new shows – The NEN – North Edinburgh News

Summerhall Arts announces 36 more 2026 festival programme shows

Triple Fringe First winning extraordinaires Xhloe & Natasha, legendary comedian and theatremaker Adam Riches, and return of Comedy Award nominees The Creepy Boys, headline 36-strong second Summerhall Arts festival programme announcement – on sale now

Summerhall Arts announces 36 more shows in its 2026 festival programme, including 55% international artists, 24% artists of colour, 60% female, and 30% LGBTQI+ artists
Summerhall Arts is delighted to announce that back-to-back-to-back Scotsman Fringe First winners Xhloe & Natasha will be at Summerhall this festival, presenting their brand new show, Bigfoot Ripped My Dog In Half I Saw It
Adam Riches – Fringe legend, Edinburgh Comedy Award Winner, and creator of 2024 hit, Jimmy – returns to Summerhall with new solo show, The Captain
Summerhall Arts’ Mary Dick Award 2026, in collaboration with Birds of Paradise, goes to Patch of Blue and 3hc,who will premiere moving exploration of care, You and Me (and Whoever Comes Next)
The Autopsy Award, for artists working in Scotland, goes to Althea Young, who presents a humorous and horror-filled account of parental ambivalence in The Dreaming
The Meadows Award, for artists of colour from anywhere in the world, is presented to Palestinian multidisciplinary performance artist Fadi Murad, presenting Come Back Home
Edinburgh Comedy Award nominees The Creepy Boys return with acclaimed show, SLUGS, and new WIP show, Nude Parade
Other highlights include brand new shows or UK premieres from Salty Brine, Adam Lenson, 81 Productions, Magnetic North, Ballaro Dance, Lightning Rod Special, Sadiq Ali Company, OPE-N, and Ballet National Folklorique du Luxembourg

Show images available here

Home of boundary-pushing performance at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, arts charity and year-round cultural hub Summerhall Arts today announces 36 more shows of the 2026 instalment of its renowned festival programme.

Summerhall continues to host diverse and intersectional work, with 60% of the shows female led, 24% led by artists of colour, and 30% featuring an LGBTQI+ narrative. Over 55% of artists and companies are international, bringing work from Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland, England, Canada, USA, Colombia, Italy, Greece, Germany, France, Netherlands Luxembourg, Malta, Denmark, Ukraine, Russia, Belarus, Afghanistan, Iran, Palestine, Taiwan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand to Summerhall’s iconic performance spaces.

This roster of shows reflects an eclectic body of work spanning theatre, performance art, drag, cabaret, puppetry, dance, circus, pole, and comedy, encompassing themes that touch on identity of all forms, digital toxification and misinformation, ongoing conflicts and injustices across the world, mother-son relationships, conspiracies, why men are so odd, existing on the internet, the weight of personal heritage, public vs private apologies, and much more. Music is celebrated throughout the programme, from contemporary opera to Neutral Milk Hotel-inspired cabaret, Korean geomungo, gig theatre, and even one man singing the same song for an hour.

Summerhall Arts is delighted to announce that triple Fringe First winners Xhloe and Natasha will premiere a brand-new show at Summerhall this festival. Co-presented with Soho Theatre and SoHo Playhouse, the duo – described by The Scotsman’s Joyce McMillan as “the most compelling performers on the Fringe” – will perform Bigfoot Ripped My Dog In Half I Saw It. Combining precise choreography, absurdist clowning, and a nine-foot puppet, the show is a piercing exploration of conspiracy and misdirection.

Another legend of the Edinburgh Fringe, Summerhall is thrilled to welcome back Comedy Award winner Adam Riches with a brand new solo theatre show. After embodying fiery tennis player Jimmy Connors in his acclaimed, sell-out, smash-hit, Jimmy (Summerhall, 2024), Riches returns with The Captain – the true story of Captain Matthew Webb, the first man to ever swim the English Channel.

Summerhall Arts is excited to announce the winners of its three festival awards to help support artists to bring boundary-pushing work to the most critically acclaimed venue at the festival. The Mary Dick Award for UK-based d/Deaf or disabled artists, in collaboration with Birds of Paradise Theatre Company, goes to Patch of Blue (Cassie and the Lights) and 3hc, who will premiere You and Me (and Whoever Comes Next) – a potent, joyful and moving exploration of care written by disabled actor and writer Keron Day, and former care worker Alex Howarth, supported by Theatre Royal Plymouth.

The Autopsy Award for artists working in Scotland is awarded to Glasgow-based contemporary performance artist Althea Young who will premiere The Dreaming, a stirring blend of autobiography and fantasy that blends performance art, theatre, and choreography, to explore topics including mutant babies, alien insemination and the urge to reproduce.

The Meadows Award, for artists of colour from anywhere in the world, goes to Palestinian multidisciplinary performance artist Fadi Murad and his show, Come Back Home – a contemporary theatre work exploring ongoing grief, dispossession, and how the past continues to inhabit the present, which deals with self criticism, fear, and the unknown through the lens of absurdity.

Summerhall Arts is also delighted to announce the return of several hit shows from past festivals. Edinburgh Comedy Award 2025 nominated Canadian slimeballsCreepy Boys (S.E. Grummett and Sam Kruger) return with their five-star anarchic fever dream about nothing, SLUGS (★★★★ – Financial Times, ★★★★ – Guardian, ★★★★ – Scotsman),and present a new work-in-progress, Nude Parade, which is like a live theatre version of the game of Operation – and it’s trans. Actor, writer, clown, comedian, and all-round nincompoop Scott Turnbull returns with his acclaimed 2025 ‘edutainment show’, Surreally Good; New Zealander’s premiere interactive theatre company Binge Culture return with their 2024 immersive hit, Werewolf, perfect for fans of The Traitors; and Summerhall-based Pickering’s Gin return with a revised version of its renowned immersive Speakeasy Experience.

More returning Summerhall favourites include multi-award-winning theatre-maker and director Adam Lenson, who achieved acclaim for his debut solo show Anything That We Wanted to Be in 2023. Adam premieres Is it too late now to say sorry? – a new collision of gig, storytelling, and autobiographical investigation which psychologises the apology, both personal and public. And Buzzcut Productions (Bark Bark, 2024) return with their signature blend of live camera work, puppetry, and a live score to premiere The Wreck, a new show about two siblings diving a shipwreck and discovering the fate of their family’s seaside nightclub.

Exciting Scotland-based artists will also take to Summerhall’s stages this August, including two shows from this year’s Made in Scotland Showcase: playwright and drag artist Nelly Kelly, in collaboration with Sanctuary Queer Arts, premieres TRANSMISSION – a darkly-comedic blend of DIY cabaret and political theatre exploring Scotland’s shift from world-leading on LGBTQI+ rights to fertile ground for the anti-trans movement; and circus and aerial specialists Sadiq Ali Company (The Chosen Haram) premiere Tell Me – a bold fusion of dance and circus offering a fresh perspective on life with HIV.

