VIRGINS Partners: In association with The Junction, Cambridge  Supported by: Arts Council England East, Escalator East to Edinburgh, The Clore Duffield Foundation Written and Directed by: John Retallack Choreography by: Fleur Darkin Design by: Liz Cooke Lighting Design by: Mark Dymock Cast: Stefan Butler, Rebekkah Fortune, Peter Machen, Emily Woodward Dates: Edinburgh Fringe Festival - Assembly Rooms: August 5 – 28             National Tour: September 10 – October 22 How do you explore your sexuality when you are still living at home with your parents? How do your parents sustain their love life with you in the house? And why do we find it so difficult to talk about?  The play is about sexuality and conventional family life. What can be said and what can't be said? Sometimes it uses dance when words cannot be found, resulting in sustained passages of pure dance. At others, it combines language and dance so that two levels of communication are integrated and become one. And sometimes there is only speech…  The story concerns a family of four. The father has become the 'mother' figure during the children's teenage years. The mother works extremely long hours and is at home very little. One Sunday, the father overhears his son telling a girl on the phone that he thinks he has contracted a sexually transmitted infection from her at a party a fortnight ago. This leads to a chain of connected conflicts for the whole family because no one has the emotional language to calmly face the consequences of such a common event. So intense are the feelings generated, the family threatens to disintegrate… Fleur Darkin and John Retallack collaborated on Virgins after their successful workshop staging at Soho Theatre in October 2005. Liz Cooke designed the play following her work on Theatre Café (2004) and her outstanding reviews for productions at The Globe, The Bush, Soho Theatre, Volcano, Graeae, Shared Experience, The Royal Court, The RSC and The National Theatre. More on Liz Cooke's work can be found on www.pfd.co.uk/clients/cooke. Fleur Darkin's work on 'writing the body' for her own company, Darkin Ensemble, received rave reviews on their recent tour of 'Hotel'. Her work specialises in working at the boundary between Dance/Theatre to emphasise repressed or secret stories. More on Fleur Darkin and her company can be found at www.writingthebody.co.uk.  For more background information or to receive the Virgins education resource pack, please email info@companyofangels.co.uk or call 020 7928 2811. “If you want an image, in dark and light, of the average British family after 40 years of rapid sexual change, then this show is as clear and compassionate a starting point as you could hope to find.” **** The Scotsman         “Like John Retallack's previous hit, Hannah and Hanna, this little show has an unpretentious charm and directness, [Virgins] never shirks from telling uncomfortable truths.” **** The Guardian “The piece traverses smoothly between monologues, dialogues and    movement, which express emotions where words aren't enough. In the hands of four extremely competent actors and movers this a surprisingly accurate, gem of a show.” **** The List “This is an interesting play that gives food for thought for both adults and young people alike.” **** The Herald To buy a copy of Company of Angels - Four Plays by John Retallack (featuring Hannah & Hanna, Club Asylum, RISK and Virgins) please contact Vanessa Fagan on 020 7928 2811 or shop online at www.oberonbooks.com.