Tag: dance

Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2023: 1,596 further Fringe shows revealed

Today, Thursday 11 May, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society is delighted to announce that more shows for the 2023 Edinburgh Festival Fringe will be available to book at edfringe.com.

This year’s Fringe takes place from 04 – 28 August 2023 and will feature an exciting range of shows, with theatre, comedy, music, dance, circus, musicals, variety, cabaret, children’s shows, events and more all represented in the programme.

Ahead of the full programme launch in June, more shows than ever before are being released, with 1,596 shows on edfringe.com from 12:00 BST today. The official launch of the festival, including the reveal of the iconic printed programme, will take place on Thursday 08 June.

Commenting on today’s announcement, Shona McCarthy, Chief Executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, said: ‘Today’s announcement reflects the wealth and variety of performance awaiting audiences this August, yet it also highlights the need to support artists and venues more than ever. 

“Thousands of artists are coming to Edinburgh this summer to reach new audiences, and benefit from the many industry opportunities available to them, which is testament to the platform that the Festival Fringe offers them.  

“It continues to be a very challenging time for those working across the cultural sector, and I urge you to browse shows, book tickets, and champion these passionate and resilient performers. 

“As we move at pace towards this year’s festival, it has never been more important than now to support those at the very heart of the Fringe – the artists.’

Below is a small representative sample of shows available to book from today. The full list of shows released today can be found at edfringe.com.

Theatre

Disability-led theatre company FlawBored present It’s a Motherf**king Pleasure at Underbelly, ‘a scathing satire on the monetisation of identity politics that spares no one’. Expecting by c21 Theatre Company is at Deaf Action, and ‘explores experiences unique to d/Deaf and hearing couples’.

At Army @ The Fringe, Everything Under the Sun ‘explores complex questions about how lasting peace is achieved, the role of foreign intervention in Mali, and how a state can rebuild after a generation of conflict’ via the story of Ibrihim, ‘a young Malian interpreter attached to the UN.’ Move at Bedlam Theatre follows Mili, who moves ‘from Beijing to NYC to become an artist’ and ‘seeks out people that are the polar opposite of those she grew up with’.

Writer and performer Obehi Janice is in the Casanova-inspired Nova at Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh, following ‘a Nigerian-American comedian navigating desire, pussy and power’. Flickering Seasons at St John’s Church presents ‘a woman’s journey as she navigates life through adversity and challenges such as homelessness, addiction, domestic abuse and racism’. And 4/4/4: 4 Real Asians, 4 White Men, 4 Fake Asians is ‘both an autopsy of racial capitalist manifestations in the real world and a wild, virtuosic experiment which completely rips apart Whiteness’ – it’s at theSpaceUK.

An(dre)a Spisto: El Dizzy Beast is an Assembly show about ‘a queer, autistic, latinx caterpillar on the edge’. At the BlundaGardens, Plague Stone Party: Farewell, Tor offers ‘the queerest folktales that Wales and Ireland have to offer, with clowning, puppetry, and 90s trance anthems’. Gate Number 5 at C venues is ‘a half-live, half-virtual interracial lesbian love story between a white European and a black former refugee’. Asexuality! is ‘an autobiographical musical comedy about Rebecca McGlynn‘s pre-transition life’ – it’s at Gilded Balloon. At Greenside, Burnt Lavender takes place within ‘a clandestine cabaret pulsing with physical theatre, lip-synced routines and gut-wrenching confessions’; it aims to amplify ‘LGBTQ+ history through laughter, tears, and a stage full of queers’. And ‘the origin story of the world’s most glamorous Pride parade comes to life’ in ’78 Things I Don’t Want to Tell You About the Love of My Life at Outhouse.

At Palmerston Place Church, Chariot: The Eric Liddell Story tells the story of the famed athlete and his struggle to stay true to his principles at the Olympic Games of 1924. ‘David Hume and Adam Smith, titans of The Scottish Enlightenment and the dearest of friends, grieve – for old age and disease separate them, perhaps for eternity’ in Enquiry Concerning Hereafter at Panmure House.

Set during the French Revolution, The Madwoman at Paradise Green follows Théroigne de Méricourt, who ‘spends her final days crafting her life’s great work, an opera about the revolution she never left behind’. Ludmilla Dabo and David Lescot star in A Portrait of Ludmilla as Nina Simone at the French Institute in Scotland.

Searchlight Theatre Company presents two shows at Charlotte Chapel: The Screwtape Letters by CS Lewis is an adaptation by Nigel Forde, while Titanic: The Last Hero and The Last Coward follows the journeys of ‘a church minister and an executive of the White Star Line’ on the ill-fated ship. At the Ian McKellen Theatre, Saint Stephens Stockbridge, Full Show Lane Studio present their take on the famous Ming Dynasty novel Journey to the West, combining physical theatre with original music in ‘a rarely seen blend of ancient and modern’. The Brunton with David Ross and Tommie Travers present an amateur production of The Steamie at Loretto School Theatre, as four women in a 1950s Glasgow laundry ‘blether about the past, the future, and being pals’. At Musselburgh Racecourse, Quantum Theatre present an outdoor adaptation of Kenneth Grahame’s classic, Wind in the Willows, while Richard Holloway and friends present Murder in the Cathedral, ‘Eliot’s famous play on the life and murder of Thomas Becket in Canterbury Cathedral,’ in Old Saint Paul’s Church.

The Edinburgh People’s Theatre are staging Whisky Galore! at Mayfield Salisbury Church, in which a community of Scottish islanders ‘rescue’ a shipload of whisky during WW2. Meanwhile, ‘three alcoholics who meet in the night’ discuss fate, destiny and booze in Drink Whole Night at Frankenstein Pub.

House of Oz invites you to meet ‘Maureen: a razor-tongued self-described “working-class glamour queen” with outrageous stories to tell’. Thorns at Laughing Horse is a ‘reimagining’ of Sleeping Beauty, focusing on the voices of the heroine, ‘her daughter and the queen who sought her destruction’.

At Hill Street Theatre and online, Auto-Engrain: A One-Woman Show ‘relays experiences from speed-dating to how a toxic relationship can be engrained’. We Must Do This More at The Royal Scots Club is ‘a one-woman show with original songs and poetry, exploring the life of a burnt-out millennial, struggling to prioritise her best friend’.

Lemon Jelly’s Fred Deakin ‘hosts an immersive joyride through his Clubland adventures’ in Club Life at Summerhall. The 1990-set Better Days at Just the Tonic follows 19-year-old Danny, who ‘stands at the crossroads of football violence and house music’. Bits ‘N’ Pieces at Leith Arches ‘explores the dangers of drug stigma and misinformation in modern society’. And at ROUNDABOUT @ Summerhall, Bullring Techno Makeout Jamz follows Nathaniel ‘on his journey of self-discovery as he explores Black masculinity through Beyonce lyrics, techno raves and the deeply intimate relationship a man has with his barber’.

At Le Monde, Paul Zenon in Monkey Business explores ‘the amazing, strange-but-true story behind the weird stuff advertised in vintage American comics’. Writer, actor and magician David Alnwick presents The Mystery of Dracula at PBH’s Free Fringe, in which ‘Van Helsing’s great, great grandson performs a séance to conjure Count Dracula’s ghost’.

Horizon Showcase: FORGE at Lyceum Roseburn is ‘a durational installation featuring welding and soundscape,’ inspired by the theft of the ‘welcome’ gate from Dachau concentration camp in 2014. Dark Noon at Pleasance is a ‘brutal reimagining of the history of America… told by seven South African actors,’ presented by Danish director Tue Biering and co-director Nhlanhla Mahlangu.

The site-specific Angry Snatch: A Reclamation Job in 15 Rounds is ‘provocative and captivating piece of physical theatre’ at Port O’Leith Boxing Club. At Central Hall, Family Matters is ‘a powerful look at the myriad meanings of the word “family” and the importance of finding where you fit in’.

Comedy

MADE IN AMERICA is ‘a funny yet shockingly raw autobiography by Japanese-born artist Teruko Nakajima’ (featuring her dog Titi) at Gilded Balloon. The Abu Dhabi Dramatic Society presents ‘an original bunch of jokes and sketches based on real-life scenarios’ in On The Tiles at C venues.

In her debut show, The Mandela Effect, Thenjiwe, ‘the Queen of deadpan, discusses how the world has collectively misremembered facts and events that have led to Africa being in the state that it’s in’ at Just the Tonic. Yoshi Obayashi’s Adult Content at Greenside is ‘a show that presents various life stories in and out of the world of sex work – funny, sad, shocking’. 

Noam Shuster Eliassi presents Coexistence My A** at Laughing Horse, in which she discusses ‘her Palestinian best friends, Iranian family, and viral marriage proposal to the Saudi Prince’. In his first UK gig, Saudi stand-up, actor and musician Ibrahem Al Hajjaj presents From Riyadh to Edinburgh at theSpaceUK. And, ‘like a 1970s cabaret show but with more colour and less racism,’ The 5th Alternative Black Comedy Showcase is at PBH’s Free Fringe.

In Overweight and OVER IT! at Ian McKellen Theatre, Saint Stephens Stockbridge, RuPaul’s Drag Race UK winner Lawrence Chaney ‘will talk everything from dating and exercise to having to buy two seats on a plane but only getting one meal’. Keroseno and Finito: Cock O’Clock is ‘a transgressive tragicomedy based on true events that follows two LGBT+ siblings Keroseno and Finito, in the prevention and visibility of suicide’ following their mother’s death – it’s on at both Laughing Horse and Leith Depot. ‘Comedian. Trans woman. Voice of a generation. Anna Piper Scott makes her UK debut’ in Such an Inspiration at House of Oz.

At Hill Street Theatre, Seattle comedian Andrew Frank delivers Ecstatic Blasphemy, ‘a hilarious set about growing up as a pastor’s kid, finding queer joy beyond fundamentalist Christianity, and performing subversive stand-up throughout the Bible Belt’.

‘She’s been famous, she’s been homeless, she’s been sectioned with two guys who both claimed to be Jesus.’ Now Gail Porter prepares to be Hung, Drawn and Portered at Assembly. Troy Kinne ‘shares too much information about all of the things wrong with him’ in Made Wrong at 4042. And at Paradise Green, Bipolar Badass ‘is a one-woman show by Mari (like calamari) Crawford about the humour behind struggling with the illness’.

‘Poppyscotland are proud to host a refreshing, uplifting showcase of laugh-out-loud comedy created by Armed Forces veterans’ in The Recovery Through Comedy Show at Lady Haig’s Poppy Factory. ‘Essex-born Gavin Lilley, through his masterful use of sign language, has brought laughter to many deaf and hearing people with his unique perspective on our world today’ – you can catch him as part of Deaf Action Presents: The Gavin Lilley Show.

John Hegley’s The Early Word at Summerhall ‘includes the anxiety of a slug and the four simple rules of Mister Galimore for marking your neighbour’s French vocabulary test’. Jeremy Segway: A Life Out of Balance is a show ‘dedicated to Mr Segway, the man who invented the Segway, all performed entirely on Segways’ – it’s at Bedlam Theatre.