Award-winning Edinburgh-based company Magnetic North present We Will Hear The Angels – an atmospheric and poignant exploration of the strange state of melancholy, evoked from the power of sad music. Performed by five-actor musicians – Apphia Campbell, Mia Scott, Greg Sinclair, Daniel Padden and Nicholas Bone – it combines words, movement and music in a soundscape that includes Hank Williams, Orange Juice, Etta James, Bach, and more. Glasgow-based Euan Munro presents Playback, a tragicomic true story about a child YouTuber featuring his own childhood vlogs.

In the movement and dance strain of the programme, Summerhall is honoured to be welcoming the world-famous Ballet National Folklorique du Luxembourg, led by their flamboyant new Director, Mr Chevalier. The Great Chevalier will see the unpredictable director, hailed as the ‘Bad Boy of Folklore’, perform some emblematic classics, including the iconic Pigeon Dance.

Summerhall Arts Fringe Producer and Programmer, Tom Forster, commented: “With the Fringe landscape ever changing, Summerhall Arts believes we should challenge ourselves as a venue to innovate year-on-year to the same frequency that we demand of artists.

“To match demand for intimacy with the audience, the Main Hall’s end-on format after 14 years will be reimagined in horseshoe format for Festival 2026. A specific request made by Ballet National Folklorique du Luxembourg Artistic Director, Monsieur Chevalier; it is the only layout that can host the renowned Pigeon Dance, and, since the International Festival couldn’t accommodate his request, we at Summerhall Arts proudly stepped in.

“Boasting an infinity ceiling clearance of 6 meters, leading to a stunning ceiling mural by John Kindness, this new vision for our largest venue will make the Main Hall the most beautiful venue in the city – giving artists and Mr Chevalier a backdrop they deserve.”

Concept images of new Main Hall horseshoe format

Tamsin Shasha returns to Summerhall for the first time since her Fringe First-winning Everything I See I Swallow (2019), bringing Forgive Me – a highly personal show about a hyperactive mother and a gaming-obsessed son, which fuses pole performance, video projection and song. Sweat meets spectacle in New York City-based company, Ballaro Dance’s UK premiere of TWELVE: Going The Distance– a 47-minute contemporary dance work divided into 12 three-minute “rounds”, which is set in a boxing gym and unfolds with the intensity of a title bout. The Taiwan Season returns to Summerhall with the UK premiere of Seed Dance Company’s The Wall, a dynamic, emotionally provocative quintet packed with restless and urgent precision.

An immersive highlight is Daydreams from 81 Productions – producers of the acclaimed durational theatre installation, Mother Has Arrived (★★★★★ – The Stage’s 50 Top Shows of 2025). An innovative, cinematic work about insomnia, Daydreams involved 3D projection, performance and an ominous soundscape to lock audiences into a sleepless loop where headlines and half-dreams collide.

Summerhall Arts has a growing comedy presence at the Fringe, and this continues in 2026 with Laurie Stevens, known for her 2025 hit character show, David’s One-Man Band (F*ck You, Steven), who this year presents her theatrical debut: An Evening with Gerald Lloyd-Davies. Laurie performs as Lloyd-Davies – an ageing straight Welsh actor, aspiring national treasure and quintessential luvvie. Another star character comedy turn sees actor, artist, and drag king Tessa Parr premiere I AM JOHNNY, performing as very, very male performance poet, Johnny the Biblical Rapper. Co-produced by Camden People’s Theatre, I AM JOHNNY is an unsettling, absurd and hilarious interrogation into the fragile bones of the patriarchy.

Gaulier-trained clown and home-trained OnlyFans content creator Jessica Aszkenasy presents TITCLOWN: daddy’s little girl – a clown show about boobs, the father wound women hold in society, and why it’s so hard to live laugh love with heterosexual men – and features a lifesize Henry VIII doll. Finally, award-winning comedian Conk and Quiet Riot bring a conceptually simple show: Man Sings The Same Song Over And Over Again For An Hour. Which song? You’ll need to come and find out.

Continuing the musical theme, Summerhall is delighted to welcome acclaimed New York-based drag queen, Salty Brine (Stage Fringe Five, 2024). This festival, in his genre-defying cabaret style, he sets his sights on combining Neutral Milk Hotel’s In the Aeroplane Over the Sea and Anne Frank’s The Diaries of a Young Girl, in HOW STRANGE IT IS (The Neutral Milk Hotel Show).

In the #DANISH showcase, groundbreaking combiners of opera and physical theatre OPE-N present Laughing Out Lonely – a thrilling new solo opera about the faceless existence of life on the internet by composing team Matilde Böcher and Asger Kudahl, with a tour de tour performance from acclaimed countertenor Morten Grove Frandsen. Finally, in PLASTIC, geomungo artist Kim Minyoung merges the traditional Korean instrument with media art, expanding its possibilities into new territories.

Summerhall Arts is also delighted to welcome two uncategorizable shows from the city of Philadelphia to Edinburgh. Koan Brothers – aka Mason Rosenthal, Sohrab Haghverdi, and Benjamin Rosenthal – will present Foriegner, a dizzying solo, anti-identity, anti-comedy, avant-clown show that follows one asylum seeker’s attempt to win an O1-B visa, awarded to individuals of artistic brilliance.

And from Lightning Rod Special, the creators of Fringe First winning Underground Railroad Game (2018) comes Lions, an unsentimental two-hander part-clown show, part-eulogy about fathers, life on hold with corporations after death, and the myths of what it means to be great men.

Also from the US, LA-based multidisciplinary artist, performer and film critic, Gregory Nussen brings a metatheatrical piece about the politics of storytelling and truth, loosely inspired by Italo Calvino’s lf On a Winter’s Night A Traveler. A solo show without a fourth wall, QFWFQ (pronounced “kfwoofk”) touches on everything from architecture, jazz, gender identity and the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Staying on politics and identity – in the #DANISH showcase, Danish-Israeli artist Boaz Barkan brings Our Other Organ, a dissection of antisemitism and its impact on Jewish identity, which culminates in the creation of a “new Zionist body” and its structures of violence and domination. Atop a mortuary table, Barkan digs into a living body to uncover a new organ – the place where racism resides.

Summerhall Arts also welcomes two shows from Ireland. Joy Nesbitt’s Julius Caesar Variety Show scrutinises both the theatre sector and the exploitation of identity in a play that sees a Black actor, a Woman actor, and a Straight White Male actor compete to impress a respected director set on reinventing a Shakespeare play in “unorthodox” ways. And Martha Knight’s new play, The King of All Birds, utilises both voice and vocoder to explore our shared history with the sky: the years it remained untouched, the first ventures into it, and our endless climbing up.

Continuing the animal theme, Hotter Project (makers of 2023 hit, The Last Show Before We Die (★★★★★ – The Guardian), in association with Speakerphone Productions and Soho Theatre, will premiere HAM – a kinky eco-hijacking of Hamlet about meat, madness, and the power of shame that twists the classic high-brow tragedy into a sordid wrestle between a vegan and a sausage-lover.

Finally, from Lyn Gardner-recommended double act ‘Britney’ – aka Ellen Robertson (Vladimir, Mickey 17, The Pale Horse) and Charly Clive (Pure Rooster, Pure, The Lazarus Project) – comes Jitters, a brand new two-hander about ownership, tradition, and the all-important ‘L’ word of any relationship: leverage. And contemporary storyteller and theatremaker Nathan Jonathan takes us back to Y-2-K with They’re Just Small Town (Northern) Lads – a funny and heartfelt solo show about growing up mixed-race in a Northern-industrial-town. Expect gelled quiffs and flip-up phones in an exploration of identity, class and belonging at the turn of the millennium.

