Bare knuckle - Edinburgh
Edinburgh Fringe Festival - 18th to 26th August 2018
Paradise In The Vault
After a few redrafts of the script I've been working on for several years, in 2018 I decided it was time to take the plunge. With virtually no money, I teamed up with director and dramaturg Lucy Richardson and together we worked on the final script and in a week, we produced a staged performance. With production support from Fabio Santos, music and light input from Dale Mensah and stage & technical support from Leanne Dunstan, my 7th full-length play Bare Knuckle premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
Very touching, at times hilarious and deeply personal, Bare Knuckle sheds light on the brutal (and often hidden) male world of bare-knuckle fighting. This
autobiographical show reveals the emotional battles between father and son. Jake Boston, the son of a champion bare-knuckle fighter, explores in his compelling new piece, The need to be the best, to keep getting up off the floor to throw another punch and his father’s desire to pass the title of champion on to him. He questions masculinity, father-son relationships, growing up as a misfit and the ongoing fight to find himself.
“Boston himself is a joyful stage presence with a talent for characterful storytelling” - Flora Gosling (The Wee Review)
“Very moving and managed to evoke a time and place unfamiliar to many” - Sue Bullivant (Audience member)
“A Truly Spectacular one-man show, written and performed by an amazingly talented actor” - Demi Boezalt (Audience member)
“Absolutely fell in love with the show! A real raw, honest performance encapsulating the conflicted emotions of growing up within a working-class household, yet loving relationship with his father. Jakes performance covered an array of emotions which were felt in every moment” - Rebecca Chance (Audience member)
“A good show makes me question my own life, and this show done exactly that! A very powerful and moving show that had me engaged throughout” - Reuben Christian. (Audience member)
A very special thank you to my dad who even after passing away in 2011, continues to inspire me with everything I do.