Back for its fifth year, with a new Chief of Engagement and a new Creative Director, Army @ The Fringe is poised to provoke public discussion through plays, art, poetry, and talks programmed to act as a foil to the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, showing the Army in a different, unexpected light.
As the Fringe emerges from Covid, Army @ The Fringe is playing its part in recovery. None of its visiting artists pay rent to perform in the venue, which keeps ticket prices affordable and means over a quarter of shows are free or pay what you want.
For the first time Army @ The Fringe has commissioned research and development works and play readings. Some are being performed by graduands from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland which sees their Fringe Debuts fully funded.
Lt. Col Hugo Clark MBE, who is responsible for Military Engagement across the whole of Scotland, is no stranger to Edinburgh and its festivals, having Commanded Edinburgh Garrison and the Military aspects of the Royal Edinburgh Tattoo for three years.
Lt. Col Clark said: “We’re trialing lots of initiatives to reach new audiences. For instance, we’re working with the University of Dundee to offer free tickets to humanities students from Scottish Secondary Schools up to 90 minutes from Edinburgh for productions and post show talks about history and international relations.
“We’re also collaborating with Scotland’s new Centre for Military Research, Education and Public Engagement at Edinburgh Napier University on a programme of post-show talks about veterans, spouses and mental health.
“In a year where the Fringe is on its way to recovery by having 80% of its 2019 programme, I’m pleased to support this by increasing our own capacity by 60% from last year through innovative programming and deploying a team who really have pulled out the stops to support this logistically.”
Leading the Creative Direction of Army at the Fringe is veteran producer, writer and artist Harry Ross who brings over two decades of experience to the artistic programme. He is also a serving Reservist, part of a new direction for Army @ The Fringe which will see soldiers start to play a more interactive role in creating work.
Interestingly, the venue in Hepburn House, an Army Reserve Centre on East Claremont Street, a fifteen-minute walk from Fringe Central, has some pedigree for artistic soldiers – two of Scotland’s well known modernist painters, Francis Caddell RSA and William Geissler enlisted into the Royal Scots at Hepburn House in the 20th Century.
Harry Ross said: “I rejoined the Army reserve as part of Artistic Research I am undertaking into the Hagiography of the Highland Warrior at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, University of Dundee.
“As part of the University’s ethical approval process, I had to explain what I was doing to my military superiors who have been exceptionally supportive of my research. When I was asked by HQ Army in Scotland to help Army @ The Fringe, I felt it was a way of returning that support.
“I’m no stranger to life in the British Army, my father commissioned half a century ago and retired in 2006. Today’s army is very different to the one I grew up next to, and I hope that my programme reflects the values of a contemporary, diverse, and moral organization that the British Army seeks to become, with plays that accentuate how the moral component is key to an army that needs its soldiers to be reflective on choices made during service and respectful of all communities.”
The arts have always been interwoven with the British Army and cultural influences are reflected in works of art and poetry that soldier artists have created on their return from operations overseas, and music that has been composed during and after conflict.
As part of Army @ The Fringe’s strategy to present more work outside central Edinburgh, the art of conflict will be in the spotlight at a special concert of chamber music composed by 20th and 21st century composers at war, and Edinburgh Napier University Music Students that will be presented by members of the Band of the Royal Regiment of Scotland at the War Poets Collection, Edinburgh Napier University, Craiglockhart Campus on 28th August.
Soldiers creating works of art and music is one element of how the army interacts with the arts, another important interaction is that all soldiers must understand how to protect cultural property. This is not just the physical works of art or architecture but also the intangible heritage of oral history, performing arts, the values, traditions, and identities of communities.
“The Baltic Countries have a UNESCO Protected Intangible Heritage in their music and dance festivals. The one in Estonia is known as Laupupidu”, said Lieutenant Colonel Wendy Faux, the lead for arts in the Army for the last three years.
“The Kings Royal Hussars Battlegroup formed a choir whilst deployed in Tapa. They had a Russian Musical Director and performed with local choirs from the region around Tapa – in old Estonian.
“For me this was the coming together of communities through a mutual respect of music. It was interesting that many in the crowd could not believe the soldiers were singing in an old Estonian dialect that many of them would not attempt.”
It was this event along with the links Ross has nurtured over the years that has inspired a programme that brings together different voices through Intangible Heritage, with a highlight of the Poetry and Plays of young playwrights from the Baltic nations and modern writers from the Visegrád Group.
Continuing with the cultural heritage theme there are workshops and readings that investigate Scotland’s own linguistic diveristy, with an event exploring exploring why so many British Army units celebrate the Scots poet Robert Burns with senior non-commissioned officers form the Royal Regiment of Scotland, and a workshop on Gaelic war poetry produced in collaboration with the Scottish Poetry Library and led by Outlander’s very own Bard – Gillebrìde MacMillan.
Army @ The Fringe is also presenting two photographic exhibitions: – One is a remount of Alex Boyd’s acclaimed photographic exhibition at Stills Gallery – Tir An Airm (Land of the Army), that explores the largely unseen places in Scotland that are used to train our armed forces and those of our NATO allies.
The other is a retrospective of the work of prizewinning military photographer Bdr. Murray Kerr – To Spur a Running Horse, a collection of Portraits of veterans at rest and Officer Cadets in the field.
This year presents an opportunity for audiences and creatives to immerse themselves in a finely-honed programme of premières that bring the questions that really matter to light – what is our Army for; how do we train it; what are our values; how do we treat our veterans; who do we serve with and why; and what is our place in contemporary Scotland, the UK, and the wider world?
Look at our beautiful poster for our Festival Fringe production of Amanda Whittington’s Ladies Day! Designed by the multi talented Stephen, who is also the lighting and sound director for the production.
Work, love and life are just one long, hard slog for the fish-filleting foursome Pearl, Jan, Shelley and Linda. A day at the races to celebrate Pearl’s (not) retirement finds them looking for fame and fortune.
Dressed in their finest, they head off to the races for a drink, a flirt and a flutter. If their luck holds, they could hit the jackpot – and more besides. An exuberant, poignant comedy about female friendship and what fortune really means, come and join the ladies at the race course and share their story.
An amateur production In association with Nick Hern Books.
Please join us at Inverleith St Serf’s Church Centre,Clark Road, Edinburgh from Saturday 6 August. Tickets are now available from the Fringe Box Office.
Over 2,070 shows now available to browse online, with more to be announced monthly in the lead up to the Fringe’s 75th anniversary this August
Today (Thursday 5 May), the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society is delighted to announce that tickets for a further 1,281 Edinburgh Festival Fringe shows are now available to browse and book atedfringe.com.
This is the third set of tickets to be released for 2022, with the first 283 shows revealed in March and 796 in April.
In total, there are 2,074 shows now available, with more set to be announced on Thursday 09 June. The official programme launch will take place on Thursday 07 July.
The 75th anniversary of the Fringe takes place from 05 – 29 August 2022 and will feature an exciting range of shows, with theatre, comedy, music, dance, circus, musicals, variety, cabaret, events and more all featured in the programme so far.
Below is a small representative sample of shows available to book from today. The full list of shows released so far can be found at edfringe.com.
Theatre
Paines Plough return to Summerhall this August with a programme of work, including Caste-ing, which explores “the experiences of three black actresses using beatboxing, rap, song and spoken word”, Kathy and Stella Solve a Murder is “a true-crime podcast reframed as ‘a hilarious murder-mystery musical’”; and Feeling Afraid as If Something Terrible Is Going to Happen is “a dark new comedy about vulnerability, intimacy, ego and truth” starring Samuel Barnett, written by Marcelo Dos Santos and directed by Matthew Xia.
Hamlet with Ian McKellen features McKellen alongside Danish ballet dancer Peter Schaufuss in a new performance concept adapted from William Shakespeare’s play. It takes place at Ashton Hall, Saint Stephens Stockbridge.
Black Sheep at Assembly follows Livia: an aspiring circus star who uses “poetry, music and performance to speak about the challenges a Black woman faces when daring to move into her power”.
A Hundred Words for Snow follows a teenage girl on “a comic, complex, epic, undulating story” as she journeys to the North Pole with her father’s ashes. That’s at Leith Arches, as is Bits N’ Pieces, “an access-all-areas approach to working-class life and what it’s like to come of age at the height of Scotland’s drug crisis” by Saltire Sky.
Something About Productions present two biographical music shows at Assembly: Something About George deals with Beatles star George Harrison, while Something About Simon tackles the life and work of Paul Simon.
At the French Institute in Scotland you’ll find S-ex-iety, exploring the impact pornography has on the lives of “three roommates on an intense journey through the adult industry”.
