Latest Features

Greenwich Theatre has announced the creation of Greenwich Theatre Productions, designed to function as the venue’s creative arm in furtherance of its commitment to in-house production, new writing initiatives, contemporary work, performances from visiting companies and expansion beyond its current location.In a new collaborative venture, the King’s Head Theatre, the Park Theatre and Southwark Playhouse Borough have become partner venues. The mutually beneficial relationships will see award-winning in-house work given additional runs in partner theatres in order to strengthen the sustainability and reach of each production.The season begins in March with the UK premiere of Neil LaBute’s America the Beautiful at the King’s Head Theatre before transferring to Greenwich Theatre in April. Presented by special arrangement with The Gersh Agency, this triple-chapter initiative features nine short plays by the radical playwright spread over three weeks and two venues, and includes both UK and world premieres.Next, the emphasis will move from the new to the well established with a revival of Two by Jim Cartwright. Set in a working-class pub over the course of a single night, the original cast of Peter Caulfield and Kellie Shirley return to play all fourteen characters, welcoming regulars, smashing glasses and unearthing some painful truths. This critically acclaimed modern classic is not to be missed. Following its March run at Greenwich Theatre it transfers to the Park in April.In May, The Wasp by Morgan Lloyd Malcolm will run at Southwark Playhouse Borough and transfer to Greenwich Theatre in September. With its exploration of the lasting effects of school bullying, guilt and motherhood, an already tense tea-time meeting soon becomes a fast-paced thriller revealing the lengths to which people will go for vengeance. First staged at Trafalgar Studios in 2015 and adapted into a feature film released in 2024, this gripping two-hander furthers Greenwich’s focus on treating playwrights’ bodies of work as living archives rather than single-use moments.Alongside its touring programme, Greenwich Theatre will present a season of in-house productions in the main house, aimed at reinforcing its role as both a producing venue and a cultural hub for southeast London.The programme launches in May with a rare revival of Lizzie Nunnery’s The Swallowing Dark. This powerful political thriller explores the experiences of a father and son whose legal status in Britain hangs in the balance after fleeing Zimbabwe under Mugabe. At a time when anti-immigration rhetoric and far-right politics are once again on the rise, and when “post-truth” has become an accepted notion, the play offers a provocative assertion of the power of storytelling in life-or-death situations.Summer brings a new musical adaptation of Romeo and Juliet that incorporates theatrical and musical elements and forms part of the theatre’s long-term ambition to establish a recurring Shakespeare tradition in the region that bridges generations of audiences through reimagined classics. In this context, and continuing the theatre’s emphasis on accessible, high-quality family programming, audiences can enjoy The Little Mermaid, adapted by award-winning writer Anthony Spargo in a production that reimagines the classic tale through music and character-driven storytelling.Winner of the Best Pantomime Script award at the 2025 UK Panto Awards, Spargo will round off the year with his take on the tale of Jack and the Beanstalk.These main house productions will be augmented with comedy, new writing, musical performances and one-night engagements that will make use of the studio. Running alongside these events, the year-round Emerging Artists Programme will continue to offer early-career artists opportunities for development, collaboration and support through Scratch Nights, WIP showings and an open programming application system.Artistic Director of Greenwich Theatre James Haddrell comments, “The 2026 season reflects ongoing growth in in-house production and the theatre’s commitment to developing work by both established artists and early-career creatives. The theatre will also continue its fundraising engagements and partnerships, with events scheduled throughout the season.”

Greg Wilkinson is Oxia Theatre’s Writer in Residence and the author of The Last Days of Liz Truss? If her premiership was a short-lived yet dark cloud, he has certainly found the silver lining to it in this play that goes from strength to strength. We invited him to tell us more about it.In June 2024, when I was promoting Oxia Theatre’s first performance – back then just a rehearsed reading – of The Last Days of Liz Truss?, a friend of mine said, “I thought we’d all agreed to forget about her.”In the intervening 20 months, the play and our former PM have been on different journeys: the former enjoying two sold-out runs at Kennington’s White Bear Theatre and an award from London Pub Theatres (Best Actor for Emma Wilkinson Wright’s performance as Liz) before its upcoming West End transfer to The Other Palace; the latter losing her seat in the 2024 General Election and continuing to receive opprobrium from multiple sources, then reinventing herself as an online commentator – and, just this week, enjoying a photo opportunity at Mar-a-Lago with President Trump. But the play and its protagonist have one thing in common: they’re both still here.We’re delighted to have another opportunity to share The Last Days of Liz Truss? with audiences. The play is a tragi-comic exploration of the tensions in politics: between ambition and ability, vision and reality, going short and playing it long. It has some of the things you might expect in a play about Liz Truss – cheese and karaoke, to name two. But it also seeks to move beyond the simplistic summaries of her brief period as Prime Minister: that her record was solely a matter of incompetence or (a less widely held opinion) that she was the victim of shadowy, unaccountable forces in the ‘deep state’ – Liz as the lettuce or the martyr, so to speak.The rush towards these types of judgement may reflect a broader discomfort with events that felt – by the standards of UK politics and government – destabilising and distressing. It’s easy to forget that, in the 49 days that Liz was in office, the UK experienced the death of the Queen; the sacking of both the Treasury’s Permanent Secretary and the Chancellor; a pensions crisis; and a set of vicissitudes in the market for government bonds that shook our country’s reputation as a bastion of financial stability. Theatre can provide a helpful space to process this sort of collective discomfort, allowing reflection and catharsis around events from our very recent past that offered a glimpse of what life might be like in a country characterised by political freefall and economic anxiety.If Liz were writing this piece, she would argue that we’re still in a state of economic anxiety, and that the challenges she faced – around the elusiveness of economic growth, the difficulty of departing from orthodox approaches, and the challenge that politicians face in getting the government machine to achieve change at pace – are as relevant to politics today as they were on the day of her resignation in 2022. The play’s focus – on Liz’s rise to the premiiership, her brief tenure, and her imagining of her future after 2022 – allows us to explore this rich set of themes.But The Last Days of Liz Truss? is not a piece of dry political analysis. The focus is on Liz’s personal journey: both the ‘first act’ – the story of her conviction, determination, downfall and humiliation – and the ‘second act’ – what comes after the fall. There are second acts in political lives: with the greatest of respect to Scott Fitzgerald, we need only look to the USA to see a very high-profile example. What happens if those second acts are characterised not by reflection but by radicalisation? If politicians reinvent themselves through a sense of resentment at the forces they believe have thwarted them first time round? When the response to initial rejection is to embrace the seductive warmth of certainty and defiance? And, when facing seemingly intractable problems around prosperity and security, what directions might those political second acts take?In 2026 – a year after the play’s last run – these questions remain all too timely. Liz Truss famously badged herself as a fighter, not a quitter. She doesn’t feel like she’s going away any time soon. And the issues raised by her journey don’t feel like they’re going away either. The Last Days of Liz Truss? remains a play for our times.

