The Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society (EFFS) is set to develop a new festival hub after the City of Edinburgh Council agreed a long lease for one of its buildings in the city centre.
The EFFS proposals, funded from an award of up to £7m from the UK Government, would see the building completely refurbished and modernised, with an emphasis on access and carbon reduction, as it is transformed into a year-round resource.
Detailed work is ongoing to identify other venues for the current users of South Bridge Resource Centre – the majority are adult education classes with suitable alternative locations already identified – and further detailed and responsive engagement will take place as plans are finalised.
Councillor Val Walker, Culture and Communities Convener for the City of Edinburgh Council, said: “Today’s decision means the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society now has a substantial city centre location for their exciting plans for a new hub.
“The proposals are for a new, year-round space which includes opportunities for local cultural organisations, artists, and communities to use as well as a Fringe Festival home.
“The Council has a vital role to play in ensuring residents have access to creative and cultural opportunities wherever they live in our city.
“We’re committed to regular funding, partnership working, and backing development programmes and projects. By doing this, we can support and facilitate the stability and development of our city’s exceptional array of cultural activities, venues, communities and events at every level.
“As part of the proposals, suitable alternative locations have already been identified for the majority of groups and classes that currently use the building. Further detailed and responsive engagement will take place as we identify venues going forward.
Shona McCarthy, Chief Executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, said: The Committee’s decision today is an important milestone in the journey towards creating a new Fringe community hub.
“We’re pleased with the decision and excited to move a step closer towards providing a flexible, functional, sustainable and accessible space to bring artists, residents, community groups and the Fringe community together.”
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, the charity that supports the world’s largest performing arts festival, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and the biggest arts festival in the Southern Hemisphere, Adelaide Fringe are coming together to form an arrangement that will see both organisations amplify one another’s efforts for the benefit of artists and the international arts community.
Each organisation’s respective CEO will sign a Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) that outlines the details of the arrangement on August 11 during this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
The MOU came to fruition from a collective belief between the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society and Adelaide Fringe that organisations who share common objectives have the potential to positively influence the personal development of the Fringe festival artists and workers and thereby increase outcomes for each organisation.
The MOU will be signed by the South Australian Minister for Arts, Andrea Micheals MP and Scotland’s Culture Secretary Angus Robertson.
Culture Secretary Angus Robertsonsaid: “The Edinburgh Fringe is an inspiration to many festivals around the world and this formal agreement between the Edinburgh Fringe Society and the Adelaide Fringe is a fantastic initiative that will bring many benefits to both organisations.
“In particular the opportunity to share knowledge and skills, grow new audiences and provide platforms for performers will help the business development of both festivals.”
South Australian MInister for Arts, Andrea Micheals said: “This MOU brings together the wealth of talent, experience and creative ideas that exists in both Edinburgh and Adelaide Fringe Festivals.
“It represents the two largest festivals in the world joining forces to harness that extraordinary skill and create exciting opportunities for artists and arts workers to work at these two internationally renowned festivals and beyond.
“Adelaide is one of the world’s greatest festival cities and this partnership with the Edinburgh Festival cements our international reputation as the arts capital of Australia.”
The arrangement outlines details between the two festivals in the context of business, exchange and joint initiatives that will see Edinburgh and Adelaide Fringe festivals work to encourage the development of artists and their career trajectory and festival workers to the benefit of festivals internationally.
Each organisation will recognise their positions as major tourist attractions in their respective regions for both local, national and international travellers; and the benefits of working collaboratively in the development of skills for festival workers, along with the importance of business opportunities that are created at festivals via industry programs for artists to secure future bookings for their work.
Each partner is committed to the development of their staff, which will in part see the implementation of an exchange program between the two major festivals.
The MOU outlines a commitment from each party to promote one another’s Fringe festivals to artists while growing the audience-facing and industry-facing opportunities for artists participating in the festivals.
Director and CEO of Adelaide Fringe, Heather Croallsaid: ‘The establishment of this MOU is a momentous occurrence in the festival world.
“Fringe festivals are incubators for live performance and a testing ground for fresh ideas and new works, I’m sure the outcomes of this arrangement will ripple positively for artists and industry across the globe.”
Chief Executive of Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, Shona McCarthy said, “Today is an exciting moment as we formalise a collective ambition to support each other across a range of areas.
“Our relationship with the Adelaide Fringe has developed over the last decade into a supportive and collaborative partnership, where we learn from each other and share our mutual challenges and opportunities.
“The signing of the MOU is just the beginning of what we know will be an extremely rewarding partnership for everyone involved in the festivals.”
On Friday 4th August the 76th edition of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe officially began. In celebration of the first day, the annual Artist Address took place for the first time since 2019, and the Fringe Society was delighted to welcome Le Gateau Chocolat as keynote speaker for this important event.
Designed as a celebratory moment for Fringe artists to gather at the beginning of the festival, Gateau gave a thought-provoking, empowering, and at times emotional speech to those gathered for the event.
It was in 2008 that Gateau made his debut at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, shortly after an appearance at the Adelaide Fringe. Due to work commitments in London, he felt unable to fully ensconce himself in the ‘anarchy of its magic’ and returned three years later in 2011 with Le Gateau Chocolat.
‘When you’re not performing the show, you’re selling it. When you’re not selling it, you’re doing PR. When you’re not doing PR, you’re rehearsing, adjusting to the conversation with the audience – in a permanent state of dampness. The exhaustion at a cellular level whilst also being deeply invigorating. You’re on a constant high which amplifies the lows – however brief they are.’
Highlighting the platform the Fringe can offer artists for career development, Gateau shared insights into the journey his show took following his 2011 debut as Le Gateau Chocolat: ‘The magic of Edinburgh Fringe was very present, and I was lucky enough to tap into the zeitgeist. Shows sold out. Reviews were great. It got a London transfer to The Menier Chocolate Factory. The Sydney Opera House. Poland. Christchurch, New Zealand. Melbourne. Auckland. It set me on a course that introduced me to Basement Jaxx and had me performing with them and Metropole Orkest at the Barbican. It’s how T-Mobile found me and reached out for me to be part of the flash mob ad at Terminal 5. It changed my life.’
Returning to the Fringe in 2018 with three shows, Duckie, Icons and Jonny Woo’s All Star Brexit Cabaret, Gateau’s journey continued, and he worked hard to engage with new audiences and build on his touring opportunities. Duckie went on to tour extensively across the UK and continues to do so with a new non-binary and neurodivergent performer.
