the expectations of one precocious Huxley? As a clown show, it works as a fantastic toybox for friendship, imagination, and growing up, where the audience and performers are actively playing with each other.
And Who Are We Exactly?
Miles, Levi, and their genius director, Will Spence, are all graduates of the renowned French clown school Ecole Philippe Gaulier. Philippe and his drum are infamous for demanding a high standard of beauty and hilarity from his students. (Other notable alumni include Sacha Baron Cohen, Emma Thompson, Helena Bonham Carter, and Roberto Benigni.) Levi and Miles have electrified stages in Paris, London, Brighton, Atlanta, and The Second City New York. Their passion for beautiful, undeniably funny, experimental theater has created a blend of narrative and cutting-edge clown into a magical experience between a boy, his imaginary friend, and an audience. They've been working on Mr. Cardboard for a little over a year, and going to Edinburgh will be the culmination of all of that hard work.
But why Scotland? What's over there?
Fame, fortune, glory, and experience for those silly enough to grab it: Edinburgh Fringe is a month-long theater marathon that has launched the careers of countless professionals like Robin Williams (The Genie from Aladdin), Rowan Atkinson (Mr. Bean), John Cleese (Monty Python), and Mike Myers (Shrek) to name a few A-listers. It is also a place where we get to see the rest of what is cutting-edge in comedy, theater, and art. It's an opportunity to make names for ourselves for audiences and industry alike.
We have an amazing venue, The Yurt, where we will perform Mr. Cardboard every day at 1:30 PM from August 2 - 25. The Yurt is a centrally located spot famous for weird indie comedy that offers an incredible financial deal for its artists. Even so, it is still a very expensive city to travel to during the month of August, and any support you can give us to help this project and our comedy dreams fly would be deeply appreciated.
The money you give will go towards travel expenses for our international company, housing (so we only have to perform in a tent and not live in one too), promotional materials, food, props, and paying our genius director Will Spence and our producer and tech Jill Calderon.
But is the show any good?
Speaking modestly, that's not for us to say, but if these people are to be believed, it sounds like people really like it!
- “Weirdest, and best, of all, though, is 'Mr. Cardboard'… Freakish blue, Nutella-smeared Australian idiot-savant, and a less than super Mario Brother who is wider than he is tall making surreal cardboard animals” - Reviews Hub
- “One of this [Brighton] Fringe's buzzworthy shows… It's dark, funny, occasionally poignant, wilfully odd, and goes down very well indeed.” - British Comedy Guide.
- “Surreal, sinister and side-splittingly funny. 'Mr. Cardboard' is the perfect show.” - Luke Rollason (Disney+'s Extraordinary)
- “It felt like an unhinged Pixar film” - Anonymous Enjoyer.
We also sold out shows and won the Audience Choice Award at the Atlanta Fringe this year which really warmed our hearts!
How can you help?
Your money will go a long way toward getting us to Edinburgh and keeping us alive when we get there. However, even if you can only give a dollar, sharing our story and campaign with people you think would care will do more than you could imagine. And if you know anyone in Scotland, tell them to come and see the show!
Otherwise, follow our journey on our email list, Instagram, or here!
Take care, thank you, and Think Cardboard Thoughts!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Housing
Costs $4,200
Edinburgh's housing market is crazy during the month of August with all those actors, acrobats, and clowns all squeezing into the same city.
Tansportation
Costs $3,000
This is to get Miles, Levi, and Jill to and around the great city of Edinburgh be it by plane, train, or automobile (Bus).
Food
Costs $2,400
To fuel our many wild shows, we gotta eat! Who likes haggis and scotch eggs? And another thing, why is the pound so darn strong?
Promotional Materials
Costs $600
We're humble folk. No fancy billboards or publicists, just good old-fashioned posters and flyers to compete with the other 3,000 shows.
Paying our Director and Tech
Costs $1,500
If we end up destitute, so be it, it's the life of an artist. But we won't allow that to happen to the geniuses helping us make this happen.
Production costs
Costs $300
This will cover our music licensing and the cost of replacing anything that gets broken or confiscated in the course of our crazy month.
Share this update!
About This Team
From opposite sides of the globe, our team met in a small town just south of Paris. Miles from Atlanta, Levi from Sydney, Australia, and Will from Manchester, England, all met at the infamous French clown school Ecole Philippe Gaulier. Studying under the old man's drum, the three honed their skills and taste for the absurdly humorous and the unexpectedly affecting.
