Bike-mad actors bag green Edinburgh award

An acting troupe has just won a round of green applause – for cycling 2,000 miles between theatres. Four performers in The HandleBards bagged the 2014 Edinburgh Fringe Sustainable Practice […]

An acting troupe has just won a round of green applause – for cycling 2,000 miles between theatres.

Four performers in The HandleBards bagged the 2014 Edinburgh Fringe Sustainable Practice Award for their green tour.

By cycling around Europe and the UK to perform Shakespeare’s ‘Comedy of Errors’ and ‘Macbeth’ rather than driving, it’s estimated they saved 45.6 tonnes of CO2 emissions.

They carried all costumes, props and shelter on panniers across their four bikes.

Local acoustic musicians played with them at venues – from castles and country houses to bike shops and an old RN frigate – to keep down their energy demands.

Paul Moss, from The HandleBards said: “This is such a great honour. We’ve cycled 2,000 miles, slept in tents for three months and performed 60 shows to over 5,000 people. And, not even a single puncture.”

The show’s last two performances are in London today (30 August) at 2pm and 7pm in the Middle Temple Gardens, Temple.

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