Online, Ben Hur: The Theatre Show follows ‘a young prince’ whose eventful life includes slavery, revenge and an encounter with a man from Nazareth; while Outside the Gate is a dramedy about two mums meeting at the school gates, featuring an Iranian and an American living in Middle England.
Tinted at Gilded Balloon, “originally written as a disabled response to #MeToo”, examines bodily autonomy and consent from a blind woman’s perspective. At the same venue is Angel by Henry Naylor: an award-winning story of a female anti-ISIS sniper who allegedly has more than 100 kills to her name. Fans of Naylor can also catch the European premiere of Afghanistan Is Not Funny by Henry Naylor, a description of the playwright’s experiences in the war-torn region performed by the man himself.
Tamara Al-Bassam makes her Fringe debut with Able(ish) (Greenside), ‘a lighthearted monologue about one woman’s uphill struggle applying for disability support while coming to terms with her own strengths and limitations’. Also at Greenside, I just like you | a gay myth is “an intimate two-hander about the messy complexities of the contemporary gay dating experience.”
At Hill Street Theatre is Hey That’s My Wife!, a pastiche of 1950s Americana that follows two advertising executives as they navigate a tale as old as time: who’s sleeping with whose wife? Hill Street Theatre is also where you’ll find OCD Me, a one-woman comedy about what it’s like living with OCD, written and directed by Aisling Smith.
Theatre Paradok, “Edinburgh’s premiere experimental theatre society”, present Paradok Platform at Just the Tonic: ‘more than ten brand new experimental pieces of theatre, ranging from comedy and drama to musicals and movement’.
At Laughing Horse, Horrible History for Adults (Or Those That Think They Are!) offers “a zany mix of stand-up and historical reportage. Fearless lives, fearlessly lived from Lord Byron to Quentin Crisp”. Plus, Apradhini – Women Without Men is by India-based Theatre Nisha. Apradhini is ‘a collection of stories about women who have been incarcerated for life for crimes including armed robbery’ and murder.
Return to the Hiding Place, ‘Corrie Ten Boom’s biographical tale of forgiveness and reconciliation in the shadows of WW2’, is being staged at Palmerston Place Church, and focuses on a Dutch family hiding Jews in their small clock shop. Also at Palmerston Place Church is The Liberator, in which ‘a strange man radiating love’ upends normality in a corrupt, cynical environment. “How long before the powers that be crack down on this subversive, this quiet revolutionary, this liberator?”
Emil Ferzola stars in Bathroom of a Bar on Bleecker (Paradise in The Vault), the “tragicomic final recording of America’s number one comedy podcast”. In the same venue is The Richard Osman Fan Club, “a farcical comedy based around a park bench, where we find an elderly lady and Richard Osman fan Greta, supposedly writing a novel, joined by young jogger and Granny killer Adam who ends up making various futile attempts to end Greta’s life.”
At theSpace on North Bridge, A Young Girl’s Guide to Madness “truly displays how draining it is to be a teenager in the 21st century”; while The Hound of the Baskervilles at the same venue is an adaptation of Arthur Conan Doyle’s “side-splitting, bone-chilling mystery”.
PBH’s Free Fringe is hosting a pair of magic-themed theatrical shows: Reclaiming Harry, “a fabulously queer quest” from Rich Watkins (creator and star of Happily Ever Poofter), and Nightmare Magic: “a ghost story told using magic” by writer and magician David Alnwick.
Fringe regulars Pianodrome are occupying a new space at the Old Royal High this year. Among their shows are Clara: Sex, Love and Classical Music, “the story of 19th century piano star Clara Schumann”, and Some Other Mirror, “a solo show about a gender identity crisis, in the high-pressure isolation of lockdown”, written and performed by Laurence Owen and produced by Chronic Insanity.
Rapsody (Pleasance), is “a raw look at inner-city life in Britain today”, featuring four characters confronting “the realities of our modern-day class system through live rap, trap and drill”. No Place Like Home “is a tragic odyssey into gay club culture and the places we can call home”.
Captivate Theatre brings the comedy One Man Two Guvnors to the Rose Theatre this August, joining Francis Henshall in 1960s Brighton as he attempts to stop his two employers from meeting each other.
At the RSE Theatre, Hiding Anne Frank focuses on the story of Miep Gies, Otto Frank’s 32-year-old secretary who helped him and his family hide from the Nazis at great risk to her own life. RSE Theatre is also where you’ll find The Gay Train, “a vicious love letter to the middle-class horror that is weekday morning TV” by Yellow Mug Theatre that follows the events resulting from an attack of a non-binary student in a pub bathroom.
About Money at Summerhall is a Glasgow drama about family, love and friendship, “drawn from interviews with young kinship carers and inspired by the McDonald’s strikes of 2018”. Also at Summerhall, Isto é um Negro? (This is a Black?) describes itself as a performance essay investigating what is to be a black artist in Brazil today.
The Edinburgh Makars adapt Neil Simon’s Barefoot in the Park (The Royal Scots Club) this August. “Corrie, a romantic free spirit, decides to set up her conservative widowed mother with an eccentric, bohemian neighbour,” setting up conflict with her strait-laced new husband Paul. The Royal Scots Club also hosts Tay Bridge, “a homage to the victims of the Tay Bridge disaster of 1879 realised as a series of set pieces’ and an ‘insight into the ordinary people of Victorian Dundee”.
Pip Utton as Bacon is at The Stand’s New Town Theatre, depicting “the gutters, sleazy bars, rough sex and alcohol” of artist Francis Bacon’s life. Time’s Plague, also at The Stand’s New Town Theatre, sees David Hayman return as everyman Bob Cunninghame, who rants “about injustice and the state of the world… laughing at everything, including himself.” It’s written by Chris Dolan, and directed by David Hayman Jr.
Winston and David (Underbelly, Bristo Square) sees Winston Churchill and David Lloyd George “wrestle with love, ambition and friendship” as Britain goes to war in 1914.
Comedy
Edinburgh Comedy Award winner John Robins presents his Work In Progress / Progress In Work at Just the Tonic, “a heady mixture of ropey material and competent crowd work”. In the same venue, Taiwanese comic Kuan-wen curates Comedy with an Accent, a line-up of ‘comedians from all over the world who are not native English speakers’.
Shazia Mirza brings her show, Coconut, to Gilded Balloon, reflecting on the events of the past two years, while Rob Rouse (Bottom, BBC’s Upstart Crow) performs No Refunds. At the same venue, Tehran Von Ghasri (who was ‘named to honour the city of his birth’) is a “charismatic, sexy, no-holds-barred, Black, Iranian, Jewish, Baptist, Muslim, Zoroastrian, agnostic comedian” who promises he’s GONNA GET CANCELLED.
Phil Wang assures us he is The Real Hero in All This at Assembly this Fringe, with more material “about race, family and everything that’s been going on in his Philly little life”. At Assembly Rooms, Reginald D. Hunter tackles “climate change, mass unemployment, economic pandemics and the rise of global fascism” in Bombe Shuffleur. And musical comedy duo Flo & Joan “are climbing out of their pits, armed with a piano and percussion section to bring you a brand new show”: Sweet Release.
The Mash Report’s Rachel Parris performs at Underbelly this year, performing “stand-up and songs about sudden love, the highs and lows of relationships, family, weddings, kids, going viral, going mental, and the baffling state of play in society right now”. And Sudanese-Aussie comedian Emo Majok presents his European debut, Black Santa, with “stories of adjusting from a refugee camp in East Africa to gifting out jokes globally”.
Pleasance hosts the return of three Fringe regulars as part of its programme: Nick Mohammed Presents The Very Best and Worst of Mr Swallow, Tim Key: Mulberry and Tim Vine: Breeeep!
At Frankenstein Pub, impressionist Danny Posthill “has decided to put the world to rights with a brand-new show Stand Up for the People, where he takes you on a journey where comedians will be running our country”. At the same venue, This Is Your Trial returns to the Fringe: a “comedy courtroom show where audience members accuse friends of crimes” and comedians take on the roles of judge, prosecutor and defence lawyers.
Online, we have Mo-to-the-oncle, “a socially conscious solo comedy about a teen who must wear a monocle after his dad loses their insurance.” And Rob McLennan: Pool Shark offers ‘smorgasbord of pun-heavy one-liners, quickfire jokes and sight gags’ filmed on the go from various locations in New Zealand.
Potty Training With Joey Rinaldi is at Greenside, sharing “the outrageous and humiliating details of being the only kid at school who peed into a urine bag while battling the church and his tormented mom”. Horrible Herstories presents an opportunity for “the women of history to set the record straight”.