Although littered with celebrities and authorities on a range of subjects, few could have predicted the success of Out in the Hills, a remarkable three-day exploration and celebration of things LGBTQIA+ at the Pitlochry Festival Theatre.The venue is held in high esteem by locals and others further afield. Many wondered what the new era of Alan Cumming might hold for their beloved arts centre and eyebrows were probably raised when he proclaimed, with an air of take-no-prisoners, albeit tempered, “Out in the Hills is my first piece of new programming in 2026 as Artistic Director of Pitlochry Festival Theatre and I think it perfectly demonstrates the ethos I want to infuse all my work with here… and I’m inviting the public to take a chance on new experiences as well as revel in those they already love.”And they did just that, in their droves. Ticket sales hit 4,402. Pitlochry, although accessible, is a small yet picturesque town, but “What are all these people doing here, in the middle of nowhere in the middle of January?” became a commonly overheard observation.Cumming has pulling power, but his idea for the Festival was realised by programmer Lewis Hetherington who, in his own words, put together a line-up of “inspiring, thought-provoking and beautiful events.” He had a clear vision for this festival: “Come with an open heart and mind and you’ll leave with a richer understanding of the world around you and a deeper sense of empathy for your fellow humans. It’s going to be mind-expanding, moving, and fun!” And it was.Cumming himself led a conversation with Graham Norton, who was as entertaining and relaxed as the interviewee on the sofa as he is in his usual TV host position. Russell T Davies was similarly open and at ease in the hands of former Scots Makar Jackie Kay. Cumming, with music, songs and a cast of five, later showed his own remarkable talent in a rehearsed reading of a new cabaret-style adaptation of Noel Coward’s Me and the Girls. Also written for an older man, Laurie Slade’s Equinox saw Sir Ian McKellen,  co-directed by André Agius and Laurie Slade, movingly deliver his new meditation on mortality, meaning, and the stories we tell ourselves at life’s end.Variety was at the heart of the festival, which opened with a musical reminder from the Resol String Quartet that classical composers such as Tchaikovsky, Schubert and Barber had struggled with their identity and deserve an honourable place in queer history, while from our own time we heard the compositional brilliance of openly queer Pulitzer Prize-winner Caroline Shaw.Continuing the idea that queer lives, past and present, must be seen and heard, Who Will Be Remembered Here, a film from director Michael Sherrington with co-directors Lewis Hetherington and CJ Mahony, enabled four queer writers to reimagine historic sites in their own languages: Robert Softley Gale (English), Harry Josephine Giles (Scots), Robbie MacLeòid (Gaelic) and Bea Webster (BSL). The tone for the session was movingly set by Malin Lewis, with a mix of traditional and new tunes on the pipes.Sounds continued to fill the air as world-renowned percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie covered the floor with an array of intriguing instruments to accompany best-selling author Juano Diaz reading from his moving memoir, Slum Boy. Music also brought both evenings to an end. One night we revelled in the joy of a traditional Scottish dance party, courtesy of Malin Lewis’s Pride Ceilidh Band, hosted by Chris Wilson, and the next it was disco with DJ Junglehussi, a queer leader in Glasgow’s electronic underground.Saturday brought Match of the Gay on LGBTQIA+ Voices in Football. Here Coinneach MacLeod made the first of two appearances, contributing his years of experience at FIFA, UEFA and LEAP Sports, the leading charity promoting inclusion and participation for LGBTQIA+ people in sport. With all the makings of a chat show host, the charming Zander Murray, Scotland’s first openly gay professional footballer, also welcomed Amy McDonald (former Scotland national team).Coinneach MacLeod is known as the international best-selling author and TV personality The Hebridean Baker, but on this occasion, with host Tony Kearney, he was here to share his rarely told story of growing up gay on the Isle of Lewis and how that experience shaped his life, career and writing.The importance of oral traditions was highlighted in Whose History Is It Anyway? by archivist and tradition bearer Catherine McPhee and Ashley Douglas, who has just completed her groundbreaking research into Marie Maitland, Scotland’s little-known 16th-century poet whose words testify to her deep and unapologetic love for another woman. Going back even further in time, Scottish-Indian, non-binary, neurodiverse storyteller Niall Moorjani performed a delightfully irreverent retelling of the Arthurian legend The Green Knight (but it’s gay) in a joyous romp full of silliness, queerness and sharp humour.But the serious stuff was not over. Broadcaster and author Gemma Cairney explored politics, queerness, resilience and personal stories with the youngest person elected to the House of Commons, Mhairi Black. Then, in Murder She Wrote (no, not that one), we heard what happens when two “crime fiction queens unite”. International bestselling author Val McDermid and award-winning novelist Louise Welsh discussed writing, crime and queer women in literature. A real-life character then took to the stage as Glasgow International Comedy Festival sell-out Kim Blythe gave us Cowboy, of the dodgy tradesman type.While exhibitions and workshops continued to entertain, in the closing stages of the festival a simple phrase caused some puzzlement. In Family Pride, award-winning journalist for Cosmopolitan, Catriona Innes introduced trailblazing trans playwright Jo Clifford with the words, “My dad, she…”Innes went on to explain that this is how she and her sister refer to the person who is their father, but who over twenty years ago transitioned to become a woman. Suddenly, after several years of often rancorous debate and legal disputes, the “trans issue” took on a moving human dimension embodied in a close-knit, loving family. What was or is all the fuss about? Clifford was a man who enjoyed a 33-year marriage before the tragic passing of his wife. He fathered two daughters and realised it was time to release the true person within and become a woman. She pointed out in the interview that the trans controversies, where they exist in this country, are largely of our own cultural making, for seeing gender as an either/or rather than a continuum, as found in India and among Native American Indians, for example, regions where she has received the warmest of receptions.Talking of which, a huge thank you must go to all the wonderful staff who welcomed, worked, smiled and laughed over the weekend at the box office, as ushers, in the bars and kitchens, as cleaners and security staff, without whom the event would not have been such a massive triumph.

We invited Sam Danson to tell us about the making of his play Daddy’s First Gay Date.When I decided to do a show exploring the nuances of dating, it felt natural to explore the idea that the show should follow a ‘rom-com’ structure; comedy feels like a great way of exploring the highs, lows and awkward moments. Then the romance part follows naturally, as it feels like in order for the show to feel satisfying, the date(s) would have to go somewhere or develop into more than just a surface-level encounter. Comedy definitely felt like the right way to explore this show, but it was important for the show-making process to also include authentic and frank discussions around the more serious issues we address.The play’s themes were initially formed through workshops and conversations I held with various LGBTQ+ community groups around north-west England. We discussed the varying experiences of queer dating, focusing on the lesser acknowledged sides, and how experience of dating differs based on your age, race, gender and sexuality. The sessions we ran were with groups such as LGBTQ+ youth groups, elderly LGBTQ+ groups, trans social groups and pride clubs, capturing a wide range of age and lived experience. From these discussions I formed potential characters and storylines and had a better idea of what is missing from current stories exploring similar themes. I really wanted to capture specific stories, as well as any common experiences that everybody could relate to.The show is a subtle parody of rom-coms, with the structure entirely following the same as 99% of rom-coms. Sometimes the parody is more exaggerated, such as the ‘grand gestures’ moment before the end. The rom-com genre felt interesting when applied to people and places rarely seen within that genre, especially as I wanted to explore a queer story with some form of a happy ending too. I wanted to write an LGBTQ+ story that’s uplifting and leaves the audience with some level of hope. It felt more necessary than usual given the negative state of global politics and divisions in society at the moment; coming to the theatre can be escapism for people living an otherwise stressful or difficult life. Queer stories in general are underrepresented, especially stories about bisexuality or racism within the queer community. We address both of those themes in this show. Whilst there are sometimes (and rightfully) tragic or dramatic stories around those themes, it feels important for there to also be a place for those people to see themselves represented in a positive light too.If a certain group is rarely seen on stage, it’s the responsibility of writers and programmers to ensure that when that experience is shown on stage, it is varied in its presentation, i.e. not always a tragedy, a stereotype or a flippant role. Too many times in the past, queer people have been represented in shows by a one-dimensional stereotypical character, but this doesn’t feel like representation for most members of the LGBTQ+ community. There’s a misconception sometimes that having any form of queer character in a show means that that show represents the queer community, but we need to see the variety of that community more often. A white gay character won’t necessarily resonate with trans people or people of other sexualities or races; therefore, those people could still feel unrepresented, despite some simply seeing it as “gay character = queer representation = box ticked.” This is why in this new show it felt important to capture a range of experiences, some of which are very different from my own.When writing those stories that I’ve got no lived experience of, it’s important to research and listen to those who have lived those stories. Again, this is why the discussion sessions at the start of the process were important, but it was also crucial to work with somebody closer to those stories too. This is one of the many reasons that I wanted to work with Rikki Beadle-Blair again (we collaborated on my first show BI-TOPIA). Rikki’s experiences of queer life from the perspective of an older generation of Jamaican heritage were crucial for this show to be successful because it allowed me as a writer to constantly have somebody to talk to about the show’s themes and learn so much more about the common experiences he’s faced. Rikki also sets up a very safe space which allows me as a writer to explore the character’s story freely, and then Rikki offers invaluable feedback on whether I’ve managed to capture that sort of character authentically. I also cast Dior Clarke in the role of Tim (a black gay man from London) before fully writing the show. This allowed me to get to know him as a person more and allow him to help me navigate the process of writing about that lived experience.Daddy’s First Gay Date now feels like it truly represents each character’s lived experience, and therefore resonates with a far wider selection of people than it could do if I had just written this show completely alone with no research or mentoring along the way.It’s chaotic at times, at other times heart-warming, but it’s fast-paced, camp and enjoyable.

Voila! Theatre Festival, London’s panlingual festival that celebrates emerging artists from different backgrounds and cultures, is now well under way and runs across eight London venues until 23 November.As the festival's co-director, we invited Fae Fichtner for her perspective.My parents often recount the story of me as a child, dissolving into tears in the middle of a bustling Ibiza market, crying that it was unfair I couldn’t understand the people around me. I must have been four or five years old; it was my first time outside Germany. We’d been there for a few days, and my parents were impressed by how quickly I picked up bits of Spanish. But I was devastated by what I didn’t know and wanted to understand everything.Today, I speak several languages to varying degrees of fluency. The hunger to learn more hasn’t gone away. What I’ve given up on is the idea of perfect comprehension. Even in English or German, there are still moments when a regional accent or an unfamiliar word leaves me guessing. Yet I go to the theatre often and travel widely. Despite language barriers, I’ve come to believe that it’s empathy, not accuracy, that allows me to truly understand.As an independent producer specialising in contemporary circus and the co-artistic director of the Voila! Theatre Festival, I’ve worked on many shows that use either multiple languages or none at all. I’ve never worried that audiences wouldn’t follow, not because I expect them to know every word, but because we tell our stories with more than just language.One challenge I face is audience development. There’s a loyal community for multilingual and contemporary circus work, people who delight in movement and layered meaning, who long to see themselves and their languages represented on stage. But these shows rarely attract a wider British audience. As a result, the auditorium is never empty, but we struggle to fill the room for several nights in a row. In a world dominated by literal communication, social media, and constant stimulation, we’ve forgotten how to sit with something we can’t immediately translate. People often hesitate to buy tickets, and I wonder why. I know our stories matter. But they can’t be paused, googled, or consumed passively. And I understand many audiences want an easy night out, not a challenge.It takes time to learn how to watch a show without spoken dialogue, or performed in another language. I know this from experience. Growing up as a German teenager in the ’90s and 2000s, I learned most of my English by watching undubbed TV shows. It was often frustrating, but I discovered I could follow stories without understanding every word.That skill taught me to watch and listen at once, to piece together meaning from tone, gesture, and emotion alike. I also learned the value of asking for clarification. No one ever refused or made me feel awkward. I’ve lived in the UK for seven years and only recently realised that a “fancy dress party” is a costume party. I’d never questioned it, I understood “fancy” and “party”, but subtext matters just as much as literal meaning, or sometimes not at all.London is a beautiful hub of people from all over the world, some newly arrived, some born here, some balancing multiple heritages. Art, to me, is a kind of translation, a way to express emotions that language alone can’t contain. Words help, but they aren’t the only way we make sense of each other. If you’ve ever been moved by a painting, you can understand a show in any language, or none. You’ll still feel its meaning. That’s why I believe we should get used to not understanding everything. Because in those moments of uncertainty, something deeper comes to life: empathy, curiosity, imagination. Empathy is what draws us to theatre. Live performance connects us not through perfect comprehension, but through shared humanity. Movement can express love, despair, and joy as powerfully as any poem.My younger self might still be disappointed not to understand everything. But today I know that what makes me connect to the world is not my vocabulary, it’s my capacity for empathy. Not understanding is what keeps me watching, listening, and learning. It’s what makes connection possible. And that’s something worth getting used to.Full information about Voila! Theatre Festival can be found at:https://voilafestival.co.uk/