Miles Calderon - Co-Creator
Miles was raised in Atlanta and attended the University of Georgia, where he studied philosophy and film. In addition to playing Mr. Cardboard, Miles has been seen hosting DIY variety shows as the outrageous Magnus Klondike, being the frontman for the metal band MBS, concierging the Ecole Philippe Gaulier, and doing really good improv. Miles has a condition called Nystagmus that affects his vision, and unrelated, he can't handle spicy food!
Levi Meltzer - Co-Creator
Levi is from Sydney, Australia, but for reasons unbeknownst to even himself, he's now based in London, England. A graduate of the Australian Film Television and Radio School, Levi abandoned the screen for the stage and has performed in shows across the globe. His first solo show ‘Deadbeat Laureate’ was hailed as: "Extremely amusing and expanded the realm of what is possible” (Theatre Travels). His second solo show ‘Readymades’ debuted at Camden People’s Theatre in April 2024. With collaborator Miles Calderon, he created the theatre company Oldest and Dearest. ‘Mr Cardboard’ is their first show. If you seek him out, he will tell you a tiny secret to take home. Never betray his trust.
Will Spence - Director
Will is a performer, writer, theatremaker, and clown trained at Ecole Philipe Gaulier. He has co-devised and performed in every show from award-winning theatre company Poltergeist, including Alice in Wonderland, for which he was nominated for an Offie. Collaborating with Rosa Garland, he developed the interactive text game Chat/Bot and the immersive experience The Dining Room. He is currently in a creative residency at MOLA, making a theatre-clown show based on archeology to debut in October 2024.
Jill Calderon - Producer/ Editor
Jill attended the University of Georgia, where she studied entertainment and media with a minor in ethics and law. She is an improviser, video editor, and producer and is great at Tetris. The latest addition to the team, she’s thrilled to produce and run tec for Mr. Cardboard in Edinburgh.
Current Team
Incentives
- The Story
- Wishlist
- Updates
- The Team
- Community
Mission Statement
The Story
What and who is this, Mr. Cardboard?
Hey Everyone, Miles and Levi here,
Mr. Cardboard is our debut theater comedy show we're bringing to the famous Edinburgh Fringe Festival this August. It's a knowing pastiche of childhood fantasy stories, like The Snowman or Peter Pan. It begins following a classic narrative about a boy meeting his magical imaginary friend, Mr. Cardboard and tonally glides through moments of pathos, horror, absurdism, and more, all through an expertly stupid lens.
The story follows rotten five-year-old Huxley (played by Levi) on his loneliest Birthday when he is whisked away to the surreal Land of Cardboard by his imaginary friend, Mr. Cardboard (played by Miles). However, can the treacherous Land of Cardboard live up to the expectations of one precocious Huxley? As a clown show, it works as a fantastic toybox for friendship, imagination, and growing up, where the audience and performers are actively playing with each other.
And Who Are We Exactly?
Miles, Levi, and their genius director, Will Spence, are all graduates of the renowned French clown school Ecole Philippe Gaulier. Philippe and his drum are infamous for demanding a high standard of beauty and hilarity from his students. (Other notable alumni include Sacha Baron Cohen, Emma Thompson, Helena Bonham Carter, and Roberto Benigni.) Levi and Miles have electrified stages in Paris, London, Brighton, Atlanta, and The Second City New York. Their passion for beautiful, undeniably funny, experimental theater has created a blend of narrative and cutting-edge clown into a magical experience between a boy, his imaginary friend, and an audience. They've been working on Mr. Cardboard for a little over a year, and going to Edinburgh will be the culmination of all of that hard work.
But why Scotland? What's over there?
Fame, fortune, glory, and experience for those silly enough to grab it: Edinburgh Fringe is a month-long theater marathon that has launched the careers of countless professionals like Robin Williams (The Genie from Aladdin), Rowan Atkinson (Mr. Bean), John Cleese (Monty Python), and Mike Myers (Shrek) to name a few A-listers. It is also a place where we get to see the rest of what is cutting-edge in comedy, theater, and art. It's an opportunity to make names for ourselves for audiences and industry alike.
We have an amazing venue, The Yurt, where we will perform Mr. Cardboard every day at 1:30 PM from August 2 - 25. The Yurt is a centrally located spot famous for weird indie comedy that offers an incredible financial deal for its artists. Even so, it is still a very expensive city to travel to during the month of August, and any support you can give us to help this project and our comedy dreams fly would be deeply appreciated.
The money you give will go towards travel expenses for our international company, housing (so we only have to perform in a tent and not live in one too), promotional materials, food, props, and paying our genius director Will Spence and our producer and tech Jill Calderon.