Laughing Horse is home to Thor and Freya: Norse as F*ck, an hour of stand-up from emerging comedians Freya Mallard and Thor Stenhaug; while Sameer Katz (‘three-quarters of a PhD from Cambridge’) presents Agnostic Economist.
Monkey Barrell is home to the debut show from English stand-up and actress Thanyia Moore, Just Being Funny, while All Killa No Filla co-host Rachel Fairburn performs Can I Be Awful?.
I Miss Amy Winehouse (Paradise Green) is the first solo hour from writer / comedian / journalist Suchandrika Chakrabarti, covering her love of the music icon who died 11 years ago. And Brexico is an hour of stand-up comedy that is “half Mexican, half British, full madness”, featuring “two comedy aliens, Andy Casper and Héctor Ayala, making light of their experiences of living as immigrants in Barcelona”.
Fringe regulars #Jollyboat return with two shows at PBH’s Free Fringe: Daft Puns, “a high-energy show of comedy songs,” and The Best of Jollyboat, “their best comedy songs from 10 years” at the festival. Plus, two Edinburgh Newcomer nominees try out new material in Huge Davies and Janine Harouni Do New Jokes (WIP).
At RSE Theatre, Vik Footring’s Blood and Sorbet “recounts the defining moments in growing up in a world where growing up happens later and later”, while Here Goes Nothing! joins New York comedian Brandon Barrera as he shares tales from his eventful life, from “cracking jokes with prostitutes in Amsterdam’s red light district to running with the bulls in Spain”.
I’m Not a Girlboss, Not Yet a Womanboss (The Chrisroads Redux) presents “humour, music and a reason to drink at midday” from Edinburgh locals Chris Weir and Chris Iskander (Scottish Comedy Festival). At the same venue, Jay Lafferty presents Club Sets by herself and guests, offering ‘undiluted, unadulterated’ material honed on the comedy circuit.
Poet, comedian and musician John Hegley returns to Summerhall with John Hegley’s Biscuit of Destiny, incorporating stories of John Keats’ romantic adventures alongside Hegley’s own life. Also at Summerhall, Edinburgh Deaf Festival Presents Perspectives with Gavin Lilley, “a deaf comedian who’s performed his signed shows to audiences across Europe. In his entertaining style, Gavin shares his experiences as a deaf person navigating a hearing world with hilarious consequences”.
The Edinburgh Yes Hub hosts Full Throttle OCD by Jim Dziobek and Kevin Turner: the former offering “fresh takes on life” to help you “forget about this cesspool of a world we are leaving our children’; the latter ‘the fourth of five kids, a military veteran in a divided country, and – as if things can’t get worse – he’s got Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.”
Mark Thomas is back at The Stand Comedy Club this August with Black and White, “about the simple act of being in a room together and toppling international capitalism.” A short distance away at The Stand’s New Town Theatre, “Edinburgh-born supermodel Eunice Olumide” presents AfroPolitiCool: “a hilarious exploration into the crazy and complicated world of the modern day political narcissists, sociopaths and psychopaths running the planet we live on today”.
Joffrey! The Pantomime is at theSpaceUK, retelling “the true story of Joffrey’s fight to secure his rightful place on the Iron Throne, untainted by certain Season Eight”. And Siobhan Argyle presents You’re on Mute! (A Musical Walk Down Lockdown Memory Lane). “Come experience the lighter, brighter, funny side of lockdown with songs to make you smile and laugh ranging from toilet roll shortages, online yoga, being on mute, work clothes for the lazy and many more!”
Music
The Nothing Ever Happens HereNEHH Presents… concert series returns to Summerhall this August with a programme including world music DJ Auntie Flo; musician and producer Cate Le Bon; experimental, electronic chamber-pop outfit Efterklang; shimmery, summery indie-pop duo Sacred Paws and off-kilter twosome Tune-Yards.
Mairi Campbell is at the Acoustic Music Centre, performing songs and stories with “deep bardic heritage and masterful Celtic courage.”. At the same venue, John Carnie and Spider Mackenzie explore the bluesier side of a music legend in Tangled Up in the Blues: The Blues of Bob Dylan.
When they’re not busy penning crime fiction novels, Mark Billingham, Val McDermid, Chris Brookmyre, Luca Veste, Doug Johnstone and Stuart Neville join forces as the Fun Lovin’ Crime Writers, “happily murdering much-loved songs by The Clash, Elvis Costello, The Beatles” and more. You can catch them this year at The Stand’s New Town Theatre.
In “a rare intimate evening of dark and light songs”, Fringe stalwart Camille O’Sullivan will perform Dreaming at Underbelly, Bristo Square, incorporating songs by “Bowie, Cohen, Pulp, Radiohead and Rufus Wainwright”.
At Pianodrome at the Old Royal High, “Sean Logan presents funky and furious keyboard acrobatics with musings on life as a neurodiverse musician” with his show Full Spectrum, while harpist and vocalist Esther Swift “combines her love of folk, jazz, classical and all things in-between” in Sound Effects, a brand-new commission from Celtic Connections.
The Jennifer Ewan Band performs the Bonnie Bayou Blues at the Argyle Cellar Bar, bringing together “a mix of heartfelt original songs, Louisiana accordion blues and old-time Cajun dance music with a Celtic tint”. At the same venue, Los Chichanos bring to the Fringe “a live fiesta of psychedelic Latin vibes” with Tropical Jungle Cumbia Fiesta.
Dancing on the Edge of Blue and Green is a concert of new music for solo piano, performed at at theSpaceUK.
At Assembly, The Three Seas features “an international, cross-cultural ensemble fusing West Bengali Baul music and Himalayan folk song with contemporary sounds from Sydney and Kolkata”. Meanwhile, Stewart D’Arrietta shares “poetry, stories and insights” as part of My Leonard Cohen: Up Close and Personal.
Bannermans hosts a selection of music performances at this year’s Fringe, including Absolutely (Not) Free – An Evening of Zappa (performed by Pygmy Twylyte) and Beefheart – New Beef Dreams! by Orange Claw Hammer.
At the French Institute in Scotland, Christine Bovill explores ‘le yé-yé’ and the Americanisation of French music in Paris: From Piaf to Pop!, while French duo Fergessen ‘create a live synthetic-folk atmosphere’ using the words of Robert Louis Stevenson in Stevensongs.
Gilded Balloon hosts an Epic Film Music Concert, “featuring violin, piano, guitar and a superb light show”, and spanning soundtracks such as Pirates of the Caribbeans, Star Wars, Harry Potter, Game of Thrones and more. Plus, The Oxford Alternotives offer creative choral takes on contemporary music.
Scottish troubadour Dean Owens performs songs and stories from his back catalogue in From Leith to Tucson (Pleasance), blending the ‘unfettered enthusiasm of a rock’n’roller and the sympathetic delivery of folk’s best storytellers. Plus The Sorries return to perform “a Corries-inspired hour of uplifting traditional music”.
Perfect Forth’s Athena (Rose Theatre) combines “original music inspired by Greek mythology and fresh arrangements of modern hits”.
Irish trad singer Cara Dillon will take to the stage at Musselburgh’s The Brunton this Fringe, performing old favourites as well as material from her new album, Wanderer. At the same venue you’ll find the Young Classical Artists Trust Showcase Concerts, as performed by Kronberg Academy musicians Irène Duval, Jean-Selim Abdelmoula and Maciej Kulakowski.
The Jazz Bar includes some tributes to musical greats among its Fringe 2022 programme, including Cat Stevens Reconstructed (as reinterpreted by New York vocalist Jess Abrams) and Riding With the King: The Music of Eric Clapton, from ‘up-and-coming Czech jazz fusion guitarist’ Honza Kourimsky.
At The Queen’s Hall, experimental composer Michael Begg’s Black Glass Ensemble ‘reveals new music from the borderlands of classical and experimental music’ in Black Glass in Pieces, while 70s folk-rock pioneers Lindisfarne return with ‘a classic five-piece line-up of long-time members, fronted by founding member Rod Clements’.
Stewart D’Arrietta heads to theSpaceUK to perform Tom Waits For No Man, tackling Waits’ back catalogue with ‘characteristic gravel-voiced sensitivity’. While WeMu “reimagines the traditional in a concert combining Western and Korean instruments, creating modern music based on ancient customs” in Six Stories.
Cabaret and Variety
With late-night cabaret line-ups, the Kaye Hole Hosted by Reuben Kaye returns to Assembly, while Briefs will be “manufacturing a conveyor belt of high-quality circus treats” with their show, Sweatshop.
