A modern-day twist on Ibsen; Hedda is bored. She spends her days manipulating the people in her house, hiding behind the lenses of her CCTV cameras and a facade of decency.
The arrival of her ex-lover ignites flames of passion and destruction, unravelling her true desires. He’s got a woman under his arm, money in his pockets and a plan to change the future. Time without Hedda seems to have only done him good.
An invitation into the decadent world of a newly married woman, engulfed in a competitive, high-tech and male-dominated environment. Between Campari shots and lines of Cocaine, she embarks on a mission of destruction.
Hedda
Wonderlabs
Theatre (drama, modern)
Venue 236 – Greenside @Infirmary Street – Forest Theatre
theSpaceUK kicks off their 27th year at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in style
It was a night to remember as theSpaceUK kicked off their 27th year at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe with a powerhouse performance packed launch at theSpace Triplex.
Artists from a wide variety of genres came together to wow audiences with a small flavour of the 400+ shows available in this year’s programme. Featuring eleven fantastic acts, the launch was a showcase of music, comedy, theatre and packed with plenty of action, to give a taste of the talent on show at theSpaceUK this year.
theSpaceUK pioneered the return of grass roots performance to the festival last year and continues to offer the most established programme for new and original writing as well as established work offering that unique and special experience that can only be found in Edinburgh during August.
Highlights from theSpaceUK Press Launch
Kicking off proceedings was the Hip Hop Orchestra Experience direct from California which seamlessly fused hip-hop and classical music. Upcoming theatre company koi collective premiered a new comedy at the Edinburgh Fringe, Crossing the Void, with a swirl of intrigue and emotion.
A multimedia hybrid, part live stand-up, part film, Apartness featured Sylvester McCoy, Linda Marlowe in a tale of two isolated souls and their devilish comedian saviour. Prejudice & Pride was new folk musical comedy that reimagines Jane Austen’s classic novel in modern America with gender-swapped characters.
How do predators justify what they have done? Why do some victims survive and others perish? Brother’s Keeper is about courageous survival. Merrill gets diagnosed with ADHD as an adult and tries to make sense of her life and chaotic childhood in Merrill Means Well.
The Mistake is a compelling new play by Michael Mears that explores the events surrounding the catastrophic “mistake” that launched our nuclear age.
UK Underdog is a solo show based on true events in a London, Jewish boy’s life told with humour and plenty of chutzpah.
A modern tale of the gay scene which can be harsh and lonely, Soho Boy is packed with glamour, sex and songs.
One-liners and light-hearted jokes from the UK Pun Championships winner 2022 and Scottish Comedian of the Year runner-up 2021, Richard Pulsford had the audience in stitches.
Puppet Pansori Sugungga is an untraditional staging of classical Korean themes using the traditional puppetry of pansori and live music. All hosted by the freshest comedian at the Fringe, It’s Fraser Brown.
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@Surgeon’sHall, theSpace@SymposiumHall, theSpace on North Bridge, theSpace on the Mile, theSpaceTriplex, the Space@Venue45. Further details will be revealed in the coming months.
More than 900 performers graced Edinburgh Castle’s Esplanade to celebrate expression and share their creative voice
Performers from across the globe are sure to wow audiences with sensational music, dance, costume, and spectacle as The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo makes its highly anticipated return tonight with this year’s Show, Voices.
Running until 27 August, the year’s Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo is a celebration of expression, giving a stage to performers and acts from around the globe to share their voice. Voices draws inspiration from people across the globe who, despite physical separation, continue to connect and share their voices creatively through spoken word, song, music, and dance – languages common to all.
Tonight’s performance will mark the inaugural Show from the Tattoo’s new Creative Director, Michael Braithwaite who alongside new creative production partners are introducing a brand-new approach to pre-show with street style drummers welcoming audiences onto the Esplanade. For the very first time there will be staging on the Esplanade and soundscapes tying each spectacular performance together, with the Show being opened with original composition and vocals from The Highland Divas.
Audiences will experience stunning musical and cultural showcases from performers from Mexico, The United States, Switzerland, Germany, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, alongside homegrown talent from the UK at the centre of it all.
Musicians from the Army are reinforced by the UK’s finest military musicians, the legendary musicianship of the Massed Pipes and Drums echoing across the Esplanade and the dazzling talent of the Tattoo Dancers and Tattoo Fiddlers.
The Tattoo performers also gave an exhilarating performance of ‘Shake that Bagpipe’ with never-before-seen at the Show, Electro Pipes, taking centre stage with a DJ and a high energy, colourful dance act.
Buster Howes, Chief Executive of The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, said:“Seeing the Castle Esplanade come alive with the colour, music, word-class talent and of course, for our audiences to once again join us, is exactly the come-back we wanted.
“We set out to ensure that the 2022 Tattoo was a welcome return and a celebration of the connections, cultures and languages that bring people together time after time on the Esplanade of Edinburgh’s 3,000-year-old fortress. After last night’s preview performance, the first Show from our new Creative Director, Michael Braithwaite, I’m sure everyone will agree we have done just that.
“I’ve been blown away by the talents on display during rehearsals and I’m confident the audience will be able to feel the electric atmosphere on the Esplanade tonight! There’s still time to grab tickets throughout August, and I would encourage anyone looking for a great night out to come and experience the magic of the Tattoo.”
International performers this year include Tattoo favourites the New Zealand Army Band with this year’s dynamic performance marking their seventh appearance on the Castle Esplanade.
Banda Monumental will storm the stage with over 100 performers bringing stunningly dramatic costume and the bright carnival atmosphere of Mexico to their show stopping performance.
Swiss drumming sensation, The Top Secret Drum Corps are set to captivate audiences with their energetic precision drumming which has received global recognition since their first performance with the Tattoo in 2003.
While The United States Air Force Honor Guard, the official ceremonial unit of the Air Force, will make their return to the Tattoo this year with its lively display of precision drill.
Playing a vital role in this year’s show were Tattoo newcomers and world-renowned performers The Highland Divas whose vocals were used throughout the show in soundscapes. Audiences were treated to a unique musical journey that showcased the best of the Divas awe inspiring voices.
The United States Army Field Band will make theirTattoo debutbringing military mash-ups of traditional and contemporary hits to the Edinburgh Castle Esplanade for the very first time.
The full line up for 2022 also includes: The Band of the Royal Regiment of Scotland, British Army Band Colchester, British Army Band Sandhurst, The Countess of Wessex’s String Orchestra, The Royal Highland Fusiliers, 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland Pipes and Drums, The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland Pipes and Drums, The Highlanders, 4th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland Pipes and Drums, Combined Scottish Universities Officers’ Training Corps Pipes and Drums, Royal Air Force Pipes and Drums, The Crossed Swords Pipes and Drums, Brisbane Boys College Pipes and Drums, Paris Port Dover Pipes and Drums, The Pipes and Drums of Christchurch City, and Erskine Stewart’s Melville Schools Choir.
The Show will run until 27 August 2022. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at edintattoo.co.uk/tickets or on the phone on 0131 225 1188.
Over 3,300 shows now available to browse online ahead of the Fringe’s 75th anniversary this August
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe Societyis 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, 12th 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”.