Just a few hours away from the bustle of the Catania Fringe, we found ourselves climbing the grand steps of the Teatro Massimo, in Palermo; the very steps immortalised in The Godfather Part III. It’s a fittingly cinematic setting for the final of the International Lyric Competition, where young opera singers from across the world come to test their voices against the best.The competition, open to anyone aged 33 or under, is one of the most prestigious of its kind. Twelve finalists, from Italy, Bolivia, Ukraine, Russia, China and Korea among other, each took to the stage with a single aria, accompanied only by piano. No elaborate sets, no costumes, just voice and instrument. It’s a pure, unfiltered kind of performance and, in the gilded grandeur of the Teatro Massimo, it felt electric.For those who think opera is a closed world, last night proved otherwise. Tickets were a mere €10, yet the standard was dazzling. The intimacy of the one singer one song format, made it easy to appreciate the individuality of each voice. Between arias, there was the satisfying whisper of comparisons: who had the better phrasing, the surer breath, the more commanding stage presence?The evening also featured a guest appearance from last year’s winner, Hwan Sung Damien Park, who returned to perform two arias, including a rousing rendition of Largo al factotum that brought the house down. It was a reminder of the competition’s purpose: to find and nurture stars in the making.Judging came in three forms: the official technical jury (composed of opera directors from major European houses), the critics’ jury (which included leading figures from the music press), and, crucially, the audience vote. This final element gave the night a lively, democratic edge. Debates broke out in the aisles and continued down the grand staircase, with everyone from seasoned opera lovers to first-time attendees offering their views.When the results were announced, there was a satisfying symmetry to them. Italian soprano Jessica Ricci claimed the Critics’ Choice, while the Audience Prize and, ultimately, the grand Ottavio Ziino Cup with its €10,000 award. went to the youngest competitor in the field: 21-year-old Russian soprano Sofia Sakaniia. Her voice, bright and effortless, had won both hearts and ears.As the final applause echoed beneath the theatre’s dome, we spilled out into the Palermo night, conversations still flowing as freely as the Aperol spritzes. It’s hard to imagine a better introduction to opera; an evening of world-class performance, international camaraderie and genuine accessibility.

Say the name Milan, and what might immediately come to mind is one of the most important fashion centres in the world. If you are a football fan, you may think of the iconic San Siro stadium, home to sporting giants Inter Milan and AC Milan. Alternatively, the city-centre delights of the cathedral, galleries and La Scala opera house may not be too far from your thoughts.Well, while all the above are true, Milan is home to so much more, of course. In the Navigli canal district there is a bustle of trattoria, bars, craft beer, aperitivo, marketplaces and art. A short stroll down Via Dante from the cathedral will lead you to a beautiful castle complex. Set aside the obvious culinary attractions: world-class red and white wines are made a short distance away. If you think Italian sparkling wine starts and ends with prosecco, sample the quite excellent and locally made franciacorta on offer. And then there’s the Milan Fringe.Readers will be familiar with the gargantuan Edinburgh Fringe. They may have attended other large fringe festivals, such as Adelaide or Brighton. But Milan? Well, founded in 2016, it is now firmly established on the World Fringe circuit. While there is plenty for home audiences to enjoy, acts come from all around the planet. This year’s offering includes production companies from the USA, United Kingdom, India, Taiwan, France and Greece, lending it a truly international flavour.Milan Fringe has its organisational epicentre at Mercato Isola but this year hosted shows at around 20 venues spread around the city. It is, of course, a large metropolis, and the distances involved in travelling from one point to another can be greater than at other fringes. However, Milan’s impressive network of metro, buses and trams – including its simply beautiful wooden trams – more than makes amends for any qualms.The venues themselves have a quintessentially fringe dimension to them: amongst others, you encounter an art gallery, a school and a humanitarian society. It feels like a throwback to the roots and origins of fringe festivals and is quite charming.Francesca Vitale and Renato Lombardo also organise the Catania Fringe (running until 26 October), a stone’s throw from the shores of the Mediterranean in Sicily. Already important and established events, the organisers’ stated ambition is to have them become truly international fringes.Milan Fringe will celebrate its 10th anniversary in October 2026: stick it in your diary now.

As Edinburgh hosts the biggest arts festival on the planet, with acts arriving from any number of countries, this article focuses on some – though of course not all – of the shows and people at this year’s Fringe with an Italian connection.Piedmont-based Tom Corradini is no stranger to Edinburgh, having brought various shows here over the years. This time out, it is his Mussolini production, and the likeness is a little unnerving, his eyes bulging as he talks about global domination. His show is not a historical lecture; instead, his Lecoq training is evident as he uses clowning to introduce this infamous and influential figure from 20th-century history. A gifted linguist, Tom has performed in many countries and languages and is also, among other things, an artistic agent.The Grand Guignol de Milan company takes its name from the theatre genre inspired by real crime stories, portraying characters with questionable moral standards. The genre died out shortly after the second world war but has been resurrected in recent times by Grand Guignol de Milan. They performed Italian Horror Stories at the beginning of the Fringe, reimagining the Italian inspirations behind Dracula, Frankenstein and The Woman in Black. They will perform at Milan Fringe in October and return to Edinburgh next year with their Prague Fringe double award-winning production Tales of the Boudoir.I met Lucia Mallardi, writer and performer of The FootballActress. Her story is remarkable: economics undergraduate, turned footballer for Lazio in Rome and then playing semi-professionally in Berlin, turned street artist. As a teenager she struggled even to be able to play football, such was the gender inequality during that era in Italy. Times are changing, and readers may recall the Italian women’s national team losing very narrowly to England in the recent European Championship semi-final. Lucia hopes to inspire other girls and women and to speak for the marginalised.Rome resident Miriam Cappa wrote and performed her one-woman show Home Sweet Home. This production will easily speak to generationally disadvantaged renters, its message of frustration and unfairness hardly limited to any one country. Her comedy-drama, performed here for the first time in English, draws attention to the plight of Gen Z everywhere. Her production is a showcase for her Lecoq training, mime and comedy, with sharp societal observations.Batisfera Theatre company from Sardinia attracted much attention with their show Gummy Bears’ Great War last year. They brought it back to Edinburgh this year, together with Tale of a Potato. The company wishes to explore the sphere of human emotion – drama and comedy – through the idea that humans set out daily knowing they may face defeat or failure. It also alludes to the futility of war. The potato tale is performed in a similar vein, casting a light on the seasonal and circular nature of life.The Gaudeamus Artistic Company was formed two years ago in Aberdeen. Its stated intention is to offer the Italian community in Scotland the means to reconnect with or discover Italian culture. They performed No Shakespeare at the iconic Italian venue Valvona & Crolla. The company wishes to preserve and promote the Italian language and culture in Scotland, fostering intercultural dialogue through theatre. Each production is a journey through Italy’s traditions and stories, while also offering a space to explore contemporary themes such as identity, integration and collective memory.I caught up with Francesca Romana Vitale. She is not performing at the Edinburgh Fringe, though. She organises two Fringes in Italy: in Milan and in Catania, Sicily. Francesca is busy scouting for shows for these Fringes – not just in Edinburgh but also at other mainland Europe Fringes in Prague and Avignon, France. Her goal is to develop Milan and Catania into truly international Fringes. They are both on in October and well worth a visit.The final word lies with Gaudeamus Artistic Company’s message from Three Bandits And Three Donkeys: if someone is willing to listen, literature and art will always live on. Edinburgh is listening.

After multiple award wins, sold-out runs and international performances, House of Oz returns to the Edinburgh Fringe with another electric line-up of Australian talent. With eight shows across seven venues, here are four highlights from this year’s programme.FlickMaking its international debut this year at Summerhall, Flick is a darkly funny meditation on grief, death and desire. Written and performed by Madeline Nunn, the show has already made waves in Melbourne and Adelaide. It follows a young nurse whose newest cancer patient is super-hot – and hiding a huge secret. Flick is a disarming look at the questionable decisions we make when faced with our own fragility.SkinnyThe latest cabaret show from Michelle Pearson is as powerful as it is personal. With powerhouse vocals, reimagined pop anthems and raw storytelling, Skinny is an exhilarating experience. Pearson draws on her own encounters with body image and medical trauma to explore our toxic cultural obsession with weight and beauty. Pain becomes performance in this bold, fearless hour.Ten Thousand HoursFamily-friendly and awe-inspiring, circus company Gravity and Other Myths are Fringe favourites. This year, they return to Assembly with their award-winning show Ten Thousand Hours – a breathtaking display of acrobatic skill and physical storytelling. It’s also a celebration of pushing the body to its limits, showcasing the grit behind the glamour. This is circus with heart as well as muscle.You’re an InstrumentKids’ theatre meets science experiment in this wonderfully chaotic show. Designed for children – and their adults – the show transforms the audience into sound-making machines using movement sensors and a joyful cacophony of noise. Inclusive, fun and unashamedly silly, there’s a strong emphasis on access for audiences with special needs. This is exactly the kind of creative work the Fringe needs more of.With its genre-defying, humorous and ambitious work, House of Oz once again proves itself to be an essential stop on any Fringe-goer’s itinerary.