These 36 new shows are now on sale. They join seven shows that went on sale in February: As Far As We Know (YESYESNONO), GOOD ENOUGH? (HIMHERANDIT), LANDSFRAU هموطن (Mariann Yar), PUTTANA (Beatrice Festi and TeatroEETS), SAND (Kook Ensemble), Tether (Wonder Fools and Theatre SAN), and Tomatoes Tried to Kill Me but Banjos Saved My Life (Keith Alessi).

The next and final Summerhall Arts festival programme announcement will be on Wednesday 6th May, before the commencement of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2026 from 6th –31st August.

Tickets on now: festival.summerhallarts.co.uk

PICTURE (TOP): Clockwise from top left: Salty Brine (Credit: Alex Brenner), Forgive Me, Adam Riches: The Captain (Credit: Matt Stronge, Design: Will Andrews), Come Back Home, The Dreaming (Credit: Tiu Makkonen), Bigfoot Ripped My Dog In Half I Saw It (Credit: Morgan Mcdowell), You and Me (and Whoever Comes Next) (Credit: Patch Studio), & TRANSMISSION (Credit: Tiu Makkonen).

Get ready for an exhilarating ride as theSpaceUK welcomes Fringe Week Three!

It’s not over yet: from pop-rock musicals to queer cabaret icons, cult classics to murder mysteries, and even Ghanian acrobatics alongside a cappella anthems

As Week 3 arrives at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, an array of talented artists at theSpaceUK are just embarking on their Fringe journey.

From pop-rock musicals to queer cabaret icons, cult classics to murder mysteries, and even Ghanian acrobatics alongside a cappella anthems.

With over fifty new shows gracing the stages this week, seize the opportunity to take a chance and discover something that will entice, excite, and thoroughly entertain you at theSpaceUK.

Here’s a small taste of the new shows you can catch in Week 3 at theSpaceUK:

It’s a Different World When the Music Stops!
Glastonbury (theSpace@Surgeons’ Hall)
Glastonbury promises a dream of youth, but after the pandemic, the characters return to seek out an anchor to the past but encounter revelations far beyond their expectations under the stars in the yurt enclosure.

A comedy-drama about love, dreams, death, whiskey, flags, wellies and getting old.

Can you take Essex out of the Girl?
Trust Me, I’m from Essex (theSpace@Surgeons’ Hall)
Lindsay Lucas-Bartlett will take you on a journey through life growing up in notorious Essex, England. . Enjoy this fun-filled journey with laughter, singing, and down-right drama. Trigger warnings: there are themes of an adult nature.

Fresh New One Man Musical!
Zac Zac Zoom: A Story of Wheels and (F)eels (theSpace@Surgeons’ Hall)
A brand-new musical comedy that was supposed to be about exploring life in a wheelchair… But Zac has something much eelier he’d like to talk about.

A hilarious one-man musical, written and performed by Zachary Loram, will have you asking the question… so, how do eels have sex?

An Electrifying, Intimate, New Play
What the F*ck Happened to Love and Hope (theSpace on the Mile)
Sixteen-year-old Nina is cheeky and naive, experiencing the thrills of young love at school, until a night out takes a horrific turn when she’s spiked, leaving her to navigate the devastating aftermath. Usually confident and outspoken, Faye insists she’s perfectly okay—definitely.

A Sensory Journey into a Seductive World…
Auto/Erotic Tango (theSpace Triplex)
Prepare to be taken on an intense, drama-fuelled journey. A heady mix of sensual dance, hypnotic music, lifts, kicks and tricks… After the opening night of their new show Tango Passion, an Argentine dance couple find themselves in a trap of their own creation… away from the shimmery stage lights and social media circus, who are they really?

Lindsay Lohan meets Victoria Wood.
My Cousin Won An Oscar (Now She Lives on My Sofa) (theSpace@Niddry St)
Misty Last: Academy Award Winner, Buzzfeed ‘where are they now’-er.

Carly Gibson: salt-of-the-earth, boss bartender with a freeloading cousin. When her stage mom runs off with her money, Misty is broke, squatting on her cousin’s sofa “up north”, and working behind a posh hotel bar.

A Fragmented Fantasy…
NeuroChatter (theSpace@Surgeons’ Hall)
Elliott: a defensive yet laid-back aspiring artist. And Host: the reluctant, vulnerable core-self… hiding beneath them both.

Can Host take back her true heart and autonomy, or will she forever remain stuck behind the two dominant alter-egos that steer her mind, fight for her body and control over her life?

A summer like no other…
Hot Girl Summer (theSpace@Surgeons’ Hall)
Being single in her mid-twenties… how hard can it be? Post-breakup, Tilly jets off on a girls’ trip to Barcelona and impulsively lands a job in London.

Leaving behind her small-town life in Scotland, she dives into her new life, and begins the treacherous journey of navigating life in The Big Smoke.

She plans a summer like no other, but the reality is far from the Pinterest board she has envisioned.

A Laugh Out Loud True Story
Blood, Sweat and Beers: How One Man Overcame a Complete Lack of Ability to Represent His Country (theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall, 19-24)
As a kid, Mick Colliss always dreamed of playing for Australia. He tried a number of different sports, from rugby union to lawn bowls, but failed at all of them. But then, at the age of 42, a chance discovery on the way to a Wallabies game changed everything. He finally got to wear the green and gold – just not in the way you might think.

Classic Tunes and Delightful Chaos
Undecided: A Musical Misadventure (theSpace on the Mile, 19-24)
Durham University’s 2 x national musical theatre champions are bringing you a show full of iconic musical songs and beloved musical characters to Edinburgh this summer! Laugh yourself silly as you, the audience, vote for which of your favourite musical theatre characters find themselves in the wrong song, and watch in amazement as our troupe members belt out classic tune after classic tune.

Deep Seated Rivalry…
Sammy Blew Up a Toilet (theSpace @ Venue 45, 19-24)
The story follows instant best friends Azza and Jake as they are forced to take in Sammy – a teacher’s pet, snitch and all-round strange person. Azza and Sammy become frenemies, kept together by unfortunate circumstances and peacemaker Jake. Jump into a nostalgia-filled world with eccentric characters, childhood shenanigans and an exploding toilet!

It’s Hot Fuzz meets Sweeney Todd.
Prime Meat (theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall, 19-24)
Prime Meat is a horror comedy that follows Esme and Chris Stockton who, five years ago, moved to the idyllic Cotswold village of Raperton-on-the-Water. While Esme has adapted to village life, Chris is struggling. As Roland and Cherry help them prepare for the imminent community fete, the sinister reality of the village is revealed.

It’s Just Another Day at the Puppet Orphanage.
Bucket Head (theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall, 19-24)
A closed-down puppet orphanage reopens, leaving resident squatters Ozzie Airwalker and Jim Horgletooth having to deal with new friends and challenges. A feel-good family show for everyone. Inspired by Saturday Morning Cartoons, a show packed with laughs and heart.

