With 440 shows, 4400 artists, and 155,000 tickets, theSpaceUK has helped new artists and audiences experience the Fringe
theSpaceUK is one of the largest venues at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe with 19 theatres across 7 venues. Every genre in the Fringe programme is represented and there’s a strong focus on new-writing and new companies with a wide-range of support provided for artists bringing work to the Fringe for the first time.
155,200 tickets were issued for shows at theSpaceUK this year, only a 1.5% fall since 2019 (157,700) – a remarkable achievement given this was the first year the Fringe has fully returned since Covid-19. This year saw 440 shows featuring 4395 artists at theSpaceUK representing over 35 different countries.
Artists at theSpaceUK were recognised for their work including a Fringe First for And then the Rodeo Burned Down, a Broadway Bobby award for Trial by Jury, The Carol Tambor Incentive awards for Burn, Hotel Elsinore and The Mistake, who also were awarded the Mervyn Stutter Spirit of the Fringe award.
theSpaceUK’s programme saw critical acclaim with numerous shows picking up multiple five-star reviews. Sugar (Mabel Thomas) was a one-hander masterpiece from Royal Conservatoire of Scotland graduate Mabel Thomas and played to rapturous audiences. Assisted (Oxia Theatre) was a five-star smash-hit featuring a next-generation voice assistant alongside an impressive cast and was nominated for the BBC Writer’s Award.
Press and media were instrumental in helping artists achieve their success with over 800 reviews published during the Fringe. An array of reviewing organisations from across both the globe and different media helped ensure that artists were supported at theSpaceUK. We offer them our eternal gratitude.
Charles Pamment, Artistic Director of the SpaceUK said: “We’re delighted by the success that artists & companies have had at this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe with theSpaceUK.
“Our programme supports new-writing and new artists and is forward looking, building a relationship for the future. We are thankful to the audiences & artists who come to theSpaceUK and experience festival as it’s meant to be.
“There’s a range of reasons that have made 2022 audiences have been broadly in line with 2019. Sensible ticketing prices have meant that shows at theSpaceUK have been affordable to audiences.
“Extensive support with press and marketing have allowed companies to promote their shows and attract audiences. Being one of the few venues to return in 2021 with a full programme meant that strong relationships with audiences and artists have continued develop positively.”
And then the Rodeo Burned Down and The Mistake
About theSpaceUK Established in 1995, theSpaceUK hosts the largest and most diverse programme at the fringe. Companies, both professional & amateur, are given an affordable, supportive and professional platform to showcase their work.
About the venue theSpaceUK operates 19 venues across 7 sites including: theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall, theSpace @ SymposiumHall, theSpace on North Bridge, theSpace on the Mile, theSpaceTriplex, the Space @ Venue45.
Pianodrome, Edinburgh Fringe Festival 24-28th August 5pm.
Celtic sensation Jasmine Power from West Wales takes you on an ethereal musical journey at the piano with her own magnificent cinematic pop songs.
Since collaborating with legendary Amanda Palmer in New York, Jasmine’s been composing in Nashville with Broadway and Disney stars and hit writers like Melissa Manchester, Luke Dick, Nina Ossoff and Kyle Lehning.
Power is known for her emotive and uplifting melodies and lyrics drawn from life experiences. ‘Something beautifully British about her music, great songwriting, great voice and a unique sound’ (Jamie Cullum, BBC Radio 2). ‘Jasmine’s songs are very good and she sings them wonderfully’ (Sir Paul McCartney).
Jasmine Power is a Welsh singer, pianist and songwriter, and one of today’s most unique and engaging artists to emerge from the UK music scene.
Daughter of a Welsh sailor and an English musician, she grew up in rural West Wales, where she has been composing music and songs continuously since the age of 10.
Since then, life has taken her to train at The Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, Cardiff followed by Trinity and Laban Conservatory of Music and Dance, London. After graduating, Power walked a Spanish pilgrimage alone.
She later went travelling for some musical South American adventures to complete her album, and late 2019 moved to Nashville Tennessee, where she has worked as a songwriter for other artists, TV and film during the pandemic. She takes the wild spirit of West Wales with her wherever she goes and still recalls those days of dreaming on her windowsill at home.