Cab-arette Showtour, hosted in a taxi cab, offers an immersive experience as it takes an audience of five on a musical comedy tour.
At Underbelly, Definitely Maybe Actually Nevermind, sees drag artist Crystal Bollix in a ‘new cabaret extravaganza all about the pitfalls of chick-flicks and Colin Firth’. At Underbelly’s Circus Hub on the Meadows is “subversive break-out hit of the international cabaret and circus circuit” Blunderland, featuring “outrageous nightlife naughtiness, club-kid antics and a heady dose of arthouse weird”.
At Gilded Balloon, Jesus L’Oreal brings Nailed It!, as the “fabulous influencer” tells stories from his life in a “high-octane hour of song, dance and interactive Jehovah’s Fitness”. Meanwhile, A Secret Show by magician Cameron Young offers a show “filled with wonder, illusion and laughs”.
In Darren McGarvey’s The Social Distance Between Us – Live at The Stand’s New Town Theatre the Orwell prize-winning author and celebrated hip-hop artist Darren McGarvey asks: ‘If all the best people are in all the best jobs, why is Britain such f*cking bin fire?’ and more.
At Summerhall is Grandmother’s Closet, in which Luke Hereford (he/they) “stumbles along his journey of queer self-discovery through the glamorous spirit of his very own personal cheerleader – his Nan… all to the tune of Madonna, Kylie, Kate Bush and all of his favourite pop divas”. Also at Summerhall is Life Is Soft by Turner prize-winning artist, performer and composer Martin Creed.
Like Other Girls at theSpaceUK “is the sensible roast of musical theater’s finest historical women that you’ve been waiting for”. And Becoming Chavela “is a docu-cabaret performance of iconic Mexican singer Chavela Vargas Chavela’s life and music, set within the art world and social milieu of mid-century Mexico City”.
In Madame Chandelier’s Opera House Party at Greenside, you can join Madame Chandelier and ‘all her favourite opera characters for jokes, party games and lots of dramatic death scenes’. At the same venue, The Magic Show Starring Liam A Black as the Glittering Prince of Magic, is a “brand-new Las Vegas-style magic spectacular”.
Just the Tonic will host Sugarcoated Sisters: Bittersweet at the Caves as they “unleash their multi-million-hit TikTok personas onto the stage… Armed with original songs, guitar and double bass”. And ‘drag queen Vanity von Glow swaps the studio for the stage as she interviews the stars of the Fringe in this hour-long live podcast’, in The Vanity Project.
In Ask a Stripper at Laughing Horse, ‘Stacey ‘The Legs’ Clare aka the Ethical Stripper is back with her work wife, Morag, to impart stripper-style wisdom into your lives and deliver some no-holes-barred stories from the Pubic Triangle’. And the award-winning Life’s a Drag “takes you on a reality-shaking rollercoaster ride of what it really takes to be a queen” with ‘Australian vocal powerhouse’ Dean Misdale.
Mono Restaurant is playing host to Drag Queen Wine Tasting, in which you can join “drag queen, Vanity von Glow and wine expert, Beth Brickenden to taste through three wines and a snack, with a dash of mischief, a dollop of humour and a twist of glamour”.
At Outhouse, Little West End Theatre Cabaret will present an “evening of sizzling cabaret fun using songs from many well-known cabarets and musical shows”.
Absolute Burlesque Cabaret at Paradise Green is “Edinburgh’s only homegrown burlesque and cabaret show”, demonstrating that “regardless of age, gender, or belief system, everybody is a burlesque body”.
At PBH’s Free Fringe, 1 Hour Straitjacket Escape Magic Show promises “mind-melting magic, showstopping laughs and unexpected twists” from award-winning magician and entertainer Arron Jones. And Laurie Black will be “jump-starting musical comedy into the future with synths and sick beats”, with her show, Dystopiano.
In Fladam’s Musical Comedy Hootennany! at Pleasance, Florence Poskitt and Adam Sowter’s ‘heartfelt and humorous songs tackle the topical with witty wordplay, rollicking piano and a dash of the Carry On!’. And The Magic of Jim, is “resident close-up table magician” and annual courtyard fixture’s first indoor residency, promising an “jaw-dropping magic and true tales”.
At the Voodoo Rooms is Elliot Bibby and the Magical Beach Ball. In this show, the multi award-winning magician is supported by his faithful friend Barry the Beach Ball for “an evening of mind reading, illusions and feats of the impossible”. Also Viva GlasVegas Burlesque Showcase, in which GlasVegas Showgirl Roxy Stardust “presents an hour of burlesque performance featuring a host of homegrown heroes and traveling performers from far and wide”.
Dance, Physical Theatre and Circus
At Acoustic Music Centre, Kunfetaga and Talking to Mum is a dance piece which explores the question: ‘what’s the worst thing to happen to you?’, as it deals with a four-year-old’s painful death. At the same venue, N’zrama Show, presents “energetic and lively performances of traditional and contemporary dance from several regions of West Africa’s Ivory Coast.” The star of the show, Assiny Toé, will play the toéwu (which he invented).
At Assembly, DONUTS, is “inspired by classic sitcoms from the 90s and 00s” and follows three close friends as their friendship evolves over time, through “hypnotic and playful contemporary dance to jazz and funk”. Plus, JD: (Le) Pain, is a show about “breadmaking, physical heroics, growing up queer in a boulangerie in the south of France, endings and new beginnings.” It “involves circus, dance, storytelling, Béarnaise folklore, video, karaoke and laughter”.
Bamboozled at French Institute in Scotland sees artists Sonia Killmann and Constant Vigier invite you to their house-warming party. Expect “live piano and electronic music, dance and projections”.
Catch Ordinary via Fringe Online, “a modern pantomime solo show depicting all the parts of human life.”
At Greenside, A Death Has Occurred sees Kennedy Muntanga Dance Theatre return to the Fringe with their newest creation. This contemporary work tells the story of the miraculous journey of a young lion-hearted journalist. And Alice in Wonderland is an adaptation of the classic tale told through ballet.
Transhumance – winner of Best Weekly Award for Circus and Physical Theatre at Adelaide Fringe in 2020 – is at Laughing Horse. In this, “award-winning clown Ania Upstill playfully explores what it means to be a trans human.”
At Summerhall, Dance Body sees internationally acclaimed writer and performer Yolanda Mercy (Quarter Life Crisis) “challenge what being a plus-sized body means in the contemporary dance world”. And Taiwan Season: Tomato “is an absurdly funny expression of dancer-choreographer Chou Kuan-Jou’s ongoing interest in gender issues from a feminist perspective”.
At Underbelly, Havana Steet celebrates the street dance culture of Cuba; while Rebel is a live circus rock tribute to David Bowie, bringing to life a body of work spanning more then 50 years.
Spoken word
At Pleasance at EICC, LBC broadcaster Iain Dale will appear in conversation with several public figures, including Keir Starmer, Jeremy Corbyn,Mary Beard, Ruth Davidson and Nadine Dorries.
Tales from the City Below is at Arthur Conan Doyle Centre. In this, Edinburgh medium, Ewan Irvine, “tells the tales of this city where it is said many still reside despite their earthly demise” – including the likes of Burke and Hare.
Triggernometry, the” hit political and cultural podcast and YouTube phenomenon” is in town for two nights only at Gilded Balloon.
At Greenside, Pauline Holmes Goes to the Dogs, is a ”poetry show for dog lovers, celebrating the opportunistic thieves stealing the Sunday roast, the family dogs who vet boyfriends and the rebels running amok on the heath”. Plus, The Taste of Sweat and Sand is “a creative expedition through life after military service, exploring encounters with trauma and struggles with civilian adjustment.”
Guerilla Autistics Year 8 – Scenes From an Undiagnosed Life is at Laughing Horse. “For the eighth year of this universally unique, neurodiversifying, audience-participatory solo show, Paul Wady has changed the name to Guerilla Autistics and wants to take you all back in time.”
At Paradise Green, Poems on Gender is “a series of poems on gender, sex and revolution” by David Lee Morgan.
PBH’s Free Fringe has Attila the Stockbroker – 40 Years in Rhyme. “Celebrating his 40th anniversary earning his living as a poet/musician, Attila is using this year’s Fringe to launch Heart On My Sleeve, his collected works, and 40 Years in Rhyme, his new dub poetry album.” Plus, In This Is Not Therapy, “join Tina as she tackles her fifties with as much humour, grace and sensible footwear as she can muster.”