120 shows make up The Stand’s 2022 programme across Stand 1 (5 York Place), Stand 2 (16 N St Andrew St) & The Stand’s New Town Theatre (96 George St)
We may be world-famous for our stand-up, but that doesn’t mean The Stand is a one-trick pony. Several spoken-word mainstays such as ‘The Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas’ and ‘In Conversation With’ are back thanks to our partnership with Fair Pley, but there’s also brand new shows from comrades Jeremy Corbyn & Len McCluskey, legendary actor David Hayman, former Makar Liz Lochhead and much more …
An ongoing series of intimate conversations with some of the country’s biggest names, including Jeremy Corbyn MP, Ian Rankin, Darren McGarvey, David Hayman, Val McDermid, and now – a last minute addition – our First Minister Nicola Sturgeon! £12.50 – £15
Are you brave enough to challenge your own preconceptions and opinions on hot-button issues? Susan Morrison introduces a different academic speaker every day. £11
Are you brave enough to challenge your own preconceptions and opinions on hot-button issues? Susan Morrison introduces a different academic speaker every day. £11
Jeremy Corbyn is joined by his friend and comrade Len McCluskey for a unique event. No strangers to controversy; their love of poetry is the softer counterpoint to their firm political beliefs. One night only. £12
What does it really mean to be working class? A blend of theatre, stand-up and spoken word from critically acclaimed writer and performer Kevin P Gilday. £12
Mark Billingham, Val McDermid, Chris Brookmyre, Luca Veste, Doug Johnstone and Stuart Neville switch out pens for guitars. Murder on the dancefloor is guaranteed …
A wild, high-tech, rock-smashing journey to the Neolithic origins of mining
Rocks, beats and geological time: this is a violent, fun, loud and lyrical experience, with projection design from award-winning Limbic Cinema. Copper mining has fuelled the growth of human civilisation for the last 10,000 years.
In Megalith a silent physical performer and digital sound artist explore the ever-growing trajectory of mining and technological development, and what it means in the 21st century.
Playfully duetting to Deep-Time techno, metamorphic soundscapes and the Internet of Things, performers Charles Sandford and Xavier Velastin journey deep down to the origins of mining. Harnessing Neolithic tools to smash up to 250kg of rocks, Herald Angel winners MECHANIMAL explore the mysterious activity of bashing stone and getting metals.
‘Beautiful, contemplative … a remarkable and urgent show’Guardian (Vigil 2019)
Every piece of technology we own has come from rock.
But copper (the first metal to be mined) has a vital role right now. In transitioning from fossil fuels, global copper production (concentrated in Chile) must sky-rocket to make the batteries and cables for electrification. But does more extraction continue a questionable trajectory of more manufacture, more stuff, more economic growth… and thereby more inequality and waste? What of alternatives such as ‘urban mining’ (recycling of metals from tech waste)?
Rather than being an info-heavy show, Megalith views these issues through metaphor, creating a simple theatrical poem. The Neolithic culture that started mining also created stoneworks consisting of a single line leading into concentric circles (eg Stonehenge).
Megalith explores thisline-into-circleform: how might it offer a timely metaphor, when the need to shift from an extractive, linear relationship with Earth’s resources is ever more urgent?
The show was developed in collaboration with researchers from Bristol University and The Natural History Museum and made through research journeys to Neolithic copper mines and stone circles across the UK. All rocks, technology and other materials used in Megalith will be effectively and responsibly recycled.
MECHANIMAL’s Director, Tom Bailey, said ‘Copper is a vital but little-known part of the present energy and ecological crises, and even the Russia-Ukraine war. We look to find creative and fascinating ways of engaging people with this.’
‘Memorable, a requiem against a clock counting down’‘★★★★ Scotsman (Vigil 2019)
MECHANIMAL won a Herald Angel in 2018 for Zugunruhe. Bristol-based, the company’s work explores life on a changing planet. It tours performances (created with a range of artists and researchers) both nationally and internationally.
‘Extraordinary … moving and enlightening’New Scientist (Zugunruhe 2018)
Look at our beautiful poster for our Festival Fringe production of Amanda Whittington’s Ladies Day! Designed by the multi talented Stephen, who is also the lighting and sound director for the production.
Work, love and life are just one long, hard slog for the fish-filleting foursome Pearl, Jan, Shelley and Linda. A day at the races to celebrate Pearl’s (not) retirement finds them looking for fame and fortune.
Dressed in their finest, they head off to the races for a drink, a flirt and a flutter. If their luck holds, they could hit the jackpot – and more besides. An exuberant, poignant comedy about female friendship and what fortune really means, come and join the ladies at the race course and share their story.
An amateur production In association with Nick Hern Books.
Please join us at Inverleith St Serf’s Church Centre,Clark Road, Edinburgh from Saturday 6 August. Tickets are now available from the Fringe Box Office.
EIGHT Edinburgh Festival Fringe producing venues – Assembly, Dance Base, Gilded Balloon, Just the Tonic, Pleasance, Summerhall, Underbelly and ZOO – are coming together for the first time to launch an updated show ticketing and reviews platform, edfest.com – providing audiences with a central hub for easy booking, information and reviews of ‘the best curated shows on the Edinburgh Festival Fringe’.
With tickets now on sale, edfest.com provides a centralised booking and reviews hub providing access to 1,159 shows across comedy, dance, theatre, and music at 140 venues, featuring performers from 32 different countries.
Some notable performers and shows in the 2022 edfest.com line up are:
Assembly: Choir of Man, Beats on Point, Friendsical, Love Loss & Chianti and Queenz
DanceBase: Ballet Ireland, Scottish Dance Theatre, Dan Daw Creative Projects
Gilded Balloon: Late’n Live, Maisie Adam, Leith Social, Henry Naylor, Jack Docherty
Just The Tonic: Jimeoin, Tom Stade, Aliya Kanani, Jack Gleadow, Anthony Deveto
Pleasance: Freedom Ballet of Ukraine, Sophie Duker, Ben Hart, Tim Vine, SK Shlomo
Summerhall: Learning to Fly, Life is Soft, Mama Love, Talisk, Efterkland
Underbelly: La Clique, Rhys Nicholson, Dragons & Mythical Beasts, Circa: Humans 2.0, Unfortunate: The Untold Story of Ursula the Sea Witch
ZOO: Night Dances, Runners, Rocky, Sad Book, Far Gone, Every word was once an animal
The new edfest.com website has been designed to give audiences a more bespoke experience, allowing them to search and find shows they will love.
Companies and venues will update information on a regular basis and the public will be encouraged to review shows and share with their friends. The new experience gives ticket buyers a more rounded view of what’s on offer, replacing what word of mouth and poster clippings have done in the past.
Speaking on behalf of the eight edfest.com venues, Jim Hollington, CEO of Dance Base, comments: “The last two years have been incredibly hard for everyone in the arts and entertainment sector. It’s therefore critical that this year’s Edinburgh Fringe is a success, to protect the future of our own organisations, of the performing artists who make the Fringe, and of our contribution to the city of Edinburgh overall.
“As producing venues, we invest a huge amount of time, energy and money curating and producing some of the best entertainment in the world and bringing that to Edinburgh. Whilst the pandemic created numerous challenges, it did allow us to stop and think about how we could collaborate and do things better.
“Across the eight edfest.com venues we share a similar vision and so it made sense for us to pool our sales and marketing resources to drive efficiencies across our own operations and ultimately make things easier for customers. Our box offices will also all be linked and audiences will be able to buy for multiple venues.
“Crucially this year we are going on sale earlier than usual to increase the sales window for bookings and generate much needed revenue.