Su Mi: Banana Beard at BlundaGardens ‘invites you on a surreal misadventure of absurdist sketch, untamed thrash metal guitar solos and imaginary costumed personas’. At Central Hall, The Yassification of Jesse James by the Coward Samantha Clementine combines ‘cowboys, karate, a Time Lord, ridiculous slang, and biting social commentary’. And ‘our once hot-bodied men in kilts, now warm-bodied Men in Quilts, navigate the challenges of getting older, not necessarily wiser’ at Boteco do Brasil.

Barry Fern presents his Arthur’s Seat Comedy Extravaganza on the summit of Edinburgh’s favourite dormant volcano this August. The Biscuit Factory hosts a line-up of comedians at Leith Comedy Festival Presents…. And Scottish accordionist Sandy Brechin ‘brings his successful weekly Facebook music and comedy lockdown show, Sandy on Sunday, to the live stage for the first time, with impressions, costume changes, stand-up and some loony tunes’. It’s called Sandy Not Just on Sunday! and it’s at The Saltire Society Headquarters.

There are also plenty of famous and familiar funny faces returning to Fringe 2023. The Duncan and Judy Murray Show is at The Stand’s New Town Theatre, promising ‘another unique show featuring special guests, Q&As and a desperate attempt from Duncan to win his mum’s approval’. Lara Ricote, Rose Matafeo, Sofie Hagen, Dane Baptiste, Ed Gamble and Tiff Stevenson are at Monkey Barrel Comedy; Catherine Cohen, Jordan Brookes, Nick Helm, Rosie Jones, Shaparak Khorsandi and All Killa No Filla are at Pleasance; Glenn Wool is at the Scottish Comedy Festival; Mark Watson has two shows at St Peter’s Church; Jerry Sadowitz proudly presents… Last Year’s Show! at The Queen’s Hall; Foil Arms and Hog, Sara Pascoe and Abandoman are at Underbelly; Mark Thomas and Simon Munnery are at The Stand Comedy Club; and First Thing (Work in Progress by Daniel Kitson) is at ROUNDABOUT @ Summerhall. Bobby Davro, ‘one of the biggest television comedy names of the 1980s and 1990s, makes his Fringe debut’ in My Name Is Bobby Davro at Frankenstein Pub.

Music

‘Led by charismatic Senegalese singer Samba Sene, Diwan is a diverse international collection of musicians, who share a global outlook and love of West African beats’ – catch them at The Jazz Bar. MTO Zendeh Delan‘s Journey of Love at Stockbridge Church is ‘a captivating presentation of the Sufi allegory of Leyla and Majnun depicted through modern Sufi music and the motions of Sama’. Sako Wana at Acoustic Music Centre @ UCC offers a ‘colourful groove for a festive trip to West Africa mixing pulsating rhythms from traditional Mandinka instruments’. 

Alafia Ensemble, comprising six musicians from diverse backgrounds, play two shows this Fringe: Amalgamando at Argyle Cellar Bar and Bridges Between Worlds at artSpace@StMarks. At theSpaceUK, David Rivera and La Båmbula ‘will make you dance with their Caribbean sounds from Puerto Rico and Cuba’. Sixty musicians, conducted by composer He Zhanhao, ‘perform one of the most popular works in the modern Chinese classical canon’ in The Butterfly Lovers Violin Concerto and Other Works at Ashton Hall, Saint Stephens Stockbridge.

Fringe audiences can ‘experience the passionate and mesmerising Flamenco Guitar Odyssey by Philip Adie’ at Alba Flamenca. Flamencodanza at C venues is an ‘inspired, powerful and elegant show of Flamenco dance and guitar presented by Aylin Bayaz, Raul Mannola’. And the ‘award-winning Daniel Martinez Flamenco Company presents their long-awaited second album and production’ Andalucia at YOTEL Edinburgh.

The Edinburgh Fringe Fling at the Old Dr Bells Baths ‘will feature some of the finest acts in Scottish traditional music in: Gleadhraich, Whisky Kiss and The Laurettes’, while guitarist Tony Randle takes you ‘on a journey through different shades and flavours of the acoustic guitar, with a mix of original pieces and classics’ in his Acoustic Guitar Showcase at the Arthur Conan Doyle Centre.

Dynamic Earth celebrates ‘the 50th anniversary of Pink Floyd’s 1973 album’ in the immersive Planetarium Lates: Dark Side of the Moon. La Haut (Up There) at the French Institute in Scotland ‘is an audiovisual show that immerses the audience in a unique world through the eyes of bird-like aeroplanes, taking you on a journey exploring emotions of longing and home’.

Tom Robinson is Up Close and Personal at The Stand’s New Town Theatre, offering ‘an hour of classic songs and scurrilous stories spanning five decades of adventures in the music industry’. The Rezillos’ Fay Fife brings ‘an unholy alchemy of country and punk’ to Gilded Balloon with her ‘insurgent alt-country outfit’ The Countess of Fife.

At Bannerman’s, Breakout! is ‘the highly anticipated show from the most beloved up-and-coming indie, pop and rock acts from Edinburgh’. Duane Forrest takes you on ‘a journey through the history of reggae’ in Bob Marley – How Reggae Changed the World at The A Club at the Merchants Hall. And Nothing Ever Happens Here returns to Summerhall with a programme of music gigs throughout August, including Pictish Trail, Kathryn Joseph, Auntie Flo and the London Astrobeat Orchestra performing Talking Heads.

‘Founded in 1947 at the Rose Street Telephone Exchange,’ the Edinburgh Telephone Choir perform Around the World in 80 Minutes at The Salvation Army Edinburgh City Corps, ‘with styles including pop, traditional and show tunes’. The Absolutely Fab Choir present free, uplifting pop songs at Brewhemia and Le Monde this August. And you can expect ‘timeless classics you know and love, inspirational anthems, and exhilarating gospel arrangements guaranteed to revitalise your soul’ in Get Up and Gospel! at Canongate Kirk and Greyfriars Kirk.

Two different shows are encouraging audience members to sing along this Fringe: Pub Choir – This Worked At Home is ‘the low-effort, high-return show of your dreams’ at The Liquid Room, while Choir!Choir!Choir! at Underbelly is ‘a show where the crowd is the star’.

The South London Jazz Orchestra ‘dazzles you with big-band favourites from the whole history of jazz – as well as some more surprising choices – in an afternoon of funk, Latin, swing and much more’. They’re playing at both Broughton St Mary’s Parish Church and St Andrew’s and St George’s West, George St. ‘Award-winning international blues star Giles Robson, one of the greatest living blues harmonica virtuosos, showmen and singers,’ is joined by Edinburgh blues guitar player Sandy Tweeddale in Up Close with the Blues at Ryrie’s Bar. And ‘two-time Grammy nominee’ Beth Nielsen Chapman has released 14 solo albums, with ‘songs recorded by the likes of Bonnie Raitt, Willie Nelson and Elton John’ – catch her at The Queen’s Hall.

As part of the Made in Scotland showcase, the Tinderbox Orchestra take to Edinburgh Central Library this August, ‘bringing together rappers and singers with soaring strings, heavy brass, woodwind and a thundering backline’; Tales of Transatlantic Freedom at Greenside is ‘a glorious exploration of our global musical heritage,’ bringing together ‘the richness of spirituals, jazz, blues, gospel, opera, and the songs of Robert Burns’; and ‘Modern Studies frontwoman Emily Scott performs new melancholy folk-tinged record Leave No Shadow with lush string orchestra and band in a soaring chapel acoustic’ titled Chrysanths, at St Vincent’s, with support on various dates from C Duncan, Faith Elliot and LT Leif.

Mark Spalding performs two Philip Glass recitals at St Andrew’s and St George’s West, George St this August: Piano Etudes, ‘a selection from The Twenty Etudes For Piano composed between 1991 and 2013’ and ‘the piano solo version of the award-winning soundtrack for the 2002 film The Hours’. Meanwhile, Northesk Parish Church plays hosts to three separate programmes of Soloists of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra: André Cebrian and Irene Alfageme, Maximiliano Martin and Scott Mitchell, and Su-a Lee and Hamish Napier. London-based cellist Anne-Isabel Meyer plays the Bach Cello Suites and Bach’s Prelude and Gigue at St Cuthbert’s Church; St Giles’ Cathedral hosts performances by the National Youth Choir of Scotland and NYCOS National Girls Choir; and John Bryden delivers ‘two piano recitals on the Cathedral Steinway’ as part of Cathedral Coffee Concerts at St Mary’s Cathedral.

Attila the Stockbroker has ‘taught himself to play crumhorn, cornamuse, rauschpfeife, recorders and written an album about the Levellers, Diggers and Ranters and the English Revolution of 1649’. Find out more at his Early Music Show at St Cecilia’s Hall.

In Rules Schmules – How To Be Jew-ish at Hill Street Theatre, Suzie Depreli delivers ‘one woman’s passive aggressive mission to educate the world about what it means to have an orthodox family that ate sausages, an Asian Catholic husband that uses more Yiddish words than her Nana, and celebrate Passover without believing in God’. Meanwhile, Endless Sunset Oblivion at Just the Tonic ‘tells the story of Reuben – a young songwriter attempting to combat the accelerated problems the world is facing’.

‘Singing in both French and English, Christine Bovill honours Edith Piaf, Jacques Brel, Serge Gainsbourg, Francoise Hardy and more’ in Paris: From Piaf to Pop at Loretto School Theatre. In Poesie Geht Ohne Schuh (Poetry Walks Without Shoes), ‘poems of Rilke, Eichendorff and more are set to music and performed by Christoph Hilger and Janet de Vigne’ at Old Saint Paul’s Church.

The Octavoce ensemble present ‘a whirlwind a cappella trip through our favourite Disney tunes’ in 100 Years of Disney at Leith Arches. Searchlight Theatre Company presents two shows at Palmerston Place Church: A Spoonful of Songs features ‘some of the most iconic songs from films like Mary Poppins, Aladdin, Toy Story and The Prince of Egypt’, while Her Majesty’s Musicals celebrate ‘the rule and reign of the late Queen Elizabeth II, featuring songs from musicals that have played Her Majesty’s Theatre in London’s West End – including Fiddler on the Roof, Phantom and West Side Story’. AXIOM – ‘11 incredible singers ready to take your breath away’ – present Fundamentals of A Cappella at Paradise Green.

At PBH’s Free Fringe, Marcus Megastar: Live and Controversial is a ‘free LGBTQIA concert circuit-style party after hours, where everybody’s welcome’. At The Three Sisters, AYEbiza Live: The UV Neon Party Sessions is ‘an exciting new visual club experience taking you back to the 00s and 90s with singers, dancers, saxophonists, percussion, glow paint and good vibes’.

And you can witness ‘mind-blowing sound, energy and vocal dexterity performed by international touring beatboxers and world champions, The Beatbox Collective,’ in What’s Your Sound? at Assembly.