Highlighting a need for greater inclusivity and access at the festival, Gateau stated ‘Inclusivity is not a word, it’s an action, it is practise.’ Citing the current cost of living crisis, accommodation costs and the risks artists take to bring work to the Fringe every year, Gateau referenced the ongoing impacts of the pandemic and the resilience of artists, but that ‘elasticity doesn’t mean we can’t break.’
With an audience listening intently to Gateau’s story, the 2023 Artist Address highlighted the continued need for artist support across a range of areas.
Encouraging the room to support each other and to drive a sense of comradery and community, Gateau concluded his speech by stating: ‘There is magic here. I haven’t found it at every Fringe I’ve attended but I have found it several times.
You can and will be in conversation with your audiences – my hope for artists present and all artists at this festival is that you indeed find audiences. You are enough and the experiences that have brought you to this moment are valid.
“Lean into telling your stories as authentically as you can versus seeking validation from audience numbers, audience responses and reviews. If you succeed at doing that, tell me how because at 41 it’s a code I’m yet to crack! And to the facilitators of the storytellers, my plea to you is don’t take advantage of our reality; what we do is who we are.’
Shona McCarthy, Chief Executive, Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, said: “When Le Gateau Chocolat took to the stage you could hear a pin drop.The room was there to hear from an artist who has attended the Fringe for over 15 years and who has first-hand knowledge and experience of everything that this glorious event can challenge you with.
“We recognise the great financial risk that artists take in bringing work to the Fringe every year, and Gateau’s story highlights that every artist’s journey is different. Our immense thanks to Gateau for sharing his story, and to all the artists taking part in this year’s festival for making the commitment to be at this year’s Fringe.’
Today, 1 August 2023, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society is pleased to announce a new strategic partnership with Nouveau Riche Productions. The partnership aims to understand how to address barriers to participation for Black and/or Global Majority artists at the Fringe.
The partnership will initially last six months and will focus on the shared ambitions of Nouveau Riche and the Fringe Society in providing support, resources and signposting for under-represented artists who face barriers to participation, and/or experience unsafe working environments, when taking part in the Fringe – specifically artists who identify as Black and/or Global Majority.
Nouveau Riche will build and manage a network for Fringe participants who identify as Black and/or Global Majority and will collaborate with the Fringe Society on providing resources and events, as well as informing the development of their support services.
Following the 2023 Fringe, Nouveau Riche will gather feedback from this year’s artists of colour along with industry professionals with long-term Fringe experience, to ensure Black and/or Global Majority Fringe experiences are fully heard, and to inform future planning for development of this partnership and associated longer-term services.
Chris Snow, Head of Artist Services at the Fringe Society, said: ‘There has historically been limited support available for Black and/or Global Majority artists taking part in Fringe, and the Fringe Society acknowledges that this needs to change.
“Nouveau Riche are an established and experienced theatre company working with and supporting emerging artists of colour at the Fringe, and across the UK. For real change to happen, it is vital that the Fringe Society, venues and producers work with partners like Nouveau Riche, to understand how we can all support the festival to become more inclusive and accessible for artists facing barriers to taking part.
“In this first year of partnership, Nouveau Riche are building a network of Fringe artists of colour to help us consult, understand existing challenges, and establish plans for ongoing support.
“The Nouveau Riche team are also working with us on resources and events and are developing post-festival evaluation plans to inform our ongoing work. It is incredibly exciting to be working with them on this, and we hope it’s the beginning of a long-term partnership.”
Sarah Verghese, Senior Producer at Nouveau Riche,said: ‘Last year, Nouveau Riche published a Call to Action after our experiences at Edinburgh Fringe over the last five years.
“We are a one of the few Black-led companies who head to the festival consistently and this is because there is little to no support for our communities. I was delighted when the Fringe Society contacted us about a possible partnership to support the well-being and welfare of artists of colour heading to the festival.
“This year, Nouveau Riche is not producing a show at Edinburgh Fringe – instead we are delivering resources, wrap-around activity, events, drop-in and feedback sessions.
“It’s important that we are listening to our communities and their experiences to shape the festival into a welcoming, safe and inclusive place for us. Fringe of Colour has been a pioneer in this work by creating databases and sharing resources for artists of colour and we are so proud that they are no longer alone in their efforts to make Fringe a safe space for our communities.’
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is taking place from 4 – 28 August 2023.
More information about the programme and tickets can be found at edfringe.com.
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society has announced the launch of the inaugural Edinburgh Festival Fringe emerging critic’s programme.
Reviews are a critical tool for Fringe artists, for both raising their profile and encouraging audiences to seek out their work. Over the last few years, the level of arts coverage delivered by media titles across the UK has reduced dramatically compared to pre-pandemic. The Fringe Society’s new pilot project aims to promote arts journalism as an attractive and viable career choice for emerging talent.
Through the 2023 emerging critics programme, the Fringe Society will recruit up to seven emerging writers who will be supported through a learning programme, culminating in attending the festival in August to review shows and see their work published. The titles supporting this pilot include Broadway Baby, Chortle, the Herald, the List, Neurodiverse Review, the Scotsman and the Wee Review.
Following an open recruitment process, successful applicants will be placed with one of these titles. Each emerging critic will meet with a media mentor before spending a week at the Fringe, where they will be officially accredited as 2023 media, watch performances and file reviews with their title.
Lyndsey Jackson, Deputy Chief Executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, said: ‘We’re excited to launch this new project, which is an important step in encouraging young writers to consider culture and the arts as a future career.
“For many artists, a great Fringe review can make their show, and the importance and impact of reviews during August cannot be underestimated for the sector overall. We hope this year’s pilot creates a catalyst for future critics to come and develop their craft here at one of the greatest festivals on earth.
‘We’d like to thank the media titles supporting us in delivering this project over the summer. Their passion and commitment to covering the Fringe every year is testament to the power that this amazing festival has and I’m delighted to see them actively engaged in supporting the next generation of talent.’
Comments from participating titles:
‘A core part of The List’s ethos is to continually search for the next generation of arts writers, and the Fringe’s emerging critics programme feeds perfectly into this’. Brian Donaldson, The List
‘At The Wee Review, we’re delighted to have had two winners of the Fringe’s Young Writer Awards and proud to have given many more their first step on the ladder. In fact, lots of our year-round team originally joined us for the Fringe. It’s a tough but hugely exciting atmosphere to be reviewing in and we look forward to meeting and supporting some new critics as they find that out for themselves!’ Robert Peacock, Wee Review
‘We are very excited to be supporting a disabled critic who will be able to bring a much-needed perspective to work at the Edinburgh Fringe’.Simon Jay, Neurodiverse Review
‘Comedy’s an incredible art form and we’re delighted to be part of this project to widen the pool of informed critics who can give it the considered analysis it deserves at the Fringe, the world’s most extraordinary gathering of comic talent’.Steve Bennett, Chortle
Applications are open now, and will close on Wednesday 28 June, with interviews scheduled for w/c 03 July 2023.