“Putting the last two years behind us we would like to encourage everyone from Fringe loyalists who turn up every year, to Edinburgh locals and first timers to visit edfest.com, book some spectacular shows and once again enjoy the best possible Edinburgh Fringe experience this August. We can’t wait to get going!”
Over 3,000 shows now available to browse online in the lead up to the Fringe’s 75th anniversary this August
Today, Thursday 09 June, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society is delighted to announce that tickets for a further 1,047 Edinburgh Festival Fringe shows are now available to browse and book atedfringe.com.
This is the fourth set of tickets to be released for 2022, with the first 283 shows revealed in March, 796 in April and 1,281 in May.
In total, there are 3,131 shows now available.The official programme launch will take place on Thursday 07 July.
The 75th anniversary of the Fringe takes place from 05 – 29 August 2022 and will feature an exciting range of shows, with theatre, comedy, music, dance, circus, musicals, variety, cabaret, events and more all featured in the programme so far.
Below is a small representative sample of shows available to book from today. The full list of shows released so far can be found at edfringe.com.
Theatre
At Pleasance, Fantastically Great Women Who Changed The World is “the Fringe premiere of new kickass-pirational pop musical from one of the producers of hit SIX”, celebrating the lives of Frida Kahlo, Rosa Parks, Emmeline Pankhurst and many more. Brown Boys Swim – also at Pleasance – “examines the pressures faced by young Muslim men in this exhilarating new play about fitting in and striking out”, while DARKFIELD revive two of their immersive, pitch-black experiences: Flight and Séance.
David Greig and Wils Wilson revisit The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart at the University of Edinburgh Playfair Library, “a wild session of anarchic theatre, haunting, authentic folk music and strange goings-on”.
At Wee Red Bar, This Is Memorial Device is based on David Keenan’s novel of the same name. It offers a “fictional history of 1980s Airdrie’s mysterious, post-punk legends” and features original music by Stephen McRobbie from Glasgow band, The Pastels.
Art27 Scotland presents several productions at ZOO, among them From the Heart of the Incident – the story of Dr Issam Bassalat Hijjawi, “a highly respected and much-loved Edinburgh medical doctor and Palestinian activist held in a Northern Irish prison for nearly 16 months”. At the same venue, Ontroerend Goed return to the Fringe with Every Word Was Once an Animal, which takes a meta look at performing a show, and Marriage in Progress features Lauren Katz (Curb Your Enthusiasm) and Joey Slotnick (The Marvelous Mrs Maisel, The Good Wife) who “explore marriage as an improvisation and improvisation as a marriage”. Online, via ZOOTV, Tuesday Night Sleeping Club is “an immersive live-streamed audio experience at your home”.
At Assembly, Brian Cox presents She/Her, a multimedia performance of “a diverse group of women speaking their truth”. Assembly also hosts August Wilson‘s How I Learned What I Learned, the UK / European premiere of the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright’s solo show chronicling his life as a Black artist in Pittsburgh’s Hill District.
Fishamble theatre company returns to the Fringe with Kingby Pat Kinevane: A Work-In-Progress. Hosted by Dance Base, “King tells the story of Luther, a man born on the day MLK was assassinated, who only leaves his apartment to perform as an Elvis impersonator”.
Directed by Guy Masterson, Pip Utton is Adolf is at The Stand’s New Town Theatre, exploring “what made Adolf Hitler so compulsive” and how any “cultured person could follow him to destruction, desolation and genocide”.
Just an Ordinary Lawyer is available online with C ARTS, the story of how “Nigerian Tunji Sowande quietly breaks through multiple barriers to become Britain’s first Black judge”. Also available online, Dickin’ Around asks “what does it take to satiate a heartbroken 20-something homosexual with a penchant for deep-diving into the sensory stimuli he finds along the way?”
ThickSkin’s Blood Harmony features music from The Staves combines with “bold new writing and dynamic physicality in this uplifting and powerful new play with songs about love, loss and legacy”. It’s at the Traverse Theatre, as is Happy Meal by Tabby Lamb, “a joyful queer rom-com where Millennial meets Gen Z and change is all around”.
Bastion, Beacon or Bridge? features full readings of three plays from Latvian, Lithuanian and Estonian playwrights, with post-reading discussions from the authors. It’s at Army @ The Fringe, as is For Queen and Country, the story of WW2 Major Denis Rake MC, who entertained Nazi officers as a drag queen in a Parisian nightclub.
Buzzing Anonymous, based on an ADHD support group, is at the Arthur Conan Doyle Centre. The play “watches unlikely relationships form through the chaos and natural dramatic comedy that occurs when neurodivergent people try to navigate through day-to-day life”.
For Example Theatre present: Boat! at BlundaBus, “a tragicomedy combining clowning and physical theatre” following “two friends at sea as they navigate companionship, solitude and altering states of reality”.
Motor Court 103 at Central Hall joins a group of strangers stranded at a motel during a Kansas snowstorm – an “eerie, timeless pocket of Americana”. Also at Central Hall, We Are the Kingdum of Lear uses puppetry, masks and magic to stage “an experimental reimagining of Shakespeare’s great play”.
Dynamic Earth is hosting a series of Planetarium Lates this Fringe, including Under Pressure: The Ocean Show, which takes a deep dive beneath the waves, and You Are Here, “a dramatic journey to the very edge of our solar system and back”.
Hart follows “a transgender doctor in early 20th-century America” who is outed in the newspapers by his best friend, while The Severing Sword is an adaptation of a popular wuxia novel following “men hungry for the legendary Kun Wu sword and its ultimate power”. Both are available to watch online.
At Gilded Balloon, Bluewater is set in London in 2008 and joins a 17-year-old girl “as she attempts to navigate her way from Bluewater shopping centre with the girls to the weekly party happenings on a Saturday night”. At the same venue, Fear of Heights examines the American experience through the lens of Kevin Flynn’s Irish immigrant family.
The Virgin Travels is “a challenging, powerful and often funny piece, using music and movement to explore the tension between queerness and a restrictive Catholic upbringing”. It’s at Gladstone’s Land.
Greenside is home to Silent Gutter’s Playtime, in which “a birthday wish plunges the world into a hellish playground of 90s nostalgia”. At the same venue, Sugar? explores “real life stories of homelessness through a blend of verbatim theatre, physical storytelling and live and recorded sound”.
Conflict in Court, at Hill Street Theatre, is “an immersive courtroom experience where you decide the case’s outcome”. Also at Hill Street Theatre, Independence “looks at the Scottish independence debate with wit and humour as two families decide how to vote”.
Ladies Day is on at Inverleith St Serf’s Church Centre; set at a racecourse, it’s an “exuberant, poignant comedy about female friendship and what fortune really means”.
At Just the Tonic, Theatre Paradok presents “a fresh, LGBTQIA+ take” on Constellations by Nick Payne, a multiversal view of a burgeoning relationship with infinite possibilities. Also at Just the Tonic, Cassie Workman: Aberdeen is a “part eulogy, part fantasy, part biography” about Kurt Cobain.
Boy: Looking for Friends is at Laughing Horse, offering a family-friendly solo show from Polish clown, Piotr Sikora. “Boy is happy living in his suitcase until he is forced to journey to the end of the world in the greatest adventure he has ever known.”
At Mayfield Salisbury Church, The Deil’s Awa! is “a roistering tale of smugglers in the East Neuk of Fife”.
Jonathan Price’s Alternate Endings is an “American cautionary tale, told in 10 vignettes, delving into the woes of the modern world as we ponder why we are here.” It’s available via Online@theSpaceUK, as is Call Mr Robeson, which tackles the life of world-famous actor, singer and civil rights campaigner Paul Robeson.