Cabaret and variety

In Nails It! at Gilded Balloon, Jesus L’Oreal delivers ‘a sacre-licious energetic hour of song, dance and Jehovah’s Fitness’. ‘Taking to the trial stand, fighting for justice and liberty,’ Karen From Finance Is Doing Time at Underbelly. At BlundaGardens, Joanne Tremarco and Maral: Mother Earth (The Oldest Stripper) is an ‘interdisciplinary BSL-integrated show, blending clown, burlesque, puppetry, live film’. Mr & Mrs Love are at Pleasance, offering ‘a battle of hearts, minds and music… as the two sing for their survival, with a surprising array of musical instruments, outrageous dancing and acidic wit’. And Shakesqueer at Bedlam Theatre is a ‘drag-show parody rewrite of five of Shakespeare’s most famous works’.

Cabaret in the Dark at C venues ‘plunges the audience into darkness, allowing them to step into the shoes of their hosts, VICS, a collective of visually impaired artists from a variety of performing disciplines’. Paradise Palms Late-Night Cabaret is an ‘intoxicated blend of raucous antics, cocktails and rowdiness’ featuring the likes of ‘Fruit Salad, Kweer Kabaret, Shitake Nights’ and more. Meanwhile, audiences can ‘discover the untold stories behind the galaxy’s background characters’ in The Extras Strike Back: A Musical Tribute to the Forgotten Heroes of Star Wars at Greenside.

Australian entertainer, singer and pianist Antony (DrH) Hubmayer presents An Unwasted Evening – The Genius of Tom Lehrer at artSpace@StMarks. Kissing a Fool is ‘a queer clown-cabaret musical tribute to George Michael’ – catch it at Frankenstein Pub. Wela Kapela Productions present two biographical shows at theSpaceUK: A Star Is Born – The Rise and Fall of Judy Garland charts the life of ‘Hollywood’s brightest star’, while Vincent – His Quest to Love and Be Loved is a multimedia cabaret depicting Van Gogh as ‘a complex man with a ruthless drive to create’.

At Assembly, Rutene Spooner’s Thoroughly Modern Maui is a ‘cabaret extravaganza… fusing myth and legend with rhinestones and glitter’. In Child of Sunday at Laughing Horse, ‘Elisa Riddington recounts fables of her childhood as a preacher’s kid, through stories and songs’. And Anna Vanosi’s ‘soulful voice transports you from Billie Holiday to Björk’ in Late Bloomers’ Tales at The Jazz Bar.

Familiar Fringe faces The Lady Boys of Bangkok bring their Party Queens Tour 2023 to the Theatre Big Top. At House of Oz, Leather Lungs: Higher Love ‘reveals all with their heart-stopping four-octave vocal range in a brand new sensual celebration of all things liberation, exploration and vocal sensation’. In GURLBAND: The Show at Brewhemia, ‘Blaze, Angel Beads, Tianah Tucker and Miss Peaches… come together and serve up the most pop-tastic production drag show you’ll see this Fringe’. You can also ‘join two of Scotland’s most fabulous Queens for the ultimate ABBA Drag experience’ in Dancing Queens: The ABBA Drag Party! at The Three Sisters. And Edinburgh-based cabaret group the Little West End Theatre brings ‘a night of sass and show tunes’ to Outhouse as part of The Sassy Belle Cabaret.

Performer Vanity von Glow and wine expert Beth Brickenden are your hosts for Drag Queen Wine Tasting at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Edinburgh City Centre, while The Mother Superior hosts Whisky & Witches Presents Mythical Beasts: An Immersive, Mystical, Musical Whisky Tasting, ‘where folklore, five exceptional whiskies and hauntingly beautiful music meet in perfect harmony’.

‘From classic close-up to parlour prestidigitation, Tim Licata brings his brand of delightful deception to the Scottish Arts Club’ in Close-Up and Personal. Meanwhile, at PBH’s Free Fringe, magician and comedian Chris Cook Asked a Robot to Write Him a Five-Star Show and This Is What It Said.

Dance, physical theatre and circus

Kyiv City Ballet, who ‘remain in exile due to the ongoing war’, perform A Tribute to Peace at Assembly. The Unknown Soldier at Army @ The Fringe is a ‘compellingly captivating ode to Black British war veterans, telling hidden stories of men and women of Black British heritage who fought in WWI and WWII, using dance, text, live music and visuals to capture their contribution’.

‘Based on Japanese folktales, Noh, and butoh that reveal the human unconscious,’ Sun and Crystal at C venues is ‘a poetic dramatic telling of a universal contemporary myth that transcends time and borders’. Oriental Youth Culture and Art Week at Ashton Hall, Saint Stephens Stockbridge is a ‘children’s art show with the theme of Impressions of the East,’ featuring ‘song and dance, instrumental music, drama, and creative expression of picture books and paintings’.

You can also ‘immerse yourself in the richness of Chinese culture with a showcase of exceptional young dancers from China, featuring traditional and contemporary Chinese dance’ at the Chinese Art Show (Venue150 at EICC). ‘Inspired by classical and contemporary paintings, and supported by a variety of pre-recorded and live music,’ Still Life: A Gallery in Motion at Greenside ‘is an exploration and interpretation of the human condition’.

House of Oz and Na Djinang Circus present Common Dissonance, a show acknowledging that Australia’s ‘understanding of the world came from Dreamtime stories, song lines and oral histories’ and asking how we ‘navigate the complex dialogues of contemporary culture’.

At LifeCare Centre, TaalTales present ‘a contemporary feminist reimagining’ and use Indian classic dance and music to ‘explore characters from the Mahabharata’ in What Draupadi Said to Penelope.

At theSpaceUK, Tandava ‘sees the coalescence of Scottish guitarist Simon Thacker’s startlingly passionate sound-worlds with the infinitely expressive physicality of three gifted dancers from India’s Piah Dance Company’ as part of the Made in Scotland showcase.

From Chicago, ‘a revolving line-up of internationally renowned circus artists combine to showcase their most personal and prized acts, complimented by stunning live music’ in Aloft Presents Sanctuary at Underbelly’s Circus Hub on the Meadows.

‘Told through Sacramento Contemporary Dance Theatre‘s powerful emotion and movement, the audience will witness an opulent interpretation of Marie Antoinette’s fate’ in Marie at Bedlam Theatre.

Meanwhile, Laura Murphy, Contra and Carré Magique present A Spectacle of Herself at Summerhall, ‘a cinematic, (in)appropriately acrobatic ride through mental health, queerness, rage and 21st century space race’. Meanwhile, Spirit of Ireland is at Pleasance, offering an ‘incredible night of music, comedy, dancing set in greatest pub in Ireland’.

Available to watch online, A Snake in the House Means the Family Will Never Want is ‘an immersive performance of live electronica, dance and sculptural costuming, on intergenerational healing and transformational futures’. Also online, Eat Me is ‘a story of two women who use the dark web to find one another and together commit an act of “consensual” cannibalism’.

Children’s shows

‘With the rare combination of world champion skills, unprecedented showmanship and a truly original style,’ Cartoooon!! at Assembly ‘fuses circus with Manga cartoons to deliver a masterclass in the universal language of laughter’. Nik Coppin brings Comics vs Kids: The Super Showdown to Laughing Horse, ‘full of jokes, silliness, his own drawn cartoons, competitions based around Disney and superheroes, mayhem and special guests’. The Listies Make Some Noise at House of Oz in ‘an insane mixtape of silly songs, stupid sketches and crazy clowning’.

Delving into Edinburgh’s gruesome history, Plague, Poo n’ Punishment at The Lost Close features ‘live music and horrible stories from centuries gone by’. In Taiwan Season: World in a Word at Summerhall, ‘language is the springboard for fun and games in an interactive, family-friendly production’. Bumble’s Big Adventure at C venues is ‘a one-act educational play following Bumble, a honeybee, on an adventure to find a bee balm flower’. Smithy’s Scavenger Hunt at Panmure House promises you’ll ‘have a blast while learning about the Scottish Enlightenment and its leading figures’. And 24 Solar Terms at theSpaceUK is ‘an immersive theatre production’ from QFunTheater Children’s Experimental Troupe, ‘condensing the time of each season into a performance.’

Gilded Balloon and Little Angel Theatre present The Slightly Annoying Elephant, a production ‘based on David Walliams’s hilarious book’, while James and the Giant Peach at Greenside is ‘a fabulous retelling of Roald Dahl’s classic peachy tale’.

‘A little girl is sent to retrieve a needle and thread from the ferocious Baba Yaga’ in A Girl Called Grace at The Royal Scots Club. At Central Hall, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane ‘is a wonderful story about love, loss, change and finally, finding your way home’. And the Helena Academy of Drama and Expression presents two productions at Paradise Green: Children of Eden Jr, ‘Stephen Schwartz’s epic and heartfelt musical’, and Journey to the West: In Search of the Way, an interactive show filled with ‘martial art, music and mischief’.

‘Funalicious master magician Alex’ presents Abracadabra With An Apple Magic Show at PBH’s Free Fringe, ‘a children’s magic show filled with excitement, fun, laughs and stories that entangle together in one awe-inspiring performance’. Mario the Maker Magician leads audiences ‘through a romping explosion of contagious energy and belly laughs’ at Underbelly. And ‘one of Scotland’s favourite magicians, Tim Licata astounds audiences with delightful deception’ at Saturday Morning Magic (Scottish Arts Club).

Musicals and opera

‘From the Tony Award-winning producer of Six’ comes Hello Kitty Must Die at the Pleasance, ‘an outrageously irreverent exploration of Asian feminism with a killer score’. Part of the Made in Scotland showcase, SCOTS at Ghillie Dhu is ‘the true(ish) story of Scotland, told by a figure who’s seen it all – The Toilet’. 

Are You Worthy? at BlundaGardens is a new musical following Glory, who ‘dreams of singing at the world’s most prestigious festival, the only thing standing her way is a mysterious pyramid’.

At Bedlam Theatre, ‘Death (personified) takes us through the artistry in ensuring that each and every one of us meets our maker’ in Death Suits You. ‘From the stages of London to the shelves of Lidl,’ 2020 The Musical (at Underbelly) ‘celebrates human resilience and everyday heroes’. And Come Die with Me: The Murder Mystery Musical Parody at Just the Tonic is ‘sure to have you giggling, gasping and gagging, and that’s before the choose your own ending’.

The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland present two shows at Assembly: Big Fish is ‘based on Daniel Wallace’s novel and Tim Burton’s movie’, while Edges is ‘a contemporary song-cycle which explores universal issues in a charming, honest way, asking – who am I and what will I become?’ Over at George Watson’s College there are two musical adaptations: 1920s gangster comedy Bugsy Malone and classic horror spoof Young Frankenstein.

Warriors (Army @ The Fringe) is ‘a new musical, written by serving Scottish soldiers and veterans, about their own experiences as young soldiers waiting to deploy to Helmand Province, Afghanistan for the first time’. Online and at C venues, Dreams of Peace and Freedom: The Streams of Natural Law is a ‘powerful performance exploring the birth of modern human rights, through the eyes of David Maxwell Fyfe, Nuremberg prosecutor and ECHR champion, with musical settings of the poets who inspired him’.

Pai’ea at Central Hall is ‘a glam-rock opera that covers the early life, tests, and battles of Kamehameha I, the chief who united the Hawaiian Islands’. Blossoming (You Undo Me) at Gilded Balloon is ‘a musical about a young Chinese man growing into his queerness’. 