Who Knew Life Underground would be this Cosy?
Six Feet Under (theSpace Triplex, 19-24)
America. The 60s. Nuclear war. Eight neighbours escape to the safety of their underground bunker. Under the dim, flickering lights of their metal coffin, they have no idea how long they’ll be spending in each other’s company – and even less of an idea when rescue will come. They may be tucked safely away from the horrors on the surface, but perhaps the real danger still lurks within.

A Tribute to Sheer Young Adult Confusion.
Sent from my Phone, (theSpace Triplex, 19-24)
Close yourself in a windowless office with Lola, Penelope and Chad to explore their roots, vices and dreams.

How far will Lola go to get her Visa? How can Penelope do the right thing when everyone is lying to her? Will Chad be able to save the girl he loves from herself? It appears a night of shredding paper is all it takes to find out.

Based on the Hit Reality TV Show…
Love Is Blind: The Improvised Musical (theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall, 19-24)
If you enjoy exploring human relationships’ ups and downs (and sideways!) through musical comedy, this show is for you!

Characters will be built based on audience suggestions and dates, and some will fall in love without ever seeing each other. The couples will have to decide whether love really is blind at the altar, but which relationships will last until the reunion one year later? And which will tear themselves apart?

Get ready for an exhilarating ride as theSpaceUK welcomes Fringe Week 2!

With over 100 BRAND NEW exciting shows, there’s no shortage of new experiences. The stage is set for an incredible lineup, and this is your chance to catch some truly remarkable performances

As Week 2 unfolds at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, an array of talented artists at theSpaceUK are just embarking on their Fringe journey.

From rollicking cabarets to queer icons, mice stories to folk-rock renditions of Queen Mary’s life, and even a (almost) comeback from Gilbert and Sullivan. With over one hundred new shows gracing the stages this week, seize the opportunity to take a chance and discover something that will entice, excite, and thoroughly entertain you at theSpaceUK.

Here’s a small taste of the new shows that you can catch in Week 2 at theSpaceUK:

3.. 2.. 1… Spell!
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (theSpace @ Niddry St, 12-24)
This musical tellsthe story of six middle-schoolers growing up and of the relationships they form. With audience participation and improv elements, it is a heartwarming and hilarious tale of childhood motivations, friendship, making yourself proud and juiceboxes!

Dark Web Shenanigans
Ctrl+Alt+Deceit! (theSpace @ Niddry St, 12-24)
The story follows trusting, lonely and technologically naïve Aunt June, desperate to connect with her niece Andy, who suggests that June fill her time instead by finding friendships online. Matters take a strange turn when June unwittingly finds herself on the Dark Web.

Shaking Up Shakespeare
Sonnets from Suburbia (theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall, 12-24)
In Sonnets From Suburbia, Lady Penelope AKA actress Penny Peyser shakes up Shakespeare with her own quirky take on modern life through her wry, beautifully crafted sonnets, while stubbornly clinging to the world’s longest COVID quarantine. An infectious hour of theatre: in the best sense of infectious!

He’s in the best-selling show
Is There Work on Mars? (theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall, 12-24)
Can someone with ADHD and dyscalculia pass Elon Musk’s Mars immigration test? Set in a dystopian future of space colonisation, Is There Work on Mars? rants about many things: ableist education systems, living in the diaspora and ridiculous immigration requirements.

Feels Good To Be Bad
Good Boy (theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall, 12-24)
Boy is in love with his first boyfriend. But, after discovering a devastating secret, their relationship crumbles and Boy’s world shatters. Good Boy is a shockingly funny debut play about trauma, the social politics of hook-up apps, and suicidal rabbits. And unbelievably… it’s all true.

It’s A Tough Gig
Tales from a British Country Pub (theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall, 12-24)
Join comedy musician Chris Sainton-Clark as he takes you through his troublesome and hilarious experiences of working in British pubs.

Hear stories of compulsive liars, disruptive youths, fruit machine addicts and much more. Armed with just a guitar, Tales from a British Country Pub is sure to keep you entertained.

Lights. Camera. Delusion!
Nina Rose Carlin: Seeking Representation (theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall, 12-24)
Comedian Nina Rose Carlin turns her years of experience in the entertainment industry (derogatory) into a rollicking cabaret with stand-up, clown and musical comedy.

Get an inside scoop of pop culture and Hollywood through her witty and absurdist lens, inspired by her time hosting red carpets, assisting A-List celebs and seeking stardom.

Crazy In Love
A Brief Case of Crazy (theSpace @ Symposium, 12-24)
Thomas is a remarkable, unconventional introvert – fiddling and fumbling his way through a 9 to 5 job, occasionally looking up to admire his wide-eyed and equally shy colleague, Daisy. Buckle up for a heartwarming and moving story, told through physical comedy, dance numbers and ludicrous characters.

Now… that’s all I can remember
If I live until I be a man (theSpace on the Mile, 12-24)
1483: The young princes Edward and Richard are taken to the Tower of London by their uncle Richard in preparation for Edward’s coronation. By the end of the summer, Richard III is crowned and the boys are never seen again. A comedic, playfully anachronistic, unsettling exploration of childhood during perpetual war.

Over 200 shows to come to Assembly Festival 2024

Assembly Festival has announced a further 90 plus shows for its 2024 programme, bringing its Fringe season to 222 shows to be presented from Wednesday 31 July to Monday 26 August.

Performances will take place on 28 stages around eight venues across Edinburgh city centre.

Assembly’s popular festival hubs will return at Assembly Rooms and Assembly George Square Gardens and Studios, headline acts return to Assembly Hall, plus performances at Assembly Checkpoint and the festival’s year-round home of Assembly Roxy.

Bridging the gap between Edinburgh’s Old and New Towns, Assembly Festival will have a new stage at Assembly @ Virgin Hotel, alongside last year’s partnership with Scotland’s Centre for Dance featuring two stages in the Grassmarket venue Assembly @ Dance Base.

Paradisium, Recirquel Cirque Danse

Internationally renowned Recirquel Cirque Danse, the company behind Fringe-hits IMA (2023) and My Land (2018), returns with a new show directed by Bence Vági; Paradisium, where the body is the medium and movement is the common language.

A bevy of international circus comes from Colombia with Circolombia: Corazón, a fun-fuelled circus concert with a beating Latin heart; Canadian acrobats Agathe and Adrien redefine gender roles in N.Ormes; and from Australia comes the return of hit grown up circus by Highwire, Rouge, a circus for grown-ups, and three contemporary Australian circus artists hope to re-discover the connection we once had with the earth in Na Djinang circus’ Of the Land on Which We Meet as part of the House of Oz programme.

Rising star of Australian dance, choreographer-director Lewis Major brings two new dance shows to Assembly @ Dance Base as part of the House of Oz programme; a unique collaboration with the legendary Russell Maliphant OBE in Lewis Major: Triptych, and an intimate one-on-one performance between one audience member and one dancer for an encounter never to be repeated in Lewis Major: Lien.