Carnegie at Panmure House explores the life of Andrew Carnegie, one-time richest man in the world and famous philanthropist.
An Evil Thing is a “dark, contemporary one-act play” about bullying set in Tyneside during WW2. It’s at Paradise in Augustines, where you’ll also find The One TEEN Show, “a Sri Lankan teenager’s quest to stage a live theatre show amidst post-AL angst, a pandemic and a country in crisis”.
At PBH’s Free Fringe, in Boys Who Punch Holes in Walls, “two young men explore what it means to be a ‘man’ in the modern world of social media, sexuality and toxic masculinity”, while The Azure Sky in Oz, Yellow and Special is a “powerful, funny and unflinching drama following two women whose lives are profoundly changed by their immersion in the world of the other-abled”.
Kathputli Colony: A Tale of Art and Resistance is at Pianodrome at the Old Royal High, shining a light on India’s biggest community of traditional artists through “Indian folk songs, traditional puppetry, musical instruments and explosive Dhol drumming”. Also at Pianodrome, Playing Beethoven lets you “feed your inner Beethoven with period and contemporary live music, costumes and ideas in an amphitheatre made entirely out of upcycled pianos”.
Sweater Worthy is “a one-woman performance about knitting through grief, heartache and depression”. It’s at Pins and Needles, and “knitting or crocheting is encouraged”!
Mara Menzies’s Blood and Gold returns to the Fringe at the Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh, combining “ancient mythology and modern storytelling” to explore “the legacy of colonialism and slavery”. Also at the Lyceum, Tim Crouch: Truth’s A Dog Must to Kennel is the world premiere of a new solo work by the experimental playwright, in which “King Lear meets stand-up meets the metaverse”.
Cat is “a razor-sharp, subversive exploration of life at its darkest” by Connie Harris; it’s on at RSE Theatre.
At the Scottish Storytelling Centre, Miss Lindsay’s Secret sees a museum curator finding hidden letters binding Glenesk to Canada’s Klondike gold rush – “a true tale of sewing and 1900s sexting”. At the same venue, Mohan: A Partition Story “is a piece of oral storytelling which retells renowned storyteller Niall Moorjani’s Grampa’s experiences” during Partition in India.
At Shout – Scottish Music Centre @ 111 Holyrood Road, The Woman He Lived With tells the story of the wife of William Burke, of infamous graverobbing murderers Burke and Hare.
Marrano, a Tale from the Inquisition is at St Andrew’s and St George’s West, George St – “a historical play performed in contemporary storytelling fashion”.
At The Royal Scots Club, High Five is “an explosive, high energy, physical theatre production that explores the drug crisis with young people in Scotland”.
At theSpace, Floodgate joins three siblings in 2061 as they clear out their grandma’s belongings in a deserted coastal town, where “they find a diary left behind that will change everything”. Long Nights in Paradise, also at theSpace, is the story of a loving relationship “set in the context of the Grenfell Tower tragedy”.
Surfing the Holyland at Underbelly is a fish-out-of-water tale set in Tel Aviv, blending “bighearted comedy, electrifying storytelling and bold physicality”, while The Endling “explores the interconnectedness of human existence with the lives and deaths of other species”.
Comedy
The Pub Landlord returns with Al Murray: Gig for Victory at Assembly, where Frank Skinner also brings his “highly anticipated” new show 30 Years of Dirt.
At Monkey Barrel Comedy, triple Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee Josie Long presents her new show Re-Enchantment, and from the “award-winning comedy collective CHUNKS” comes Chris Thorburn’s Monday Mash-Up Meltdown,“an hour of ill-advised mash-ups and remixes”.
Stephen Robinson brings his award-winning show DeafMimoto Deaf Action, a “storytelling event performed through mime” which is suitable for deaf and hearing audiences of all ages.
“Poet Laureate of Punk” Dr John Cooper Clarke and special guests come to the Edinburgh Playhouse with a “roller coaster of poetry, spoken word, off the wall chat, riffs and wicked stories” in I Wanna Be Yours.
Host of Netflix’s 100 Humans, Sammy Obeid comes to Gilded Balloon with his stand-up show So Comedy, and the “comedy phenomenon” The Guilty Feminist returns with “excitement, confessions, activism and inspiration”.
PBH’s Free Fringe hosts We Are Not In the Least Afraid of Ruins; We Carry a New World in Our Hearts from “non-binary whirlwind” Andrew O’Neill, as well as Clandestina Queer Comedy Triple Bill, “a queer women, trans and non-binary-led comedy show” from Charlie George and Victoria Olsina plus a new “wildcard” act every night.
Jerry Sadowitz returns with his show Not for Anyone (Pleasance at EICC), including “impressions of Greta Thunberg, Frankie Boyle and deep vein thrombosis”, while Pleasance Courtyard is the setting for Catherine Cohen’s double-bill, including her award-winning The Twist…? She’s Gorgeous, as well as a new cabaret show.
Troy Kinne Live marks the return of the comedian from a “sell-out tour” of Australia, NZ and London at 4042.
At the Acoustic Music Centre @UCC, Katya Kan Metaverse 4/20 “recounts the story of an Eton-schooled cannabis dealer” against a “lockdown backdrop”.
At BlundaBus, Amrita Dhaliwal presents “provocative physical comedy” in her show Driving Around, and “frivolity, shock and redemption” can be found in Riss Obolensky’s Healing King Herod.
Online, A Place Like Thisis hosted by Nicole Kidman as she shares “some of cinema’s greatest moments”, Plymouth Presents Theatre Company performs “hilarious comedy” Bartholomew’s Strip, and “the point of view of a tortoise” is front and centre in Daffodil Tramples the Fringe.
At Greenside, Brayden Kerr’s Tales of an Altered Consciousness Within a Comical Lunatic mingles realism and nonsense in a “comedy con carne”, while in Ann Chun: Asian Divorce, the NYC-based comedian takes on the “dissolution of her parents’ marriage in Thailand” while living in America.
Award-winning musical comedian David Hoare “combines wit and flare with precise delivery” in his 100 Songs in an Hour at Hill Street Theatre.
Just the Tonic hosts The Local Tourist, the “hilarious and emotional tale of a local immigrant who gets labelled as a tourist across five countries” from the mind of Ram Adithya Arangi, and Vlad and Kuan-wen: The Wee Aliens provide “fantastic observations about life in Britain” from Vlad Ilich and Kuan-wen Huang.
Sharon Wanjohi and Abbie Edwards can be found at Laughing Horse with their “sell-out show” Not Too Shabby, which covers “everything from babies being racist to Brad Bird’s 2007 masterpiece Ratatouille”; also at Laughing Horse, you’ll find an hour of Stand Up At Seven With Ella Al-Shamahi and Suse Steed.
100% Cotton: In a Spin pits Liz Cotton and two small villages against “the might of a huge sewer company” at Paradise in the Vault, and the same venue hosts Popstar Hair Show, Christina FanMail’s “comedy stream of consciousness”.
Ray Bradshaw: Bald Ginger comes to the Scottish Comedy Festival, along with The Many Faces of Horatio Gould, a “bold hour of high-octane stand-up”.
At Smoke & Mirrors, American stand-up comedian Leah Renee hosts the free showcase, Star-Spangled Stand Up.