As fringe season kicks off, many eyes turn instinctively to Edinburgh. But those in the know are increasingly looking one stop earlier on the calendar – and one stop down the East Coast Main Line. The Durham Fringe Festival, now in its fifth year, returns from 22 to 26 July 2025 and is fast establishing itself as a serious contender on the UK’s alternative fringe map.Founded in 2021 by a group of North East-based friends and theatre lovers, the festival began with a modest goal: to bring the spirit of fringe performance to Durham’s historic streets. Since then, it has grown steadily, attracting more than 7,500 attendees last year, up from just over 2,000 in its debut. The festival has been supported by local businesses, community partners and an increasingly enthusiastic regional audience.With more than 110 productions across 270 performances, Durham Fringe offers the scope and variety of a major festival – but in a format that remains walkable, welcoming and refreshingly unchaotic. Events take place across a network of intimate venues, many within sight of the city’s famous cathedral and castle – where, incidentally, festivalgoers can book accommodation. If you’ve ever wanted to combine fringe theatre with turreted lodging, now’s your chance.This year’s line-up continues the festival’s mix of new writing, family theatre, music, comedy and devised work. A highlight for younger audiences is Who Stole My Hammer? by Myth-Fits – a physical storytelling adventure steeped in Norse mythology. Children help Thor retrieve his missing hammer while learning about bedtime stories Viking-style – expect puppetry, mischief and a surprising amount of fact beneath the fun.For something entirely different, 3 Minutes Inside My Brain invites audiences into the wonderfully odd mental landscape of performer Jennifer Jordan. Using puppets, live science and a ball pit, the show explores neurodiversity and mental health in a way that’s been praised for being both accessible and absurdly enjoyable. It was a hit at Brighton Fringe earlier this year.If your tastes run more towards the whodunnit end of the spectrum, Leslie Bloom Solves a Murder might hit the spot. This semi-improvised solo comedy from Sweet Productions drops its audience into the world of amateur sleuthing – with high camp, audience interaction and frequent side quests involving baked goods. Think Midsomer Murders meets clown school.Music fans should seek out Isabel Maria, the Durham-based singer-songwriter who’s had an extraordinary couple of years. At just 18, she’s already picked up a North East Culture Award, been featured on BBC Introducing and earned praise from Rolling Stone Español. Her alt-pop songs – tackling everything from mental health to social awkwardness – are sharp, self-aware and hard to shake. Definitely a name to watch.Other shows explore darker or more intimate terrain. Aftertaste, by Rocket Theatre Company, is a post-breakup monologue about late-night oversharing, unsolicited yoga advice and the fine line between heartbreak and wine-fuelled denial. Believers, from Durham-based Wrong Tree Theatre, is a physically devised piece set in a remote island town where a woman grapples with her late mother’s cryptozoological research into the Loch Ness Monster.Finally, Secret Admirers from Foot of the Hill Theatre is an original musical set inside a bureaucratic government agency that monitors global romantic connections. Two secret agents try to help their assigned targets fall in love – only to find themselves catching feelings in the process. With original songs and a spy-romcom twist, it’s a curious but promising mix of Much Ado About Nothing and The Office.What sets Durham Fringe apart isn’t just the quality of the programming, but the way it balances ambition with scale. It’s big enough to feel exciting, small enough to feel manageable and cleverly timed just before the Edinburgh rush. For artists, it offers a low-pressure launchpad. For audiences, it’s a chance to see new work before it tours – or before it sells out.More information, including the full programme and booking links, can be found at durhamfringe.co.uk.

Science and magic are closer than you might think, according to Kevin Quantum, physicist turned world-class entertainer. Here he writes about his Edinburgh Fringe show, which is designed specifically for those who don’t believe in magic – and even features a trick made possible by the equations of James Clerk Maxwell to put a million volts through his own body.What I love about science – and magic – is that both begin with the same question: What if?They’re not as far apart as people think. The deeper you go into science, the more it starts to sound like magic. Physicists routinely say things like, “The particle disappears here and reappears over there,” and no one bats an eyelid. Welcome to quantum mechanics – a realm where things can be two places at once, time can flow backwards, and observing something can change the outcome. It’s weird. It’s wonderful. And it’s all true.Now imagine taking that weirdness … and turning it into a live theatre experience.That’s what Unbelievable Magic for Non-Believers is. A high-voltage blend of science and illusion, designed for the sceptical, the curious, the fiercely logical, and even the occasional believer. It’s not about tricking you – it’s about showing you just how fragile your understanding of reality might be. And doing it with a smile.I used to be a physicist. During that time I designed cockpits for fighter jets and made fancy 3D cameras for scene of crime investigations. I then walked away from a PhD to become a magician. That decision raised a few eyebrows (some of them were mine). But in truth, I didn’t leave science behind. I just found a new way to explore it. On stage. With a live audience. And preferably without setting anyone’s eyebrows on fire. Although there has been the odd singe over the years, especially with the electrical stuff.In this show, you’ll see me harness over a million volts of electricity – an invention by Nikola Tesla, powered by equations written by Edinburgh’s own James Clerk Maxwell – to produce real, impossible moments. You’ll watch as objects vanish, minds are read, and probability takes a long holiday. I’ll use randomness, misdirection, and the secrets of human perception to reveal how easily reality can be reshaped. And I’ll end the night with “magic” that reportedly turned Einstein himself into a believer.Throughout, you’ll be asked to choose: are you a Believer, or a Non-Believer? At the start of the show, you'll get a red or blue card – one for the sceptics, one for the faithful. That card stays with you until the end, when it becomes part of something much bigger. Something... you’ll have to see to believe.Unbelievable Magic for Non-Believers is not just a magic show. It’s a challenge. To your instincts. To your intellect. To the part of you that’s desperate for things to make sense – and the part that secretly hopes they never quite do.So, bring your logic. Bring your doubt. Bring that friend who “doesn’t believe in magic”. I made this show for them.And if you leave not entirely sure what just happened – good. That means it worked.

Something very important is happening down at Portobello Town Hall this Fringe. The kind of important something that makes you glad that, under the vast commercial edifice that all but buries the Fringe these days, its heart still beats. And the important voices to which it can give a stage can still speak. All the passion and the protest and the power of the people that can – and should – find their home on a Fringe is here this year. Not for long, but it is here.This August, Welcome to the Fringe, Palestine offers an insight into – and a chance to enjoy – the culture of a country that has, tragically, become synonymous with death, destruction and genocide. But down in Portobello, in four days of music and dance, discussion and comedy, exhibition and theatre, food and friendliness, you will see a different view of this country, its people and its culture. And probably best to do it while you can, before the government proscribes the eating of falafel and hummus.The people behind this four-day cultural and political feast (both literal and metaphorical) are an independent Scottish group of writers, directors, performers and producers, and many of the performers onstage are from Gaza, the West Bank and the Palestinian diaspora. Organisers promise total freedom of expression and no censorship – which, these days, is something exciting in and of itself. Even more in the spirit of the Fringe and artistic freedom, the whole thing has been largely made possible by crowdfunding (with some help from Creative Scotland) and local support.Sara Shawaari – one of the organisers – says: “It’s more urgent than ever now to reach out and lift up our Palestinian friends and colleagues, at a time when they are facing so much censorship, harassment and violence. We would not have been able to organise this without the immense support and donated labour, resources and skills, as well as monetary donations of various communities in Scotland – from workers’ unions to small arts organisations, from individuals to community collectives. It is truly a huge collective effort to make this happen, and we cannot thank each person enough for their contribution.”One of her co-organisers is David Greig – a name well known in Edinburgh where good stuff in theatre is concerned. “At a time when Palestinians are facing extreme violence, it feels like a small, good thing for us to share the human spirit together: art, comedy, music, theatre, food and more, all in the convivial and welcoming atmosphere of Porty Town Hall,” he says. “Art changes hearts. This project is a chance for us all to go beyond statistics, despair and political soundbites and, instead, to meet Palestinians where they are – with heart and soul.”Tickets are available by the show or by the day. And, in the hustle – and even more hustle – of an August Edinburgh, a day down in Porty exploring and experiencing the culture of a land so horrifyingly under threat sounds, in many ways, like a good thing to do. If you cannot be lured down to Porty, there are Palestinians elsewhere. And, take it from me, you will not find a show that is less than a must-see among them.Perhaps because of the situation we are in right now, shows with a Palestinian theme have much more of a pull. Political theatre and “angry young men” in the UK have faded somewhat. It seems to be taking us some time to come to terms – like David Mitchell's sweet Nazi officer in the sketch – with the fact that we are the baddies here. But we have done so many bad things in the past that there is always food for dramatic thought.Britain’s corrosive colonialism in Palestine is the jumping-off point for Balfour Reparations, which sounds so powerful and fascinating that having the words “speculative choreography and Afrofuturism” in the programme entry does not even put me off. There are nights of Palestine Stands Up down at The Stand, featuring comics from both Palestine itself and here, and over at the Pleasance, the entrancing story of The Horse of Jenin. Also at the Pleasance, you will find the man Alexei Sayle calls “the rockstar voice of the Palestinian diaspora”, whose show Peace de Resistance claims to involve clowning and cocktails. There is also mention of hand puppets – but do not let that put you off.In an Edinburgh packed to its turrets with showbiz ladder climbers and self-indulgence, it's a glorious thing to find shows and to experience events that make you feel different coming out than you did when you went in.We are not living in good times. And, while I do realise that popping to see a Fringe show does not exactly turn you into Mark Thomas (who, incidentally, is here with his latest show WD40, and will certainly have much to say about the way things are politically, internationally and morally), having Palestinian performers sharing their experiences – there are even plays by children from Gaza down in Porty – giving us first-hand accounts of what is happening there, and using art and performance of all kinds (and falafel, if you are lucky) to spread a word that is being silenced in too many places, can only be a very good thing. The Fringe might even become relevant again. Who knows?