After several years of writing songs for herself and others in Nashville, New York and LA and collaborating with artists and songwriters including Melissa Manchester (Grammy-Award Winning Singer/Songwriter), Luke Dick (Kasey Musgraves, Miranda Lambert, Dirks Bentley), Robin Eaton, Chris Roberts (H.E.R), Amanda Palmer (Dresden Dolls) and Laura Osnes (Broadway star), Power has returned with an even greater voice and a uniquely striking set of songs, ready to share her music with the world.
‘Her songs are very good and she sings them wonderfully’ – Sir Paul McCartney
‘Something beautifully British about her music, great song writing, great voice and a unique sound.’ – Jamie Cullum (BBC Radio2)
‘Absolutely love it, my favorite track from the BBC Radio Wales A-list playlist, Jasmine Power – The Verge of the Unknown.’ (Jason Mohammad – BBC RadioWales)
‘Power’s voice has that kind of emotional urgency that sells records’ – (James Sanger – Grammy Award –Winning Songwriter/Producer – Dido, Madonna, Keane, Phil Collins)
‘One to watch.’ ‘Such a great voice and band!’ – Giles Peterson (BBC Radio 6)
‘The song I co-wrote with Jasmine is one of my best yet. Power is an extraordinary storyteller; her unique voice stands alone and reminisces the beauty of a cello’ – Amanda Palmer (Dresden Dolls)
Power’s singles ‘Stars & Stripes’ & ‘Leap’ have been recently aired and accompanied by interviews on BBC Radio London, BBC Radio Bristol, BBC Radio Wales and Lightning 100 (Nashville), to be followed in quick succession by the rest of her new album.
Power will be performing a 5-night solo show run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 24-28th August (Pianodrome.)
Joseph Tawadros, oud virtuoso, performs at a House of Oz dinner. Returning 27 August
Part of the UK / Australia Season, a major cultural exchange, House of Oz celebrates the Season theme “Who Are we Now?” in its richly diverse programming. The schedule is family-skewed in daytime (Circa’s Carnival of the Animals, The Listies’ Hamlet: Prince of Skidmark), serious in the afternoon (EGG, FEMME) and heaps of fun by night (BROAD by Geraldine Quinn, Gabbi Bolt, Haus Party, OZmosis).
MUSICAL LINE-UP FROM TUESDAY 22 AUGUST – further info below
☆ STRINGS VIRTUOSI
THE GRIGORIYAN BROTHERS: Kazakh-born classical guitar and strings virtuosi who have created a musical masterpiece celebrating objects from the National Museum of Australia. Watch The Grigoryan Brothers on YouTube.
JOSEPH TAWADROS: Egyptian-Australian oud virtuoso returns to House of Oz for a jazz-inspired performance with the Grigoryan Brothers. Watch Joseph Tawadros Live at the Sydney Opera House on YouTube.
☆ MUSICAL COMEDY
GERALDINE QUINN: Returning after a 12-year hiatus, the vocal and comedic genius and Melbourne International Comedy Awards nominee brings her new show BROAD to the Fringe. Watch Geraldine at House of Oz here.
GABBI BOLT: After sold-out seasons in Australia, rising star Gabbi Bolt (Best Newcomer at this year’s Sydney Comedy Festival) brings her unique style of musical comedy to the stage in her first solo UK show. Watch Gabbi Bolt on YouTube.
THE GRIGORYAN BROTHERS
To mark the National Museum of Australia’s 20th anniversary, the nation’s most respected classical guitarists, the Grigoryan Brothers, composed 18 musical works inspired by items from the museum’s vast collection: each accompanied by a high-definition 3D video projection of the item. From ancient Arnhem Land ochre to Don Bradman’s first cricket bat; from a convict love token to a lifebuoy from the Tampa, This Is Us is an evocative and unforgettable audio-visual journey through Australia’s complex history and heritage.
In addition to the three shows above, siblings Slava and Leonard Grigoryan are also performing a one-off show with oud-master Joseph Tawadros. Their collaboration celebrates lifelong friendships, a shared common sense of humour, and musical sensibilities that defy explanation. With their collective Egyptian and Russian heritages, rigorous training in Eastern and Western classics, fluency in jazz and traditional improvisational styles, their music is a beautiful portrait of contemporary Australia.
Nominated for Most Outstanding Show and the Golden Gibbo Award at this year’s Melbourne International Comedy Awards, Geraldine Quinn brings her powerful vocals back to the Edinburgh Fringe for the first time in 12 years. Her one-woman show BROAD channels the brassy broads she admired in her youth, taking the audience on a hilarious and thought-provoking journey through the challenges of womanhood.