For two nights only, Fred MacAulay – What(ever) Next? is on at The Stand’s New Town Theatre, as well as John Lloyd: Do You Know Who I Am?, from the producer of QI, Blackadder, Spitting Image and other British TV favourites.
theSpace hosts Menopause Party, from Essex pub landlady Dolly Slatemen (alias of real-life Essex pub landlady Debbie Baisden), a “taboo-smashing show with character comedy, sing songs, spoken word and the unveiling of Dolly’s arty expressions.” Also at theSpace, How to Be a Girl (In Three Easy Steps) by Gara Lonning is a “love letter to adolescence” on growing up as “a closeted Trans person in the middle-of-nowhere, Iowa.”
“Britain’s funniest, friendliest blind theoretical physicist turned award-winning broadcast journalist and stand-up comedian” Richard Wheatley brings his show Blindingly Obvious to C venues, while online, Nathan Mosher is Injured tackles the comedian’s “failed relationship, bipolar diagnosis, and a year-long breakdown and recovery” through stand-up, music and poetry.
From Soho Theatre, ALOK comes to Traverse Theatre with their new comedy and poetry show, exploring “themes of trauma, belonging and the human condition.” At the same venue, Liz Kingsman presents her One-Woman Show for a limited run.
BC:AD – Before Children: After Diapers is “one mad, brown mommy’s take on how the definitions of words change before and during motherhood” (Underbelly), and Thom Tuck and Tim FitzHigham: Macbeth appears for a limited run, with a different guest director daily.
At ZOO, Aidan Goatley: Tenacious “guides us through a tale that leads to dreams coming true”, and Naughty by Anna Marie Simonsen “confronts the disturbing image of innocence and youth as sexy.”
At the RSE Theatre is Shaun Patrick Flynn RN: Healthcare Anti-Hero, a new comedy about “caring for critically ill Covid-19 patients” described as “dark, dry and full of surprises”, and Emmy-nominated comedian Mike Glazer and Julian Stern present Absolute Friendship!
Music
Rage Against the Machine play “their first Scottish headline show in 14 years” at the Royal Highland Centre ahead of Connect Music Festival this August, where audiences can also catch The National, IDLES, The Chemical Brothers, Little Simz and more.
Singer-songwriter John Otway returns to the Fringe with PBH’s Free Fringe, along with his “surreal sense of humour and a self-deprecating underdog persona”.
At The Liquid Room, First Edition – Helena Hauff provides a “thrilling sonic experience”from the techno DJ, and there’s an appearance from Fife singer-songwriter King Creosote and Band.
At the Acoustic Music Centre @UCC, Iona Fyfe: Scots Sang and Mair provides an “intimate performance” from the award-winning Scottish folk musician, and Ross White: Provenance explores “what is lost and gained when music, and anything else, goes through a filtering process” in a blend of genres.
Argyle Cellar Bar presents Julie London Calling, an exploration of the life of the songwriter of Cry Me a River and Fly Me to the Moon, while The Memphis Music Story takes the listener through the music of “veteran singer / songwriter / keyboardist” Charlie Wood.
Looking Forward, Looking Back features “both compositions by musicians who served in the armed forces, and new work composed in response to the works of these civilian-soldier-musicians”, hosted by the Army @ The Fringe.
Flute Recital: From Darkness to Light is an evening recital of “lyrical and rousing works for flute and piano” by duo Leila Marshall and Ailsa Aitkenhead, and wind quintet Festivo Winds from Manchester present an evening of French music, Poulenc: Sextet, both at artSpace@StMarks.
Assembly hosts Folksville at the Fringe, “Edinburgh’s favourite folk music night returns, packed with outstanding singer-songwriters, acoustic musicians and poets”, and InChorus: Still Standing, a “large, contemporary choir from Peebles” whose programme includes “rock, opera, stage and popular favourites”.
Away Vain Warld: The Music and Poetry of Elizabeth Melville is on at Canongate Kirk, presenting how “traditional Scottish music increasingly became an influence on Scottish nobility” in the court of James VI. At the same venue, Influencing Mozart: An Exploration by Opera dei Lumi examines the “key figures from Mozart’s rich musical life”, with Michelle Dierx (violin) and Edward Keenan (viola) as soloists.
Deaf Action presents Deaf Rave, “the ultimate daytime rave in a unique location”, providing “an amazing clubbing experience with visual performances”.
Inspired by the music of Pink Floyd, Planetarium Lates – Dark Side of the Moon takes place at Dynamic Earth “in explosive surround sound”, including “spellbinding abstract projections on the dome”.
The French Institute in Scotland hosts Jesse Rae: Vive Funk, “a new live, immersive music performance wi’ the spirits o’ Parliament-Funkadelic founding member Bernie Worrell and Zapp founder Roger Troutman”.
A Journey Within: An Artistic Blend of Sufi Music and the Motions of Sama is “a journey of sound and motion through a modern artistic portrayal of this 1,400 year-old spiritual practice”, available online.
The Other Guys return with their “award-winning moves, beatboxing, and side-splitting parodies” to Gilded Balloon.
“Fairy tales and ghosts, loneliness and grit, electric guitar and classical orchestra” come together in Ninotchka at Greenside.
At Greyfriars Kirk, violinist Anna-Liise Bezrodny makes a return to the Fringe with the Orchestra of the Canongait and conductor Robert Dick to play Beethoven – Violin Concerto and Fifth Symphony, while Spirit – Barnsley Youth Choir is “an hour of wonderful entertainment and high quality music making” from the international award-winning choir.
Amy PapiranskyandEllyn Oliver come to Hope City with “a feast of live blues-pop music”, and the Jon Green Quintet deliver live contemporary jazz at the same venue.
The Bunker at Just the Tonic “is a late night of music, mayhem and madness” in the Fringe’s “most infamous late-night venue”.
At C venues is Midnight Wine, where singer / songwriter Chris Milner “shares songs, wine and stories from 50 years on the folk scene, touring UK and Europe”. Also at C venues, Kuniko Plays Reich: Counterpoint and Kuniko Plays Reich: Drumming exhibit the Japanese percussionist’s “flawless technique” and the work of Steve Reich.
The Laughing Horse’s Free Fringe Musicof many genres can be found at range of venues throughout the city, including Ghillie Dhu and The Grand Café.
Marchmont Music at Marchmont St Giles Church is “a free afternoon concert from quality performers for your delight lasting approximately an hour.”
S!nk – Return to the Source is at Pianodrome at the Old Royal High and has “Edinburgh’s acoustic innovators” present their “improvised, experimental new music”, along with Sing Sistah Sing! Tales of Transatlantic Freedom, which traces “threads of power, resistance, migration and emancipation in story and song” as part of Andrea Baker’s series.
Pleasance hosts Countess of Fife, “insurgent alt country outfit led by The Rezillos’ Fay Fife”, and Samba Sene and Diwan, a “fusion of funky mbalax / Afrobeat rhythms with undercurrents of ska, rock, Senegalese soul” from a “diverse international collection of musicians”.
RSE Theatre hosts the Jive Aces, a “mixture of swing, hot jazz and rhythm ‘n’ blues”.
Heal and Harrow comes to the Scottish Storytelling Centre as a “humanising tribute to the victims of the Scottish Witch Trials”, based on commissioned stories by Mairi Kidd with accompanying visuals by Alison Piper. At the same venue, the Poosie Nansie Burns Club presents Robert Burns: A Life in Songs and Poetry to explore both “his familiar and lesser-known works”.
