Nutley, NJ — What began as a single community theatre production in northern New Jersey has grown into an international leap of faith. After meeting during Nutley Little Theatre’s February 2024 production of 5 LESBIANS EATING A QUICHE by Evan Linder and Andrew Hobgood, four local actresses discovered an unexpected creative chemistry and a shared determination to take their celebrated production beyond state lines and onto one of the world’s largest stages.
With no prior experience producing work at an international festival and no corporate sponsors backing them, the group independently formed Cheese Platter Productions specifically to bring their award-winning production to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Scotland this August. The effort is entirely grassroots: self-produced, self-funded, and organized from the ground up by the performers themselves.
The original Nutley Little Theatre production went on to win the 2024 Perry Award for Best Play, one of New Jersey community theatre’s most competitive honors, with cast member Danielle Levitt also earning a nomination for Best Actress. Four of the five original cast members — Sinead Kerr of Bayonne, Kayla Torres of Nutley, Danielle Levitt of Westfield, and Jessa Blackthorne of Carlstadt — will reprise their roles in Scotland, joined by newcomer Mia Jacobs of Caldwell.
Though none of the performers have previously traveled overseas to perform, all come from strong community theatre backgrounds, having built their experience on local, volunteer-driven stages throughout northern New Jersey. What makes this story especially meaningful is that their Fringe journey was born not out of institutional backing, but from friendship. The cast remained close after their 2024 run and made the decision together to revive the production for an international audience despite the steep logistical and financial challenges involved.
Adding a full-circle element to the story, cast member Sinead Kerr is a Scotland native and former Olympic ice dancer who competed for Great Britain in the 2006 and 2010 Winter Olympic Games. Her return to Scotland with this theatrical production marks a unique homecoming moment within the company’s Fringe debut.
The Fringe production will be rehelmed, with Jessa Blackthorne stepping into the role of Director while continuing to perform in the show. Kayla Torres will serve as Assistant Director. Together, the team is refining the award-winning staging for a global audience while preserving the camaraderie and sharp comedic timing that made the original production so successful.
The production will preview on August 7, 2026, followed by performances August 8–15 at The Studio at Paradise Green as part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe (no performance on August 9). Performance times will begin between 12:25 p.m. and 1:55 p.m. on scheduled dates, and the production runs approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes. This amateur production of 5 LESBIANS EATING A QUICHE is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals Ltd. on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. www.concordtheatricals.co.uk
5 LESBIANS EATING A QUICHE is a tenderhearted but raucous comedy set in 1956. The “widows” of the Susan B. Anthony Society for the Sisters of Gertrude Stein are gathered for their annual quiche breakfast when atomic bomb sirens sound. Has the Communist threat finally come to pass? As their idyllic town and carefully constructed world begins to crumble, secrets emerge and the women wrestle with hysteria, survival, and a fate worse than death: a world without quiche!
5 LESBIANS EATING A QUICHE was first presented by The New Colony, under Co-Artistic directors Andrew Hobgood and Evan Linder and producing director Will Rogers, at Dank Haus in Chicago, Illinois, on June 24, 2011. It was directed by Sarah Gitenstein. This production was subsequently presented in New York City at the 2012 New York International Fringe Festival, before transferring to the SoHo Playhouse, off-Broadway, on October 20, 2012. Notably, this marks the first time the production has been presented at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Cheese Platter Productions is funding the venture entirely through community support and local fundraising efforts throughout northern New Jersey. Fundraising event will be held on July 26 – GET ALL THE DETAILS HERE. Those wishing to contribute immediately may visit the group’s GoFundMe page.
For media inquiries, interviews, or additional information, please contact:
Jessa Blackthorne
cheeseplatterproductions@gmail.com
Theater/Organization: Cheese Platter Productions
Theater Address: The Studio at Paradise Green, Paradise in Augustines, 41 George IV Bridge, Edinburgh, Scotland EH1 1EL (Map It)
Theater Phone: 0131 5100119