The Legends of Mountains and Seas (Paradise Green) is ‘adapted from the famous play by Nobel Prize-winning author Gao Xingjian. With Western rock music, it shows the characters and stories from Eastern mythology.’ And Legend of the White Snake (theSpaceUK) is ‘a classic love story portrayed by one of China’s leading companies in traditional Kunqu opera, rarely performed in the West’.

At the French Institute in Scotland, Cyborg Experiment #1 is ‘an audacious performative proposal, an opera of the future where temporalities mix and anachronism plays with history’. At Greenside, the California Musical Theatre Ensemble present Bright Blue Sky: The 9/11 Musical – in ‘a series of heartfelt scenes, each character relives their past, revealing hope inside tragedy’.

Edinburgh Music Theatre bring two shows to St Andrew’s and St George’s West, George St this Fringe. EMT Does Pop promises ‘anthemic songs that you love, performed with EMT’s signature quality and style’, while Anthems – New Generation Musical Hits has ‘a stunning collection of anthemic songs from newer musicals from recent decades, performed with a live band’.

PBH’s Free Fringe welcomes the return of A Young Man Dressed as a Gorilla Dressed as an Old Man Sits Rocking in a Rocking Chair for 56 Minutes and Then Leaves… 14, for one performance only.

Spoken word

In Bards at the Barracks (Army @ The Fringe), ‘Scottish poets will be reading work exploring our collective history and common creative future, including a special evening spotlighting Hamish Henderson’. 

Sebastian Michael, ‘author of The Sonneteer and Sonnetcast podcaster,’ presents Some Sonnets and a Bit of Bach at Greenside, exploring similarities between Shakespeare and Bach. And audiences can ‘join guests from the worlds of comedy, literature, music and faith for a series of live recordings’ of the All-Terrain Podcast Live at The Salvation Army Edinburgh City Corps.

‘Spoken word and performance artist Subira Joy explores their experiences being targeted by the police as a Black, queer and trans person’ in Kill the Cop Inside Your Head at Summerhall. Seventy-Eight Thank Yous at the Arthur Conan Doyle Centre ‘joins new conversations arising about suicide and has been appreciated all over the UK’, approaching its chosen subject matter ‘with both depth and lightness’. Performance poet Robert Garnham is at Just the Tonic with his new show, Bouncer, offering ‘an hour of storytelling, poetry and comedy about fame, hope, and dreaming’. And Conspiracy Theory: A Lizard’s Tale (PBH’s Free Fringe) is ‘a darkly comic tale of one man’s journey through the conspiracy underworld’.

‘Bizarre and hilarious (hidden Neurodiverse/Autistic) Eccentrics demonstrate how to enjoy good mental health, be yourself and free everyone’ in Eccentrics Unite! The Guerilla Autistics and Neurodiverse Show – Year Nine at Laughing Horse, while Drs Munro and Kernick are Getting to Grips with Migraine at The Royal Scots Club, exploring ‘exciting new treatments, problems in children, hormones and why it’s not just headaches’.

‘Veteran street artist’ Dave Southern brings his Pavementology tour back this August, telling ‘the story of street performing at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe’. At The Lost Close, Natalie Nardone’s Witch? Women on Trial explores ‘the brutal truth of the witch hunts in Scotland, told with humour and empathy’. The Cathedral Song School Tours at St Mary’s Cathedral give visitors a chance to see the Cathedral’s murals by Phoebe Traquair, painted between 1888 and 1892. And at Panmure House, The Butcher, the Brewer, the Baker and Merryn Somerset Webb is a series of discussions and debates with ‘a well-known group of economics, politics and finance gurus’.

LBC presenter Iain Dale hosts a series of discussion events at Pleasance, with guests including Peter Tatchell, Alex Salmond, Harriet Harman MP, Humza Yousaf MSP, Peter Hitchens, Polly Toynbee and Jeremy Corbyn. Corbyn’s also part of the line-up at Fair Pley’s In Conversation… series at The Stand’s New Town Theatre, alongside Ken Loach, Andy Burnham, Mhairi Black, Jack Monroe and more. Broadcaster and journalist Kaye Adams is at Gilded Balloon, explaining How to be 60 Live! ‘with the help of her filter-free friend Karen, some well-known guests and most importantly, you’.

The Royal Opera House announces 2023/24 Season

Public booking opens on Wednesday 2 August

The Royal Opera House has announced its 2023/24 Season, unveiling a bold programme of thrilling new work, UK premieres and much-loved revivals, alongside the biggest national learning programme in our history, exciting new regional partnerships, and a host of daytime events, behind the scenes tours, exhibitions and artistic Insights at our home in the heart of Covent Garden.

The Royal Ballet Season

The Royal Ballet presents a tapestry of works that celebrate the Company’s rich heritage and celebrated house choreographers, and brings creativity into spaces across the Royal Opera House with a Festival of New Choreography. The Season features revivals from Frederick Ashton and Kenneth MacMillan alongside contemporary classics by Wayne McGregor, Christopher Wheeldon and Cathy Marston.

The Company’s illustrious legacy from Founder Choreographer Frederick Ashton and Principal Choreographer Kenneth MacMillan is marked in a number of productions. Ashton’s boundless invention is displayed in two mixed programmes, with The Dream and his virtuosic Rhapsody. One of these programmes also features Les Rendezvous while the other includes Five Brahms Waltzes in the Manner of Isadora Duncan, Hamlet and Ophelia, and a guest performance by The Sarasota Ballet of The Walk to the Paradise Garden.

The Sarasota Ballet will also demonstrate the genius of Ashton in the Linbury Theatre with a vibrant array of his creative output. The Royal Ballet and The Sarasota Ballet’s Ashton performances during the Season mark the opening of ASHTON WORLDWIDE, the Frederick Ashton Foundation’s five-year international festival conceived to celebrate the work and legacy of Frederick Ashton. Further information on the festival will be announced by the Foundation in due course.

Kenneth MacMillan’s dramatic flair is celebrated with the romantic tragedy Manon, which this Season celebrates its 50th birthday, and a mixed programme – Requiem, Danses Concertantes and Different Drummer – plus performances and a film premiere by Yorke Dance Project, illustrating the choreographer’s exceptional artistic development across the decades.

In other revivals, Carlos Acosta’s vibrant production of Don Quixote opens the Season for The Royal Ballet. This celebrated production, which premiered in 2013, is the perfect showcase for a Company dancing at its peak. The enduringly popular 19th-century classics The Nutcracker and Swan Lake will also feature in the Season.

Royal Ballet Resident Choreographer Wayne McGregor’s The Dante Project returns following its critically-acclaimed world premiere in 2021. Inspired by Dante’s Divine Comedy, the afterlife is brought into blazing life through the poetic vision of McGregor and his creative team, including pioneering composer Thomas Adès and artist Tacita Dean.

Artistic Associate of The Royal Ballet Christopher Wheeldon’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s late romance The Winter’s Tale celebrates its 10th anniversary. With striking designs by Bob Crowley and atmospheric music by Joby Talbot, The Winter’s Tale is widely considered a modern ballet classic.

Two award-winning works, Cathy Marston’s The Cellist, which takes its inspiration from the life and music of Jacqueline du Pré, and Valentino Zucchetti’s breezy Anemoi, receive their first revivals in a mixed programme of powerful musical heft.

The Festival of New Choreography champions new and diverse choreographic voices through the many spaces of our iconic Covent Garden home. A collection of new work will be seen on the Main Stage, and also included is an immersive new work for The Royal Ballet by Robert Binet presented in the Linbury Theatre and co-produced by the National Ballet of Canada.

The Royal Ballet presents the world premiere of a new production in the Linbury Theatre adapted from the play Lemons, Lemons, Lemons, Lemons, Lemons by Sam Steiner. The Limit combines spoken word and dance with choreography by Royal Ballet Principal Character Artist Kristen McNally and direction by Ed Madden and features Royal Ballet Principals Francesca Hayward and Alexander Campbell in one of the casts. The Limit is set to a newly commissioned score by Isobel Waller-Bridge, who composed the score for the BBC series Fleabag as well as film scores for Vita and Virginia (2018) and Emma (2020).

We look to the future with our continued development of emerging creative and performing talent with Draft Works, International Draft Works and the Next Generation Festival. The Royal Ballet continues its long-standing commitment to fostering dance partnerships, with Northern Ballet, Fallen Angels Dance Theatre, Ballet Black and Sydney Dance Company in the Linbury Theatre.

Fallen Angels Dance Theatre make their Linbury Theatre debut. Led by Artistic Director Paul Bayes Kitcher, former Birmingham Royal Ballet soloist, the award-winning company supports those recovering from addiction and mental health adversity through dance, performance and creativity. This work marks the first collaboration between Fallen Angels and New Note Orchestra, a Brighton-based collective of 18 musicians in recovery.

Northern Ballet return to the Linbury Theatre with a programme of new contemporary ballet, including the premiere of a new work by Royal Ballet Soloist Benjamin Ella and a work by New York City Ballet Principal Tiler Peck.

INTERNATIONAL DRAFT WORKS_LINBURY THEATRE_ROH, Canto De Ossanha_choreography; Joshua Junker, The Royal Ballet,

Ballet Black present a double bill featuring Will Tuckett’s Then or Now and Mthuthuzeli November’s Nina: By Whatever Means, a tribute to Nina Simone. Yorke Dance presents a new programme including work by Robert Cohan, Martha Graham and Kenneth MacMillan, and Sydney Dance Company make their Linbury Theatre debut.

On Wednesday 1 November, World Ballet Day, a much-loved global celebration that brings together over 50 of the world’s leading ballet and dance companies, celebrates its tenth anniversary. Over the course of 24 hours, rehearsals, discussions and classes are streamed for free across six continents, offering unique behind-the-scenes glimpses of ballet’s biggest stars and exciting new performers.

Director of The Royal Ballet, Kevin O’Hare, said: “As we approach next Season, we are thrilled to showcase the extraordinary artistry and skill of our brilliant dancers and orchestral performers in a fantastic range of heritage and award-winning contemporary classics.

“We also look forward to the creative energy that the Festival of New Choreography will bring to the whole of the Royal Opera House, and to continuing to spread the love of ballet through our far-reaching global and UK-wide partnerships. We can’t wait to welcome back existing audiences and to connect with those new to the art form.”

The Royal Opera Season

The Royal Opera opens its Season with two landmark works on both of our stages. On the Main Stage, Antonio Pappano partners with Barrie Kosky for the first time to conduct a bold new imagining of Wagner’s first chapter of the Ring cycle, Das Rheingold – a massive undertaking for any opera house with an outstanding cast including Christopher Maltman as Wotan and Christopher Purves as Alberich.

In the Linbury Theatre, George Benjamin and Martin Crimp bring us Picture a day like this – a major new work which receives its UK premiere following the world premiere this summer at the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence. After the historic success of Lessons in Love and Violence and Written on Skin, Benjamin and Crimp return alongside stage directors Daniel Jeanneteau and Marie-Christine Soma.