Fringe Central: Artist Hub will be at Quaker Meeting House
Fringe Central: Arts Industry and Media Offices will be at Appleton Tower.
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society reveals the locations for its Fringe Central hubs for Fringe participants, which will be split across two city-centre spaces for the first time.
Fringe Central: Artist Hub
The Fringe Central: Artist Hub will be located at the Quaker Meeting House on Victoria Terrace. A former Fringe venue of 25 years’ standing, the Quaker Meeting House is an iconic building located in the heart of the Old Town, a stone’s throw from both the Grassmarket and the Royal Mile.
It will be a welcoming, inclusive space dedicated specifically to Fringe artists, where they can access Fringe Society services, meet fellow Fringe artists or just grab a tea or coffee and escape the buzz of the festival. The hub will be open between 10:00 and 18:00, seven days a week, and any artist from any venue will receive a warm and friendly welcome from the Fringe Society team. This space is for anyone, and everyone involved with bringing a show to the Fringe.
The hub will have a wellbeing focus as the Fringe Society is working for the first time with local mental health charity Health in Mind, to offer one-to-one support for artists, workshops during the festival and targeted resources on Fringe Connect, a digital platform for Fringe artists and arts industry. Following artist feedback from previous years, and in keeping with the wishes of the building’s owners, the space will be alcohol-free throughout the Fringe.
The Fringe Society offers year-round support and services to Fringe artists, including advice on connecting with industry, support creating press materials and guidance around managing and improving ticket sales or resolving any problems with their show. All of these services will be available in person at the Fringe Central: Artist Hub.
The Fringe Society will also be hosting a programme of participant-focused events, including discussions of topics relevant to the sector and social/networking meetups. The full programme of events will be announced ahead of August.
Fringe Central: Arts Industry and Media Offices
The arts industry and the media represent two vital components of the Fringe ecosystem, providing Fringe artists with significant opportunities to increase their profile and progress their careers beyond the festival.
The Fringe Society will continue to provide support and services to both groups this year via the Fringe Central: Arts Industry and Media Offices in Appleton Tower, just off George Square through support from the University of Edinburgh. This space will be where industry can access Fringe Society ticketing services, and meet with Arts Industry and Media teams, while benefitting from a quiet place to work.
Although there are two buildings this year, all Fringe participants will be brought together through events in the Fringe Central events programme, details of which will be announced at a later date.
Shona McCarthy, Chief Executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, said: ‘We are continually working to provide the best possible support to artists within our limited resources, and sometimes that yields beautifully serendipitous results.
“Establishing two separate Fringe Central spaces this year was borne out of budgetary and logistical necessity, but the consequent realisation of a dedicated space for artists is a massive benefit, both for them and for our team, in terms of having a focused and dedicated artists’ space throughout August. The Quaker Meeting House is a beautiful space with views that really connect to Edinburgh.
‘I’m especially pleased with our wellbeing offering this year, in partnership with Health in Mind. As everyone knows, the Fringe can be an intense experience – we want artists to know the Fringe Society is here to support them every step of the way, from finding affordable accommodation to onward touring and career development after the festival ends.’
Miranda Girdlestone, Manager, Edinburgh Quaker Meeting Housesaid ‘We’re delighted to be hosting the Fringe Central: Artist Hub space this year.
“We approached the Fringe Society a few months ago following concern about operating as a venue in 2023, to explore how we could still be involved in this year’s festival. We are thrilled that our peaceful Meeting House will be used as a home away from home for artists, looking for a wellbeing-focused space to relax and access support from the Society team.
“We hope to be back as a Fringe venue in the future, as are so proud of our long-standing relationship with this brilliant festival.’
Alana Genge, Head of Engagement at Health in Mind, said: ‘We’re excited to be working with the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and supporting the talented and creative artists involved.
“We’ve had great discussions around what mental health and wellbeing support will look like this year for artists and it’s clear to see the passion and commitment the Fringe team has for ensuring artists know where to get support and that support is available in different ways.
“It’s the start of a hopeful partnership and we’re looking forward to being part of the buzz that the Fringe brings to Edinburgh.’
Today, Tuesday 16 May, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society is delighted to announce details of the new Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2023 app, which will be available ahead of the festival.
The app will include many navigational features which will support audiences in exploring the wealth of performance available at the Fringe. Users will be able to view and search full programme listings, book tickets on the go and use a ‘nearby now’ function to find shows starting soon, which are close to their location.
Based on feedback from audiences, artists, participants and venues following the 2022 Fringe, the new app will also include new features which weren’t within the previous Fringe app, last available in 2019.
Following a move to a fully e-ticketing journey in 2022, e-ticket QR codes will be stored in the app’s planner area and will be seamlessly integrated with users’ day-by-day show schedules, providing a very easy user experience. Users will also be able to add tickets for multiple shows in one simple transaction,
In addition, two great festival-time additions will see users able to have the option to enable notifications for when their next show is about to start and will also benefit from a new ‘Shake to Search’ function which will provide users with a random show suggestion simply by shaking their phone.
The development of the 2023 app has been made possible through kind support from Scottish Enterprise, and new sponsors Playbilland Synatec.
Since the start of 2023, the Fringe Society have been working with Australian-based agency equ on developing a new app for this year’s festival. equ previously supported the Perth Fringe Festival with the development of their app. Throughout the development phase, the Fringe Society team have also already started exploring potential additional features for Fringe 2024 and beyond.
Through festival-time, users will be invited to submit feedback on the new app, encouraging suggestions of any additional features they’d like to see that would help them get even more out of the Fringe as well as provide feedback on their app experience.
Shona McCarthy, Chief Executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, said: ‘Developing an app required to support the scale and complexity of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe takes a significant period of time and resource, and we are delighted to be able to share the exciting features which will be launched within the app for this year’s festival.
“We recognise the app is a key tool for Fringe artists, with many audiences using it to explore new ideas and performances they may not have yet experienced, and the “nearby now” functionality is particularly useful for performers who offer free shows within the programme.