Masabane Cecilia Rangwanasha in Concert is a British and European premiere of the South African soprano in this song recital at St Andrew’s and St George’s West, George St, where you can also see Cameron Shahbazi (counter-tenor) and Ashok Gupta (piano) in Shahbazi – Handel en Edimbourg.
At St Cecilia’s Hall, the Shackleton Concert uses instruments from the University of Edinburgh’s Musical Instrument Collection and presents works by Gordon Jacob, Arthur Bliss, Ralph Vaughan Williams and James MacMillan. Spinning the Works sees Lucia Capellaro, László Rózsa and David Gerrard explore the music of Bach and Telemann.
Bach Cello Suites, by a returning London-based cellist, and Back to the Fringe, by “Scotland’s Premier Barbershop Chorus”, can both be found at St Cuthbert’s Church.
St Giles’ Cathedral hosts the National Youth Choir of Scotland, on a four-concert tour across the country this summer, to perform Duruflé Requiem by Candlelight.
At St Mary’s Cathedral, Calum Huggan is an award-winning Scottish marimbist and percussionist who will perform works by Séjourné and Debussy, and Maximiliano Martin, Principal Clarinettist of the SCO, presents a “memorable evening” of works by Poulenc, Saint-Saens, Gaubert, Pierne and Chausson.
The Absolute Jam comes to the A Club at the Merchants Hall with the “uncanny sound and vibrancy of The Jam while playing a full range of songs from the band’s back catalogue”.
Bird ‘n’ Diz – The Music of Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie offers the “rare chance to hear the music of two of jazz’s great innovators”, while Brass Gumbo Plays the Music of The Beatles takes a “musical tour through The Beatles’ back catalogue using only horns and drums” – both at The Jazz Bar.
At theSpace,Korean Yeonhee Concert comprises of “four pieces of yeonhee music and dance, with rhythmic, powerful and ritual interpretations of ancient traditions”. At the same venue, in The B-aca-chelorette,The Rolling Tones take on a “journey to find love” through the “power of gorgeous harmonies”.
Climb is at Underbelly, where Jamaican-Canadian singer-songwriter Duane Forrest “shares his stories and songs gleaned from his travels around the world”. Also at Underbelly, a capella “super-group” The Magnets present “the ultimate soundtrack of your life”.
Graeme Leak, of Spaghetti Western Orchestra fame, presents Saved at ZOO, a “retro-mechanical music show built around rescued 70s home organs”.
Cabaret and variety
Dream at artSpace@StMarks is “a new show packed full of drama and musical theatre song and dance”, performed by students from The Performance Academy, Scotland.
At Assembly, Jinkx Monsoon proves She’s Still Got It! with “bawdy stories, unique covers and original music” in her Edinburgh Fringe debut, fresh from RuPaul’s Drag Race all-winners season. Also at Assembly, publicity stunt specialist Mark Borkowski shares his stories in False Teeth in a Pork Pie: How to Unleash Your Inner Crazy.
El Dizzy Beast is “a show about a queer, autistic, Latinx caterpillar”, Andrea Spisto. It’s on at BlundaBus, as is Dark Mother, an “unquantifiably maternal, darkly ceremonial experience by everybody’s favourite shadow-shaman-clown-priestess,” Lucy Hopkins.
Hopkins also performs her Ceremony of Golden Truth at Pianodrome at the Old Royal High – a “ceremonial mess-about, interactive choral laughter bath and collective act of golden manifestation”. At the same venue, Phil Kay and Stacey Clare launch the inaugural Book Festival Fringe – “the funniest, wildest, most happening book festival / book launch-launch ever”.
Blazin’ Hot Summer promises “costume changes, choreography and general fabulosity” from Drag queen Blaze and her team of dancers at Brewhemia.
Paradise Palms is offering an “infamous buffet of raucous cabaret and queer performance alongside comedy, spoken word and the ridiculous” in Late-Night Tropical Cabaret. It’s also staging Paradise Palms Out Eastthis August: a weekend of family-friendly music, cabaret, drag, spoken word, comedy, storytelling, wellness, dance and more at Dalkeith Country Park.
At Deaf Action, theatre company Solar Bear presents “a rude, riotous celebration of Scottish deaf talent” in Spill Your Drink: A Deaf Cabaret.
Forth on the Fringe returns to the Edinburgh Playhouse with “some of the biggest names in comedy and entertainment”.
At Gilded Balloon, Biddy O’Loughlin “weaves her story through dark, dry stand-up and sweet, sad songs” in Funny Girl, Sad Songs.
William Roby stars as a centenarian cabaret artist in An Evening With Mr Noel Howard at Greenside, sharing stories and songs from his long career, while “self-described musical genius James Love and his sequin-clad showgirl wife Stephanie” perform their cabaret show Live, Laugh, Love.
The Burlesque Show at Hill Street Theatre gives Fringe audiences the chance to help choose the winner of the Fringe 2022 dance competition. At the same venue, The Gin Show returns to the Fringe for its third year, “with comedians, dancers, musicians and entertainers interwoven” between gin tastings.
TA DA – The Ramblings of a Magician is “an existential show about one magician’s relationship with his magic”. It’s at Laughing Horse, as is Hot Boys Bathhouse, a “debaucherous extravaganza of devilishly good comedy” written and performed by a trio of international clowns.
Kiki Mellék brings her show Wonder Woman to PBH’s Free Fringe, promising a “new, all dancing, all lip-syncing, all revealing tribute to fierce femmes. Also at PBH’s Free Fringe, Canadian performer Daniel Zindler charts his career as a busker and street juggler in Daniel Zindler Drops.
At Pleasance, Ki and Dee – On the Sesh follows the “two housemates and best friends who went viral during lockdown by singing silly little songs about their silly little lives (mainly their sexual frustrations, hideous dating histories, pulling all-nighters in their 30s and Jack Grealish’s thighs).”
Former Makar (aka National Poet of Scotland) Liz Lochhead rejoins with saxophonist Steve Kettley for Back in the Saddle at The Stand’s New Town Theatre, performing everything “from in-character monologues to heartfelt true confessions”.
Veteran musical theatre performer Peter Straker performs his Adventures of Straker at theSpace, which is also where you’ll find Abby Rose Morris exploring body standards in the entertainment industry in cabaret show More Than Tracy Turnblad.
Mr Brake Down: The Headmaster Will See You Now is a “St Trinian-esque” school assembly hosted by a drag king headmaster at C venues. Online, Chansons: Songs and Stories from Piaf, Brel and Me is a cabaret performance by singer Stefanie Rummel, accompanied by Vignir ór Stefánsson on piano.
At Underbelly, The Bleeding Obvious asks “What happens when you tumble out of the big pink closet and across the LGBTQ+ spectrum in a sprawling queer heap?”
Dance, Physical Theatre and Circus
Ballet Freedom at Pleasance features a “world renowned ballet company journey from Kyiv” with 14 dancers in an “intimate, sensual ballet”.
Beyond Signs: International Deaf Narratives takes place in Deaf Action for Edinburgh’s first International Deaf Fringe: it’s “a daring triple-bill show performed by a Deaf-curated International cast of Deaf performers”.
Angel-Monster at Assembly explores “sex, consent, violence and empowerment” through contemporary dance from “one of Australia’s most prolific dance-theatre artists”, while 360 ALLSTARS fuses “BMX, basketball, breakdancing, beatboxing, acrobatics, drumming and more” in a “phenomenal physical performance”.