Antonio Pappano, whose first new production at the Royal Opera House was Christof Loy’s production of Strauss’ Ariadne auf Naxos in 2002, conducts his last new production at the Royal Opera House in Loy’s eagerly anticipated adaptation of Strauss’s Elektra – uniting two of today’s leading dramatic sopranos: Nina Stemme in the title role, and Karita Mattila as the haunted queen Klytämnestra.

In May, a Farewell Gala Concert for Antonio Pappano will see a stellar cast of soloists perform alongside the Chorus and Orchestra in celebration of his 23-year tenure. Maestro Pappano will then lead a cast that includes his longtime collaborator Jonas Kaufmann, and Sondra Radvanovsky and Carlos Álvarez in a revival of David McVicar’s lavish production of Giordano’s Andrea Chénier.

In June 2024, The Royal Opera is delighted to be returning to Japan on tour for the first time since 2019 with performances at Bunka Kaikan Theatre and NHK Hall in Tokyo, and Kanagawa Kenmin Hall in Yokohama. Antonio Pappano will be conducting spectacular casts in Oliver Mears’s darkly elegant production of Verdi’s Rigoletto and Andrei Șerban’s classic staging of Puccini’s Turandot.

The Royal Opera’s exploration into Handel’s Covent Garden operas and oratorios continues with his final masterpiece, Jephtha, which premiered on this site in 1752. This epic new production is staged by Director of The Royal Opera Oliver Mears and is conducted by Handel specialist Laurence Cummings. Extraordinary tenor Allan Clayton performs the title role, joined by an outstanding, largely British cast including Jennifer France, Alice Coote and Brindley Sherratt.

Aigul Akhmetshina and Vasilisa Berzhanskaya share the role of Carmen in Damiano Michieletto’s poetic, contemporary new staging of Bizet’s beloved Carmen. Antonello Manacorda and Emmanuel Villaume conduct two accomplished casts in this sultry new production which evokes the passion and heat of Bizet’s score.

Next Season, the Royal Opera collaborate with Fuel for the first time, presenting the world premiere of Woman & Machine – a ground-breaking binaural opera experience from Mercury-nominated songwriter ESKA, directed by Kirsty Housley. Incorporating the sonic worlds of the neonatal unit and the womb, with influences of contemporary, electronic and Zimbabwean Shona Music, this new work connects themes of life, survival and womanhood.

This Christmas, a range of family favourites return to our stages. Little Bulb’s Oliver award-winning Wolf Witch Giant Fairy will excite children and families in the Linbury Theatre with the original troupe of travelling players returning as the energetic ensemble cast, bringing this endearing folk opera to new audiences, young and old.

On the main stage, music lovers of all ages can enjoy Antony McDonald’s mischievous production of Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel, newly translated into English by Kelley Rourke. Mark Wigglesworth conducts two stellar casts including Anna Stéphany, Hanna Hipp, Anna Devin and Lauren Fagan.

Following the Irish National Opera’s (INO) Olivier award-winning Bajazet and Least Like The Other, INO and The Royal Opera present their third collaboration: a brand-new staging of Vivaldi’s 1734 opera, L’Olimpiade. The production is directed by Daisy Evans, with conductor Peter Wheelan leading the Irish Baroque Orchestra.

In April, the Jette Parker Artists present a thrilling double-bill. Eleanor Burke directs Martinů’s surreal one-act opera Larmes de couteau and Harriet Taylor directs John Harbison’s adaptation of text from W.B. Yeats’ Full Moon in March. Both works are conducted by Edward Reeve, who will lead the Britten Sinfonia.

The 2023/24 Season also features a raft of beloved revivals including Christof Loy’s La Forza del Destino, Laurent Pelly’s L’elisir d’amore, Oliver Mears’s Rigoletto, Damiano Michieletto’s heat-soaked double-bill Cavalleria rusticana/Pagliacci, Richard Jones’ production of La bohème, Jonathan Kent’s Tosca, Tim Albery’s production of Wagner’s The Flying Dutchman, Moshe Leiser’s and Patrice Caurier’s Madama Butterfly, Katie Mitchell’s production of Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor, and Jan Philipp Gloger’s production of Così fan tutte.

Director of The Royal Opera, Oliver Mears, said: “Despite opera in the UK being under pressure as never before, The Royal Opera is determined to mark Antonio Pappano’s final season as Music Director with ambition and style across our diverse output.

“We embark on the mammoth task of a new Ring cycle directed by Barrie Kosky, produce eight thrilling new productions across both our stages, continue our Covent Garden Handel odyssey, and – as we have for three hundred years – present the very finest singers and conductors working in the world today. This will be a season our audiences will love – and a fitting final bow for one of our most treasured ever colleagues.”

Royal Opera House across the UK

The Royal Opera and The Royal Ballet present 13 productions in 1500 cinemas across the globe next Season, including such beloved classics as Swan Lake and The Nutcracker and exciting new productions of Carmen, by Damiano Michieletto and Das Rheingold, by Barrie Kosky.

Message In A Bottle, the acclaimed dance theatre production by Sadler’s Wells Associate Artist Kate Prince, set to the music of Grammy Award-winning artist Sting, has also been filmed for cinema release in May 2024, in partnership with Sadler’s Wells and Universal Music UK. The international refugee crisis is at the centre of this production – an imagined story about one displaced family, and a universal story of loss, fear, survival, hope and love. Songs including ‘Every Breath You Take’, ‘Roxanne’, ‘Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic’ and ‘Fields of Gold’ feature in new arrangements.

This is on top of wider digital innovation as we make available 24 more productions on ROH Stream. These will include work from Wayne McGregor, and Joseph Toonga’s See Us, as well as The Royal Ballet’s new production of Cinderella. These will be supported by a raft of new behind-the-scenes films, interviews and performances, including a celebration of Antonio Pappano’s tenure as Music Director of The Royal Opera; a host of choreographic and vocal masterclasses; and exclusive World Ballet Day content, with rehearsals and insights from across its rich ten-year history.

We also announce our biggest, boldest and most impactful national learning programme to date, inspiring creativity of children and young people across the country. Our flagship Create & Learn programmes drive this national output, which sits alongside industry-leading talent development projects, a new partnership in South Yorkshire, with Rotherham, and a raft of daytime events, family activities and free concerts in our Covent Garden home.

In July, we unveil our first ever national Create Day, connecting more than 2,000 children across four locations around the country: Coventry, Doncaster, Thurrock and Covent Garden. Large scale events, connected via live broadcast, take place in each location and see participants perform pieces inspired by Crystal Pite’s Light of Passage, the culmination of months of work in schools around the UK. This will be expanded still further in 2024, with every school in the country being invited to take part, making it the largest shared cultural schools project ever hosted in the UK.

In Rotherham, we work with local partners to deliver a programme of activity with the aim of reaching every primary school in the region. The programme gives pupils aged 5-11 access to curriculum-linked lesson plans, in school workshops, the chance to see live performances at the Royal Opera House, and to participate in large-scale performance opportunities locally.

It features a collaboration with the Rotherham Music Service on a performance at Magna Science Adventure Centre in June 2024, with more than 1,400 primary school children performing alongside artists of the Royal Opera House in a unique celebration of art, learning and participation. The programme intends to support the creative confidence of teachers and young people in the run up to Rotherham being the first Children’s Capital of Culture in 2025.

Following on from the great legacy of ROH Bridge, we also launch ROH East, a dedicated new programme which works in Levelling Up for Culture schools across the East of England, building confidence of teachers and inspiring creativity of young people across Essex, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and North Kent. We also celebrate the tenth anniversary of Thurrock Trailblazer, which has delivered arts initiatives to almost 100,000 children and young people in 57 schools across the region to date.

At home in Covent Garden

Following this Season’s programme of work in support of Ukraine and those displaced by the war, we continue to work with the displaced Ukrainian community inspiring hope through the collective act of singing. This builds on work undertaken across the 2022/23 Season with the Ukrainian community in London. This included the Songs for Ukraine project, as well as dedicated performances from both The Royal Ballet and The Royal Opera, which helped to raise £450,000 for Disasters Emergency Committee’s Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal.

Young ROH goes from strength-to-strength in its third year, with 10,000 tickets made available to 16–25-year-olds for just £30. The scheme has helped attract younger audiences, which now make up the single largest audience group at the Royal Opera House. This programme sits alongside six whole house Schools’ Matinees, offered at a heavily discounted rate to state school children, and the Paul Hamlyn Christmas Treat, offering a specially-invited audience the chance to see The Nutcracker in our first ever relaxed performance on the Main Stage. We will welcome more than 10,000 young people up and down the country as part of this project.

147 events take place in Covent Garden including 16 free Live at Lunch performances and 40 Insights, offering a unique behind-the scenes look at our resident companies. Many of these are broadcast online for free. We also unveil our biggest programme of guided tours to date, offering 11 unique behind-the-curtain experiences which promise to build on the more than 50,000 tour guests we welcomed last Season. This includes high teas, a look at our second home at the High House Production Park in Thurrock, and curated histories of the Royal Opera House through the lens of Pride and International Women’s Day.

We unveil a host of thought-provoking free exhibitions and displays throughout next Season which bring our spaces to life and invite audiences to delve deeper behind the scenes. These include a celebration of the huge talent that was Maria Callas, celebrating the centennial of her birth, and a dedicated exhibition by photographer Mary McCartney who captured exclusive behind the scenes images of Wayne McGregor’s critically acclaimed ballet The Dante Project. There will also be commemorative displays of beautiful historical costumes including a celebration of the centenary of Nicholas Georgiadis who designed sumptuous costumes for Kenneth MacMillan ballets including Manon and Mayerling.

Nurturing Talent

We continue our efforts to offer new projects that develop future talent and drive diversity across both of our art forms and the industry. Following the success of our Pilot Orchestra Mentorship programme in 2022/23, we launch ‘Overture’ in partnership with Black Lives in Music, continuing to work with young musicians aged 18-25 from the global majority or other underrepresented backgrounds to provide essential mentoring tailored to the participants’ individual needs while enhancing skill sets, insight and training in the classical music field.

Over the Season, we run six more Creative Exchanges with community groups around London, providing a creative space for Royal Opera House artists and external participants to come together, share their experiences and create their own work inspired by ballet and opera stories.

Chance to Dance, our flagship programme aimed at giving primary school children from areas with limited artistic provision their first opportunity to engage creatively with ballet, expands to include five areas, and the Youth Opera Company, our in-house chorus of 50+ state school children, perform in two main stage productions: Cavalleria rusticana/Pagliacci and Carmen.

The Jette Parker Artists recruit an additional seven international artists to take their first steps on the international stage; and we welcome our biggest ever cohort of apprentices (15) into a range of departments across the organisation- including roles in costume, lighting, technical and production, IT, and marketing.

The Cellist_The Royal Ballet, ROH Covent Garden, Choreography: Cathy Marston , The Cellist; Lauren Cuthbertson, The Conductor; Matthew Ball, The Instrument; Marcelino Sambe Scenario; Cathy Marston and Edward Kemp, Music;Philip Feeney, Designer;Hildegard Bechtler, Costume designer;Bregje van Balen, Lighting designer; Jon Clark,

Alex Beard, Chief Executive of the Royal Opera House, said: “I am delighted to introduce our extraordinary 2023/24 Season – a Season packed with bold and exciting new work and much-loved revivals, alongside the biggest and most impactful programme of national learning work in our history.