“We’ve ensured that the new app does all that and more, and while there’s still a few more weeks before it’s fully ready, I can’t wait for Fringe audiences to download it and support the thousands of artists performing in Edinburgh this summer.’
equ Managing Director, Warren Gibbs, said: ‘We are thrilled by the opportunity to make a meaningful contribution to the ongoing success of the world’s largest arts festival, and will be looking to create a platform that adds significant value for all stakeholders including artists, venues and customers’.
The new Fringe app is designed for use on the ground in August, and will be available for download in late July, ahead of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2023.
NEXT Tuesday (25th April), the City Council’s Finance and Resource Committee will consider Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society’s request for approval to progress to formal discussions for a long-term lease of the South Bridge Resource Centre as the preferred location for a new Fringe Community Hub.
The building in Infirmary Street has been identified for a variety of reasons, with its proximity to the existing footprint of the Fringe a key consideration.
Canongate Youth community group who reside there have been receptive to the idea of the Fringe Society working to improve the building and make it more accessible; by securing and maintaining the space for community and cultural use.
It is proposed that Canongate Youth remain a tenant of the building, and other small arts and cultural organisations may also be offered the opportunity to co-exist, creating a vibrant, mixed use community space for all and a hub for the Fringe Society’s services and team during August and year-round.
South Bridge Resource Centre is also a popular central location for adult education classes.
First identified within the 2017 Fringe Blueprint, the proposed development of a new, year-round space for artists and creatives across the Fringe landscape, has been made possible due to funding from the UK Government, announced during the 2023 Spring Budget.
The announcement followed many meetings with Ministers and officials from various departments, during which the Fringe Society advocated for a range of support across several key areas.
The Fringe Society continue to use their convening power to lobby for additional financial support for artists and venues, with funding for the new community hub fully ringfenced against a capital investment to meet the Levelling Up agenda.
Since the announcement, Fringe Society Chief Executive, and Chair, have asked whether some of this fund might be apportioned to other areas of the Fringe in crucial need of support; such as direct to participants via the new Keep it Fringe Fund.
To date there has been no indication that this investment can be allocated to something outwith the capital investment project.
If approved by the Council to enter into formal discussions, the Fringe Society will produce a detailed business case to present to UK Government, with full costings on development of the proposed hub.
These elements will include any structural changes required to maximise the space, a detailed breakdown of what facilities may be available, and what will be required to make the building fully accessible and sustainable for the long term.
All current services and usage of the Resource Centre will continue ‘as-is’ while this work is progressing and there will be no interruption to the Fringe 2023 operations for Greenside Venues.
In order to ensure the new hub meets the needs of its many user groups and all those within the Fringe community, consultation will be undertaken over the coming months and during this year’s festival with artists, producers, educators, community groups and industry bodies.
Shona McCarthy, Chief Executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, said: “Following the UK Budget announcement of funding for this project, there has been understandable interest and comment on where, when and how the new Fringe community hub will be created.
“Next week marks the next step in this process, with an ask to the City of Edinburgh Council that we enter into formal discussions about the space on Infirmary Street. This is very much a long-term project and one that will take a few years to establish.
“We are excited at the prospect of revitalising an important city centre space that has such an established history with the Fringe through Greenside, and a vital hub for the excellent work with young people and communities that has been the hallmark of Canongate Youth.
“The conversion of this space into a year-round Fringe community hub will allow local cultural organisation, artists and our community partners, the opportunity to utilise this space too.
“In the long-term it will allow a permanent home for our August participants hub, known as Fringe Central, for whom artists, arts industry, media and international delegates access each summer for a range of workshops, networking and industry events.
“We look forward to working with colleagues at the Council as plans for this space evolve as well as deepening existing and building new relationships with community groups in the City’.
Tara and Darren, Greenside Venue Directors, said: ‘The possibility of losing Infirmary Street has loomed over us for some time as when we started our journey, we were told that it was not a permanent option, and while its reality is undeniably bittersweet, we find solace in knowing that this beautiful, historic building will remain an integral part of the Fringe landscape for many years to come.
“Today’s announcement does not affect our operations in 2023. We have been meticulously planning for this moment, ensuring a seamless transition to ensure we can continue to provide a welcoming Fringe home for almost 200 shows every year across our venues.
“Greenside is excited about our future and we look forward to embracing the new opportunities that lie ahead. We have ambitious and exciting plans for Fringe 2024 and beyond, and we eagerly anticipate sharing more details with you in the near future’.
Clare Jamieson, Canongate Youth Manager said: “We are delighted to be involved in early-stage conversations around the future of South Bridge Resource Centre with the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society.
“The building has huge potential, and we welcome the opportunity to explore this further, and most importantly how future developments could benefit children and young people who use CY services and the wider local community”.
The Fringe Society recognise the challenging environment that currently exists for artists and venues and are continuing to lobby and advocate for greater support across a range of areas, including the recently launched Keep it Fringe fund.
The Fringe Society have asked DCMS for further support for Fringe participants and continue to lobby for this from non-capital funds.
With just weeks until the launch of the full 2023 programme, the Fringe Society’s focus remains on supporting the artists and creatives coming to Edinburgh for this year’s Fringe, and in helping audiences navigate through the array of work available.
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society has announced the recipients of the ‘Keep it Fringe’ fund, a new initiative to support Fringe artists, led by Fringe Society President Phoebe Waller-Bridge.
The fund, supported by the Fleabag for Charity fund and donations to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society through individual donors and our partnership with Edinburgh Gin, is distributing bursaries of £2,000 to 50 artists and companies bringing work to the Fringe in 2023.
As part of the Fringe Society’s work to build a better and more accessible Fringe, the fund is intended to level the playing field for artists, providing the opportunity to reap the rewards of all the Fringe has to offer.
Since its announcement on Tuesday 07 March, 677 artists and companies have applied to the fund, and submissions were assessed by a diverse group of external assessors.
Each application was reviewed by two assessors, who were on the lookout for shows that capture the defiant spirit of the Fringe and can take advantage of the festival as a unique platform to tell untold stories at all stages of their career.
The successful award recipients represent the great breadth of variety and diversity that makes up the Fringe. Their work covers a range of subjects, from Climate Action and OCD to parenthood and migration; from love to death, and the realities of rural life.
There’s sketch comedy, musicals, stand-up, spoken word for children, plays, ventriloquist horror, immersive theatre for one audience-member at a time; drag, performance art, variety, solo work and pole dancing. These artists and companies will share 50 stories which talk to the very essence and spirit of the Fringe. We’ll be sharing more information on this eclectic range of recipients in the weeks to come.