Dance Base’s in-house companies Lothian Youth Dance Company and PRIME come together in Timeless, featuring dancers aged 14 to 80+ in one life-affirming showcase; a double-bill performance by two Hong Kong artists in It’s not my body chapter 3.5 / This Is; and READY weaves around a series of Beethoven piano sonatas purposely selected for each performance.

Fringe Fragments is a new platform showcasing dance talent from around the world produced by Dance Base; Fault Lines pulls at the tension in our relationship with nature; READY is a solo piece celebrating over half a century of dance practice; and Impasse presents an attempt to understand the politics of the Black body in a contemporary western society.

Through dance, drums and electronic music a duo embarks on a journey of chaos, calm and collaborative climax in CRAWLER; blending dance, mime, and aerial acrobatics, The Weight of Shadow depicts mental health deterioration; Man & Board is an unlikely pairing of a dancer’s moving body with a ritualised wooden board; and Transhumanist is a popping male duet to an electronic soundscape.

Award winning choreographer Mathieu Geffré presents What songs may do…, shining a light on our deep-rooted connection to memory through music; Scotland based seminal choreographer Alan Greig looks at the ageing body and plays with gender, identity and LGBTQ+ icons in Within Reach; and desires and fears collide in two explosive but intimate physical poems by Charles Pas and Courtney May Robertson in Victory Boogie Woogie / the pleasure of stepping off a horse when it’s moving at full speed.

Beats on Pointe, Masters of Choreography

The whole family can enjoy non-stop five-star entertainment as Beats on Pointe returns to Assembly Festival, where ballet meets modern street dance in Australia’s hottest commercial dance theatre production.

The street meets the elite in 360 Allstars, a supercharged urban circus; and as seen as part of the Tokyo Olympic Opening Ceremony, GABEZ bring their international award-winning physical comedy, LIVE MANGA.

For younger families, the world-famous unicycle acrobatics show Cartoooon!! takes audiences on a magical journey to the big top; when Doctor Tuneless threatens the planet, only Granny Norbag can save the day – can she complete her quest in time for tonight’s Emmerdale? And the riotous, gratuitous and possibly hazardous, kids’ comedy duo The Listies return to the Fringe as part of the House of Oz programme, taking on the torturous subject of bedtime in The Listies ROFL.

Edinburgh Comedy Awards Best Newcomer winner 2023 Urooj Ashfaq returns for a limited run of her award-wining show, Urooj Ashfaq: Oh No! Plus, a mix of stories and observations in a new work in progress Urooj Ashfaq: It’s Funny To Me (Work in Progress). Hoping to follow in her footsteps with their Edinburgh debuts are Kate Dolan: A Different Kind of Unhinged, exploring the bizarre expectations put on women; the camp and chaotic world of Alex Hines: Putting On A Show; Alexandra Hudson explores her experiences as disabled woman in Making Lemonade; a glittering hour of fastidiously-curated spontaneity from Will Owen: Like, Nobody’s Watching; the world’s youngest, smallest, most normal comedian, Sarah Roberts: Silkworm; and a darkly funny comedy set within the world of two co-dependent sisters and their cow in The Sisters Fig.

2023 Edinburgh Comedy Awards Best Newcomer, Urooj Ashfaq

Britain’s Got Talent star Nurse Georgie Carroll: Sista Flo 2.0 returns to Assembly Festival after a sell-out debut season; Australia’s favourite comedy duo return with their banger show The Umbilical Brothers: The Distraction; Superstore star Chris Grace brings his homage the greatest living Asian actor in Chris Grace as Scarlett Johansson; and returning to Assembly Festival for its third year, Liars & Clowns: A Late Night Comedy Show is a jam session for comedians showcasing the best alternative comedy from around the festival.

The masters of improv Spark Creative return with their two smash hit shows, Baby Wants Candy and Shamilton! The Improvised Hip-Hop Musical; a magical adventure awaits in Spontaneous Potter: The Unofficial Improvised Parody; and the ground-breaking fusion of improv comedy and live jazz of Giant Steps comes to the Fringe after sell-out London shows.

Dancefloor Conversion Therapy presents the history of dance floors and joyful regret as part of the House of Oz programme; BAFTA-nominated comedian Rachel Parris brings a dazzling new hour of stand-up and songs in Rachel Parris: Poise; and for one night only NZ Taskmaster star Paul Williams Plays the Hits in a special late-night gig, featuring the best of Surf Music and his brand-new album.

The rise of the clowns continues as Trygve Wakenshaw disciple Tom Greaves: FUDGEY, an award-winning comedy about privilege; solo Edinburgh debutante, Aussie Yozi is adamant about the rules in Yozi: No Babies In The Sauna as part of the House of Oz programme; there’s ‘very funny stand-up’ from I am Claire Parry (very funny stand-up); and you become the orchestra led by the virtuosic Boorish Trumpson.

There’s more interactive fun as pictionary meets pub quiz in the adult gameshow Laser Kiwi’s Sketch Game; comedians Sweeney Preston and Ethan Cavanagh guide you through tasting five wines, using at least five jokes in In Pour Taste: A Comedy Wine Tasting Experience; and a healing ceremony unlike any you’ve ever experienced with Namaste Bae: Blessings & Kombucha.

Comedy meets cabaret in actress, comedian and content-creator Dylan Mulvaney’s Fringe debut, Dylan Mulvaney: F*G HAG; the obscenely intelligent, rib-crackingly funny Reuben Kaye returns to the Fringe with The Kaye Hole Hosted by Reuben Kaye and the UK debut of Reuben Kaye: Live and Intimidating; and the legendary Ghost-Whisperer returns in Séayoncé: She Must Be Hung!

More LGBTQ+ stories are told as Ricky Sim brings back his stand-up/storytelling show An Asian Queer Story: Coming Out to Dead People; and Andrew White is Young, Gay and a Third Thing in a hilarious hour of new material tackling identity, authenticity, and Musical Theatre themed weddings.

The cult cabaret, idiots… GAY idiots makes its Edinburgh debut with vaudevillian variety ranging from weird to very weird; fresh from their acclaimed Australian Tour MESSY FRIENDS explore the world of enchanting glamour; vocalist Victoria Mature pays homage to one of the most popular leading men of Hollywood’s Golden Age in Victor’s Victoria; and Australia’s reigning Queen of comedy cabaret makes her way to Assembly Festival as part of the House of Oz programme in The Unburdening of Dolly Diamond.

Camille O’Sullivan: Loveletter

The celebrated “Queen of the Fringe” (BBC) returns to Edinburgh for her 20^th Festival. Camille O’Sullivan: Loveletter pays tribute to those loved and missed, a heartfelt show celebrating Shane McGowan, Sinead O’Connor, Leonard Cohen, and David Bowie.

The multi-award-winning live music sensation makes its Edinburgh debut with a celebration of Aussie hit-makers in Down Under: The Songs That Shaped Australia as part of the House of Oz programme; witness mind-blowing sounds and vocal agility with The Beatbox Collective: What’s Your Sound?; and dance through the decades as the Fringe‘s newest Saturday night entertainment takes over Assembly @ Virgin Hotel with DecaDance Silent Disco.

Get your boogie shoes ready for the official KC & the Sunshine Band musical, Who Do Ya Love?; or take a magic carpet ride into an enchanted castle of adult fantasies and fairytale follies as The Hairy Godmothers present Dizney in Drag: Once Upon a Parody and Villains: A Dizney in Drag Parody.