“We make full use of our iconic Covent Garden home with a full schedule of daytime events, tours, exhibitions and artistic insights, and continue to secure the future of ballet and opera with our ongoing programme of talent development and innovative creative partnerships.”

Join us in person, watch in cinemas, via ROH Stream, or experience our work through programmes country wide. Tickets are from £9 across the Season.

Performing arts students take centre stage in spring spectacular

Scotland’s freshest performers tread the boards at top Edinburgh venues

GIFTED STUDENTS at one of Scotland’s leading performing arts schools will take to the stage in a captivating spring showcase to flaunt their singing, dancing and acting skills.

In a series of highly entertaining performances, The MGA Academy will be showcasing the graduating class of 2023 as they perform well known shows including Jekyll and Hyde, Little Women and Jerry’s Girls alongside a Triple Bill of fantastic choreography, promising an unforgettable experience for audiences.

The Academy firmly believes in the educational value of students performing in front of live audiences and it is an integral part of its philosophy to offer the chance to put students’ learned skills into practice within a professional setting.

Marcella Macdonald, Principal of The MGA Academy, said: “Live performance is at the heart of everything we do here at the MGA Academy so we encourage all musical and theatre lovers to come along to watch the fantastic performances in the flesh.

“It’s so important for our students to have the opportunity to showcase their talents and for their family, friends and the general public to enjoy the fruits of their labour, especially after a challenging few years for the industry.

“We’re hoping to see a great turn out from the general public and they snap up tickets for one or more performances to support our students, who are some of the most exciting and driven young performers in Scotland.”

The spring showcase series will kick off on Thursday, 4 May with a radical reimagination of Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic Jekyll and Hyde, which will see the BA Hons Acting Class of 2023 portray the clash between civilised Victorian London and seedy Soho in a story of scientific experimentation.

Directed by Becky Hope Palmer, performances of the Edinburgh-inspired tale will be held at Assembly Roxy on Thursday, 4 May at 7.30pm, Friday, 5 May at 7.30pm, and twice on Saturday, 6 May at 2.30pm and 7.30pm.

For dance enthusiasts, a Triple Bill performance will be a showcasing of three exciting dance pieces devised by three different choreographers. While for those with a musical theatre interest can expect impressive performances of Little Women and Jerry Girls by MGA’s Musical Theatre cohort.

Marcella added: “The spring showcase is one of the school’s largest performance projects of the year and it really demonstrates the level of skills our aspiring performers have learned throughout their time with us – it is definitely not one to miss!”

The MGA Academy of Performing Arts was established in 2005 to provide a platform for aspiring performers to remain in Scotland while studying at a level equivalent to prestigious London colleges.

The performing arts school is Scotland’s only full accredited vocational college, holding Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA), Council of Dance, Drama and Musical Theatre (CDMT) and Imperial Society for the Teachers of Dance (ISTD) certifications and also has a partnership with Bath Spa University to offer full-time degrees.

Find out more about the events on offer and buy tickets here: https://www.themgaacademy.com/shows-and-events/productions/

Learn more about the MGA Academy here: https://www.themgaacademy.com/

Resident Proves She Is On Pointe At Swan Lake 

Resident, Sandy Alexander a 95 year old lady at Strachan House had always wanted to return to watch the ballet so staff at the home made her wish a reality.

Sandy was an accomplished ballet dancer in her younger years and fondly talks of her younger dancing days mainly in Rugby, Warwickshire.

Sandy Alexander has lived at Strachan House for a number of years and is beloved by staff and residents alike. Staff at the home were delighted to be a part of making her dream come true, as they knew how much it meant to her, and they all wanted to be there to see the smile on Sandy’s face as she was surprised with a trip to watch Swan Lake performed by the Birmingham Royal Ballet at the Festival Theatre in Edinburgh.

Staff first found out about Sandys dream as she had always spoke about her time as a ballet dancer. She takes part in many exercise classes at the home and it was clear how much she loved being a dancer with her moves and chat about how she was On Pointe.

Ever since learning about Sandy’s passion they have been dedicated to helping her achieve it her dream of returning to the ballet. Sandywas also accompanied by staff, who were there in support of this momentous occasion.

In response to this wonderful surprise, Sandy said: “It was amazing and I never thought I’d ever see the ballet again. The powerful music and dancers just filled me with memories that came flooding back of my time preforming. It truly was an amazing surprise and one I won’t forget”

Gordon Philp, General Manager at the home, said: “We want everyone we care for to know how important they are to us here at Strachan House. It was so nice to see how happy Sandy was – and the staff loved being a part of this as well.”

Strachan House care home is run by Barchester Healthcare, one of the UK’s largest care providers, which is committed to delivering personalised care across its care homes and hospitals. Strachan House provides residential care, nursing care and dementia care for 83 residents from respite care to long term stays.

Mother’s Day: Mother and daughter share a passion for dance

This Mother’s Day, mother and daughter Aileen Robertson and Eilidh McMillian share stories about their special time performing together at the iconic Edinburgh Castle Esplanade as part of The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo. 

Connected through their family bond and mutual love of dance, they have been involved with the Tattoo for many years, with Eilidh having performed on the iconic Edinburgh Castle Esplanade and Aileen leading the Tattoo Dancers as Dance Director since 2014.

A previous Champion Dancer, Eilidh first performed at the Tattoo in 2014 and performed with the illustrious Show for three years before becoming the Dance Captain working alongside her mum. For both Aileen and Eilidh, dance is a central component of their lives, and the opportunity to be part of the world-famous Tattoo is a career highlight.

Speaking about her experience at the Tattoo, Eilidh said: “I danced for the first time when my Mum took over in 2014 and I absolutely loved it and have great memories.

“After I became Dance Captain, I made a very good reserve dancer for the team and in fact was required to dance in the Show most recently in 2018.”

Aileen added: “The Tattoo is always a highlight every year and I’m always excited to see the Show coming together. 

“It is great to work with a talented team of people to produce the show. It’s exciting to feel the buzz from the audience as they arrive onto the Esplanade. You are surrounded by excitement and an audience waiting in anticipation to view the Show.”

It has never been a challenge for Aileen and Eilidh to work together. Eilidh explains that like all her dance classmates, she had to prove that she wanted to dance for herself and earn her place in the team. Being able to work together at the Tattoo was a special time for them both, as they were able to share in and experience the diversity and the global connection that the Tattoo brings.

Aileen continued: “We both have a passion for what we do, and working together is always great fun. We have a close relationship so I can rely on her loyalty and commitment, both professionally and personally. She is always by my side if I need her.”

When not supporting the production of the Tattoo, Aileen can be found at her own Dance School in Ayr running classes four nights a week. She is also a Fellow and Examiner of the Scottish Dance Teachers’ Alliance (SDTA), a Life Member of the British Association of Teachers of Dancing (BATD) and an Adjudicator on the Worldwide Panel of Adjudicators of the Royal Scottish Official Board of Highland Dancing.

Eilidh works closely with her mother teaching full-time at the Dance School, covering all classes when Aileen is overseas or on Tattoo business. Like her mother, Eilidh is a Fellow and Examiner of the SDTA and an Adjudicator on the Worldwide Panel of Adjudicators of the Royal Scottish Official Board of Highland Dancing.

A mother herself to two-year-old Thomas, Eilidh concluded: “Everything good about me, came from my mum. If I can be half the mother that she is, I will consider motherhood a success.”

The special connection, sparkling creativity, and outstanding talent that Aileen and Eilidh both bring to the Tattoo shines through in their contribution to each rehearsal, performance, and Show. As the Tattoo prepares to bring Stories to the Edinburgh Castle Esplanade this coming August, Aileen and Eilidh’s story is a reminder of what the Tattoo represents.

Jason Barrett, Chief Operating Officer of The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, said: “This year’s Tattoo Show Stories brings people together from every corner of the world to share tales of the joy of each other’s cultures.

“It’s the people, like Aileen and Eilidh, that truly bring the Tattoo story to life and come together to make, build, and strengthen relationships each and every August.

“Under the stars at the landmark Edinburgh Castle Esplanade, our performers – our very own Tattoo family – will bring a collection of unique stories and experiences this August that will delight audiences near and far.”

Stories will run from 4-26 August 2023, featuring the military at the heart of the showcase with the Royal Air Force confirmed as the lead service.

Audiences can expect the magnificent sounds of the Massed Pipes and Drums filling up the Esplanade alongside performances from the incredibly talented Tattoo Pipes and Drums and Tattoo Dancers.

Further details about Stories will be announced in the coming months.

To purchase tickets for the summer’s Show, visit edintattoo.co.uk/tickets or call 0131 225 1188.

Edinburgh Tradfest programme launched

Edinburgh Tradfest has launched its 2023 programme of traditional live music, storytelling, dance, workshops, talks, ceilidhs, and special events taking place at various venues across the city, thanks to continued support from The National Lottery through Creative Scotland and the William Grant Foundation.

Over the 11 days of the Festival, hundreds of artists and musicians will perform, including American folk singer, two-time winner, and six-time Grammy nominee Rhiannon Giddens with Francesco Turrisi, who will kick off the festival at the Assembly Rooms on Friday 28 Aprilsupported by special guests Roo Geddes and Neil Sutcliffe.

Over the opening weekend the programme is packed with music, dance, song, and special events including a screening of award-winning documentary film Heading West: a story about a band called Shooglenifty; performances from Orcadian powerhouse FARA, legendary pipers Rona Lightfoot and Allan Macdonald, Austro-British, singer-songwriter, folk-punk musician Alicia Edelweiss; tenor banjo player Ciaran Ryan and his band; and live music (Fri-Sun) until late at the Traverse Theatre Bar. 

Plus, at the Scottish Storytelling Centre, the festival kicks off with the return of Pomegranates – a weekend of dance, performance, and workshops run by the Traditional Dance Forum of Scotland to celebrate International Dance Day (29 April); and the second North Atlantic Song Convention run by the Traditional Music Forum takes place, with delegates from around the world gathering in Edinburgh to celebrate and learn about our rich song traditions. 

Unmissable highlights continue during the first weekwith Two for Joy a new piece of music commissioned specifically for the festival, composed and arranged by award-winning harpist Ailie Robertson, and performed by Neil Sutcliffe, Alice Allen, Alastair Savage, Josie Duncan, and Heather Cartwright. Two for Joy explores the use of birdsong in music and folklore, and the positive impact it can have on our mental health. 

Musicians also performing during the first week are BBC Radio Scotland Young Musician of the Year 2023 Amy Laurenson with her newly formed trio; Mississippi Delta songbird Bronwynne Brent who was crowned Female Vocalist of The Year by Americana UK in 2019; Swedish nyckelharpa player Fredy Clue; America’s masters of old-time, bluegrass, classic country and Cajun music The Foghorn Stringband; trailblazing cellist Juliette Lemoine(who counts SAY-award winning pianist Fergus McCreadie among her A-list backing band); award-winning singer and composer Kim Carnie; Northumbria’s Kathryn Tickell OBEwho has twice won ‘Musician of the Year’ at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, performing with her band The Darkening; and Gnawa musician Omar Afif in a collaboration with local sax wizard Steve Kettley. 