From emerging artists and those presenting at the Fringe for the first time to more established acts returning to the festival, recipients reflect performers at every stage of their career. It was clear to the assessors that there were a diverse range of applicants from a wide variety of backgrounds looking to bring their work to the Fringe in 2023. Nearly one in two of those selected are disabled or have a health condition, with one in three coming from a working-class background.
Funding will be used to cover a variety of expenses, including childcare, transportation, media and PR support, help to meet living wage pay; supporting access costs for artists, and the production costs associated with performing. The successful recipients will present work across a range of spaces in Edinburgh and will offer a mix of paid-for and free shows.
In addition to the £2,000 financial grant support, the 50 Keep it Fringe recipients will receive an additional package of support to help them perform at this year’s festival. The leading destination for short-form video, TikTok, will also continue their support of Fringe artists and are kindly donating £50,000 worth of advertising credits to the Keep it Fringe fund recipients.
These credits can be used by artists to boost their account content and raise their profile in-app in the run up to, and during the Fringe.
Supporting the Fringe’s climate action development goals, electric rail provider sustainable rail network Lumo are generously donating 50 return tickets from any of their UK hubs, for travel to and from Edinburgh, for recipients of the fund.
Shona McCarthy, Chief Executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, said: ‘The number of applications received for the Keep it Fringe fund reflects the current economic climate, and a need for significant support for artists coming to the Fringe.
“The festival continues to be one of the most important cultural events in the world, and a platform for artists to gather, network and meet with industry partners as they explore future career possibilities.
“Our team continue to advocate for those across the Fringe ecology, and as we move at speed to this year’s Fringe, we encourage individuals and companies to reach out to our Artist Services team to see how we can provide further support.
“We are immensely grateful for Phoebe’s generous donation to this new fund, and would welcome conversations with partners, donors and organisations who would be open to supporting the development of this important initiative in the future.
“Our thanks to all the assessors who took the time to review hundreds of applications, and to TikTok and Lumo for their kind support package for the recipients.’
THE 50 SUCCESSFUL RECIPIENTS OF THE KEEP IT FRINGE FUND:
Full detail on the artists, companies, venues, and the shows themselves will be shared in the coming weeks as some shows are not yet on sale:
Abby Vicky-Russell
Alex Gibbon
Alistair Hall
BBD Productions
Ben Macpherson
Ben Target
Best in Class CIC
Brigitte Aphrodite
Bristol Performance Movement
c21 Theatre Company Limited
Cerys Bradley
Clementine Bogg-Hargroves
Down the Lens
Edith Alibec
Elisabeth Gunawan / Saksi Bisou
Ella Lovelady
Emerge Production House
Fiona Ridgewell
Flat &the Curves
Gara in association with Jess Donn
Hey Thanks! Theatre Company
Jaimee Aislyn de Witt
Joe Leather
Journey to the East Productions
KlangHaus
Lachlan Werner
Lee Kyle
MarianaMalena Theatre Company
Martin Mor Comedy
Matt Hutchinson
Max Percy + Friends
Moon Loaf
Mr Brake Down
Mwansa Phiri/Visual Sauce
Olly Gully
Peyvand Sadeghian
Prentice Productions with Kit Sinclair
Rachel E. Thorn
Ready Cett Productions
Riss Obolensky and Eloise Poulton
RoguePlay Theatre
Sian Davies
Simona Vrabcova
Slade Wolfe Enterprises Limited
Social Convention
StammerMouth
Stephen John Catling
Suhaila Suhaimi
The Thelmas WMC
Tom Mayhew
The Keep it Fringe fund is a pilot, and part of the Fringe Society’s wider fundraising campaign. The ambition is to provide direct financial support for Fringe artists every year, with widening eligibility where possible. The Fringe Society recognises that these funds won’t make or break a show but should provide a little bit of financial help to those who want to take part in the Fringe.
If you or your organisation can help contribute to the Keep it Fringe, or widen its reach, please contact support.us@edfringe.com.
Today, Thursday 30 March, 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.
Tickets for more than a thousand shows will be released at 12:00 BST today, with more shows set to be announced on Thursday 11 May.
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:”We’re now well on our way to Fringe 2023, and having so many more shows go live this week is yet another reason to get excited. It feels like August is just around the corner, and once again Edinburgh will be filled with artists, creatives, and people with amazing stories to tell.
“Artists are the beating heart of this festival and central to everything we do at the Fringe Society. Our team are here to support artists at every step of their Fringe journey, including our participants hub, Fringe Central; full details of which will be announced in the coming weeks.
“From theatre to comedy, cabaret to music, children’s shows to circus; the shows going on sale today represent the breadth and depth of creativity that will be bursting from every seam of Edinburgh this August. The Fringe and all its moving parts are still in recovery, I encourage you to support the artists and their work this summer, get browsing, get booking and come and see their shows.”
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
At theSpaceUK, The Quality of Mercy: Concerning the Life and Crimes of Dr Harold Frederick Shipman is a “drama examining the legacy of Britain’s most prolific serial killer, written and performed by the grandson of one of Shipman’s victims”. New Slang Productions is the company behind Tomorrow Is Not Promised at Underbelly, in which “a Black British woman finds herself homeless and alone after an earthquake”. Gilded Balloon hosts the latest world premiere from Henry Naylor, Let the Bodies Pile, displaying the playwright’s “characteristic blend of comedy and tragedy, and tackling the care homes crisis”. At Assembly, Blue by CCEGHM explores the fallout from “the death of a Black motorist during a traffic stop at the hands of a white officer”. The Edinburgh Little Theatre company presents The Court at Hill Street Theatre, a “courtroom drama [that] centres around the question of euthanasia”. And at The Royal Scots Club, crackers is “a darkly funny reflection on dealing with broken heads”.
In Modern Witches at Greenside, “lesbian actor Kate tries witchcraft to cure her relationship anxiety, but the real help comes when she accidentally summons the ghost of Virginia Woolf during a self-tape audition as the famous Modernist.” Meanwhile, Brandon Urrutia brings Lo Siento Mi Espanol Es Tremendo Mal to St Andrew’s and St George’s West, George St, exploring Hispanic culture and identity.
Soundplay Theatre Productions presents Sound Clash: Death in the Arena at Pleasance Courtyard, “a contemporary Romeo and Juliet, set in a dystopian world of reggae and dancehall music”. At Inverleith St Serf’s Church Centre, Leitheatre company presents A Midsummer Dream in Auld Reekie, moving Shakespeare’s original setting “from Greece to Edinburgh – the Athens of the North”.