After sold-out seasons in Australia, rising star Gabbi (Ratatouille, The TikTok Musical) brings her unique style of musical comedy to the stage in her first solo UK show. Armed with a keyboard, mic and a fear of disappointing people, this songstress puts the sing in chasing validation.
No topic is off limits: climate change, feminism, why small towns have too many pubs. “Gabbi is legitimately a good composer and lyricist” (Wayne Brady, Whose Line Is It Anyway). Winner: Best Newcomer, 2022 Sydney Comedy Festival.
41a South Clerk Street, Newington, Edinburgh EH8 9NZ
Houseofoz.co.uk House of Oz is at King’s Hall from Friday 5th – Monday 29th August hosting live performances and cultural experiences, with a special focus on the culinary arts. Drama, live music, comedy, cabaret, circus, art, film, poetry, family shows & kids’ workshops; all authentically and unmistakably Australian, with a fun tone of voice.
House of Oz welcomes artists and audiences alike, promoting entertainment, dialogue, learning and of course an intense desire to visit Australia. This all-Australian showcase for the creative arts in all forms is part of the important UK/Australia Season 2021-22, the largest ever cultural exchange between the UK and Australia.
UK/AUSTRALIA SEASON
The UK/Australia Season is landmark cultural exchange, a joint initiative by the British Council and the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The Season highlights the breadth of partnership between Australia and the UK and aims to deepen and extend cultural connections.
The Season started in September 2021 and concluded in March 2022 in Australia and will conclude in December 2022 in the UK. The theme ‘Who Are We Now?’ reflects on our history, explores our current relationship, and imagines our future together.
The Season features programming for all ages, celebrating the diversity of cultures and languages in both countries.
It emphasises Australia’s First Nations voices, enables cultural exchange with Wales, Scotland, England and Northern Ireland, and the diverse societies that have emerged in both Australia and the UK through migration.
From nervous beginnings, and the rewarding elation of performing at the Fringe for the first time, to the butterflies of finding new or everlasting love. The Fringe Society is delighted to share amazing moments gathered from artists and audiences, from the past 75 years of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Anecdotes have been gathered over the last few months and include memories such as the excitement of bumping into a favourite celebrity, to taking inspiration from a performance and setting out on a new career journey.
“I first discovered street performing at the Edinburgh Fringe. I was there for the first Fringe Sunday in 1981 and that’s where I first saw a street band called Pookiesnackenburger (from whom Steve McNicholas and Luke Cresswell later became STOMP) who played huge gigs on the street. That got me interested in street performing.” Eddie Izzard
“Whilst here I met a guy who was working at the same venue, we hit it off… 19 years later we are married, have two girls, two cats and we both work in the arts and cultural sector in Edinburgh. I would just like to say thank you to the Fringe for positively changing my life.” Sharon May
“I love the unexpected, the chaos, the anarchy of the Fringe. Trying to find your way through the programme knowing that while you’ll see excellent shows, you’ll always miss other great ones; talking to strangers while queuing up about their favourite performances so far and sharing yours; watching the audience and actors mix … All of this with the dramatic and incredibly beautiful backdrop that is Edinburgh, a perfect place for the festival.” Uta Bretsch
“We have attended the Fringe every year since 1998 and it is something of an obsession for us. So much so that we decided to get married there… in secret.”Richard Brownsecret
“Edinburgh Fringe has been a highlight of our summer since we moved to Edinburgh in 2013, an opportunity for our whole family to indulge in culture and the arts together, to dip our toes into new experiences and deep dive into some familiar favourites. Come rain or shine, we pack our rucksacks and disappear into the crowd and into another world of magic and endless possibilities.” Julia Whitaker
“It’s just great being part of it; it’s the biggest arts event in the world. It’s the only place to be in August – the two years I didn’t go at all, I just felt like my friends were having a big party and I decided not to go. I would feel like I was in the wrong place, not being in Edinburgh.” Arthur Smith
“This year will be our 20th visit since first coming up to see our son in a college production. Every time is magical, trying to take in as many diverse shows as we can.”Merlyn Anne Goudie
“There is no place in the world like Edinburgh Fringe in August. The energy is fantastic and you feel alive doing what you love, during the height of summer.”Clare Harrison Mccartney
“To this day I have met lifelong friends and some of the most inspirational people at the Edinburgh Fringe having participated in more than 10 Fringes. The Fringe tests your resolve, your patience, your abilities and your energy. Yet it also rewards you with an amazing experience that will forever leave a mark on your soul.”Paul Perez
Shona McCarthy, CEO of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, said: “It has been an absolute joy to read memories from audiences and artists from across the years, and it is testament to the resilience of this great festival, and all those who have played a part in building it, that it is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year.