At the Scottish Storytelling Centre the week one programme is packed with fantastic events including a talk on naturalist Nan Shepherd (author of The Living Mountain) conducted by Erlend Clouston; a performance by the Scots Opera Project of the acclaimed The Seal-Woman written by Marjory Kennedy-Fraser and Granville Bantock in 1924; Shapeshifters which returns with more terrifying and tragic folktales from Scotland including the Seal Killer of Duncansby Head and Saba the deer mother told by storyteller Fiona Herbert with song, harp and fiddle from Emma Durkan; open-floor storytelling at the Waverley Bar with Ailsa Dixon; and for younger audiences, folklorist Allison Galbraith will be telling stories from her latest collection Funny Folk Tales for Children. Plus, to celebrate Deaf Awareness Week, Solar Bear will present a panel discussion and a series of new films created and developed over the last three years exploring deaf folklore, deaf identity and disability. 

Week two of the Festival also offers a packed programme including spring ceilidhs at the Scottish Storytelling Centre; the traditional May Day March – Fighting Back Together (6 May) which travels down the Royal Mile culminating in a rally against unjust labour laws and the cost of living crisis at The Pleasance; a performance of the ancient and much-loved border ballad of Thomas the Rhymer narrated by Julia Munrow and with music by John Sampson; tales of bees, birds, and international stories performed by Susan Strauss (Oregon, USA) chosen from her book Tree with Golden Apples; the launch of Stuart McHardy’s new book The Nine Maidens: Priestesses of the Ancient World;and Donald Smith presenting his recently published Storm and Shore a bardsaga for our times, reflecting our need for contemporary solace and sanctuary close to nature.

At the Traverse the musical talent continues with a Hands Up For Trad concert for #WorldPlayAStrathyspeyDay (6 May) with musicians Graham Mackenzie, Madeleine Stewart, Rory Matheson and Adam Sutherland performing a mix of trad strathspeys, reels, marches and the official strathspey written for the new king; a performance by Rory Matheson and Graham Rorie whose album We Have Won The Land celebrates the success of the Assynt Crofter’s Trust in buying back the North Lochinver Estate from a Swedish land speculator 30 years ago; music from daughter/father duo Dirk and Amelia Powell from Louisiana who bring their deeply rooted Cajun, Appalachian and original sounds to the festival for the first time; nu-folk singer-songwriter and ukulele musician Zoë Bestel; 2022 MG ALBA Musician of The Year nominee fiddle player Ryan Young; the Edinburgh Folk Club returning with husband and wife combo Jim and Susie Malcolm; and, to close the festival, award-winning musical geniuses Ross Ainslie (Treacherous Orchestra, Salsa Celtica) and Tim Edey (Chieftains) will raise the roof with an unmissable festival finale of foot-stomping tunes topped with great banter. 

This year the festival also presents its first ETF Spotlight which will showcase some of the most exciting new performers emerging in folk and traditional music today including high energy folk band Falasgair; guitarist and singer-songwriter Heather Cartwright; folk musician and activist Maddie Morris; and the Madeleine Stewart Trio which includes Rory Matheson (piano) and Craig Baxter (bodhran).

Throughout the Festival there will also be workshops for all levels including the Edinburgh Youth Gaitherin weekend for 13-18 year olds; Cajun and Appalachian tunes/songs with Dirk and Amelia Powell, fiddle tunes with Ryan Young, a Shetland tunes workshop with Amy Laurenson; and storytelling with international storyteller Susan Strauss (Oregon USA).

Finally, Edinburgh Tradfest is delighted to host this year’s Rebellious Truth lecture/recital presented in collaboration with Celtic and Scottish Studies at the University of Edinburgh, which will explore mental health issues in the music industry.

Led by Gaelic singer, composer, researcher and broadcaster Mischa Macpherson who will be joined on stage by Celtic and Scottish Studies musician-in-residence Fraser Fifield. This event is free but ticketed, and will be live-streamed.

Speaking at yesterday’s launch, Alan Morrison Head of Music at Creative Scotland said: “With its potent mix of music, dance, song and storytelling, Tradfest is a true reflection of Scottish culture – past, present and future.

“Newly commissioned work sits alongside favourites from the treasure trove of Scotland’s heritage, all of which is enriched by the international artists who are threaded through the programme. At a time when respect and tolerance for different cultures is under global threat, Tradfest offers a shining example of how we can celebrate both our shared humanity and our distinct traditions.”

Douglas Robertson and Jane-Ann Purdy, co-producers of Edinburgh Tradfest said: “We are super excited about the scope of this year’s festival, not to mention the quality of the performers from Scotland and overseas: from Grammy-winners to homegrown superstars; visiting virtuosos to emerging talent; tunes with centuries of tradition to new writing.

“We have it all. Every day of the festival is brimming with talent and we encourage everyone to connect with their favourites and try something new. You can be assured of a warm welcome.”

Steve Byrne, Director of TRACS (Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland): “TRACS is delighted to contribute a rich offering from across the traditional arts to this year’s Tradfest.

“The festival is a fantastic platform for singers, dancers, musicians and storytellers to follow in the great Edinburgh spring tradition of celebrating our traditional cultures both local and global.”  

Daniel Abercrombie, Programme & Events Manager, Scottish Storytelling Centre: “Tradfest is a chance for us to celebrate a range of traditional arts through live performance and participation.

“The Storytelling Centre’s programme has themes of nature and the environment running through it with ceilidhs, long-form storytelling, dance and song events, sitting alongside Celtic opera, BSL digital storytelling and family events. Something for everyone this spring!”

Musician Amy Laurenson said: “I’m delighted to be performing at this year’s Edinburgh Tradfest in May. It’s an absolute pleasure to be part of today’s event and to give everyone a taste of what to expect to hear from us.

“Winning Young Trad Musician of the Year was absolutely fantastic and I am super excited to see what the next year holds.”

Edinburgh Tradfest 2023 will run from Friday 28 April – Monday 8 May.

For tickets and more information visit edinburghtradfest.com   

Festival Fringe 2023: First tickets made available as 190 shows revealed

More shows to be announced in coming months, as one of the world’s best-loved celebrations of arts and culture returns

Today, Thursday 16 March, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society is delighted to announce that the first shows for the 2023 Edinburgh Festival Fringe will be available to book at edfringe.com.

This year’s Fringe takes place from 04 – 28 August 2023 and will feature an exciting range of shows, with theatre, comedy, music, dance, circus, musicals, variety, cabaret, events and more all represented in the programme.

Tickets for 190 shows will be released at 12:00 GMT today, with more shows set to be announced on Thursday 30 March and Thursday 11 May.

The official launch of the festival, including the reveal of the iconic printed programme, will take place on Thursday 08 June.

Below is a small representative sample of shows available to book from today. The full list of shows released today can be found at edfringe.com.

Commenting on today’s announcement, Shona McCarthy, Chief Executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, said: “Along with the programme launch and the first Friday in August, the announcement of the first batch of shows is one of those thrilling moments in the Fringe calendar.

“The whole Fringe community has been working behind the scenes to prepare for the festival for months now, but having actual shows to browse and book makes the build up to this year’s Fringe that bit more tangible.

“The Fringe is made possible due to a cast of thousands – artists, audiences, venue staff, industry, media, sponsors, partners and local businesses. It’s never too early to start planning a trip to the Fringe; booking early is also a brilliant way to support artists, to let them know there’s already an audience waiting for their show to come to Edinburgh.

“We’ll be announcing a lot more over the coming months, including details of our much-anticipated new app, so stay tuned!”

Theatre

At theSpaceUK, Call me Elizabeth joins Elizabeth Taylor in ‘an intimate look at the movie star’s early life, career, and loves as she grapples with the culture of celebrity and her place as Hollywood’s brightest star’. In Gilbert and Sullivan’s Nightmare at Greenside, we join Old Adam on awards night, ‘hoping he might just get the recognition he deserves’. Audience participation such as ‘sharing a memory and joining in with songs’ is encouraged at Memories of the Early 1950s (Just the Tonic). Combining drag, multimedia, audience interaction, puppetry and a lot of queer joy’, Diana: The Untold and Untrue Story is at Pleasance.

At C venues, Love is Blue follows Olly, a hard-drinking city trader recovering from the death of his boyfriend, who has ‘a chance encounter with homeless teenager Aaron’. Making History by Stephen Fry (St Ninian’s Hall) is ‘the first-ever stage adaptation of the 1996 novel’ in which a student and a physicist discover ‘they have the power to alter history and eradicate a great evil’. At The Stand’s New Town Theatre, Agent November’s Indoor Escape Game – Murder Mr E is a ‘unique blend of immersive escape room and murder mystery’.

Comedy

Chloe Petts is at Pleasance with her new show, If You Can’t Say Anything Nice, and Grace Campbell is offering A Show About More Me(n) at Gilded Balloon. JoJo Pat is Sober and Alive at Just the Tonic, The Sheraton Grand Hotel is offering its Pick of the Fringe and Marjolein Robertson is presenting Marj at The Stand Comedy Club. At theSpaceUK, Escape Velocity presents ‘an anecdotal, confessional, funny story of a rocket scientist’s journey through sex addiction’.

Some famous folk off the telly are coming to the Fringe this year: Frank Skinner and Gyles Brandreth will be at Assembly, Geoff Norcott is at Underbelly, Gary: Tank Commander will be at Gilded Balloon, and the Pleasance will welcome Adam Kay and Paul Merton (the latter alongside his Impro Chums).

Familiar Fringe faces will also be in attendance: Susie McCabe and Jason Byrne are at Assembly, Daniel Sloss plays the Edinburgh Playhouse, Rhod Gilbert performs his latest work in progress at Gilded Balloon and Danny Bhoy, James Nokise and Jo Caulfield are at The Stand Comedy Club.  Ensemble-wise, Sh!t-faced Shakespeare and Showstopper! The Improvised Musical are both at Pleasance this year.  You’ll be able to catch at least two Fringe shows online this year: Agatha Is Missing, ‘fun-filled murder mystery’, while The Woke Box is ‘a parody Gogglebox about two slobby Pakistani brothers getting brainwashed by an evil TV’.

Music

A Certain Edge is a ‘singer-songwriter, turncoat-musician collective’ blending influences ‘from Bacharach to Bach, Steely Dan to Dylan’ – catch them at the Acoustic Music Centre @ UCC.  At Novotel, Jazz at Lunchtime offers what it says on the tin: a ‘saxophone and piano duo, playing jazz standards and melodic originals in a comfortable, intimate jazz club setting’.  

Singer-songwriter Dean Friedman brings his Words and Music to St Andrew’s and St George’s West, George St, with a back catalogue featuring ‘Ariel’, ‘Lucky Stars’, ‘Lydia’, ‘Woman of Mine’, ‘Rocking Chair’ and ‘McDonald’s Girl’ among others.