The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland bring two musicals to Assembly Festival for the Fringe, Stephen Sondheim’s A Little Night Music and the pop-infused score and gore of Fountain of You; and history’s most mysterious ruler is uncovered in House of Cleopatra, an immersive musical with an original high-octane pop score.

Music is the catalyst for a trip down memory lane in The Imitator, the journey of one man’s dream of becoming an artist; and award-winning theatre maker Liam Hurley teams up with songwriter Jo Mango to present A Giant on the Bridge, unflinching gig theatre as part of the Made in Scotland Showcase 2024.

There’s more Scottish theatre with an a-typical love story in Love Beyond, also presented as part of the Made in Scotland Showcase 2024; and The Old Queen’s Head in which only one Queen can prevail. Plus, a score of plays from across the world.

Finland’s most decorated touring theatre company, Red Nose Company return to Assembly Festival with their acclaimed Don Quixote; Japanese comedian Akira Ishida teams up with actors to present a non-verbal comedy show with traditional Japanese sword fighting in CHALLENGE; from the USA 3 Chickens Confront Existence at the Edinburgh Fringe; and as part of the House of Oz season, two actors present three short plays in Summer of Harold, a trio of comedies about clinging on and letting go.

In new writing, award-winning artist Michaela Burger explores the legacy of a high-class sex worked in a brand-new one-woman show, The State of Grace as part of the House of Oz programme; new play DEADHEADS looks at the complexity and joy of loving someone while also allowing them to grow and change; a new queer love story in Conversations We Never Had, As People We’ll Never Be; an ode to young Belfast student life in Float; anda soul-searching, delightfully human roller-coaster ride through music and the Artist formerly known as Prince in K. Lorrel Manning’s Lost…Found.

Lost…Found, The Barrow Group

A traveller is rescued from the surging seas to the devout fishing village in physical theatre piece Plenty of Fish in the Sea as part of the House of Oz programme; ‘The Thick of It’ meets NHS A&E in In The Sick of It, a satirical state of the nation dissection; a one-man reimagining of Hamlet, told entirely from the perspective of the Dane in Sam Blythe: Method in my Madness (A one-man Hamlet); and Olivier winning Guy Masterson directs Clara Francesca in Making Marx, a look at the formidable woman behind Karl Marx.

Assembly Festival begins its season with the opening of Assembly George Square Gardens on Friday 12 July for the Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival, closely followed by the tenth anniversary of the Edinburgh Food Festival, Friday 19 – Sunday 28 July.

Assembly Festival’s Fringe season will begin on Wednesday 31 July and run through to Monday 26 August.

For tickets and further information about this year’s programme, and to sign up to receive news from Assembly Festival, visit www.assemblyfestival.com.

Fringe: One Last Week

A whole new batch of shows at theSpaceUK!

It’s not over yet: hidden gems galore, more new musicals, and juicy comedies are hitting theSpaceUK stages for one last rip-roaring week of shows.

Week 3 is here: bringing you one last knockout selection of shows. Fascinating ancient tales, energetic music bands, and frogs improvising in a box: it’s all go as we plunge into a fantastic final week at the Fringe.

Here’s a just a sample of the new shows gracing theSpaceUK from 21st – 26th:

Dive into ancient China
Legend of the White Snake (theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall, 21-26)
A classic love story portrayed in traditional Kunqu opera form. Rarely performed in the West, Kunqu is one of the most ancient forms of opera in the world and the North Kunqu Opera Company is one of its leading ambassadors. Sung in Chinese, with English surtitles.

Get ready for a Musical Fiesta!
David Rivera la Båmbula (theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall, 21-26)
David Rivera and La Båmbula will make you dance with their Caribbean sounds from Puerto Rico and Cuba. The 13-piece band is the first-ever Puerto Rican band to perform at the Fringe.

Croaky laughs guaranteed
Improv Comedy with Box of Frogs (theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall, 21-26)
Box of Frogs, Birmingham’s premier improv group, brings you a helping of high-octane improvised comedy nonsense, based entirely on your suggestions. Expect the unexpected as quick-witted players conjure up hilarious, spontaneous songs, sketches and scenes on the spur of the moment!

Yes, you’ve already seen this show!
Good and Gaslit (theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall, 21-26)
Good and Gaslit. A young director launching her career. A less-than-young TV executive performing her first one-woman show. It’s gonna be a gas! Come see the rehearsal, I mean, the show.

Is impostor syndrome even real?
this is a scam. (theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall, 21-26)
Fake it ’til you make it. Lean In. How far can you stretch the truth in the name of self-optimisation? When does charisma, boldness, and self-promotion become fraud? This play aims to find out.

There’s a first time for everything
Does My Fanny Look Big In This? (theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall, 21-26)
The anxious sex-ed class you never got in school. An exploration into the sexual world through spoken word, uncomfortable noises, an inflatable sex doll, (bad) singing, anxiety and a limerick.

An insightful play
A Night With Me, Myself and Bipolar Brenda (theSpace @ Symposium Hall, 21-26)
A captivating one-woman show, based on the critically acclaimed Amazon bestseller Me, Myself and Bipolar Brenda. Former Coronation Street actress and current Bipolar UK ambassador Natasha Rea smashes down barriers and raises awareness of bipolar, drawing on her own real-life story in this hilarious but heart-wrenching solo production.

Monsters, Inc (but it’s children)
Vida Slayman in Comedy of Terrors (theSpace on the Mile, 21-26)
Sold out at the Adelaide Fringe, now in Edinburgh! After fleeing two wars, Vida Slayman was prepared for anything life could throw at her. But then she faced a battle she couldn’t flee.

Razzle Dazzled
Las Vegas in Edinburgh (theSpace on the Mile, 21-26)
At this show, a sleight-of-hand spectacle bringing a little Vegas to Edinburgh. Marvel at the two magicians’ mind-bending illusions, brilliant comedy and incredible stage presence at the Fringe premiere on a stunning night of entertainment.

A night with a movie star
Call Me Elizabeth (theSpace @ Surgeon’s Hall, 21-26)
Fresh off her 1961 Academy Awards triumph and a recent brush with death, Elizabeth Taylor is struggling with her hardest role yet: herself.

Therefore AI am
Ctrl (theSpace on the Mile, 21-26)
Eager to stand out from the crowd, a group of teenagers turn to the assistance of AI. But what starts as a fun experiment soon turns to alarming obsession. Co-written by AI, this play questions reality and creativity.

Sailing through the high C’s
The Impresario (theSpace @ Venue 45, 21-26)
It’s 1930 and “talkies” are taking off – a film producer has the daunting task of bringing opera to the masses through the silver screen, made more challenging by diva two sopranos who both insist on top billing!

Wedding night gone wrong
Blueballs (theSpace Triplex, 21-26)
One bedroom. Two 20-year-olds. Just married and strangers until hours ago – now they are alone for the first time. A twisted version of the twisted tale Bluebeard, Blueballs is a thrilling, 40-minute tequila-shot of theatre in free verse.