“The stories that have been shared with our team highlight the impact the Fringe can have on inspiring young people, captivating audiences, and being the place to be every August.
“From childhood memories, to the transformational affect the festival has had on artist careers, we thank each person for taking the time to share their favourite Fringe memory.”
We encourage the public, and those performing at this year’s Fringe to share their own memory on social media and tag it #FringeMoments.
An art debate between the characters Herviss and Pelviss descends into a dispute. While competing for the top, they engage in a fight between ‘old’ and ‘new’, ‘classic’ and ‘contemporary’. The result is a surprise for one of them.
Herviss Family investigates ways of relating to each other onstage, levels of awareness in the development of a character and the possibilities of building the artistic act through contemporary dance and performance techniques. The result is a creation that applies various artistic tools through a strong interdisciplinary lens.
Meet the Herviss Family and journey to their world. While competing for top place, Herviss and Pelviss take different viewpoints and stances.
An exploration of life’s concepts through physical theatre, contemporary dance, comedy and performance art.
Both entertaining and educational, comedic and informative, part visual spectacle and part academic lecture, this unique theatrical discourse investigates interpersonal relations and character representation.
Understand the Herviss perspective and discover the Herviss universe. Who will you agree with?
Art EveryWhere is an independent artistic association, created in 2007 by director/choreographer Dorin Eugen Ionescu.
Since then the company have produced more than 30 shows for different venues and spaces, including dance, music, theatre and more. Its main objectives are to promote the interdisciplinary nature of the arts and improve accessibility.
The company achieves their goals by hosting workshops and classes for both professionals and non-professionals, thereby giving opportunities for individual’s artistic development.
Dorin Eugen Ionescu wrote and choreographed Herviss Family and also portrays the character Herviss. Dorin graduated from the Performing Arts Faculty at the Spiru Haret University in 2007.
He has performed in shows including A Stroll in the Air by Georgiana Bobocel and 1+1=1 by Cristina Lilienfeld. In 2013, he was awarded the DanceWeb Scholarship in the 30th edition of ImPlusTanz. In 2016 he won the British Council Award for his Shakespeare 400 show.
The character Pelviss is played by Valentin Nelepcu.
Fawlty Towers meets Bad Education in this modern farce by Phil Porter
It’s Monday morning at a sleepy further education college in Sussex. The caretakers unlock the building, and a Drama teacher is rehearsing Romeo and Juliet.
Just as a group of careerworn teachers are about to begin period one, the call comes through to the principal and Ofsted arrive! Cue hilarity, romance and a little murder.
This is KGS Theatre Company’s fourth outing to the fringe following their hits Female Transport, 2015, Joseph K, 2017, and Rattigan’s Nijinsky 2019 .
First performed as a LAMDA showcase, this is a national premiere of Ofsted Massacre.
KGS Theatre company are the keen Sixth Form Drama students from Kingston Grammar School. Directed and produced by the Drama and English departments.
“an excellent performance of which the youthful cast should be very proud”
★★★★ SGFringe
“Good performances from a capable young cast.”
British Theatre Guide
“a young company that demonstrates the intellect and talent their generation has
We’re entering the final stretch of Fringe 2022, and there’s still lots to do. Here are six top tips for enjoying week three:
Remember to keep tagging artists on social media (along with #edfringe) and leaving reviews on their edfringe.com listings if you enjoyed their shows – word of mouth is essential at the Fringe, and your recommendation can make all the difference.
The Half Price Hut is open daily at the Fringe Box Office, offering great deals on shows starting the same day or the morning after – check out the listings online before heading into town to buy your tickets.
The Fringe street events continue this week, with BSL interpretation at West Parliament Square on Thursday 25 and Sunday 28 August – check out the daily street events schedule.
Our access tickets service is available to help anyone with an access requirement make the most of the Fringe – please feel free to pass on this information if it could be of use to someone you know.