At Summerhall, Stop Trying to Be Fantastic is a new work from award-winning writer/performer Molly Naylor. It’s a “mostly true story about suffering, saviour complex, self acceptance and a magpie who refuses to quit.”
And at TheSpaceUK, The Church of the Fall is “one man’s award-winning celebration of the work of the late writer, musician and working-class genius that is Salford’s Mark E Smith and his group The Fall.”
Children’s shows
Roustabout adapts Dinosaurs and All That Rubbish, Michael Foreman’s rock-n-roll-fuelled environmental tale of dancing dinosaurs, at Assembly this August. At the same venue, Knuckle and Joint present The Adventures of Bo Peep, “a perfect theatre introduction for 2 to 6-year-olds with an interactive story and sensory learning”.
At Deaf Action HQ you can catch Once Upon a Raindrop, “a cheerful, funny, magic show for toddlers: a walk-through performance with sensory games and magic tricks”; and The Funny Punny Magic Show, “a riot of silly stunts and crazy magic” from Tricky Ricky. Both shows are accessible to deaf and hard of hearing audiences, presented in partnership with Edinburgh Deaf Festival.
Pirates and Princesses vs Sea Monsters is “a family show filled with singing, dancing and comedy” at Gilded Balloon. Meanwhile, Marcel Lucont presents Les Enfants Terribles – A Gameshow for Awful Children, “pitting children against adults and each other to try and find the most awful child”.
Stage Door Enigma Theatre Company presents Game On! at Greenside: “an unexpected adventure with characters from alternative gaming worlds”.
Gabriel Garcia Marquez‘s darkly comic tale, A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings, is at Summerhall. Two storytellers share a story “of magic realism… brought to the stage with beautiful, strange, emotional richness”.
Inside the Robot: Quick, I Need Your Help! is on at Just the Tonic, and features “stunning visual effects and immersive interactive technology” for kids aged 5 to 95. At the same venue, comedian Lee Kyle is An Actual Giant, presents “a family show for families who don’t think that kids are little angels”.
Performer Kat Placing devised Bubba-Licious (Laughing Horse) as “a sensory display of colour, sound, light and movement to spark joy and ignite wonder’ in babies and toddlers. For slightly older kids, Grumpy Pants is “a children’s show that entertains parents alongside kids with a mix of perfectly crafted juggling routines, clowning, physical comedy and fork throwing!”.
An ’enchanting’ new adaptation of Beatrix Potter’s The Tale of Peter Rabbit and Benjamin Bunny will be staged outdoors for families at Musselburgh Racecourse.
Betwixt-and-Between present The Princess and The Dragon (PBH’s Free Fringe). It’s described as a “music-full, modern fairy-tale about freedom, friendship and finding boundaries” for children aged 7-11 and their families. Plus, Return of the Maths with Kyle D Evans is a “fast-paced hour of inclusive maths-based family fun”.
I Piano is “an interactive kids show about music and love, told with a piano, shadow puppetry and everyone in the room.” It takes place within the Pianodrome.
At Pleasance, Blue Badge Bunch describes itself as “the disability Taskmaster” – a “game show with humour for all ages, where kids join in the games and learn about disability”. Also at Pleasance, Everything has Changed is “a joyful, kaleidoscopic new show for 5 to 12 year-olds about change, why change happens and how to deal with it”, created by theatre company Rhum + Clay and made in consultation with a child psychologist and children across London.
Physical storytelling specialists NYT bring The Lost Letters to Quaker Meeting House, “a magical portmanteau production of love, friendship and forgotten messages… a collection of heart-warming modern fables for older children and their families.”
At Rose Theatre, Captivate presents Smashing Shakespeare, a revolving selection of comic tales and musical tales adapting the Bard’s work for all ages.
Stockbridge Church is home to at least two “fun, interactive and educational show for babies and toddlers” by Recitals for Wrigglers: The Lion and the Mouse, featuring music inspired by animals, and the international sounds of Wriggle Around the World! (featuring the story of the Gingerbread Man). Both feature violin and cello music.
ETC presents Our Teacher’s a Troll (theSpaceUK, a “colourfully comic show” written by Dennis Kelly (Matilda the Musical). And the Adventure Bubble Show with Milkshake promises “shadow bubbles, light bubbles, square bubbles, smoke bubbles, spinning carousels, track bubbles, vortexes, bubble puppets, giant bubble tubes and a million-bubble finale”.
Underbelly is the home of A Bee Story: “a uniquely Australian physical theatre show for children and families incorporating a kaleidoscope of circus, acrobatics, dance and live music” that also incorporates an important message about the environment. At the same venue, Manual Cinema Presents: Leonardo! A Wonderful Show About a Terrible Monster is an adaption of the children’s books by Mo Willems ‘realised through puppets, paper cut-outs, DIY cinema and live original songs’.
Musicals and opera
Carpe Diem Productions continue “their tradition of bringing powerful new music to the Fringe” with The Last Judgement (theSpaceUK) featuring Peter D Robinson.
At Assembly Rooms, Friendsical is”‘a 60-minute celebration and loving parody” featuring characters called Ross and Rachel, but is “not to be confused with the Warner Bros Entertainment Inc series Friends”.
As part of the Fringe’s online offering this year, the jazz-flavoured Cooperstown is “an opera about one heart too big and one heart too small that plays out like a present-day Othello”. Also online is Lag: A Zoomsical Comedy, “the world’s first original musical created to be performed over video conferencing”, written and directed by Haddon Kime.
A pair of musicals form part of the programme at Gilded Balloon. I Wish My Life Were Like A Musical “lifts the lid on awful auditions, debilitating dance routines, mid-performance mishaps, and backstage backstabbing – plus those magical moments that make it all worthwhile”. RuneSical, on the other hand, is “an interactive parody musical” inspired by online game RuneScape.
Guilty: A Legal Musical Comedy is being staged at Greenside, giving “fiction’s greatest villains, from Hannibal Lecter to Cruella de Vil,” their day in court. And Dr Theatre uses songs from the likes of Cabaret, The Sound of Music, Blues Brothers, Wicked and more in Last Night a Musical Saved My Life!
Paradise Green is the venue for Gatsby: A New Musical, in which the team behind ‘Jekyll!’ recreate F Scott Fitzgerald’s famous jazz-age masterpiece.
Sex With Friends (and Other Tiny Catastrophes) is a new musical following “six friends as they fall in love and fall apart” – you can catch it at Pleasance.
Edinburgh’s Captivate Theatre has their own mini-season of work at the Rose Theatre – in addition to their own Sunshine on Leith, they’re also staging versions of Lionel Bart’s Oliver!, Shrek the Musical and The Addams Family – A New Musical, as well as an all-female staging of We Will Rock You: Young@part from the Captivate Theatre Summer School.
Alexander Fleming’s discovery of penicillin is the subject of musical production The Mould that Changed the World at The Edinburgh Academy this August.
Seven and a Half Years (theSpaceUK) is a “unique one-man musical” that “tells an extraordinary true survivor’s story, touching on many issues including grief, love and mental health”. And Trial by Jury is “a one-act operatic satire of the British legal system” in the 1960s.
Fat Rascal Theatre’s Unfortunate: The Untold Story of Ursula the Sea Witch returns to Underbelly “in a tell-all tale of sex, sorcery and suckers”.
10th April – Edinburgh Festival Theatre audition date
Leading entertainment industry training programme and talent management, Stagebox, has announced audition dates taking place across the nation from April 2022.
The annual search sees experts audition passionate performers aged 8-18 years old from across the country (and internationally), offering successful members the chance to benefit from world class training and opportunities in a contemporary supercharged industry accelerator for musical theatre, television and film.
Last year’s auditions saw the Stagebox team meet thousands of performers from across the UK and beyond, and this year they anticipate similar interest. This year, auditionees will be able to select whether they are auditioning for an acting or musical theatre membership and their audition day will see them be put through their paces in this discipline.
Many young performers training at Stagebox have already landed dream roles on stage and screen, thanks to the expert training and management.
Stagebox has secured their clients major lead talent screen roles in Oscar nominated and Emmy award winning productions, including Peaky Blinders (Netflix), Sex Education (Netflix), Robin Robin (Netflix), Ted Lasso (Apple TV+), Avenue 5 (HBO), The Power (Amazon Studios), Pistol (Disney +), BAFTA anthology Superdad (Channel 4), Gentleman Jack (Netflix/HBO), Lagging (BBC) and many more.
Stagebox management clients also continue to star in West End and UK Tour musicals including Frozen, Matilda the Musical, School of Rock, Annie, The Grinch, Mary Poppins and Tina the Musical to name a few.