This year’s Tour de France will be over by the time the Edinburgh Fringe opens, but for those still looking for a cycling thrill, there are a few shows that might keep you entertained.Dealing directly with that great sporting event, Lungs on Legs charts the story of Cadel Evans, the only Australian to win the Tour de France. It’s a new play co-written and performed by Australian-born, New York-based Connor Delves that reveals the highs and lows of Evans’s epic victory in 2011. Evans says, “I'm deeply honoured that an Australian artist has been inspired to bring my story to life for audiences worldwide.” The play also has a local twist, with Edinburgh playwright Steve McMahon the other half of the writing partnership. Additionally, the ‘voice of the Tour de France’, sports presenter Phil Liggett – whose commentary is a major feature of the play – will be there in person on opening night to give the show a proper send-off.If you’d prefer to be in the saddle yourself and would like to discover Edinburgh beyond the tourist trail, The Fun, Family-Friendly Cycle Tour returns to the Fringe this year. Bikes, helmets and a qualified guide are included in the three-hour jaunt that explores the city’s vast network of off-road cycle paths, right down to the beach.If you’d rather be entertained in a more comfortable seat, professional goofball Kathy Maniura follows on from her award-winning 2023 debut show Objectified with The Cycling Man. That same year she was a finalist in Europe’s biggest drag king competition, Man Up!, featuring this middle-aged, lycra-covered character. Now he’s newly single, deeply flawed, has spent the salary of an NHS nurse in Decathlon, and is on the verge of a breakdown.Offering musical accompaniment to cycling advocacy, Canadian comedian Dion Owen returns for his sixth Fringe this year, fresh from his 2024 ISH Comedy Award. In a desperate attempt to make use of his musical talents and dulcet voice – and a vain venture to give his show a unique spin – Cyclopath: Stand-Up and Songs features piano interludes and improvised songs about the audience’s dreams and fears, combined with a mix of polished jokes and cycling propaganda.Meanwhile, Piers MacKenzie – fresh from sold-out performances and five-star reviews at both Perth and Adelaide Fringes – offers some troubling drama as he dives into the fractured mind of a Deliveroo cyclist, where isolation, identity and obsession collide. One courier. One impossible delivery. The question is: how far will he go to complete his order? And yes, he really was a Deliveroo cyclist – Courier is the inside story.Making a much longer, more adventurous and more relaxed journey, Naomi Johnson presents The World at 15mph... ish. Designed to inspire, uplift and encourage those who are burnt out and in need of change, it’s the story of this non-athlete who cycled 20,000 miles through 26 countries with a man she'd met just three times. Her journey of a lifetime included riding over Thorong La mountain pass, travelling from Cairo to Cape Town, through tiger reserves and staying in Japanese love hotels. Still in your comfy seat, you can vicariously experience a remarkable and extraordinary adventure.All of this still leaves plenty of time to prepare for the official Tour de France Grand Départ from Edinburgh in 2027.

We invited Natalie Grove, whose play Jello Brain tackles the difficult issues around caring for someone with Alzheimer’s and the specialised provision afforded by Memory Care – a long-term, personalised care plan designed to provide a safe and structured environment that addresses the unique needs of each resident.Early-onset Alzheimer’s is a cruel disease that rips a loved one from your grasp much too soon. In my show, Jello Brain, I want to illuminate what happens beyond the locked doors of Memory Care – this unknown realm that is typically hidden away from American society.My mom was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s at age 55. Over the previous years, my sister and I, both in our early 20s, had watched the mother we knew unravel and disappear before our very eyes. It’s such a mysterious, insidious illness, because the person’s body is still functioning – it’s just their brain that is shrinking away. An Alzheimer’s brain is much smaller than a healthy one; neuron death causes it to shrink. And with these connections in the brain disappearing, so too does the fabric of the person’s identity.For several years leading up to my mom’s diagnosis it had been like this – the gradual evaporation of the boisterous, outspoken, creative person she had been in our youth. Her confidence was melting off her, replaced with doubt and shame.I couldn’t put my finger on what these changes were, especially because she would still do things every once in a while that were so classically her. Then I would brush off my concerns and tell myself I was overreacting. For example, her humour was always such a part of how I interacted with her. I noticed it fading, her becoming more serious. But then, out of the blue, she would burst out laughing like her old self, almost in tears of mirth, and I was comforted that the “old her” was still alive and well. Sadly, this became harder and harder to believe as issues with her speech started to appear and her memory loss became more severe.There is a huge stigma around moving someone – especially someone so young – into a facility for dementia patients. My mom is at least 20 years younger than the other residents there. But after my sister and I had tried our best to care for her, as the symptoms became more and more pronounced, we couldn’t cope any longer. It seemed like a place with experienced staff and a sense of community was the best option for her.The care and love my mom receives from the Memory Care unit she has lived in for the past few years has been a pleasant surprise. The staff are so skilled, creative and fun. There’s a real emphasis on palliative care – and joy, humour and connection in each moment.However, I still find it difficult to convince people to visit her. Friends and family want to visit, but seem hesitant, as if they feel like the disease is contagious. I think it’s fear. Memory Care is confronting – both your own mortality, and the possibility that this could happen to you, is thrust upon you.For this reason, I’ve felt really isolated in my role as a caregiver at such a young age, and that there wasn’t a true outlet for me. The only thing I could think to do was to write this show and share it. That has been one of the only things that has felt cathartic to me during this experience.My show includes all the colours of my experience as a young caregiver, expanding what is usually portrayed as exclusively a grim picture. This illness is horrible – I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy – but there is so much more to it than what people fear. There are moments of sublimity and hilarity, and alternate ways of understanding truth and reality. As an actor, I’ve found it to be the ripest ground for improvisation.I’m so moved and humbled by all the residents and staff in Memory Care, and I want to tell everyone about the details of this illness that no one really wants to imagine – and also the ones that they haven’t yet considered are possible.There is life and connection and possibility after the onset of dementia, and I want to celebrate it.

Inge-Vera Lipsius is an American-Dutch director and writer (b. 1996), and a graduate of the University of Cambridge (literature and theatre) and Ecole Philippe Gaulier in France. Here, she writes about the rationale behind her style of theatre and her Edinburgh Fringe debut Facility 111: A Government Experiment, her most experimental piece to date.Facility 111: A Government Experiment is a surreal new play/audio experience that I have written, staged, and am performing live. It takes place in darkness and asks audiences to visualise poetic images in two different, but interconnected cities—one made of glass, another of sand. Through the guise of a sci-fi government experiment, the play asks: Are we ultimately less different from one another than we might think?My main aim was to create a piece where, basically, the show is constructed in the minds of the audience, who provide its set, characters, and worlds. As a result, everyone will construct a different show, based on the same piece of writing. Even if you were to “see” it twice, you might visualise something different each time, which very much taps into the imagination element that is so important for theatre. I am extremely keen on making the audience an essential part of any performance I stage; for me, since theatre is live, there should always be a reason for the audience to be there in person, as opposed to when watching a movie, for example.So far, my works have explored social and political themes in unexpected ways, using minimal means to evoke a strong emotional effect and making the audience a key part of the action. In my play Quad Loop—a montage/verbatim text, with an all-female cast—I explored the role played by the spectator during high-stakes sports events. It was the first play about the Kamila Valieva doping scandal at the 2022 Winter Olympics, and the audience was seated in traverse around the stage, watching a chorus who watched and commented on the Olympics. It was selected for the Bomb Factory Theatre New Writing Showcase at the Bush Theatre and was performed at Pushkin House, London. My other production, Paranoia, was my adaptation (the first stage adaptation) of the post-war novella by the classic Dutch author Willem Frederik Hermans. Staged in a canal house in Amsterdam, at the art space/gallery The Merchant House, it placed audiences in the bedroom of a guilt-ridden young man in post-World War Two Amsterdam. Over the course of the show, it brought audiences into the protagonist’s paranoid state of mind.With Facility 111, I wanted the focus to be on the audience and their experience of the piece—what they think it is about and what they decide to visualise or imagine based on the images being described. Part of the challenge of writing and constructing the play was to find a style of writing that was descriptive, but not prescriptive. The piece is inspired by real events, but these events are not explicitly disclosed either in the blurb or the piece itself; by the end, you might surmise what it is based on, or you might not, and the piece might retain its more surreal/abstract quality.In a time when we are surrounded by so much visual imagery, it has been fascinating to explore a non-visual form of theatre/storytelling, which might lead people to discover new things about themselves and each other through the things they choose to imagine. Comments from audiences during previews have, for example, mentioned the idea of hypnotherapy, which I hadn’t thought of in advance…and people seem very keen on comparing their experiences post-show!I played around with disclosing what Facility 111 was based on, but ultimately decided not to. I can say (but perhaps some of this is already clear from the blurb above) that the piece touches on themes of identity, migration, women’s rights, and empathy. By asking you to visualise yourself in places or situations that might be different from what you know, it pushes the boundaries of what can be considered “familiar” or “unfamiliar.” In fact, imagination—and empathy—can take us a long way in terms of bridging the gap between peoples, and countries…London Previews:Sun 20 July and Wed 23 July, 19:30 pm: Omnibus Theatre, Clapham (Edinburgh Previews)https://www.omnibus-clapham.or...For more information about the show, and future performances, please see:www.merchanthouse.nl/facility...