Our Fringe Shop has gifts and goodies of all shapes and sizes – and, between our t-shirts and rain jackets, we’ve got you covered whatever the weather! Sales of Fringe merchandise help us continue supporting Fringe artists, so browse the Fringe Shop now.
We sent out an email last week outlining some of the great ticket offers available direct from Fringe venues – sign up for further venue offer info if you’d like to receive another batch this week.
Everything from classical strings and world music, to cabaret, jazz and indie-pop
Part of the UK / Australia Season, a major cultural exchange, House of Oz celebrates the Season theme “Who Are we Now?” in its richly diverse programming.
The schedule is family-skewed in daytime (Circa’s Carnival of the Animals, The Listies’ Hamlet: Prince of Skidmark), serious in the afternoon (EGG, FEMME) and heaps of fun by night (BROAD by Geraldine Quinn, Gabbi Bolt, Haus Party, OZmosis).
MUSICAL LINE-UP FROM MONDAY 22 AUGUST – further info below
☆ MUSICAL THEATRE: special event
MICHAELA BURGER: One of Australia’s leading voices and star of hit Fringe show Rouge at Assembly Hall shares tales of Greek heritage and beautiful original song, hosting a 5-course tasting menu for the Taste Australia dinner on Monday 22 August. Cabaret sensation Reuben Kaye hosted a triumphant Taste Australia on 15 August, watch here
MITCH TAMBO: The Gamilaraay world music sensation and Australia’s Got Talent 2019 finalist who took the nation by storm with his version of You’re The Voice.
BIRDEE: Australian indie-pop’s brightest newcomer with fabulously produced original songs and great styling, influenced by her Chinese / Greek / Russian heritage. Watch BIRDEE on YouTube.
☆ STRINGS VIRTUOSI
THE GRIGORIYAN BROTHERS: Kazakh-born classical guitar and strings virtuosi who have created a musical masterpiece celebrating objects from the National Museum of Australia. Watch The Grigoryan Brothers on YouTube.
JOSEPH TAWADROS: Egyptian-Australian oud virtuoso returns to House of Oz for a late-night jazz-inspired performance with the Grigoryan Brothers. Watch Joseph Tawadros Live at the Sydney Opera House on YouTube.
☆ MUSICAL COMEDY
GERALDINE QUINN: Returning after a 12-year hiatus, the vocal and comedic genius and Melbourne International Comedy Awards nominee brings her new show BROAD to the Fringe. Watch Geraldine at House of Oz here.
GABBI BOLT: After sold-out seasons in Australia, rising star Gabbi Bolt (Best Newcomer at this year’s Sydney Comedy Festival) brings her unique style of musical comedy to the stage in her first solo UK show. Watch Gabbi Bolt on YouTube.
Images and videos of all the artists in this release can be found here.
MICHAELA BURGER
Festival Fringe-goers this year will be familiar with Michaela as the star performer in Rouge, showing at the Assembly Hall throughout August. For one night only, this musical powerhouse will appear at House of Oz to host their final Taste Australia dinner with chef-in-residence, David Lee. This is an outstanding opportunity for music and food lovers to combine their passions as Michaela celebrates her Greek heritage with stories of immigration and upheaval sprinkled with moving and thoughtful songs that guests can both hear and taste. Guests will be served a unique modern Australian menu interpreting native Australian ingredients with a striking Greek accent.
Watch Michaela Burger perform A Migrant’s Son on YouTube.
Australian world music star Mitch Tambo stages a dramatic, family-friendly show, incorporating dance and didgeridoo as well as showcasing his wonderful voice and stories.
A proud Gamilaraay man, Mitch blends traditional Aboriginal sounds and language with contemporary beats and production, and is a new voice for a generation producing music that cuts across culture.
The multi-talented recording artist first stunned the nation when he performed a spine-tingling First Nations version of the iconic John Farnham anthem You’re The Voice on the 2019 Finale of Australia’s Got Talent.
Mitch’s performance was powerful and won the hearts of Australia as well as a host of other countries. The time was right for Mitch and he was globally embraced. His album Guurama-Li soared up the iTunes World Music charts in Australia, the UK, US and Europe reaching #1 in Australia, #1in Denmark, #1 Malta, #2 in the UK and #34 in the US.