The Counterminers are presenting two shows at Just the Tonic. In Hersterectomy, Carmel “plots to curate the perfect nuclear household” to qualify for an operation, while “fast-paced comedy” Lost and Found “follows three best friends from London, Leeds and Glasgow as they fight to find themselves, without losing each other”.
David Thill’s Exit 20:20 is at Paradise in Augustines; it follows 16-year-old Moses, whose high school board bans the graphic novel Maus. At PBH’s Free Fringe, Alexander Klaus, the One-Legged Shoemaker Man tells the story of a 16-year-old American Civil War veteran who “struggles to live a normal life on New York City’s Lower East Side”.
Comedy
Elf Lyons and Duffy present Heist at Monkey Barrel Comedy, “a ridiculous bank heist conducted in Visual Vernacular, British Sign Language with very silly and violent live sound foley”. At Laughing Horse, Raul Kohli presents his new show Kohl and The Gang, selecting “five of the best upcoming acts on the circuit right now for a late-night comedy extravaganza”. Emmanuel Sonubi is back at the Fringe with Curriculum Vitae at Underbelly, “taking us through the life he led that brought him to the stage, via his work history”. And at PBH’s Free Fringe, Harun Musho’d is explaining Why I Don’t Talk To People About Terrorism.
Fresh from Vietnam, expat Parisian Francis Renaud hosts French Bashing by a Frenchman at Paradise in Augustines, “using comedic anecdotes, cultural comparisons and a wry sense of humour”. Panamanian-born, Florida-raised and Germany-residing Abigail Paul commits Involuntary Momslaughter at Greenside, serving “a biting dark comedy show about narcissistic personality disorder”. At The Voodoo Rooms, Joe Jacobs presents TurboFleshSuck5000, “a sex-positive, carbon-neutral, HIV-negative comedy hour”. And at Just the Tonic, Ali Al Sayed and Mina Liccione – “the UAE’s King and Queen of comedy” – have a Dubai Fling.
At Assembly, Anuvab Pal works for The Department of Britishness, selling “the idea of Britishness to India… there’s trouble ahead,” while Kuan-Wen Haung comes to Gilded Balloon with Ilha Formosa, telling how he traded his beloved Taiwan for the British Isles.
“Queer feminist and bloody lefty” Kathleen Hughes brings her work-in-progress show, One of the Girls, to the Scottish Comedy Festival @ Waverley Bar, asking what it means to be an independent woman. Frankenstein Pub hosts The Impro All Stars aka Stephen Frost, Ian Coppinger, Andy Smart and very special guests.
At theSpaceUK, Beehavioural Problems: Something Something Autism is a “new surrealist escapade” from Stephen Catling. In The Weegies Have Stolen the One O’Clock Gun! at St Columba’s by the Castle, “only Morningside Malcolm, quiet resident of the douce suburbs, can prevent aggro” between Glasgow and Edinburgh. Online, Clare McCartney’s Luck Court is a 25-minute sitcom pilot in which “a working-class woman in her 40s” who has been recently divorced is “left with nothing and has to start again”.
Fringe 2023 is also overflowing with faces familiar from off the telly and previous festival appearances. David O’Doherty, Ed Byrne, Frankie Boyle and Reginald D Hunter are all at Assembly; Robin Ince and Patrick Monahan are at Gilded Balloon; Ahir Shah, Jamali Maddix, Catherine Bohart and Luisa Omielan are at Monkey Barrel Comedy; Mark Watson, Rachel Parris and Rosie Holt are at Pleasance; Bridget Christie, Stewart Lee and Seann Walsh are at The Stand; and Craig Hill and John Robins are at Just the Tonic (the latter with Howl and a new work-in-progress).
Music
The Jazz Bar hosts “an unmissable exclusive performance from legendary Russian-American trumpeter and Jazz Messengers alumnus, Valery Ponomarev” in 30th Anniversary! Valery Ponomarev: The Jazz Messenger. At Frankenstein Pub, Squeeze founder Chris Difford asks What Happened? 50 Lyrical Years, charting “the journey he has taken with songs from Take Me I’m Yours to Cool for Cats and Up the Junction”.
British composer Girish Paul and his virtual orchestra present The Diary of Anne Frank: Her Journey in Music at The Old Dr Bells Baths. At the Arthur Conan Doyle Centre, singer/songwriter Tim Hunter uses music to tell the story of Independent Yorkshire MP William Wilberforce, who “led the campaign to abolish the slave trade”, in The Progressive Campaign. And at Greenside, Soul Circus asks Who Walks This Path, a show that combines “interactive storytelling with original music and improvisation about loss, community, our human need for connection, and the pain and humour of the journey”.
In celebration of his 50th birthday, Scottish fiddler Alastair Savage presents “a unique series of concerts” at St Cuthbert’s Church, featuring guests Alice Allen and Laurence Wilson. Scottish Voices perform Nuadh-Òrain and Other Songs at the Scottish Arts Club – “settings of poetry in Gaelic and English by Scottish contemporary composers and poets including the premiere of a new work by poet Aonghas MacNeacail and composer Margaret McAllister”. Eilidh Steel and Mark Neal “weave together their own compositions and songwriting alongside interesting old melodies and songs from the Scottish west coast” – they’re at the Acoustic Music Centre @ UCC. And Stockbridge Church is hosting Haggis Ceilidhs, helping visitors “experience the very best Scottish ceilidh dancing with one of Scotland’s leading modern ceilidh bands”.
Fringe-goers can “experience the groovy energy, dreamy moods and relaxing sounds from South Korea’s Il Wol Dang Band” at Assembly this August, while Pharos’ Rave at Just the Tonic “is an immersive journey into the depths of electronic music, featuring hypnotic beats, intricate textures, and haunting melodies”. Arrive Alive is a collaboration between poet Blukat, music producer and DJ, Cream, along with musicians Dead Poets” – watch it online.
Memphis-born singer/songwriter/pianist Charlie Wood takes you on a live listening tour through the Blues in Trouble In Mind: 100 Years of the Blues at the Argyle Cellar Bar, while Peaks and Valleys “combine folk, punk, gypsy, and classical elements” – catch them during The Blue Hour at The Royal Oak. Pitchblenders Swing the Blues is at Valvona & Crolla, where “Christine Adams sings her favourite songs from the era of scandalous Harlem rent parties,” accompanied by “Dick Lee on reeds, guitarist Phil Adams and bassist Jerry Forde”.