To further the opportunities for their clients, Stagebox Management has also brokered agency partnerships stateside, working alongside Innovative Artists, Paradigm Talent, Luber Roklin Entertainment, Gravity Hill, KMR, Maverick and more.
Commenting on the upcoming 2022 auditions, Stagebox’s General Manager, Jasmine Quinlan Gardner, said: “We are so excited to begin our nationwide search for the stars of today and tomorrow.
“We are proud of our inclusive, diverse and extraordinarily talented community and we can’t wait to meet those who will join us on the journey.”
Kirsti Bagger, Head Agent at Stagebox, adds: “At Stagebox, the training is second to none, preparing our young stars for careers on the stage and screen. 2021 was one of our most successful years ever with Stagebox Management clients wrapping on global award-winning feature films and television series and critically acclaimed theatre productions.
“We’re committed to making auditions for Stagebox free as part of our ongoing dedication to inclusivity in the arts. We only open for auditions once a year, and we’re excited to see our 2022 auditionees’ incredible new talent!”
These auditions are guaranteed to fill up fast and limited spaces apply. To register your spot for your preferred audition date, please visit the Stagebox website to apply.
Edinburgh Festival Fringe gets underway with dynamic programme of over 700 in-person and online shows
Today, Friday 06 August, the world-renowned Edinburgh Festival Fringe officially comes to life with an exciting hybrid programme of over 700 in-person and online shows.
From 06 – 30 August, Edinburgh will once again be host to a diverse and exciting selection of work from the worlds of theatre, dance, circus, comedy, music, musicals and opera, cabaret and variety, children’s shows, spoken word, exhibitions, events and more.
This year’s Fringe also features a scaled-back programme of street events in managed locations; a range of community engagement work, including the return of Fringe Days Out; and a programme of activity for artists and arts industry professionals via Fringe Connect and Fringe Marketplace.
All work is being delivered in strict accordance with Scottish Government covid-19 guidance, to ensure a safe, secure and enjoyable festival for artists, audiences and residents. More information can be found below.
Commenting on the launch of the festival, Shona McCarthy, Chief Executive, Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, said: “The Fringe is always a remarkable feat, but this year, it’s nothing short of extraordinary.
“In the face of complex restrictions and enormous challenges, the Fringe community has created a diverse and engaging programme of over 700 shows to entertain us, bring us joy, and ultimately, do what culture does best: tell stories that help us understand where we are, what we’ve been through, and where we need to go.
“I’m enormously proud of the artists, venues, creatives and workers that have made this festival not only possible, but safe, engaging and entertaining. It’s so good to be celebrating the Fringe again this August, and I’d like to thank every artist, producer, worker, audience member, funder, sponsor and supporter that has got us here today.”
Phoebe Waller-Bridge, President, Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, said: “The Edinburgh Fringe is BACK! In an act of pure artistic heroism, the Fringe Society and thousands of artists, writers, dancers, actors, designers, comedians, musicians and creatives have fought to bring this festival back to the streets of glorious, glittering Edinburgh. We have a lot of time to make up for and this festival is more than ready for you.
“With hundreds of live and online events you can see as many shows in a week than you would have in the whole of last year and we are finally able to reconnect, inspire, surprise, and entertain each other like we used to. I have never wanted to have a leaflet thrusted at me more. We’re being offered a giant cultural sprinkler after a year of drought and I can’t wait to jump through it, shrieking, with you all.”
Benny Higgins, Chair, Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, said: “The Edinburgh Fringe is a remarkable arts festival that has created an unparalleled legacy for the city and the country, and it will have an important part to play in how we move forward after such a difficult period.
“The cultural value that the Fringe holds is enormous, and its launch today is the first step on a long road to recovery – for the festival and for Scotland. We must all play our part in ensuring an inclusive, diverse, and accessible festival for the future, with wellbeing at its heart.”
Angus Robertson, Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Scottish Government, said: “A huge amount of work has gone on behind the scenes to support the return of these globally significant cultural events and the benefits they bring to Scotland in terms of tourism, trade and our place on the world stage.
“Edinburgh’s festivals were sorely missed last summer and their return is another step in the right direction and testament to the determination of festival organisers, along with the artists, venues and businesses involved. I’m delighted that the Fringe will be able to welcome back audiences and give festival goers something to cheer this year.”
Councillor Amy McNeese-Mechan, the City of Edinburgh Council’s Culture and Communities Vice Convener, said:“The return of live August festivals events and performances truly reflects our city’s on-going recovery and, of course, our cultural DNA, and we’re delighted to see an exciting Edinburgh Festival Fringe programme.
“There’s no doubt it was greatly missed last year and it’s so lovely for our city to be welcoming audiences again to the Festivals this August. To everyone taking part, we ask you to continue to follow the safety guidance and to enjoy this year’s fantastic festival experiences safely.”
Barbara Smith, Managing Director of Johnnie Walker Princes Street, said:“As Johnnie Walker moves closer to opening the doors to our new venue on Princes Street, it’s fantastic to see Edinburgh continue to open up for cultural events, and for locals and visitors alike to enjoy the best that the city has to offer.
“The Fringe Festival will always be an important part of the city’s cultural calendar and the team at Johnnie Walker are delighted to once again support the Fringe Society in bringing the festival to life through our Fringe Club whisky bar on The Mound. We can’t wait to welcome visitors from home and away as they enjoy the best of what this world famous festival has to offer.”
In-person, online and on-demand shows
In 2021, audiences will be able to access a wide range of amazing Fringe shows through socially distanced in-person events, scheduled online performances and on-demand digital shows. Tickets and information for all kinds of registered Fringe shows – live, online, paid and free – can be found at edfringe.com.
Around 440 shows are taking place in person. Many shows are taking place in new, creative outdoor locations across Edinburgh, including a football ground, a car park and a racecourse.
Familiar Fringe operators such as Acoustic Music Centre, Assembly, Dance Base, French Institute, Gilded Balloon, Laughing Horse Free Festival, Monkey Barrel, PBH’s Free Fringe, Pleasance, Scottish Storytelling Centre, the Stand, theSpaceUK, Summerhall and Zoo are all taking part in this year’s festival with physical spaces in the city.
All in-person performances will be fully Covid compliant, following the latest guidelines on social distancing, mask wearing, ventilation and hygiene.
Currently, live events must operate at one-metre distancing. On 09 August, Scotland moves to level zero and restrictions on distancing will be dropped.
Every Fringe venue operates individually. For up to date information on capacity and distancing at individual Fringe shows, please check with the relevant venue.
In an exciting move for the festival, more than 260 shows are taking place online, providing a global platform for artists, while enhancing the Fringe’s commitment to accessibility and sustainability.
There will be two kinds of online events available this year: scheduled and on demand.
With scheduled shows, audiences can buy tickets as they would to a traditional in-person event. Shows will have a dedicated start and end time and are treated as an ‘appointment to view’ event. For on-demand shows, audiences can buy tickets to watch at their leisure.
Audiences can view Fringe shows on online platforms including the new Fringe Player streamed by Brightcove (NASDAQ: BCOV), the global leader in video for business.
Available via edfringe.com, this bespoke digital platform offers an easy-to-use viewing experience for audiences whilst giving artists a platform to present and showcase their work digitally. The player will be accessible to audiences from 06 Aug, with auto-subtitling built in. Both on-demand and scheduled online shows are available on this platform.
Where other platforms (such as Zoom, YouTube and Vimeo) are being used to host online work, information on how to access these is clearly provided at the point of purchase.
Online shows will be available to watch from August but can be pre-booked from today.
Street events
The city’s world-famous street events are returning this year, with a scaled-back programme of live performances.
A fantastic starting point for any Fringe-goer, events will run daily from 11.30am until 8.30pm in the High Street’s designated Fringe safe street performance area, West Parliament Square.
There will also be a programme of activity on the Mound, as well as additional opportunities for buskers and other street artists well known in the Fringe landscape.
All performances will be delivered in accordance with current and relevant Covid guidelines. Limits on audience numbers will be introduced in line with social distancing, and event details will be published online to audiences in advance to allow them to plan.
Strict hygiene measures will also be in place, including masks and sanitisation, to help everyone enjoy the events safely.
Community, access and learning
We are continuing to work alongside communities, venues and artists to ensure the Fringe is as inclusive as possible.
Our Fringe Days Out scheme is a long-term commitment by the Fringe Society to reach out to communities that have not traditionally engaged with the Fringe. Through this programme in 2021, we have delivered Fringe vouchers, Lothian bus tickets and access support through our 30+ community partners, including The Welcoming, The Citadel Youth Centre, Lothian Autistic Society, Vintage Vibes and Capability Scotland.