We asked Eduardo Zucchi, a London-based Mexican actor and theatre-maker who recently graduated from LAMDA’s MA in Classical Acting, to tell us about the challenge and development of re-visioning Romeo and Juliet with an international cast.Is Romeo and Juliet truly the ultimate romantic tragedy, or does it end on a hopeful note? Romeo and Juliet: Out of Pocket is a high-energy, two-hander adaptation that tears through Shakespeare’s most famous play in 60 minutes of theatrical chaos, academic rivalry and accidental romance.The idea began when Argentinian playwright Emiliano Dionisi wondered: what if two Shakespearean scholars – each utterly convinced of their interpretation of the ending – tried to settle the matter not through words but through action, by performing the play themselves? That offhand thought spiralled into something more: a fast-paced, comedic battle of wits, egos and hearts, where the lines between performers and characters blur in the most unexpected ways.At the heart of Out of Pocket are two academics – she’s British: precise, logical and scholarly. He’s Mexican: poetic, passionate and driven by heart. Against their will, they are tasked with presenting a joint lecture on Shakespeare. Their disagreement over the play’s ending leads them to act it out themselves. With nothing but a cleaning trolley in sight, they use whatever is at hand. A chalkboard becomes a church, a pointer becomes a blade, a toilet brush becomes a sceptre – and much more. This adds to the fun, as the audience is always in on the joke, even as they’re swept up in the emotion.When I began thinking about staging the production in London, I asked myself: how could I make this brilliant adaptation I saw in Mexico City resonate with London audiences? For me, the power of theatre lies in its ability to create empathy, allowing anyone, regardless of background, to connect with a story. Rather than translating both professors into the same cultural identity, I chose to retain the Spanish verse and introduce some of my own, creating a Mexican professor whose emotional intensity is so great that at times only his mother tongue can express it.It is often said that the language we are born into is the truest expression of our deepest feelings. This linguistic shift doesn’t create division – it adds richness. The goal is for audiences to feel the universal power of love and longing, whether those feelings are expressed in English or Spanish. This choice allowed me to offer my own perspective on Shakespeare – a world I once thought I’d never belong to – and to bring new depth, musicality and openness to how his work can sound, look and feel.The show draws on a rich theatrical tradition of meta-performance, clowning and farce, while staying rooted in genuine affection for Shakespeare’s text. The actors switch roles at lightning speed, with rough-edged character changes. As they bicker, sabotage each other and cut increasingly ridiculous corners to keep up with the pace, something curious happens: the rivalry softens. The shared experience of performing the play’s beauty, violence and longing brings them together. Without even realising it, they begin to live out their own version of the play's central theme: the strange, often irrational pull of love.At its core, the piece explores not just the absurdities of performance, but the joys and challenges of connection. The clash of cultures – British formality versus the passion of the Mexican telenovela – sparks both conflict and comedy. But ultimately, the show suggests that across language, distance and misunderstanding, love and laughter can still bring people together.For director Alonso Íñiguez, this playful approach to performance is key: “Shakespeare’s work is timeless not because we preserve it in amber,” he says, “but because we keep finding new ways to bring it to life, to make it mean something now.” Íñiguez, known for inventive adaptations that fuse classical texts with contemporary sensibilities, has created a piece that is as much a love letter to theatre itself as to Shakespeare.The team behind Out of Pocket reflects the show’s global spirit. The cast includes performers from Mexico and the UK – Eduardo Zucchi and Felicity Ison – each bringing their own cultural background, LAMDA training and humour to the mix. The design, by Aldo Vázquez Yela, leans into a DIY classroom aesthetic – simple visual cues create a world that is playful, immediate and accessible.In an era where relationships are increasingly shaped by immediacy, technology and distance, Out of Pocket asks: can romantic love still cut through the noise? Why do we continue to return to Romeo and Juliet, centuries later? The answer may lie in the joyful absurdity of human connection – something Shakespeare captured in all its messiness, and which this adaptation reframes with comedy, energy and heart.Audiences today are hungry for theatre that is both intelligent and accessible – work that reimagines classics without losing emotional depth. While many Shakespeare productions lean towards gritty reinterpretations or radical twists, Out of Pocket offers something distinct: a bilingual play within a play that is designed to make people laugh, to surprise them and – if they’re open to it – to move them. It’s for Shakespeare lovers, Shakespeare sceptics, and everyone in between.

Edward Einhorn writes about the background, staging and transfer of his play The Marriage of Alice B. Toklas by Gertrude Stein from New York to London.The Marriage of Alice B. Toklas by Gertrude Stein premiered in 2017 in New York City at a small theatre called HERE. Originally conceived during the fight to legalise gay marriage, it was inspired by a simple thought: what if Gertrude Stein and her partner, Alice B. Toklas, had been legally allowed to get married – way back, when in Paris in the 1930s? What if they had been able not only to acknowledge their lesbian identities, but to celebrate them? What if they had also felt comfortable acknowledging their Jewish identities, and held a big wedding with all the literati, under a chuppah (the traditional Jewish wedding canopy)?The guest list would certainly be impressive. They were all part of what Gertrude Stein called “The Lost Generation” – a generation looking for meaning after World War I (and before World War II). They knew anyone worth knowing who passed through Paris: Pablo Picasso, Ernest Hemingway, Henri Matisse, Paul Cézanne, Jean Cocteau, Sylvia Beach, Francis Picabia, James Joyce, T. S. Eliot, Ezra Pound... the list goes on. And with Picasso's many wives and mistresses, Hemingway’s own romantic misadventures (and obsession with matadors), the play seemed obvious material for a farce.When the play premiered in New York, we were lucky enough to have Jesse Green, the new chief reviewer of The New York Times, drop by – and he gave us a Critic’s Pick! The theatre filled up, and the experience was a true joy.Buoyed by that experience, I contacted a few London theatres about working together on the production, and Jermyn Street Theatre expressed interest. We planned a production for spring 2020... which got cancelled when Covid came along. But fortunately they kept the project alive, and two years later they produced the play for a six-week run. It was something of a dream come true.Over the years, I’ve been attending the Edinburgh Fringe, and I’ve fallen in love. The free spirit of the Fringe seems just right for the comedy of the show – and hopefully the audience will forgive a couple of sad and serious moments as well, because the joy and the tragedy of the play go hand in hand. It’s all pretend.Our original Toklas (Alyssa Simon, who also played the role in London) and our original Hemingway (Grant Neale) are along for the ride, as well as two amazing new performers playing Stein (Barsha) and Picasso (Jenny Lee Mitchell). And we are supported by the producer James Simon, who has consistently been an advocate for our play along the way.I know for some, this will be their first real introduction to Stein, so here are some fun facts: in many ways, Stein is the mother of all experimental theatre. She wrote plays and opera, and she was one of the first to bring modernism onto the stage. The term “gay” to refer to homosexual comes from Stein’s writing. She wrote this about herself and Toklas: “To be regularly gay was to do every day the gay thing that they did every day. To be regularly gay was to end every day at the same time after they had been regularly gay.”And of course, Stein, a lover of repetition in writing, also wrote: “Rose is a rose is a rose is a rose.” And when speaking of her hometown of Oakland, she lamented: “There’s no there there.”So I hope you can raise a tiny, tiny cup of champagne with us (we have a champagne toast in the theatre), and celebrate the lives of Alice B. Toklas and Gertrude Stein – what they did, what they could have done, and what their lives mean to lesbians, Jews, artists, and of course, everyone who celebrates love.

Shamama Fatima is a Pakistani-born, Edinburgh-based director and performer whose work explores memory, identity and intimacy through metaphorical, emotionally driven theatre. She trained at Queen Margaret University and has worked on productions across the UK and internationally.Here, she writes about discovering a means of communication – and the work she is directing at the Edinburgh Fringe, Play On.As a little girl in Karachi, I had so many stories swirling in my head, I was certain they would tumble out the moment I opened my mouth. But somehow, they never did. Instead, I would freeze, tongue-tied, overwhelmed by the sheer noise of the world and my inability to make sense of it in any one language. Urdu, English, and a splash of Arabic from school – all colliding in my brain like impatient traffic. How do you tell a story when you can’t even choose a lane?I came to Edinburgh to study film. I imagined myself behind the camera, safe from the spotlight. But the theatre had other plans. In the rehearsal room, I discovered a language I didn’t have to speak fluently to feel understood. It let me say things without really saying them out loud. Let me show the inside of a character without having to explain them.The question that has quietly shaped my life and all of my work is deceptively simple: who am I? Some people figure it out in pre-school, others not until their deathbed. For me, the search has been messier. Identity in the UK often gets flattened into tidy boxes: brown woman, foreigner, other. But I am more than that. I am a daughter. I am neurodivergent. I am queer. I am curious, chaotic, thoughtful. I direct because I am still trying to make sense of all of it.Much of my early work has centred around characters trying to do the same. In one of my first pieces, two women shared their grief through cold-water swimming. In another, two ex-lovers were trapped in a time loop, reliving the same day over and over until they finally chose to share their truths. I like creating surreal worlds for very real feelings. It’s not realism, but it is emotionally true. I guess you could say my theatrical style is about turning the inner life outward: memory as soundscape, guilt as choreography, grief in glitter.I met Erin Boulter, the writer of Play On, through a social media post. (I know. Very Gen Z of us.) We met for coffee and ended up talking for hours about inheritance, Shakespeare and grief. She had written this beautifully strange dark comedy about two estranged siblings who get locked in an escape room and are forced to confront their grief, their privilege, and a couple of Shakespearean ghosts from their past. I said yes before the oat milk even curdled.Play On blends Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Twelfth Night with a kind of pop-culture irreverence that feels both hilarious and devastating. There are references for the purists, but it’s also made for people who’ve only ever encountered Shakespeare through TikToks. At its core, it’s about identity: Viola becomes Sebastian (Ash); Lea rediscovers her passion; nothing is said outright, and yet everything is felt. That’s the world I love to build – where the subtext is the text, where silence tells you everything.Before I take on any project, I ask myself three questions: Why this story? Why now? Why theatre? With Play On, the answers came easily. It’s a story about how families avoid the truth until they’re locked in a room with it. It’s a story about queerness, about what we inherit and what we unlearn. And it could only be told through theatre – live, breathing, a little messy, always human.Somewhere between Karachi and the Fringe, I found a language of my own. It doesn’t always use words, but it always tells the truth.