The A Club at the Merchants Hall hosts The Katuns, a West Lothian band “whose catchy riffs and high-energy choruses are influenced by indie rock bands Arctic Monkeys and Nirvana”. At The Liquid Room, The Rising: The UK’s No 1 Tribute to Springsteen and the E Street Band returns to the Fringe for their 12th year. The Allman Brothers Project by Safehouse is at Stramash, including “Allman favourites Jessica, Whipping Post, Soulshine, Ramblin’ Man and Elizabeth Reed”. Le Monde is hosting a programme of tribute artists this August, with various shows dedicated to the music of Adele, the Beach Boys and Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons. And Bannermans plays host to a pair of shows from rock’s experimental leftfield: Absolutely (not) Free – An Evening of Zappa by Pygmy Twylyte and Beefheart – Tropical Hot Dog Night! by Orange Claw Hammer.
The Edinburgh Renaissance Band’s New Frontiers 50th birthday is at artSpace@StMarks, exploring “medieval and renaissance Europe and Central America, accompanied by sackbuts, cornetts, serpent, viols, rebecs, harps, shawms, curtals, recorders, crumhorns and voices”. St Giles’ Cathedral hosts a series of Celebrity Recitals on its world-renowned Rieger organ, with performances from Matthew Owens, Jordan English and Michael Harris. Meanwhile, St Mary’s Cathedral hosts its own series of Cathedral Celebrity Organ Recitals, with Duncan Ferguson, David Goode and Imogen Morgan performing “popular organ music on the mighty Father Willis organ.”
At St Andrew’s and St George’s West, George St, Christine Hurley and Nancy Crook present Cello and Piano Recital: Music of Love, featuring compositions by Beethoven, Cesar Franck and Amy Beach. “One of the UK’s longest-established youth orchestras, conducted by Allan Young and featuring solo performers from within its own ranks,” the Perth Youth Orchestra is performing their Autumn Concert at Greyfriars Kirk. And the Royal Scots Club have a programme of classical recitals at breakfast, lunchtime and afternoon, “performed by some of the finest young talent in comfortable surroundings”.
The Sacred Arts Festival (a programme within the wider Fringe lineup) has music events in several Edinburgh church spaces, including new sacred compositions at Canongate Kirk, Schola Cantorum at St Mary’s Catholic Cathedral, a lunchtime choir recital at St Michael and All Saints and works by Bach and Handel at St Vincent’s in Stockbridge.
Guitarist and composer Daniel Martinez presents a concert of “emotive, exciting, moving and technically brilliant” Flamenco Guitar at Yotel Edinburgh and classical guitarist Jonathan Prag brings “music from Spain’s greatest composers” to St Columba’s by the Castle.
theSpaceUK is hosting Aca-Villa: The Love Island Musical, where “contestants navigate their road to true love through the medium of chart-topping songs, all performed a cappella”. Meanwhile Gilded Balloon is hosting at least two acapella shows this Fringe, with Aquapella representing Bath and The Oxford Gargoyles coming from – you guessed it – Oxford.
Cabaret and variety
Reuben Kaye returns to Assembly for his “queer, messy, and f*cking hilarious” late-night cabaret show, The Kaye Hole. “Destynee is a dramatic drag artist performing songs from some of the most fabulous divas and icons of all time” – you can catch her in An Evening With Drag Artist – Destynee at Planet Bar. Gilded Balloon hosts Divas: From Stage to Screen by BBD Productions, featuring “a live band and cast of fierce beltresses” celebrating “music, movies and musical theatre”. And at theSpaceUK, “gender euphoric cabaret” A Bit Too Much Hair is “a musical paradise for thems, mens, femmes, and everyone in between”.
Magical Bones returns to Underbelly with Soulful Magic – Volume Two, while magician and mind reader Tom Brace takes audiences on A Trick Down Memory Lane at Pleasance.
The Kaisa Ling Thing brings The Feminist’s Handbook for Eastern Europe to PBH’s Free Fringe, presenting “a vaudevillian blues portrait of modern life”. Blues and Burlesque at The Voodoo Rooms offers “original music by Pete Saunders (Dexy’s Midnight Runners)” alongside “classic striptease from Belle de Beauvoir”.
At Hill Street Theatre, the Machine Man Spectacle invites audience members to “participate in seven of the universe’s most spectacular machines, invented specifically to observe the human spiritual spectrum”. King of More is at Paradise in The Vault, using “music, interactions, quasi-workshop, laughter, tears and quantum physics” to explore “secret connection among all of us” in Veza.
Forth 1 returns to the Edinburgh Playhouse this August to host its annual Forth on the Fringe gala.
Dance, physical theatre and circus
In circus, Afrique en Cirque visit Assembly to display “gravity-defying moves and human pyramids, all to the contemporary sounds of African contemporary music”. Hong Kong physical theatre company Theatre de la Feuille present Fall and Flow at Underbelly, diving into “the depths of war, the power of love and hate as the futility and sorrow explode in front of you in six short stories”.
Katherine and Pierre at Gilded Balloon is “a gender-bent love story combining elements of drag with comedic dance choreography”, set to the music of Katy Perry. A/lone at Greenside is a “dynamic Australian work” exploring “the painful depths of loneliness and the profound joy of aloneness”.
At Just the Tonic, Fruit Salad is “a clown comedy of fruit-based stupidity by two Gaulier-trained comedians”. Klouns Theatre Company presents An Act of Seven Ages at Paradise in The Vault – a “clowning escapade of vignettes focused on a multitude of influences endured from birth until death”. And Släpstick return to the Pleasance with Schërzo, “a clown-esque concerto for the ages where a seemingly highbrow classical concert glissandos into a bacchanal of comical mishaps and absurdity”.
The Sacred Arts Festival presents drama at St Vincent’s with The Mysteries (reimagined by Peter Holloway), bringing to live “five Medieval guild plays” in a “warm, funny, yet gritty production”.
There’s a feast of flamenco at Fringe 2023, including Flamenco Fiesta at Alba Flamenca, 2Flamenco at Argyle Cellar Bar, Flamenco in Scotland at St Andrew’s and St George’s West, George St and Flamenco Fringe at Lunch at Yotel Edinburgh. Meanwhile, over at theSpaceUK, Giorgia Marchiori and Marcelo Guardiola present Los Guardiola – The Comedy of Tango, using “the universal and timeless language of movement to tell stories inspired by the world’s best-loved tangos”.