Across an Irish Indian Sea combines Irish folk dance with the classical North Indian dance style Kathak at the Acoustic Music Centre @ UCC, a show which “highlights the beauty of the two dance styles and live music”.
House of Jack presents Rock What You Got at ATIK, where top dancers will battle it out for cash prizes, with “some of the best physical performance acts from the Fringe”.
At Dance Base, 71BODIES 1DANCE is an “interdisciplinary and choreographic initiative” from Daniel Mariblanca, “inspired by 71 personal experiences and testimonies from transgender individuals living in Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Spain”. At the same venue, Sung Im Her examines “how her three identities of woman, performer and migrant intersect” in Nutcrusher, part of the Horizon Showcase.
Rhythms of India by Dr Radha Krishnan, Arabhi Krishnan and students is online, combining “storytelling using complex footwork set to rhythmic music along with facial expressions.” Also online is When the Body Breaks, “a true-life multi-faceted story of sudden ill health, and kindness”, and Young China Shines, featuring recorded performances from schools in Beijing, Guangzhou and Shanghai.
Greenside hosts Decision – An Irish Dance Play, where “two very different sisters have a devastating decision to make” with original music from TV and film composer Chris Tolley, and In/Out of Bounds, “a Covid-inspired, thought-provoking and cross-cultural dance show co-curated by Hong Kong and Edinburgh artists”.
From the Erin Fowler Movement, EGG and FEMME are two solo works from the Australian performer exploring “fertility, motherhood and big life decisions”, and “female sexuality, gender roles and female identity”. Both at House of Oz.
At Just the Tonic, Mother Tree is “a solo show about motherhood, the forest and the universe”, combining theatre, aerial silk and spoken word.
Part of C venues’ online programme, I/O (volume 4) is a series of performances from calligrapher and choreographer Chiharu Kuronuma and juggler Teruki Okamoto. Also online at C venues, Tokyo Fugue is “a mesmerising piece of physical theatre, set in the maze-like train system of Tokyo”.
Paradise in Augustines hosts Crying of Four Seasons, created by Chinese dancer / choreographer Zhibo Zhao and using “creative, critical contemporary dance adapted from ancient Chinese poems”. Meanwhile, Pan Gu is a “50-minute physical dance play based on a Chinese mythic story in the Classic of Mountain and Seas”, with “modern interactive techniques” to engage audiences.
Shoes at PBH’s Free Fringe dissects “defining yourself when you feel undefinable” with interdisciplinary dance artist, Kristen Helen Poppe and including tap, Irish, flat-footing, ballet and modern dance.
Pianodrome at the Old Royal High presents Pamoja, “an extraordinary collaboration between dancers from Kibera and Kariobangi, two informal settlements in Nairobi”. This African contemporary dance show features performances and stories from women in Kenya “to challenge our perceptions and normalise the discussion around periods and menstruation in Africa”. Also at this venue is The Music Box, a “quirky and touching comedy show” about a ballerina.
St Andrew’s and St George’s West, George St is host to Flamenco in Scotland, “full of bravery, heart, spirit and plenty of home-grown performers”.
At theSpace, The Ticking Clock impresses the “urgency of climate change” in a South Asian contemporary-classical dance performance.
Scene Africa is at Underbelly, and combines original music, dance routines and physical theatre to celebrate “African contributions to world culture” in “the ultimate South African experience”.
At ZOO, Heroes explores the “mind of a severely injured person undergoing a surgery after a serious car crash”, and stars award-winning mime Radim Vizváry. The award-winning contemporary circus company Cirk La Putyka presents the UK-debut of Runners, “featuring a giant treadmill, four performers and two musicians mix dance, running, cyr-wheel acrobatics and original live music, while running almost a whole marathon.”
Spoken word
The Stand’s New Town Theatre hosts the return of the Cabinet of Dangerous Ideas, with top academics discussing provocative subjects including Can the Police Be Feminist?, How Much Do Apps Know About You? and My Neighbour Hacked My Toothbrush!The Stand’s New Town Theatre is also where you’ll find the Fair Pley series of on-stage interviews, with guests including Jeremy Corbyn, David Hayman, Ian Rankin and Elaine C Smith.
The poetry of Robert Burns continues to inspire in I’ll Mak You Be Fain To Follow Me, at Army @ The Fringe, including performances from service persons. Bàrdachd Cogaidh – War Poetry looks at the Gaelic poetry around armed conflict, to help learners and fluent speakers “understand the contribution of Gaelic speakers to the history of the armed forces”.
In Alison Jackson’s Celebrity Fake Takes, join the “BAFTA-winning mischief maker” as she reveals the secrets behind creating “hyper-realistic fake stories” at Assembly. In the same venue, menkind LIVE tackles the topic of masculinity, as well as “straight-vs-gay badinage. Queerness. Profundity. Occasional filth. Sometimes, all of this at once.”
On at Pleasance, award-winning LBC broadcaster Iain Dale hosts a series of interviews with guests Owen Jones, Ash Sakar, Tim Rice and Rory Bremner to discuss current affairs.
At the Arthur Conan Doyle Centre is Mystic Poetry, with “mystical, magical words simple and straightforward” presenting a variety of tales in verse, from company Highland Mystic with Bill Macneil.
MindTravels: Reflections, Meditations and Attentions takes place at artSpace@StMarks, where Unitarian minister and poet Mark Hutchinson and Irish musician and composer Josh Johnston share “musical reflections and meditations”.
Kaye Adams – How to Be 60: Live! comes to Gilded Balloon to meet the approaching age of 60 head-on, with her “filter-free friend Karen, some well-known guests and most importantly, you”.
Anne Harper – Stop the Bus! at Greenside allows life coach Ann to “help you explore your journey in life” in a “light-hearted, entertaining and, maybe, even life changing” show.
At C venues, KC Finn: Free Agent delivers a “high-energy exploration of modern LGTBQIA+ life” and tackles “the tricky business of gender identity”.
“A rare insight into a special art form that will make you look at street arts in a whole new light”, Pavementology takes place at the Meeting Point at East Princes Street Gardens, Corner of Market Street and Waverley Bridge, and tracks “story of street performing at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.”
At Panmure House, How Heavy? Is “a brief history of weights and measures and how they have defined civilisation, by comedian / financial writer Dominic Frisby.” At the same venue, The Butcher, the Brewer, the Baker and Merryn Somerset Webb discusses the economy with “well-known economics, politics and finance gurus”.
Solving problems is a choice in The Biggest Problem in the World: Our Problem With Problems and Why Truth Matters at Paradise in Augustines, while Scotland’s Oldest Poem – The Gododdin delivers a “modern English rendition in free verse” of this “bloody and poignant” dark-age poem at Paradise in The Vault.
At PBH’s Free Fringe, Around the World in 80 Events: The Journey is a “lyrical adventure”, exploring “80 events, 26 countries, 8 months and 2 weeks”, while Door-to-Door Poetry: Nationwide sees Rowan McCabe develop a project where he “knocks on stranger’s doors and writes poems for them, for free, on any subject of their choosing”.
At RSE Theatre, Sport on the Fringe is a new chat show “with leading sports figures from across the UK”.
Fire Is Not the Only Element comes to the Scottish Storytelling Centre bringing “pithy observations” on topics “from womanhood to war, from class and punk to love, and the beautiful game”. Also at this venue, Traditional Tales of Scotland offers “storytelling session with some of Scotland’s best storytellers as they share the wonderful, and sometimes wild, traditional tales that have shaped the myths and legends of this country”.