In Tambo’s music you will find great sentiment and stories relating to his own personal journey and story such a Dreamtime Princess which is a celebration of womanhood and challenges men to reconsider how they act, engage and converse with women.
He aims to use his voice and platform to raise awareness against bias and celebrate the achievements of women as one of his key causes
To mark the National Museum of Australia’s 20th anniversary, the nation’s most respected classical guitarists, the Grigoryan Brothers, composed 18 musical works inspired by items from the museum’s vast collection: each accompanied by a high-definition 3D video projection of the item. From ancient Arnhem Land ochre to Don Bradman’s first cricket bat; from a convict love token to a lifebuoy from the Tampa, This Is Us is an evocative and unforgettable audio-visual journey through Australia’s complex history and heritage.
In addition to the three shows above, siblings Slava and Leonard Grigoryan are also performing one late-night show with oud-master Joseph Tawadros. Their collaboration celebrates lifelong friendships, a shared common sense of humour, and musical sensibilities that defy explanation. With their collective Egyptian and Russian heritages, rigorous training in Eastern and Western classics, fluency in jazz and traditional improvisational styles, their music is a beautiful portrait of contemporary Australia.
Based in Sydney, Australia, indie-pop’s brightest newcomer BIRDEE channels and blends her own lineage of Chinese, Greek and Russian origins to craft her own sound and stories. BIRDEE has taken the time in the studio to refine her sound as an artist – writing and recording at Glebe Studios – host to an impressive list of artists including the likes of international stars David Bowie, Bruce Springsteen, INXS, as well as cult Australian acts such as The Whitlams and Choirboys.
Outside the booth, BIRDEE has been reviving local live music with her high-upbeat, high-energy persona. Pulling Strings is BIRDEE’S second contribution to the bedroom pop world followed by her latest song Monday Throwaway which have both been collaboration works with Sydney Artist, Toby Anagnostis (Butter Bath) who has teamed up, working with Nick Littlemore (PNAU, Empire of the Sun).
She has worked with many artists such as Heimanu and Taiyo and has been supporting acts for musicians like Abby Bella May, Dutch the Rapper and D minor. She has also been showcased on the Morning Sunrise Show and has been interviewed and played on radio stations such as Triple J unearthed and Triple J.
Recognised as one of Australia’s most promising emerging artists, she intends to continue collaborating and expanding her music style.
Nominated for Most Outstanding Show and the Golden Gibbo Award at this year’s Melbourne International Comedy Awards, Geraldine Quinn brings her powerful vocals back to the Edinburgh Fringe for the first time in 12 years.
Her one-woman show BROAD channels the brassy broads she admired in her youth, taking the audience on a hilarious and thought-provoking journey through the challenges of womanhood.
After sold-out seasons in Australia, rising star Gabbi (Ratatouille, The TikTok Musical) brings her unique style of musical comedy to the stage in her first solo UK show. Armed with a keyboard, mic and a fear of disappointing people, this songstress puts the sing in chasing validation.
No topic is off limits: climate change, feminism, why small towns have too many pubs. “Gabbi is legitimately a good composer and lyricist” (Wayne Brady, Whose Line Is It Anyway). Winner: Best Newcomer, 2022 Sydney Comedy Festival.
House of Oz welcomes artists and audiences alike, promoting entertainment, dialogue, learning and of course an intense desire to visit Australia.
This all-Australian showcase for the creative arts in all forms is part of the important UK/Australia Season 2021-22, the largest ever cultural exchange between the UK and Australia.
UK/AUSTRALIA SEASON
The UK/Australia Season is landmark cultural exchange, a joint initiative by the British Council and the Australian Government’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The Season highlights the breadth of partnership between Australia and the UK and aims to deepen and extend cultural connections. The Season started in September 2021 and concluded in March 2022 in Australia and will conclude in December 2022 in the UK. The theme ‘Who Are We Now?’ reflects on our history, explores our current relationship, and imagines our future together. The Season features programming for all ages, celebrating the diversity of cultures and languages in both countries. It emphasises Australia’s First Nations voices, enables cultural exchange with Wales, Scotland, England and Northern Ireland, and the diverse societies that have emerged in both Australia and the UK through migration. www.ukaustraliaseason.com
“Spreads a feel-good buzz!” – The Star (Malaysia), ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Best Director, Best Lead Performer @ Malaysian National Arts Awards
Soho Theatre Young Company
Malaysian-British theatre company brings their award-winning cabaret to Edinburgh
Award winning Malaysian theatre company Liver & Lung are bringing their critically acclaimed cabaret, Clinic, to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival at Underbelly Cowgate this summer.