But is the show any good?
Speaking modestly, that's not for us to say, but if these people are to be believed, it sounds like people really like it!
- “Weirdest, and best, of all, though, is 'Mr. Cardboard'… Freakish blue, Nutella-smeared Australian idiot-savant, and a less than super Mario Brother who is wider than he is tall making surreal cardboard animals” - Reviews Hub
- “One of this [Brighton] Fringe's buzzworthy shows… It's dark, funny, occasionally poignant, wilfully odd, and goes down very well indeed.” - British Comedy Guide.
- “Surreal, sinister and side-splittingly funny. 'Mr. Cardboard' is the perfect show.” - Luke Rollason (Disney+'s Extraordinary)
- “It felt like an unhinged Pixar film” - Anonymous Enjoyer.
We also sold out shows and won the Audience Choice Award at the Atlanta Fringe this year which really warmed our hearts!
How can you help?
Your money will go a long way toward getting us to Edinburgh and keeping us alive when we get there. However, even if you can only give a dollar, sharing our story and campaign with people you think would care will do more than you could imagine. And if you know anyone in Scotland, tell them to come and see the show!
Otherwise, follow our journey on our email list, Instagram, or here!
Take care, thank you, and Think Cardboard Thoughts!
Wishlist
Use the WishList to Pledge cash and Loan items - or - Make a pledge by selecting an Incentive directly.
Cash Pledge
Costs $0
Housing
Costs $4,200
Edinburgh's housing market is crazy during the month of August with all those actors, acrobats, and clowns all squeezing into the same city.
Tansportation
Costs $3,000
This is to get Miles, Levi, and Jill to and around the great city of Edinburgh be it by plane, train, or automobile (Bus).
Food
Costs $2,400
To fuel our many wild shows, we gotta eat! Who likes haggis and scotch eggs? And another thing, why is the pound so darn strong?
Promotional Materials
Costs $600
We're humble folk. No fancy billboards or publicists, just good old-fashioned posters and flyers to compete with the other 3,000 shows.
Paying our Director and Tech
Costs $1,500
If we end up destitute, so be it, it's the life of an artist. But we won't allow that to happen to the geniuses helping us make this happen.
Production costs
Costs $300
This will cover our music licensing and the cost of replacing anything that gets broken or confiscated in the course of our crazy month.
Share this update!
About This Team
From opposite sides of the globe, our team met in a small town just south of Paris. Miles from Atlanta, Levi from Sydney, Australia, and Will from Manchester, England, all met at the infamous French clown school Ecole Philippe Gaulier. Studying under the old man's drum, the three honed their skills and taste for the absurdly humorous and the unexpectedly affecting.
Miles Calderon - Co-Creator
Miles was raised in Atlanta and attended the University of Georgia, where he studied philosophy and film. In addition to playing Mr. Cardboard, Miles has been seen hosting DIY variety shows as the outrageous Magnus Klondike, being the frontman for the metal band MBS, concierging the Ecole Philippe Gaulier, and doing really good improv. Miles has a condition called Nystagmus that affects his vision, and unrelated, he can't handle spicy food!
Levi Meltzer - Co-Creator
Levi is from Sydney, Australia, but for reasons unbeknownst to even himself, he's now based in London, England. A graduate of the Australian Film Television and Radio School, Levi abandoned the screen for the stage and has performed in shows across the globe. His first solo show ‘Deadbeat Laureate’ was hailed as: "Extremely amusing and expanded the realm of what is possible” (Theatre Travels). His second solo show ‘Readymades’ debuted at Camden People’s Theatre in April 2024. With collaborator Miles Calderon, he created the theatre company Oldest and Dearest. ‘Mr Cardboard’ is their first show. If you seek him out, he will tell you a tiny secret to take home. Never betray his trust.
Will Spence - Director
Will is a performer, writer, theatremaker, and clown trained at Ecole Philipe Gaulier. He has co-devised and performed in every show from award-winning theatre company Poltergeist, including Alice in Wonderland, for which he was nominated for an Offie. Collaborating with Rosa Garland, he developed the interactive text game Chat/Bot and the immersive experience The Dining Room. He is currently in a creative residency at MOLA, making a theatre-clown show based on archeology to debut in October 2024.
Jill Calderon - Producer/ Editor
Jill attended the University of Georgia, where she studied entertainment and media with a minor in ethics and law. She is an improviser, video editor, and producer and is great at Tetris. The latest addition to the team, she’s thrilled to produce and run tec for Mr. Cardboard in Edinburgh.