We invited Aoife Parr to explain what lies behind her EdFringe show Anatomy of Pain. She speaks for many living with disabilities and the system that surrounds their efforts to obtain treatment, support and care.We’re often told that if you just advocate hard enough, things will get better. But the truth is, I’ve spent years chasing referrals, managing paperwork, and sitting in rooms with professionals who didn’t believe me – not necessarily because they were cruel, but because the systems they work in aren’t built to handle complexity.Anatomy of Pain is the result of that experience. It’s not about “overcoming” illness in a rousing montage of grit and gratitude. It’s about living with it in a society that treats support as a scarce resource, and your credibility as something always up for debate.I was diagnosed with Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome when I was 22, after nearly a decade of surgeries, chronic pain and being repeatedly told that what I was experiencing didn’t “make sense”. It’s a connective tissue disorder – invisible, under-researched and widely misunderstood – and by the time I had a name for it, the damage had already been done. I had been dismissed, disbelieved and quietly dropped through every gap the system had to offer.Sadly, that experience isn’t unusual – and it’s being reinforced at a structural level. The government’s now-abandoned proposal to replace PIP with a voucher or one-off grant scheme may be off the table, but the message was clear: support for disabled people is seen as negotiable. Even now, plans to tighten eligibility haven’t disappeared – they’ve just been delayed. We’re not being asked what we need. We’re being measured against how little can be offered.What’s at stake in these reforms isn’t just money. It’s legitimacy. It’s the right to live without constantly having to justify your existence. And it’s the quiet, grinding pressure of systems that make you prove again and again that you’re not faking it.The show follows one woman trying to access care, navigate endless paperwork and hold onto her sense of self as the state slowly erodes it. It moves through GP surgeries, hospital corridors, benefit interviews and strained relationships. It’s full of things many of us know too well: waiting months for scans, being told to “just exercise”, filling out forms that ask whether you can lift a fork – as if that somehow captures what it means to live in a body that keeps falling apart.When we talk about disability, we often focus on personal bravery or recovery. But Anatomy of Pain is more interested in what happens when illness stops being a private challenge and becomes a political identity. It asks: what does it mean to be disabled in a country that is actively legislating against your needs?That’s why I’m bringing it to the Fringe. Not because the festival is easy or particularly accessible – it’s not – but because there’s still a chance to articulate what’s happening, and to be heard by people who might not otherwise come across this reality. The story doesn’t end with a diagnosis, or even with the show. It’s still playing out, every time a claim is rejected, or a letter goes unanswered, or someone is told they’re “not eligible”.If the show offers anything, I hope it’s that moment of recognition – of knowing you’re not alone in this. I want people to leave with a clearer sense of how illness is shaped by the systems we live in, and just how much is asked of people just trying to survive. There’s humour in the show. There’s rage. And there’s also the quiet truth that some of us are just trying to be believed – fully, finally, without having to explain ourselves one more time.

For football fans missing their fix during the inter-season hiatus, some consolation is to be found in various shows at this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe.Let’s kick off with a hat-trick of shows from the celebrated NLP Theatre Company, who never tire of presenting the Celtic–Rangers conflict. Their classic adversarial story, Singin' I'm No a Billy Jr, He's a Tim Jr – Young Offenders, tells what happens when you lock up a Celtic ultra with a Rangers ultra on the day of the big match. Des Dillon entertains and educates on the religious origins of the Celtic–Rangers conflict, while beneath the amusement the generational repercussions of the longstanding feud expose bigotry and ethnic identity on both the macro and micro scale through the lens of the two characters locked in a prison cell.Of course, it’s not just the boys who are obsessed with their teams, so now the company has created the all-female sequel, Singin' I'm No a Billie, She's a Tim. The re-write promises to be as fanatical and hilarious as the original.And if you’re still craving more, then Billy and Tim – Old Firm Legends awaits. What could be worse for a Celtic legend and a Rangers legend than being locked up in a police cell together on the day of the Old Firm match? Well, being banged up with fervent Old Firm supporters Billy and Tim! This live show features cameo performances from Old Firm legends Simon Donnelly and Charlie Miller and a meet-and-greet session after the performance. Not one to miss.On a less focused note, comedy fans can also join fast-rising comedian Andrew White as he embarks on a hilarious personal journey in Young, Gay and a Third Thing. There’s just a modicum of football hooliganism kicking around in a field that features meat raffles, reggae, drag queens, Oscar Wilde and musical theatre. A Best Show nominee at the Leicester Comedy Festival 2025, White is regarded by Joe Lycett as “...definitely one to watch.”Right on the ball and with humour in classic North London Jewish style is comedian and soccer fan Ivor Dembina. In Millwall Jew, he accounts for why he now supports South London’s most notorious football club. Now that requires a lot of explaining! And as he might say, it proves that Jews are wickedly funny and have a great sense of humour. If you doubt that, see his other show, I Should Have Listened to Ivor Dembina.Alternatively, if you prefer a small-team version of the game, Brixton Mondays is the story of the reunion of the longest-running 5-a-side football team in Britain (1985–2012) at the south London curry house where they traditionally met every Monday to relive victories and embarrassments. Past rivalries and grudges emerge even before the poppadoms are served. But why is the fifth team member unavailable – and who is the young man lurking by the service counter? A huge hit over three sold-out London runs, apparently it's not about football – it’s about life, death and friendship, and promises to be hilarious, heartfelt and poignant in equal measure.If you prefer your sport from across the pond and your humour spontaneous, then American Football: An Improv Comedy Show might be the one for you. It makes very few claims other than being “different” and full of “big-time touchdowns.” New York City comedians from Upright Citizens Brigade, Brooklyn Comedy Collective and The Magnet Theatre collaborate in this showcase of experimental and mostly improvised material featuring storytelling and audience interaction.Meanwhile, why not celebrate that most glorious of years with the new musical 1966? The Beatles are on the radio. Geoff Hurst is on the pitch. And British teenagers have never had it so good. With a world of adventures in front of them, a group of friends gather to cheer on the English football team. Sounds like good clean fun – or maybe not.Bringing the focus to the Fringe’s home, there are three opportunities to revel in works inspired by local teams Hibernian FC and Heart of Midlothian FC, starting with a leisurely wander around an exhibition by contemporary Edinburgh artist Davy Macdonald. Dyed in the Wool is a new exhibition celebrating the 150th anniversaries of both clubs. This imaginative collection fuses fine art with abstract and conceptual works that reflect the rich history, identity and traditions of both clubs. From bold, colourful paintings to thought-provoking and playful pieces, Macdonald’s art honours the cultural legacy of these iconic teams, their deep connection to the city and the unwavering passion of their devoted fans.From gallery to theatre next with Colours Run, a vibrant working-class play by BBC Scottish Voices writer Mikey Burnett, described by The Scotsman as “Pinteresque.” This gritty, dark comedy is a two-hander about troubled Hibs casual Pongo, who returns home from the team’s Derby Day to tell his brother, Pete, that something bad has happened. Brotherly love is strained by the potential serious consequences of a brawl – and a can of worms opens that suggests something far worse occurred in their past.Similarly rooted in the passion and troubles of working-class fans, Nathan Scott-Dunn’s multi-award-winning sell-out hit of five Fringes, 1902, returns for another season in a further celebration of Hibernian FC’s century and a half. Framed around the club’s heroic victory in the 2016 Scottish Cup Final – a triumph that had eluded them for 114 years – four young supporters become embroiled in a tangled web of deceits, family loyalties and financial dealings arising from their devotion to the club and determination to get tickets for the game. Playing in a league of its own, this visceral, in-yer-face drama is both an OffWestEnd and Broadway Baby Bobby Award winner. To miss this one would be like scoring an own goal.

What is life like for people living behind bars? Each year, between 2016 and 2019, Sam Rowe, Creative Expressions Coordinator of Bethany Christian Trust, was invited to devise a piece of drama with inmates of Scotland’s highest security prison, HMP Shotts. Here he describes the project that led to the creation of Insiders, a powerful insight into prison life.In the first sessions, a dozen or so men would arrive, nervous about what lay ahead. Over the weeks – through a crash course in drama skills, scriptwriting, singing and rehearsals – we grew together. Each production, after it had been performed to peers and invited guests, would end with our arms around each other’s shoulders and the audience on their feet… As the final notes rang out, the sense of joy, warmth and achievement was palpable. Of course, some of the guys would laugh that they’d hated every minute of it and they were just glad it was over, but for most it was a rare moment that allowed them to be the best of who they could be.Then, in 2020, the pandemic hit. Going into the prison was going to be impossible, so I spoke with the chaplain who coordinated the project about what we might do instead. We decided that we would write a play with participants remotely, and then have it performed by professional actors (and me) over a live feed.First, we met over video with nine guys who had agreed to take part and heard about their lives in lockdown. Locked alone in their cells for up to 23 hours a day, these men were living through an even more heightened level of restriction and isolation than most of us. From their stories, I devised a basic plot outline that expressed some of their challenges, as well as three character outlines for them to work with.I then began contacting them each week with a question for them to respond to. The first being: ‘What do these characters have in the cells, and what do those things mean to them?’ The second: ‘How do they pass their day? What do the characters think of each other?’ and so on. From these responses, the other actors and I improvised the script.In November 2020, as Nicola Sturgeon extended a soft lockdown by one more week, we performed the piece over Bethany Christian Trust’s social media channels. Nearly 500 people watched. The response was fantastic. People were not only finding the piece heartwarming and funny, but deeply moving too. I was proud of what we had made, and didn’t want that to be the end.By the end of 2022, lockdown had finally lifted enough to organise a full theatrical tour of the Scottish prison system, from Inverness to Dumfries. We updated the text for a post-pandemic landscape, as no one wanted to dwell on lockdowns anymore. It was obviously nerve-racking, hoping that our audiences were going to buy into the piece. After our first performance, a guy came up to me and asked, ‘So how many of your 18 years did you end up serving mate?’ – encouragement enough that we were doing something right!Over four weeks we performed to over 400 prisoners, with 80% of returned feedback forms giving the piece five stars. In the comments, men wrote about how the piece gave them solace that they were not alone in their struggles, and that they hoped it would build empathy for the struggles of others. They also loved the humour, the authenticity of the details and wonderful songs, written and performed by Michael McMillan, that accompany the drama. Many also said how important they felt it was that the play reach the wider public. This is what we intend to do by bringing the play to The Fringe this year.I once heard a prison reform campaigner say that the public gains most of their knowledge about prisons from journalists, politicians and screenwriters who have no experience of actually being in prison. Insiders presents something far closer to the truth. Shunning sensationalism, the piece explores the great searching questions that many may find themselves asking when faced with such curtailed circumstances and the guilt of their own actions.It is because of this that I learn so much about failure and resilience, kindness and cruelty, hope and disappointment, riches and poverty, joy and sorrow with every project that I lead. I believe it is essential to listen to prisoners’ voices because of what they teach us about our society, ourselves, and the meaning of existence.

