Help Gigi get to the Ed Fringe!

Hi! I'm Owner Gab McDonnell a.k.a Gigi Cartier, the owner/director/lead producer of kiwi based production & entertainment company Heavenly Creatures. 

On August 14th, i'll embark on the biggest journey of my performing arts career to Edinburgh, Scotland to take part in their renowned Fringe Festival. 

During this time, I aim to absorb as much knowledge as humanely possible and foster connections with more international artists at one of the most epic arts festivals in the world. With you supporting me, I aim to bring that knowledge and those connections back to Aotearoa with the hope to boost both Heavenly Creatures & the local arts scene furthermore. 

I am seeking support via this campaign in the form of donations to cover some of the expenses incurred from this adventure. The majority of this journey will be self funded and is by no means financially profitable for me, your support will ease to load & allow me to focus 100% on gaining as much as i can from this experience. 

While at The Edinburgh Fringe, i plan to absorb as much knowledge and inspiration as possible from a producer/director perspective, i'll also be featuring in The Cabaret of Filth - a hilarious night of debauchery, comedy & performance in the heart of the city. 

Heavenly Creatures Productions was unofficially founded in 2022 when i created my first performing arts focused show- Stimulate 1.0 held at The Ever Room as part of the Auckland Fringe Festival. 

It was officially re-launched with the mostly unchanged & current lineup made up of 12 incredible performing artist residents plus a small team of producers & regular technical experts in 2023. 

Over the years & along with my wonderful co-producers Maddie O'Brien & Emily Donald plus the help of many other friends, family & investors, i have developed the company to a point where we have successfully produced and delivered 6 productions, 2 feature residency shows & featured in various events and festivals in & around Tamaki Makaurau. 

Your support will allow years of hard work combine with further professional development to lead to future success for our company as a whole.

Unfortunately an expedition like this isn't cheap, with over 3 million people flocking to Edinburgh & over 3.5k individual shows on the cards, the Fringe is a big yearly economy booster and when it comes to town, the population as well as the price of everything goes up.

I'm seeking support to help cover some of my associated costs to be involved in this festival so that i can grow both my experience & artistic connections. I'm aware one needs to spend money in order to make money, especially in the arts industries & I don't want to seem as if i rely on others to make my way hence why i'm creating this page as a form of support rather than a request for extensive funding. 

I understand a lot of people are struggling at the moment & only ask for a donation if you have the means/genuinely wish to see me succeed internationally as an artist. Any support rather small or large is or even sharing my mission is greatly appreciated!

My donation goal is to cover my accomodation and transport via train to get to Edinburgh from London. My accomodation takes up the majority of this goal as it is unfortunately an incredibly expensive part of being involved in this festival. 

I'm off to perform at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival! 

Under my burlesque persona - Gigi Cartier - i'm expanding my horizons and on a mission to grow both as a performing artist and creative producer/director by heading to one of the most renowned and inspiring arts festivals in the world. 

Kiwis have been hit pretty hard in recent years in the form of cost of living, particularly those trying to make a living off the arts industry. One of the reasons I started Heavenly Creatures was in an attempt to provide local performers with more opportunities to help boost their careers in the arts and over four years on, I am still headstrong in that goal. 

Unfortunately due to number of setbacks & struggles both with the economy and personally last year, we had to cancel two of our shows. While this was a huge disappointment & heartbreaking experience at the time, it gave the opportunity for reflection and growth which i believe has come in the form of learning from artists and producers on an international level and eventually returning to Aotearoa to apply any gained knowledge to both Heavenly Creatures & The Arts in NZ.

As both a producer and performer, i have a unique lens that feels the impacts of the cost of living both as a show-maker and show-stopper, i have the lived experience & I want to thrive in what i do best both for others and for myself, i want all artists to flourish so they can continue to deliver their work because art is healing and the world needs healing for many reasons currently. 

Supporting my goal and journey to Edinburgh isn't just supporting me as an individual, its supporting my mission to create a positive impact on performance and other multi-media forms of art in our little slice of paradise.