In response to some groups being unable to visit the festival in person, or being hesitant about attending, we are also continuing our Fringe in Communities programme. This will see street performers going out to locations across the city to perform during July and August.
The Fringe’s commitment to improving disabled access remains a priority. Customers with access requirements can use our Access Bookings system and search specific shows which are accessible such as relaxed, audio described, captioned and signed performances. Plus, a free personal assistant ticket is available for anyone who needs assistance to attend the Fringe. Customers can also search for shows in performance spaces with wheelchair access.
This year, we are once again providing sensory bags for children and adults on the autism spectrum. Each bag contain a fidget toy, earplugs, water bottle and a stress reliever. These items are designed to help users relax and overcome stressful or intense situations and are distributed to select partners across the city.
Our street events offering will see BSL interpretation on the West Parliament Square Stage on Saturday 21 August, and there will be a wheelchair accessible viewing area on the High Street throughout the festival.
We are also continuing Teachers’ Theatre Club, our partnership with Imaginate, which brings Edinburgh teachers to the Fringe. Each show seen will be followed by a group discussion with some of the artists and creative teams who made and/or presented the work, covering both the content of the show and how it could enhance and inform teaching practice.
And we’re making sure that Edinburgh’s schoolchildren can also take part in the Fringe fun by working with Gracemount High and selected Edinburgh primary schools to make sure they see Fringe shows too. .
Support for artists and arts industry
This year, the Fringe Society is hosting two digital platforms for artists and industry professionals: Fringe Connect and Fringe Marketplace.
Launched last month, Fringe Connect is an exciting new year-round platform, designed to bring Fringe artists together with peers and members of the arts community.
Described as ‘part social network, part events space’, Fringe Connect gives users the opportunity to populate their own profile with information about their professional experiences and interests (both Fringe-related and otherwise).
Registered users will have access to exciting industry news and opportunities, alongside access to year-round digital events aimed at supporting and facilitating professional development.
Guests and speakers during the Fringe include Lyn Gardner, Andrew Miller, Amy Conachan, Tarek Iskander, Jo Clifford and Richard Jordan, plus many more.
And after a successful pilot year in 2020, Fringe Marketplace has returned for2021. This dedicated showcase platform aims to connect arts industry delegates all over the world with professional and tour-ready artists.
The work that will appear on the platform has been selected by Fringe venue programmers and assessed by Fringe associates: an independent cross-genre industry experts who have experience and understanding of the Fringe.
Work with strategic partners
The Fringe Society is delighted to be working with three strategic partners this year: Something to Aim For, Parents and Carers in Performing Arts and Somewhere EDI. All three partnerships help us to better support and engage with significant groups of participants and understand the barriers they might be facing at the Fringe.
Something to Aim For is the charity devoted to supporting public health and (re)building social fabric through the creative industries.
Parents and Carers in Performing Arts work to promote best practice employment and support for parents and carers in the performing arts sector.
Somewhere EDI is a platform for positive LGBTQ+ culture, learning and activism, championing and empowering LGBTQ+ people to be out and visible in business, culture and in wider society.
Johnnie Walker
The Fringe Society is delighted to be working with Johnnie Walker for a third year. 2021 sees the return of the popular Fringe Club, a dedicated bar space for visitors to the festivities for the entire duration of the festival. Located on the Mound, an exciting spot with live street performances, the bar will once again serve a number of delicious highballs, cocktails and drams for guests in the dedicated whisky lounge.
Festival-goers will also have the chance to win exclusive prizes through the Johnnie Walker Ticket prize giveaway. Prizes include complimentary highballs at the Fringe Club, bottles of Johnnie Walker Blue Label, £20 vouchers for shows at the Fringe and tour tickets to Johnnie Walker Princes Street. With each ticket bought via the Fringe, customers can click on the ticket banner in their booking confirmations to be entered into the prize draw.
Edinburgh Gin
2021 is the first year of our exciting new partnership with Edinburgh Gin, who are working to support Fringe artists affected by the pandemic.
The team have collaborated with Fringe Society president Phoebe Waller-Bridge to create a special limited-edition bottle, which captures the wonder of Edinburgh through the lens of Fleabag.
Every penny of profit will go towards a new fund, being run in partnership with the Fringe Society, which will support artists to create and bring work to the Fringe. More than £150,000 is hoped to be raised.
Sponsors and supporters
As a charity, the work of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society would not be possible without the valuable support of our partners, sponsors and funders. We are delighted to be working with Johnnie Walker for the third year running as our official whisky partner.
We are proud to be partnering with the newly opened St James Quarter and are excited to be working with them this year and beyond.
We are excited to be partnering with Crowdfunder again through our FringeMakers fundraising platform, supporting Fringe artists and venues with vital fundraising efforts.
We have teamed up with Rare Birds Books to a create a limited-edition book bundle with books selected by the women behind three of the Fringe’s most iconic venues; Rowan Campbell, the General Manager of Summerhall, Dani Rae, the General Manager of Assembly and Katy Koren, who co-runs Gilded Balloon. Proceeds of the sale of this bundle will support go directly to supporting Fringe artists bring work to the Fringe.
We would also like to thank Lothian Buses for their continued support of our Fringe Days Out programme.
We’re thrilled to welcome Edinburgh Gin on board as Official Gin of the Fringe and look forward to working with them.
We are grateful for funding through the PLACE Programme, a partnership between the Scottish Government -through Creative Scotland -the City of Edinburgh Council and Festivals Edinburgh; Scottish Government for Made in Scotland through the Festivals Expo Fund -managed through Creative Scotland -and the continued support of the City of Edinburgh Council. Thanks also to Scottish Government for funds from their Get into Summer campaign.
We are grateful for funding from the Pivotal Event Business Fund, the SCVO Adapt and Thrive programme, the Foyle Foundation and the UK Government to enhance our digital capabilities.
Our thanks also to the Paul Hamlyn Foundation, the Pump House Trust and the Turtleton Charitable Trust.
With thanks to EventScotland and City of Edinburgh Council for supporting Street Events.
Thank you to Brightcove, our streaming partners, for their support in delivering the Fringe Player.
Our thanks also to our Fringe Angels, Patrons, Friends and supporters whose passion and generosity made a real difference this year.
World leading festivals begin bounce back from impact of COVID-19
Edinburgh’s world-leading summer festivals are back, with their recovery from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic supported by more than £5.4 million from the Scottish Government.
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe opens today, followed by the Edinburgh International Festival (EIF), with the Edinburgh Art Festival already open.
The Edinburgh International Book Festival will open a new chapter in a new venue on August 14, and the Edinburgh International Film Festival will welcome audiences from August 18.
The Scottish Government’s Gateway process has also allowed a small number of flagship events with national significance to take place in 2021, with limited numbers of spectators and subject to health advice, and both the EIF and the Fringe will stage events as part of the process.
Cabinet Secretary for Culture Angus Robertson said: “Edinburgh’s festivals are back – a significant moment for these landmark, world-leading events, and for our nation’s capital.
“The festivals were sorely missed last summer, and their return is a major step in the right direction as well as testament to the determination of festival organisers, along with the artists, venues and businesses involved.
“Already a huge amount of work has gone on behind the scenes to support the return of these globally significant cultural events and the benefits they bring to Scotland for our culture, for tourism, for trade and our place on the world stage.
“I’m delighted to welcome the Edinburgh Festivals’ return and see the world’s leading festival city come back to life in 2021.”
Chair of Festivals Edinburgh Sorcha Carey said: “The support of the Scottish Government and its agencies has been crucial to the very survival of our world-famous festivals, and we’re deeply grateful.
“All those who’ve worked tirelessly and are now able to manage a careful restart will be delighted to reconnect the people of Scotland with the live culture they’ve so badly missed.
“We want to support the vision of the First Minister and her team that culture will be at the heart of recovery, and we look forward with hope that Edinburgh’s peak festivals season can mark a turning point for Scotland’s culture sector.”
Smith and Brant Theatricals and Ambassador Theatre Group Productionsare today delighted to announce a new production of Fatal Attraction, based on the classic Paramount Pictures Corporation film.
The thrilling new play will embark on a major UK Tour in 2022, opening at the Brighton Theatre Royal on Tuesday 14th January 2022, before touring to Theatre Royal, Newcastle; King’s Theatre, Edinburgh; Theatre Royal, Bath; Theatre Royal, Nottingham; Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham; New Theatre, Cardiff; Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham; Richmond Theatre, Richmond; Royal and Derngate, Northampton; Waterside Theatre, Aylesbury; Theatre Royal, Glasgow and York, Grand Opera House.