Children’s shows
Chores is a comedy-circus show from Australia, following “the story of a brother and sister who have to clean up their messy room so they can ride their bicycles”. It’s on at Assembly, as is Sean Choolburra: Didj and Dance!, “an exciting kids’ show from an Aboriginal comedy star” blending traditional dance, didgeridoo, storytelling and humour.
Central Hall is home to two twists on traditional bedtime stories. Bedtime Stories (As Told by Our Dad) (Who Messed Them Up) is about an absent-minded dad trying to settle his three kids into bed but getting fuzzy on story details, while The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig is a musical adaptation of the musical based on the popular children’s book by Eugene Trivizas.
Edinburgh’s underground walking tours have a couple of family-friendly adaptations this August: the Children’s Underground Ghost Show (City of Edinburgh Tours) is led by Minging Annie, a guide who has “been trapped beneath the city streets for 400 years”, while the Children’s Underground Vaults Tour (Auld Reekie Tours) explores the haunts of “criminals, body snatchers and witches alike!”
Mark Thompson’s Spectacular Science Show at Gilded Balloon is an interactive “hour-long show of explosions, chemical reactions and even a toilet roll”. At the same venue, Funbox Present… Funky Farm!, a farm-themed singing and dancing performance where dress-up is encouraged.
Greenside boasts at least two family-friendly adaptations in its programme: Disney’s The Jungle Book Kids, following the “man cub” Mowgli as he grows up in the jungle, and a production of The Grimm Tales as retold by Philip Pullman, featuring Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel and Hansel and Gretel.
Reach for the Stars at Hill Street Theatre is a “funny and light-hearted show” featuring four talentless directors and their long-suffering child actors.
Camille Saint-Saëns’ musical suite Carnival of the Animals is brought to life by circus acrobats Circa at House of Oz this August, while at the same venue, Australia’s “kidult comedy duo” The Listies present their irreverent Shakespeare adaptation, Hamlet: Prince of Skidmark.
Shakespeare for Kids: This Rough Magic is a family-friendly introduction to The Tempest at C venues, while online, One Day in Wonderland joins Lewis Carroll’s intrepid heroine Alice as she explores a strange world.
Pianist Will Pickvance plays the First Piano on the Moon at the Pianodrome at the Old Royal High, while spinning a yarn about performing at Mozart’s birthday celebrations.
Pleasance is host to a live adaptation of Dr Seuss’s Cat in the Hat, “a lively and engaging first theatre experience for young children aged 3+”. It’s also where you’ll find two versions of the music-and-sensory performance Moon Dragon – one for babies and one for kids aged five and under.
Storyteller Shona Cowie presents Beware the Beasts at the Scottish Storytelling Centre, delving into Scotland’s mythic past for tales of “bog goblins, dragons, naughty fairies, brownies, bony-backed horsemen” and more. At the same venue, Niall Moorjani and Minnie Wilkinson perform The Girl and the Dragon, in which “our hero Toral… swims uncrossable rivers, braves impassable forests and scales unclimbable mountains, all to fight a great and terrible dragon”.
FlamenKids at St Andrew’s and St George’s West, George St features eight flamenco artists performing and interacting with the wee ones.
At The Royal Scots Club, Count On Me: A Girl and Her Dog is “a heart-warming story performed live by Haley Grace and her dog Nickel, imparting life lessons and social-emotional learning through storytelling to give hope to young children”.
At theSpace, we join a young hero on the search for a magpie feather in Papageno’s Quest, with songs, dancing and different languages, while School’s Out Comedy Club is a “hilariously silly children’s joke show where the kids are the stars.”
At Underbelly, “top award-winning comedians and improvisors tell extravagant stories all based on” The Extraordinary Time-Travelling Adventures of Baron Munchausen.
Musicals and opera
Underbelly hosts Making a Murderer: The Musical this August, with the legal troubles of true-crime subject Steven Avery adapted for the stage.
Dots and Dashes: A Bletchley Park Musical is being staged at Army @ The Fringe this August, “telling the untold story of six women working at Bletchley Park during World War Two”.
Assembly has two musical adaptations from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland among its programme: Godspell, Stephen Schwartz’s “acclaimed gospel musical”, and the American Civil War-set Little Women.
Good Enough at Central Hall follows Chelsea, a strong-willed but reserved girl, and Steve, a brilliant underachiever. “What happens when the two are forced to work together for the state science fair project?”
At Gilded Balloon, Gigglemug Theatre present The Bean Spillers: The Improvised Musical, “based on scandalous stories from the audience”.
The Princess Pyunggang at Greenside “exemplifies Korean traditional culture and history through the story of a fool, Ondal, and the Princess Pyunggang. Performed in English, it combines Korean music, puppets, and dance.” Greenside is also hosting X: 1969, which uses the discography of Fleetwood Mac to tell the story of the women of the Manson cult.
Hill Street Theatre is home to the Edinburgh Little Theatre company’s staging of popular puppet musical Avenue Q.
At Paradise in Augustines, the University of St Andrews Gilbert and Sullivan Society is presents Iolanthe, a story of “young lovers, immortal fairies and some very lost politicians”, while the Kingdom Theatre Company premieres their adaptation of Highlander: A New Scottish Musical.
Haggis, Neeps and Burns is a “warm, moving and funny look at the life of Scotland’s greatest bard, Robert Burns”, staged at RSE Theatre. At the same venue, Happy Sad Productions stage their version of the William Finn-scored The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.
At C venues, My (unauthorized) Hallmark Movie Musical “discovers a writer who dreams herself awake and rediscovers romance in a non-conventional way”, and Re:ACTION: Inspired by the Album How We React and How We Recover by Jason Robert Brown tackles “the American high school experience of the past few tumultuous years”.
Join the Bohemians at St Andrew’s and St George’s West, George St for A Bohemian Broadway, “an eclectic selection of their favourite Broadway songs”. At the same venue, Edinburgh Music Theatre present two anthemic shows: Anthems – 40 Years of Edinburgh Music Theatre and Anthems – Movie Musicals.
Ordinary Days at The Royal Scots Club follows “the lives of four ordinary New Yorkers… as they all desperately search for the same impossible thing – happiness”.
American Performing Arts International presents Best of the Songs That Made Usat theSpace, “an intimate, cabaret-style concert celebrating music and storytelling”. theSpace is also where you’ll find Edinburgh Youth Theatre’s production of Into The Woods Jr, as adapted from “Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s cockeyed fairy-tale”.
At ZOO, GOYA Theatre Company present Don’t Say Macbeth, a meta-musical set behind the scenes of a troubled Macbeth-themed production.
We can’t believe that in just FOUR WEEKS we will be welcoming you to Hidden Door 2022!
For our team of volunteers, the festival build begins in the next few days so stay tuned for some exclusive behind-the-scenes previews.
For now, let’s take a closer look at our first Friday night … a night of wild pop and songs for the soul; late night electro in the Basement; ghostly dancers in the debating chamber; powerful theatre and beautiful spoken words echoing down the corridors; eclectic art around every corner; hot street food and sunny terrace bars with stunning city centre views …
Saturday 6th August – Saturday 20th August 2022 (not Sundays)
£15 (£12 con) (£10 preview Sat 6th August 7:30pm)
7.30pm Sat 6th and Mon-Fri 8th-12th, 15th-19th
Inverleith St Serf’s Church Centre, 1A Clark Rd, Edinburgh EH5 3BD
Marion Donohoe