Imagine if Prince and Mae West were best friends. Now throw in some glitter, filth, a dash of camp and you’re nearly there … After traveling the globe seeking the reaffirmation their lovers never gave them, Ganesh and Cydney have landed in Edinburgh, on a mission to rid the city of lovesickness.
Clinic is a new cabaret experience, that’s cliché and unconventional in equal measure. With the help of a little audience participation, some outrageously intimate anecdotes and original songs, patients are taken on a euphoric and enlightening journey towards sexual discovery and self-love.
Clinic is directed, produced and composed by Malaysian-born performer Shafeeq Shajahan (@shafeeqshajahan). He is a recent recipient of the National Malaysian Arts Award for Best Director in Musical Theatre. While he plays the role of ‘Ganesh The Great’, Natalie Durkin makes her Fringe debut as ‘Cydney Debonaire’ (@nataliedurkincomedy).
About Liver & Lung: Liver&Lung is a critically acclaimed and award-winning international theatre company. Stylistic and spectacular, its plays, musicals and events in London, Edinburgh, and Malaysia have reached a wide audience.
Liver & Lung has won four Malaysian BOH Cameronian Arts Awards, including Best Direction for Sepet The Musical and Innovation in Musical Theatre for Mahsuri (& Other Peculiar Tales).
The company launched Asia’s first integrated digital arts festival, in conjunction with KLDiversity, in 2021.
Do you ever experience the feeling of missing out? Maybe the Fringe makes you confused – where to go, what to choose with so many options? You could only do the last week of Fringe but you maybe missed better things before?
Or you need to leave and you are worried you will be missing out on the final weekend fun? Worry not!
Dr King of More is here to help!
Come to our #FOMO Clinic* – a fun, immersive, theatre solo show and quasi-workshop where you will learn about the magical concept of #JOLIF through knowledge sharing, dance, audience participation and individual tips. With #FOMO Clinic you will realise you are always in the right place and your party is where you’re at.
*What does Dolly Parton have to do with FOMO? Come and find out.
#FOMO Clinic is a piece that explores the concept of fear of missing out through a fun and feel good combination of immersive theatre, workshop, quasi-lecture and audience participation, while learning how to deal with the fear of missing out (using a running theme of Dolly Parton). The main performer is a Dr King of More who launches into an academic presentation of the aspects of fear of missing out, its reasons as well as audience confessions/diagnostics.
But the presentation quickly proves to be more than what it seems as the performer introduces the alternative concept of the ‘joy of letting it flourish’ #JOLIF through music and dance. The audience gets to ask questions or take part in individual on stage clinics.
The piece is rooted both in actual research on the phenomenon of FOMO and humour, where the boundaries between academic input, comedy and audience interaction are blurred. The piece for performed in the Tramshed Found Arts Festival, London in 2022 and in the Palace Residency, Poland in 2021, as well as several time as an online event.
Audience feedback:
‘I feel like I am a happier person after this show’
‘That was so precious. Thank you Doctor!’
#FOMO Clinic is performed by King of More and it is his Edinburg Fringe solo show debut.
King of More is a queer immersive performer, actor, dancer and all around jester, originally from Bosnia and Herzegovina, based in London.
His focus is people’s growth, love and connection through humour and energy filled immersive performances. King of More’s philosophy is that life is short and each moment could be appreciated and lived at least 5% more.
He discovered the talent and gift of making people smile and live/dance their fuller self so he is on a quest of spreading love through his art and expert improvisation work.
King of More performs in immersive theatre shows, festivals, movement art pieces, parties, hosts and comperes cabaret nights and adds an explosion of life to your cobwebbed Zoom event.
Some highlights of King of More’s work include being selected as one of representatives for the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro 2016 for the British House arts programme, performing on the FatboySllim 2019 UK tour and being the lead performer for Elrow in UK.
He performed within Morning Gloryville, Gypsy Disco, Boomtown, Secret Garden Party, Pete the Monkey Festival, the Provibers, Pinky Promise, Tramshed, Goblin King’s Ball, Third Mind Productions, Edinburgh Fringe, Prangsta and more.