Craig Herbertson, Edinburgh singer and songwriter, ‘presents a celebration in song and story of Edinburgh’ in Craig on the Cliff at St Cuthbert’s Church, while ‘South Australian musician/songwriter William Jack presents a free (non-ticketed) multi-style cello recital’, This Old Cello Box, at St Giles’ Cathedral. theSpaceUK is hosting a plethora of different Night Owl productions inspired by music stars of yesteryear, including Amy Winehouse, Aretha Franklin, Billy Joel, Blondie, Carol King and James Taylor, Whitney Houston and more.

Cabaret and variety

La Clique are back at this year’s Fringe, ‘featuring the best of circus, comedy and cabaret’ at Underbelly, while ‘cabaret legend and variety artiste’ Ada Campe will be Naval Gazing at The Stand’s New Town Theatre. Just the Tonic is offering a Best of Cabaret lineup of ‘an all-star diverse rotating cast of international and regional seasoned artists in the genre’, and Dom Chambers: A Boy and His Deck at Assembly offers ‘exotic acts that connect alternative circus with the dark arts of underground burlesque and cabaret’.

Over at Gilded Balloon, JezO’s Car-Crash Magic Show is an ‘unusual blend of comedy, audience participation and magic’, while theSpaceUK hosts ‘magical legend’ The Great Baldini as he uncovers Illusionati – A Magical Conspiracy.

Dance, physical theatre and circus

Dance teacher and caller Ken Gourlay leads you through some Ceilidhs (Scottish Dancing) at 9 Queen Street.  Returning to the Fringe are The Black Blues Brothers, ‘five unleashed acrobats’ performing their comedy tribute to the cult movie – they’re at Assembly Rooms.

The Centrepiece Global Sacred Circle Dance, Lighting up the World with Dance is at Craigmillar Park Church, offering ‘sacred, circle and traditional dances which bring communities together’.

Children’s shows

Fringe regular Marcel Lucont brings Les Enfants Terribles – A Gameshow For Awful Children to Assembly, which is also where you’ll find The Mighty Kids Beatbox Comedy Show Strikes Back!  Pinocchio! The Panto is at theSpaceUK, as the titular puppet ‘learns some hard lessons about what it takes to be a real boy’. At Underbelly, Trash Test Dummies is an ‘award-winning, side-splitting, slapstick comedy circus routine’ about household bins.

Musicals and opera

Potty the Plant at Gilded Balloon is a ‘new dark-comedy musical starring Potty, a singing, talking, tap-dancing pot plant’. Blue Morpho at Greenside tells the story of Juliane Koepcke, a teenager in the 1970s who survived a plane-crash and 11 days in the Amazon. theSpaceUK boasts several musical adaptations including Frozen Jr, Shrek Jr and Oscar Wilde’s The Canterville Ghost. And Boys in the Buff at C venues explores issues around body confidence, with two ‘clothing optional’ performances on 15 and 22 August.

TONY! [The Tony Blair Rock Opera] by Harry Hill and Steve Brown is at the Pleasance.  Another Afternoon at the Opera with Brian Bannatyne-Scott and Friends is at St Andrew’s and St George’s West, George St, offering ‘an enchanting concert of operatic highlights’.

Spoken word

Alice Hawkins – Suffragette at the Arthur Conan Doyle Centre is ‘a stirring and passionate account’ of the early-1900s feminist delivered by her great-grandson Peter. In Loft Clearance at Greenside we join Eileen ‘as she rummages through a hundred years’ worth of possessions’ in her loft.

Edinburgh dance school grabs top awards at major UK competition

Pupils and instructors at Edinburgh Dance Academy (EDA) have taken top honours at a prestigious British Isles dance competition staged in Blackpool over the weekend.

The highly-regarded dance school – whose past pupils include the 2019 winner of BBC’s The Greatest Dancer, Ellie Fergusson – was named as the Highest Ranked Dance Studio in the UK and Ireland for the second year running at the Dance Inspirations event.

EDA’s Jenni Inglis (above) also won the Most Inspirational Choreography award for the second year in a row and EDA dancer Kiera Anderson received top prize in the Most Dedication, Passion and Talent award category.

The Dance Inspirations competition featured over a total of 3000 acts from over 100 dance schools from across the UK and Ireland in their regional heats ahead of the final in Blackpool, where a total of 317 acts competed for the top prize.

Several EDA dancers also picked up accolades for their performances including being named Overall Winner and taking 1st place for their contemporary piece “Shout” by Empara Mi.

The winning group secured £1000 prize money for their award-winning routine with the proceeds going towards funding their trip to represent Scotland in the Dance World Cup competition being staged in Portugal in June.

Julie Mitchell, Principal and Founder at EDA, said: “I’m so proud of Jenni and our fantastic dancers who all performed incredibly in this highly competitive event.

“Achieving this success across so many categories for the second year really underlines the commitment and dedication of both our pupils and our team.

“We now look forward to taking part in June’s Dance World Cup in Portugal where EDA competitors will proudly fly the flag for Scotland.”

Start 2023 with the best of  Royal Opera House Stream

  • 6 new recordings launched between January and April
  • The Royal Ballet: The Cellist, Romeo and Juliet and Sylvia
  • The Royal Opera: La traviata, Fidelio and Madama Butterfly

This New Year, the Royal Opera House will add six new performances to Royal Opera House Stream for audiences around the world to enjoy: The Cellist, Romeo and Juliet and Sylvia from The Royal Ballet; and La traviata, Fidelio and Madama Butterfly from The Royal Opera.

The new titles join a library of over 50 beloved productions and over 100 behind-the-scenes videos, giving audiences an opportunity to discover more by the artists they love, and watch world-class art wherever they are.

The year kicks off with a recording of Cathy Marston’s extraordinary one-act ballet The Cellist (2020).

The production – the choreographer’s first work for the Royal Opera House’s Main Stage – is a lyrical memoir of the momentous life of the cellist Jacqueline du Pré, whose brilliant career was cut short by the onset of multiple sclerosis at the age of 28.

Composer Philip Feeney incorporates music by Elgar, Beethoven, Fauré, Mendelssohn, Piatti, Rachmaninoff and Schubert into an exquisite score that is itself an homage to the cello. This multi award-winning production stars Royal Ballet Principals Lauren Cuthbertson, Marcelino Sambé and Matthew Ball.

On Thursday 19 January 2023, our latest revival of Verdi’s ever popular La traviata arrives on Royal Opera House Stream.

Richard Eyre’s production, with sumptuous belle époque-inspired designs by Bob Crowley, has long been a Royal Opera favourite, winning critical acclaim for its exquisite sets, lavish costumes, and unforgettably dramatic staging.

The performance (recorded in 2022) is sung by a truly international cast that includes Pretty Yende as Violetta Valéry, Stephen Costello as Alfredo Germont and Dimitri Platanias as Giorgio Germont.

February begins with the release of Tobias Kratzer’s production of Beethoven’s only opera, Fidelio (2020), with Music Director of The Royal Opera Antonio Pappano conducting a spectacular cast led by Lise Davidsen and David Butt Philip.

Then, on Valentine’s Day 2023, Romeo and Juliet will be made available. Kenneth MacMillan’s classic adaptation of Shakespeare’s play – set to Prokofiev’s iconic score and featuring evocative designs by Nicholas Georgiadis – has remained a firm favourite of The Royal Ballet’s repertory since its premiere in 1965, which was danced by Rudolf Nureyev and Margot Fonteyn.

The production offers dancers in the lead roles a wealth of opportunity for differing interpretations of the star-crossed lovers.

Two further new productions will be available from March: Frederick Ashon’s ballet Sylvia (2005), starring former Royal Ballet Principal Darcey Bussell and Guest Artist Roberto Bolle; and Puccini’s devastating opera Madama Butterfly (2022), conducted by Nicola Luisotti and sung by a stunning cast that includes acclaimed Italian soprano Maria Agresta as Cio-Cio-San, American tenor Joshua Guerrero as Lieutenant B.F Pinkerton, Spanish Baritone Carlos Álvarez as Sharpless, and English mezzo-soprano Christine Rice as Suzuki.

All Royal Opera House Stream productions come complete with extra wraparound material – interviews, masterclasses, rehearsal footage and more – giving audiences a unique behind the scenes insight into one of the world’s leading theatres.

Royal Opera House Stream currently hosts over 50 stunning works from The Royal Ballet and The Royal Opera, with highlights including Wayne McGregor’s The Dante Project, Katie Mitchell’s production of Handel’s Theodora, Frederick Ashton’s La fille mal gardée, Christopher Wheeldon’s The Winter’s Tale and Puccini’s Tosca.

In addition to the 100+ pieces of behind-the-scenes content already online, further features – ranging from rehearsal footage to interviews and masterclasses – will be made available across 2023 for subscribers to enjoy.

Join today to watch the world’s greatest performers, emerging talent, leading choreographers and trailblazing creative teams from the comfort of your own home. From family favourites and modern masterpieces to heartbreaking arias and passionate pas-de-deux, Royal Opera House Stream offers it all: truly transformative experiences for only £9.99 a month or £99 annually.

Whatever your interest – whether classical or contemporary – there’s a breadth of content for you.

New productions from March 2023 will be announced over the coming months.

Royal Ballet’s acclaimed Like Water for Chocolate in cinemas in New Year

This New Year, The Royal Ballet’s Like Water for Chocolate will be broadcast to 909 cinemas in 33 countries around the world.

The critically acclaimed production is choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon, the Company’s Artistic Associate, and inspired by Laura Esquivel’s captivating novel of the same name.

Like Water for Chocolate follows the story of Tita, whose emotions spill out through her cooking and influence those around her in startling and dramatic ways.

The production reunited Wheeldon with the creative team who transformed Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (2011) and The Winter’s Tale (2014) into dance – composer Joby Talbot, designer Bob Crowley, and lighting designer Natasha Katz. Mexican conductor Alondra de la Parra acted as musical consultant, and Esquivel worked closely with the team to reshape her richly layered story into an entertaining and engrossing new ballet.

Wheeldon is celebrated for his expressive choreography and theatricality, and has worked extensively with the world’s leading dance companies.

In 2014, he directed and choregraphed the stage version of the musical An American in Paris, and recently directed and choreographed MJ The Musical, which opened on Broadway in 2022. Both productions won Tony Awards. Like Water for Chocolate is his third full-length work for The Royal Ballet.

The cinema broadcast on Thursday 19 January 2023 stars Principal dancer Francesca Hayward as Tita, Principal dancer Marcelino Sambé as Pedro, and Mexican musician Tomás Barreiro on guitar.

Encore screenings will run from Sunday 22 January 2023.

Our cinema programme has brought opera and ballet to audiences across the globe since 2008. For the 2022/23 Season, an astonishing 13 productions from The Royal Ballet and The Royal Opera will be broadcast to more than 1,300 cinemas from the UK all the way to New Zealand.

Each broadcast offers audiences the best seat in the house, and includes exclusive behind-the-scenes footage, interviews and insights into the rehearsal process.

The programme forms an integral part of our plan to secure our future, expand audiences and continue to help facilitate the vital recovery of cinema domestically and internationally.