Fatal Attraction is the latest grip-the-edge-of-your-seat thriller from the producers of the acclaimed tours of Patrick Hamilton’s Gaslight and Patricia Highsmith’s Strangers on a Train.
Fatal Attraction is written by James Dearden, who based the stage play on his Oscar-nominated screenplay, which in turn was adapted from his 1980 short film, Diversion.Loveday Ingram will direct the production with a full casting announcement to follow.
One of the most iconic films of the era, Fatal Attraction was one of 1987’s highest grossing US Box Office release, securing six major Oscar nominations at the following year’s Academy Awards, including: Best Actress for Glenn Close’s mesmerising depiction of urbane sophisticate Alex Forrest, Best Supporting Actress (Anne Archer), Best Writing Adapted Screenplay (James Dearden), Best Director (Adrian Lyne), Best Editing, and Best Picture.
Michael Douglas – at the peak of his Hollywood powers – was omitted from the list only as he was nominated elsewhere in the Best Actor category for his role as Gordon ‘greed is good’ Gecko in Wall Street, which he went on to win.
Fatal Attraction’s success was such that the film inspired a generation of psychosexual thrillers in the years that followed.
When happily married New York attorney Dan Gallagher, meets charming editor Alex Forrest on a night out in the city, they both commit to a night of passion they can’t take back. Dan returns home to his family and tries to forget the mistake he has made, but Alex has different ideas. Dan’s about to discover that love is a dangerous game, and Alex has only one rule; you play fair with her, and she’ll play fair with you.
Loveday Ingram trained with John Barton at the RSC and was previously Associate Director at Chichester Festival Theatre. Loveday’s credits include: The Rover, The Merchant of Venice (Royal Shakespeare Company); Henry V, Julius Caesar (Storyhouse); Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery (Liverpool Playhouse/National Centre for the Performing Arts, China); My One and Only (Piccadilly Theatre/Chichester). Nominated for 4 Olivier Awards and Evening Standard Award); The Blue Room (also Chichester), When Harry Met Sally (Theatre Royal Haymarket); Bedroom Farce (Aldwych Theatre); Three Sisters, Pal Joey (nominated for TMA and Barclay Best Musical Awards), Dead Funny, Insignificance (Chichester Festival Theatre); Macbeth (Theatre Severn); Richard III (Nottingham Playhouse/York Theatre Royal); These Shining Lives (Park Theatre); Rockabye (Beckett Centenary Festival/Gate Theatre Dublin/Barbican); Boston Marriage, Hysteria (Irish Times Award) (Project Theatre Dublin); Outlying Islands, Lettice and Lovage (Bath Theatre Royal); The Messiah (National Theatre of Brent/Bush Theatre). Opera credits include All About Love (Linbury Studio); Brittain’s Rape of Lucrece (BAC) and Barber’s Vanessa (Lyric Hammersmith). Music Video includes This Time It’s Forever (Women’s Aid).
Tipped to be provocative and gripping in equal measures, Fatal Attraction is a tale of seduction and suspense that asks the question; what happens when desire becomes deadly?
Last week, we announced to Fringe participants that we’ll be opening show registration – for both online and in-person performances – on Wednesday 05 May, in advance of the Fringe taking place from 06 – 30 August.
This is an exciting moment for the Fringe Society; it means all the preparatory discussions we’ve been having – with artists, venues, government and all members of the Fringe community – can finally be translated into action, with visible results.
The positive response we had to last week’s announcement only confirms what I knew in my heart – that there are many people out there who are just as excited and eager as we are to see the Fringe return!
Of course, opening registration is only the start of this process – we are acutely aware of how difficult the last year has been for artists, and we’re doing everything we can to support them in making work this year and beyond.
We’ve reduced registration fees across all tiers by 25%, and removed the top tier entirely.
We’ve also announced the opening a Fringe Artist and Venue Recovery Fund: a £75,000 funding pot which is available to Fringe companies, creatives and venues to support projects that will enable a return to the Fringe in 2021 or 2022.
The fund will prioritise projects that seek to improve opportunities for access on the Fringe by underrepresented groups – you can find out more at edfringe.smartygrants.com.au/recoveryfund.
There’s certainly a lot more still to be done, but we feel this is the first of many steps we can take to support artists returning to the Fringe.
I recognise that any eagerness to restart the Fringe must be tempered by a sense of caution and responsibility.
We continue to work closely with Scottish Government and the City of Edinburgh Council, and keep a close eye on official guidance as it emerges and develops, using it to inform every decision we make.
The most recent news indicates some easing of restrictions by the end of June, which is definitely encouraging, but if the last year has taught us anything it’s that things can change at very short notice, so for those dreaming fervently of a fun-packed summer in Edinburgh, we strongly recommend an attitude of cautious optimism at this stage.
It’s also important to remember that this year’s Fringe won’t be the same as it was. Even as restrictions relax, we still expect to see some form of social distancing and other safety measures in Edinburgh this August.
Again, we’ll work with venues and other partners to figure out how best to use this information as it develops, creating clear guidance for audiences and participants. We also know that it will not be possible to produce our usual printed programme this year, though we are exploring alternatives.
While it is right and appropriate that we manage our expectations about a return to live performance, I am full of positive anticipation to see how Fringe artists channel their extraordinary creative energy into digital work at this year’s festival.
As happens with any seismic change in society, artists have responded to online life in brilliant and inventive ways, and I think it entirely correct that the Fringe – with its longstanding reputation for unleashing the creative spirit – showcases the best in digital inspiration as well.
Silver linings to the past year’s events are few and far between, but the increased availability of innovative, imaginative work – work that can be accessed virtually anywhere – is surely among them.
With this in mind, we’ve put a lot of time and energy into developing our digital infrastructure for this year’s Fringe. We’ve ensured that, whichever online platforms artists and venues want to use, we can support them to do it; they’ll also have access to our own innovative Fringe Player.
In addition, we’re creating an exciting new online events programme and meeting space to help artists and industry connect and collaborate, which we’re hoping to launch in summer.
With the seeds of carefully laid plans now blooming into life, our goal – as ever – is to support Fringe participants.
As mentioned above, registration (and the wide range of benefits and services that come with it) will open in May, and will remain open right through to the end of the Fringe with no deadlines attached.
We’re also continuing to invest in our website so that audiences can search, browse and book shows as easily as ever, helping them find the artists whose work will resonate with them for years to come.
All of our plans are being made cautiously but optimistically, and as ever, public health will be our priority. But we can take heart in the fact that the Fringe is happening. And, whether online or in a venue, I can’t wait to see you there.
We are pleased to announce that show registration for Fringe 2021 will open on Wednesday 05 May.
Artists and venues will be able to register Fringe shows right up until the end of the festival. The Fringe’s world-class programme will be available to browse and book at edfringe.com, with tickets going on sale for audiences in early summer.
As Scotland navigates its roadmap out of lockdown, much is still unknown about what the Fringe will look like this August. However, a range of scenarios are being prepared for, from socially distanced live events to digital offerings.
The Fringe Society is supporting artists and audiences to find and book work online across a range of platforms, including the brand-new Fringe Player.
This online platform aims to bring some festival magic into homes across the world, while providing a secure platform for artists, companies and venues to host their shows. The platform is available to any registered 2021 Fringe show or venue to use if they wish.
Any live performance registered as part of the 2021 Fringe will be expected to adhere to public health guidance from the Scottish Government.
Audiences can search, browse and buy tickets to both online and in-person work through edfringe.com. More details on individual shows and Fringe 2021 will be available in early summer.
Shona McCarthy, Chief Executive of the Fringe Society, said: “We’re delighted to be able to open registration for 2021. Of course, we’re still very much in planning mode as we await further updates from the Scottish Government, but this feels like a hugely positive step in the right direction.
“Through the work being created across the various digital platforms, including the Fringe Player, artists have a brilliant opportunity to reach audiences and communities all over the world. I look forward to seeing how our Fringe creatives use these platforms in 2021 and beyond.”
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe will take place from 06 – 30 August 2021.
Saturday 6th August – Saturday 20th August 2022 (not Sundays)
£15 (£12 con) (£10 preview Sat 6th August 7:30pm)
7.30pm Sat 6th and Mon-Fri 8th-12th, 15th-19th
Inverleith St Serf’s Church Centre, 1A Clark Rd, Edinburgh EH5 3BD
Marion Donohoe