EN-PERFECIÓN is available to watch online, tracing “its roots back to the Ankoku-Butoh movement active in Japan from the 1950s, mixing it with contemporary dance and experimental theatre”.
Children’s shows
Quebec circus clowns Brotipo return to Assembly with a family-friendly show “to make you laugh, dance and even sing”. At Gilded Balloon, Artiste is an “interactive exhibit of physical comedy and crafty clowning”, while “UK premier magician and kids entertainer” Leigh Milne brings The Crazy Puppet Magic Show to Frankenstein Pub.
The Blue Badge Bunch are back at Pleasance with ReRamped, “a hilarious, interactive game show where each game represents a disability and comedians battle it out”. One Step Ahead presents The European Extravaganza! at Greenside, “an interactive musical journey to some major European cities”. Inside The Robot: Kids vs Chaos! is “the world’s only theatrical escape room”, an “immersive, educational and hilarious spectacular suitable for ages 5+” – it’s at Just the Tonic. And Professors Lexi Con and Noel Edge present The Alphabet of Awesome Science at Underbelly, taking a “tongue-twisting race from A to Z that’s equal parts explosive, messy, hilarious, fascinating and gross”.
The Ancient Ballad of Thomas the Rhymer (Into the Woods) at artSpace@StMarks features “specially composed music performed by John Sampson, performed by Sampson, Julia Munrow and Pete Baynes”. Dragon Tales at LifeCare Centre is “an interactive storytelling show for 4–6-year-olds” using “felt puppets, percussion and harp”. And theSpaceUK features two adaptations as part of their children’s programme: Peter Pan and The Twits.
At St Andrew’s and St George’s West, George St, FlamenKids is an “original, well-made, fun, passionate and highly entertaining show where you’ll experience a breathtaking professional flamenco performance of eight artists interacting with the wee ones”. Recitals for Wrigglers presents two “fun, interactive and educational shows for babies and toddlers” at Stockbridge Church: Kings and Queens and Wriggle Around the World.
Amazing Prize Family Bingo at 9 Queen Street is exactly what it sounds like: “bingo with loads and loads of prizes”. Hill Street Theatre hosts Reach for the Stars, “a fun show showcasing Edinburgh’s young talent”.
Musicals and opera
OSCAR at The Crown (Assembly) takes place “in a secret bunker far in the fascist future”, and focuses on “one of history’s most flamboyant figures” – Oscar Wilde. Greenside hosts Fierce, in which “seven famous women tell their stories” to “a soundtrack of empowering music that’s sure to smash the patriarchy”. Two separate musicals explore the life of Alan Turing at this year’s Fringe. Alan Turing – Guilty of Love is at Hill Street Theatre, while Alan Turing – A Musical Biography is at Paradise in Augustines. And theSpaceUK welcomes Les Millénniables, “a pop parody about the plight of the generation deemed ‘millennials’”.
“Oliver Harris sings the great songs from Les Misérables, Chess, Phantom of the Opera, The Lion King, We Will Rock You and many more” in The Greatest Show Songs at Le Monde. Forth Children’s Theatre return “for their 42nd year at the Fringe with their spooky, kooky production of The Addams Family – A New Musical” at Broughton High School. And Captivate Theatre presents a programme of musical adaptations at the Edinburgh Academy: Les Misérables School Edition, Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical Jr, School of Rock and The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
Without is “an intimate and authentic new musical” at Underbelly, in which “a busker and a runaway find unexpected camaraderie and challenge together, discovering the importance of acceptance through conversation, confrontation and the power of music”. In On Your Bike at Gilded Balloon, “Gemma and Aidan deliver food they can’t afford for mega-corporation Eatsaroo, but things get messy when it cuts their pay and derails their budding romance”. “A Christmas Carol meets It’s a Wonderful Life meets… *NSYNC!” in Chriskirkpatrickmas: A Boy Band Christmas Musical at Pleasance. And at Stockbridge Church, Acceptance Pending tells the story of high-school senior Angela, who “fights through the daunting US college application process” and is “met with the harsh reality of the student mental-health crisis”.
Scotland’s professional touring company, Opera Bohemia, returns with John Leo Wilkie’s highly acclaimed production of Madama Butterfly at St Cuthbert’s Church.
Spoken word
LBC presenter Iain Dale hosts a series of talks at Pleasance this Fringe, meeting with Ian Blackford MP, Penny Mordaunt MP, Wes Streeting MP, Sir John Curtice and Brian Taylor. Over at The Stand’s New Town Theatre, Fair Pley’s conversation series features Scottish Labour Party leader Anas Sarwar, “guitarist, songwriter and DJ” Bobby Bluebell and BBC 6 Music presenter Tom Robinson.
Rob Redenbach shares his Conversations with Mandela at the Arthur Conan Doyle Centre, “recounting his journey from casino bouncer in outback Australia to working with Nelson Mandela’s bodyguard team in South Africa”. A “lifelong friend” of David Bowie shares stories at Blackwell’s Bookshop in Bowie, Cambo & All the Hype – An Evening with John Cambridge. Confessions of a Teletubby is at theSpaceUK, with “the original LaaLaa” Nikky Smedley sharing her experiences on the children’s TV show. And “ex-Hibs, Aberdeen, Tottenham Hotspur, Barcelona and Scotland striker Steve Archibald discusses his extraordinary football career” in Steve Archibald – An Evening With at Le Monde.
From Marlon Solomon, “the maker of Conspiracy Theory: A Lizard’s Tale,” comes How to Be an Antisemite, “a dark comedy about rising antisemitism, where it comes from and what we do about it”. It’s at Gilded Balloon, while at Hill Street Theatre, Good Grief: Five Deserts in Search of My Father is a one-man show by writer Jon Lawrence, recounting how he “walked 500km over five deserts on five continents to come to terms with the death of his father”.
Sacred Arts Festival hosts Spirituality, Faith and Belief: Voyages of Discovery, “an exploration of literary works as vehicles of spiritual discovery”, at Greyfriars Kirk, and Strafed by Splendour: Under Paolozzi’s Window at St Mary’s Cathedral, “a magnificent setting for poetry, music and an explanatory talk”.
Dean Tsang explores Our Anxious Measurements at PBH’s Free Fringe, probing “research and understanding” and questioning the “expectations placed on us and the ways apprehension can enter our lives”.
Caledonia – Words and Music for Sir Walter is a series of “short readings from Scott’s works on the themes of resilience and recovery, with contemporary choral settings of Scott’s poetry by Edinburgh composer Nigel Don”. It’s at St Vincent’s.