Fringe 2022: 50+ new shows arrive at theSpaceUK this week

Tickets for further 146 shows made available just before the beginning of Fringe 2022

Over 3,300 shows now available to browse online ahead of the Fringe’s 75th anniversary this August

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society is delighted to announce that tickets for a further 146 Edinburgh Festival Fringe shows are now available to browse and book at edfringe.com.

This is the fifth set of tickets to be released for 2022, with the first 283 shows revealed in March, 796 in April, 1,281 in May and 1,047 in June. In total, there are 3,385 shows now available.

The 75th anniversary of the Fringe takes place from 05 – 29 August 2022 and will feature an exciting range of performance, with theatre, comedy, music, dance, circus, musicals, variety, cabaret, events, children’s shows and more all featured in the programme so far.

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

Theatre

At Summerhall, Dykegeist “will shift between a supernatural thriller, a sci-fi spider lair, a haunted club scene, a social situation to discuss threat/consent/otherness”, and Peaceophobia is “an unapologetic response to rising Islamophobia around the world”.

An outdoor performance of “Shakespeare’s timeless comic masterpiece” A Midsummer Night’s Dream is at Fisherrow Links, and at Paradise in Augustines, 12^th Night Lite is a “true love story for the ages”.

A selection of online shows will include In a Cave, a Voice at C venues, where “a Neolithic girl seeks comfort in imaginary friends”, and Willy’s Lil Virgin Queen explores Terra Taylor Knudson’s “passion for Shakespeare, and connects classic characters with modern experiences”.

Olding is a “multi-story, multi-character solo show, written and performed by Johanna Courtleigh” on Fringe Online, and What Am I, Chopped Suey? is also online, where “Meg Lin shares a raw personal account of growing up Chinese American that is both heart-warming and heart-wrenching”.

The Calligrapher is on at Greenside @ Infirmary Street, where an artist is “followed by the walking, talking, blood-drenched Quran that has haunted him” since he created it, and Elementa is “a one-woman show about a planet-saving superhero who’s lost her mojo” in the same venue.

Shows at ZOO Playground include Chips and Ice Cream, a show about a father-son relationship and the “struggles, the laughs, the joy and the inevitability of the mistakes that every parent will make”. Don’t Shoot the Albatross is where “pop music meets poetry in this new monologue about city lights, queer night life and large seafaring birds”.

At House of Oz, John Bell: A Few of my Favourite Things is “a relaxed hour with Australian living legend John Bell, as he rummages through his swag of favourite things, fishing out poems, stories, backstage gossip”.

Fan/Girl is part of PBH’s Free Fringe @ Banshee Labyrinth and charts a “tongue-in-cheek ride through adolescence against a backdrop of nineties football”, and A Lady Does Not Scratch Her Crotch is “a look at gender, sexuality, and the near impossibility of growing up”.

At theSpace @ Niddry Street, Laura J Harris presents Bella Donna, “an original queer comedy filled with unexpected twists and turns and more than its fair share of sass”, and theSpace on North Bridge hosts Pool (No Water), “a visceral and shocking play about the fragility of friendship and jealousy inspired by success”.

Sweet FA at Tynecastle Park is “a play with songs exploring the remarkable popularity of women’s football in the early 20th century”, and A War of Two Halves is at the same venue, telling the journey of “the Hearts from the football fields of Gorgie to the battlefields of the Somme.”

Cabaret and Variety

Figs in Wigs: Astrology Bingo is at Assembly George Square Studios, a show which plays “with bingo cards generated from your favourite celebrity’s astrological birth chart”.

Disenchanted: A Cabaret of Twisted Fairy Tales is online at C venues and asks, “Why was the Wolf in Grandma’s bed? Did Sleeping Beauty have an opinion on consent? Were the Ugly Sisters’ feet really that big?”

At BlundaGardens: BlundaBus, Ash and Lisa: Band Practice welcomes you “to this dismantling of music and sanity” in their musical improv show. And for film fans, at Brioche Dundas Street there is See It On Screen Summer 22, “three original short films made in Edinburgh”.

At House of Oz, OZmosis: The Great Australian Variety Pack presents the “hottest line-up of all-Australian talent on the Fringe”, Dolly Diamond’s Bosom Buddies sees the “award-winning, sharp-tongued cabaret diva” return to Edinburgh, and at the same venue, Geraldine Quinn: BROAD explores how “Quinn grew up idolising bold, brassy older women. Now she’s becoming one.”

Pick of the Fringe is at Johnnie Walker Princes Street, presenting “a mixed bill of comedy, music and variety, alongside the finest cocktails and drams in Edinburgh”.

At Laughing Horse @ The Counting House, Accordion Ryan’s Pop Bangers brings music from “artists from all across the pop music spectrum… in a way you’ve never heard them before”.

Chris Cook: Reflections asks, “What advice would you give your younger self?” with a magical twist at PBH’s Free Fringe @ Voodoo Rooms. At Absurd: A Live Cabaret Panel Show, you’re invited to “join host and magician Ava Beaux, and magical team captains Kane & Abel, for an array of games, buzzer rounds, and cabaret acts”; that’s at PBH’s Free Fringe @ Roti. At Planet Bar is Miss DQ Prides Again, an inclusive LGBT show.

“World-renowned songsmith and pianist extraordinaire, John Thorn, returns to the Fringe with a sublime collection of new original songs exploring the meaning of life and the future of humanity” in John Thorn Dirt An Existential Songbook at RSE Theatre.

At the Voodoo Rooms, Mr.B: Twerp in Progress “will feature some chap-hop classics, interpretations of vintage rap ditties and perhaps even some bits made up on the spot”.

99 Red Kitties is at theSpace @ Niddry St, “a highly energetic amateur burlesque show, which is sure to tantalize the audience”.

Children’s Shows

Online at C venues, Risas de Papel is a show created by 11 artists from Mexico and Chile, “fusing clown, gestural theatre and live illustration in a show for audiences of all ages”.

Spontaneous Potter Kidz: The Unofficial Improvised Parody is at Gilded Balloon at the Museum, “an entirely improvised wizarding comedy show, based on your suggestions”. At House of Oz, Dolly Diamond’s Storytime “helps stimulate children’s imagination and expand their understanding of the world”.

At Paradise in Augustines, The Red Thread We Are Holding takes audiences on “a journey of culture, love and free Taiwanese desserts”.

The Mermaid and the Cow is at theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, telling the tale of how “adventurer and children’s author, Lindsey Cole mermaided the length of the River Thames to highlight the plastic pandemic.”

Comedy

In comedy, Adam Kay: This is Going to Hurt… More (Work in Progress) brings diary entries “as well as some disgusting favourite stories” to Pleasance, and at Pleasance Dome Drag His Ass with Mary Beth Barone is a “deconstruction of modern dating culture”.

At Laughing Horse venues, Love and Sex on the Spectrum “explores all of the awkward firsts that come with dating, sex and love from a late bloomer’s perspective”. In From Ukraine, “Dima Watermelon (it’s his real name) and Pavlo Voytovych (writer at Comedy Central)” bring “the best comedians Ukraine has to offer”, with all donations going to organisations in Ukraine.

