PUTTING on a production often involves long hours rehearsing, learning lines and developing characters, but two actresses bringing a show to Aberdyfi this week have gone the extra mile...or two...or three...

The Big Fat Running Show, written and performed by Dolgellau actress Andrea Edwards and Machynlleth actress Nicola Burgess, comes to Neuadd Dyfi tonight at 7.30pm.

As well as the usual work that goes into a creating a show and putting on a production, Andrea and Nicola have been out running!

“I wanted to write some comedy and Nicola wanted to write a show about running, so we did!” said Andrea, recalling how the show came about.

“Nicola has tried to rope me in to several projects but this is the first time we’ve worked together in 10 years.”

“That’s when we met,” Nicola added.

“We were working for Film 15, a scheme teaching filmmaking to young people. We played dinner ladies.”

A decade later, the pair have worked extensively, separately.

Nicola is a founder member of Theatre Rue, has worked in radio broadcasting and played Marilyn Monroe in writer Gwynne Edwards’ solo show about the screen icon, and Andrea has played Miss Perkins in the BAFTA-nominated drama series Gwaith Cartref, Abigail Carmichael in Coronation Street and Elaine Dawson in Emmerdale.

But now the pair have come together to create The Big Fat Running Show.

One billion pairs of running shoes were bought last year and Andrea and Nicola have at least two pairs each of those and they run in them quite regularly.

Over a series of running adventures and to their surprise, they discovered they were actually enjoying themselves: once they stopped worrying about improving or achieving a PB.

Based on the true story of two women’s amazing journey into the world of running, the show takes an irreverent but thought-provoking look at running culture and the history of running through story telling, songs, clowning and physical theatre.

See this week’s north papers for the full feature, available in shops and as a digital edition now