Jew Talkin’ to Me? seesRachel Creeger and Philip Simon live record their “unashamedly Jewish podcast enjoyed by everyone” at Assembly George Square Studios, and Róisín and Chiara: Sex on Wheels is “a whirlwind of synchronised, audience-tickling, stream-of-consciousness mischief”, at the same venue.

At BlundaGardens: BlundaBus, there is “extreme nonsense from award-winning idiot Dan Lees” in Dan Lees: Mustard or Custard?, and at Gilded Balloon at the Museum is Spontaneous Sherlock, an “entirely improvised Sherlock Holmes comedy play, based on a suggestion of a title”.

The In-Laws is at Greenside @ Infirmary Street, a one-man show where you can “join Paul as he meets his in-laws for the first time”, and at House of Oz, Gabbi Bolt: I Hope My Keyboard Doesn’t Break tackles “climate change, feminism, why small towns have too many pubs”.

The Necrobus hosts Fright Bus Service, “an award-winning theatrical sightseeing tour around the darker side of Europe’s most haunted city on a classic 1960s Routemaster bus”.

As part of PBH’s Free Fringe, Mimi Hayes: 20-Nothing details the story of an old woman who’s “sucked into the story of a 20-something who can’t catch a break”. Faces of Glasgow “is a scabrous and salacious satire of modern Glaswegian city life and its idiosyncratic inhabitants”.

The Scottish Comedy Festival presents Ah! My Name is Yoky Yu, about “healing, trauma, love, shame, guilt, mom, intimate relationships, and sexuality”, and The Lunch Rush gives “a taste of some of the best new comedy talent on the Scottish circuit” with Kathleen Hughes.

At The Stand’s New Town Theatre, Des Clarke: One O’ Clock Fun presents “a lunchtime showcase of Edinburgh Fringe legends, celebrity guests and the most exciting new talent around”, while Mark Watson: More Banging on About Time and Similar Issues (Work in Progress) explores “what it means to live and die, and what the hell we’re meant to do with the rapidly passing time in between”.

Trashfuture: Live at the Fringe is at theSpace @ Venue45, covering everything from “nonsense start-ups to the evil tech zillionaires and our garbled nonsense of a culture.”

At Underbelly, Dr Brown: Workdsff intlsdjfj Progressdsdfdfn the “multi award-winning comic” comes to Edinburgh “after a decade in hibernation”.

Call Me Me is at ZOO Playground, a show where Maryellen takes audiences through “stories of medical malpractice, being pigeon-toed, mansplaining in escape rooms”, and Platonic Love Triangle – A New York Stand-up Comedy Show sees comedians “Wyatt Feegrado (Bettor Days on Hulu, Amazon Prime), Lukas Arnold (2 million+ followers on Tiktok) and Otter Lee (Fairview on Comedy Central) present an afternoon of stand-up comedy”.

Dance, Physical Theatre and Circus

At Dancebase, an “elaborately costumed dancer performs a tap dance ritual accompanied by a musician” in Le Flâneur, and A Something! No Dragon No Lion! is “a Kung Fu contemporary circus made in Hong Kong”.

Cirk La Putyka and Kyiv Municipal Academy of Variety and Circus Art collaborate on Boom at Underbelly, a “show about family, freedom and borders” where 12% of ticket income will be donated to the Disasters Emergency Committee.

At ZOO Southside is 40/40: “Kat has always danced, but she has never before been a dancer. But then, she’s never been 40 before either. This is the result of 40 years of joy and hardship, laughter and tears, super tunes and super moves.”

Musicals and Opera

On Fringe Online, Feeling Pretty “tells a story of women reclaiming their power” and at theSpace @ Surgeons Hall, The Canterville Ghost: The Musical is a “family friendly comic ghost story” adapted from the Oscar Wilde story.

Spoken Word

At the Stand’s New Town Theatre, Politics and Poetry with Corbyn and McCluskey is an event which “traces the evolution of their political lives and how poetry and modern culture has provided inspiration, enlightenment and comfort”.

In 12 Angry Women, on Fringe Online, “women are on trial by the audience (the camera), they express their monologues and themselves through dance/movement”.

Aural Picnic is at PBH’s Free Fringe @ Banshee Labyrinth where a “local lass brings to life contemporary stories with humour and vigour performed in anthropomorphic characters from nature and myth.”

At Pleasance at EICC, Iain Dale: All Talk with Nicola Sturgeon brings the LBC presenter and the First Minister together for “incisive insight on current affairs”.

Shot in the Face Marvin Herbert is at Shout – Scottish Music Centre @ 111 Holyrood Road, where Marvin discusses having “investigated over 24 murders and eight shootings. Shot five times, axed in the head, stabbed, beaten and bruised” in the service of “reducing re-offending by inspiring, motivating youths and changing lives”.

Music

At ZOO Southside, sanni-leena brings “jazzy covers” with a voice which “will hit you right in the soul – no matter what style she takes on”, and at ZOO Playground, I Dreamed a Dream: The Hunt for a Husband is “an evening of musical comedy, horrendous dating stories, and a relatable truth that we all need to hear.”

At Acoustic Music Centre @ UCC, Jeremy Dion from Boulder, Colorado presents his “blend of folk, bluegrass and Americana”, and Baul, Troubador and Verses on Love, Lust and Flame directed by Ahmed Kaysher “offers the ecstasy and sublime beauty of Indian Vaishnav, Baul and Troubadour music with its interpretation through a haunting presentation of Sufi, Bengali and Greek poetry”.

Duelling Piano Heroes is “an unrivalled, 21st century duelling pianos experience” at PBH’s Free Fringe @ Liquid Room Annexe/Warehouse.

10 Years of Hot Dub Time Machine promises “a night of high energy and non-stop fun and Tom’s incredible selection of the very best tracks from the last 70 years” at Royal Highland Centre.

At RSE Theatre, Bonnie Thorn Little Jazz Bird “showcases Bonnie’s vocal talents with selections from the Gershwins to Amy Winehouse and beyond”, and at St Cuthbert’s Church, Pitchcraft: The Pitch Is Back! is a showcase of “uniquely crafted acapella arrangements, each with its own twist, delivered with humour and passion”.

There is a Lunchtime Organ Recital with free admissionat Stockbridge Church, where “Marion Lees McPherson plays a selection of German, French and English organ music on the theme of Pain and Glory.”

Kings of the Blues: Electric Blues Tribute is at The Brunton, “honouring three masters of the Blues: BB King, Albert King and Freddy King”, and Kyle Falconer in The Old Dr Bell’s Baths with Support from The John Rush Band, The Laurettes and Hunter & McMusard is at The Old Dr Bells Baths where “Kyle, backed by his full band, will be playing a set combining his solo music and classics from The View’s back catalogue.”

The Salvation Army Edinburgh City Corps hosts Music for the Festival with Newtongrange Silver Band, “a traditional mining village brass band from the outskirts of Edinburgh, but their repertoire is far from traditional”.

At Underbelly, Bristo Square, Symphonic Ibiza celebrates “some of the most famous Ibiza club anthems from the last 30 years”.

Grigoryan Brothers: This Is Us is at the House of Oz. “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.” At the same venue, BIRDEE “blends her own lineage of Chinese, Greek and Russian origins to craft her own sound and stories”.