An innovative cultural collective is making a dramatic bid to create, entertain and inspire at a new affordable theatre for all in the heart of Glasgow.From the outside, the uninspiring front of 118 Osborne Street looks like any other office building – although many people will know it not for its number, but for its exterior side wall, adorned with John Byrne’s famous portrait of Billy Connolly. Inside, there is a creative oasis flourishing within a world of grey concrete and gleaming metal – and one colourful corner is home to Theatre 118, a groundbreaking grassroots company aiming to produce cutting-edge plays and open up opportunities for local talent.The plan is to create a hub of artistic activity in an environment of mutual support and co-operation. Its opening season kicks off with Play of the Week, a series of new one-act plays being performed throughout July 2025, ranging from comedy to drama and everything in between. Ticket prices are a bargain at £10 (or Pay What You Can), with a season pass offering all four plays at a 25% discount. There’s also no need to worry about bar prices, as the venue has a BYO policy – making it ideal for a night out with friends.Theatre 118 is run by a small collective, primarily the people behind two grassroots West of Scotland companies – Roughly Staged and Short Attention Span Theatre. The steering committee includes David Hewitson, Graham McDougall, Stephen Brackenridge, Tom Brogan and Karen Barclay. It has emerged from the already well-established theatre scene in the area, with support from other venues.David Hewitson says: “Theatre 118 is heavily influenced by A Play, A Pie and A Pint at Òran Mór, and they've been consistently supportive of what we're up to. They absolutely led the way in making Glasgow a hub of new theatre-making, and I don't think we'd be doing any of this if they hadn’t blazed a trail.“Truly, the best thing about the theatre community in Glasgow is how friendly and nurturing everybody is – we’ve had a great deal of assistance from companies like Sleeping Warrior Theatre, Take Me Somewhere and the Tron Theatre. It really does feel like everyone is rooting for each other to succeed and to make stuff happen here.”Theatre 118 is part of the Outer Spaces Network, a charity collaborating with artists, organisations and property owners to activate the nation’s empty commercial spaces. It receives no public funding, so volunteers programme new work and facilitate others using the space, while all profits are used to pay creatives and cover the running costs and upkeep of the venue.Hewitson adds: “As well as allowing audiences access to first-class entertainment, Theatre 118 is on a quest to find, develop and support new voices – creating opportunities in an increasingly challenging cultural environment. Please support us if you can.”

While the Edinburgh Festival Fringe welcomes artists from all over the world, it’s appropriate that the host nation should contribute its own showcase. There are many companies from within its borders that are performing, but Made in Scotland makes a very special contribution. This curated programme of fiercely local theatre, dance and music has an ambassadorial mission: to put the country’s talent on the international map of artistic achievement. With a keen eye for quality, ambition and innovation, it places Scottish performing arts centre stage, both at home and abroad.Since its launch in 2009, Made in Scotland has supported 299 shows, with the onward touring fund component supporting more than 130 productions to visit over 50 countries across six continents. The showcase provides an unparalleled opportunity to help Scottish creatives, artists, performers and communities connect with the rest of the world through art and shared experience.Meanwhile, it offers audiences a fresh lens on the richness of Scotland's cultural identity – not through tartan tropes or nostalgic stereotypes, but through bold, diverse and defiantly modern storytelling. It brings together the most exciting voices working across the full range of artistic genres, offering them a springboard to international touring and long-term creative recognition.This vital initiative was born out of a groundbreaking partnership between the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, Creative Scotland and the Federation of Scottish Theatre, with core support from the Scottish Government’s Expo Fund. But this isn’t just about funding – it’s future-building. Over the years, the programme has become a vital force in shaping the global reputation of Scottish performance, offering a pipeline of opportunity and a launchpad for artists ready to connect beyond national borders.This year, the 2025 line-up is a celebration of bold, boundary-pushing performance that spans generations, communities and artistic disciplines – from children’s shows to new writing, through music and dance to immersive multidisciplinary works.By championing diversity, innovation and excellence, Made in Scotland continues to shape Scotland’s cultural narrative, ensuring its boldest voices aren’t just heard, but listened to worldwide.madeinscotlandshowcase.com

The Edinburgh Deaf Festival is back for 2025, with a vibrant programme of shows and events embracing everything from new drama to comedy, drag, music and magic. After a tough but ultimately successful campaign, this unique annual celebration of deaf culture, is laying the foundations for future expansion after securing three-year funding from Creative Scotland.Among more than 70 scheduled events, those taking part in the fourth annual festival are comedians John Smith and Gavin Lilley and Gaelic and Scots singer and musician Evie Waddell, who are all well-known to hearing audiences. There will be a specially commissioned production written and directed by Nadia Nadarajah, the festival’s Creative Programmer, who recently earned huge acclaim as Cleopatra in Antony and Cleopatra at The Globe.Nadarajah said: “This year, we've got a lot that’s new, to deliver for the deaf community. We are also doing more to engage with hearing audiences, allowing them to discover something new by experiencing deaf culture and the work of deaf performers. Last year was very difficult because of funding challenges and the future looked very uncertain. We struggled but we were persistent. Now, the three-year funding gives us the stability to grow.”As part of the drive to expand the festival’s reach among hearing audiences Evie will perform at Summerhall as well as the Deaf Action HQ and venue in Albany Street. Among the highlights in this year’s programme are:Echoes Across Time: Three women, three timelines. A specially commissioned new production by Nadia Nadarajah. Performed in BSL with English voiceover for hearing audiences.John Smith Show’s 20 Years of Laughter: Celebrate two decades of sharp wit and non-stop laughter with one of the UK’s best-known deaf comedians.Deaffy Drag Queeny: Glitter, Gags and GSV: Deaffy drag queens Mary and Danielle bring cheeky charm, outrageous wit and deaf gay Pride to the stage.Ivory Cutlery by Evie Wadell: Evie presents a visual and musical storytelling experience inspired by the cult Scottish poet and singer Ivor Cutler.Gavin Lilley: Signs of the Times: A popular deaf comedian who bridges the gap with hearing audiences with his fresh take on everything from parenthood to travel misadventures.Magic Morgan and Liliana: A family-friendly show packed with illusions, comedy and mime.Scratch Night: An evening of bold new ideas from comedy to experimental acts – raw creativity which may be the next big thing.Philip Gerrard, CEO of organisers Deaf Action, said: “We are the world’s oldest deaf charity and deaf-led organisation. We have been at the heart of efforts to promote the interests of the deaf community for 190 years, and the Edinburgh Deaf Festival continues that pioneering work. We fought hard to keep it alive, and now it is back and stronger than ever. Our festival continues the pioneering work that made Edinburgh a world-leader in championing the interests of deaf people.”Other festival events include karaoke, discussions, parties and film screenings. There will be comedy and drama workshops, plus guided tours of The Georgian House, the Royal Botanic Garden and National Galleries Scotland along with a festival Youth Club and a parent and toddler group. The festival, which runs in collaboration with the Fringe, is also working with the Edinburgh International Festival and the Edinburgh International Book Festival to provide a range of accessible events.An interpreter and captioning request service will allow deaf people to arrange an interpreter or captioner for Fringe shows that are not accessible. Deaf Action is also working with local businesses to create The Edinburgh Signing Quarter, a network of deaf-friendly cafes and bars in the Broughton Street and Canonmills area.Not all events are listed in the Fringe brochure, but Google Edinburgh Deaf Festival for the full programme.

As disability rights increasingly come under fire, Time & Again Theatre Company is has a new production under way that they hope will match the success of their multi-award-winning EARWIG.VILE is a furious and funny subversion of traditional period drama that stands firmly against the rising tide of cuts and discrimination faced by disabled people, particularly in the light of the government’s proposed reforms to Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and increased scrutiny, erasure and barriers to vital support.It's set against the backdrop of Henry VIII’s chaotic court and reframes the story of Jane Boleyn (the infamous sister-in-law of Queen Anne Boleyn) to explore what it means to live with an invisible disability in a world that refuses to understand it. The famous historical narrative is seen through a disabled lens and stands against a system that continues to question the legitimacy of both visible and invisible conditions and the people who live with them. At a time when hard-won rights are under threat, this anarchic reimagining of Tudor history pushes back with radical storytelling, defiant humour, and unapologetic accessibility.Founded in 2017, Time & Again use historical settings to explore urgent contemporary themes. The production has been developed with support from Cast and The Lowry, as well as the charity OCD UK. VILE is written by award-winning playwright Laura Crow (pictured) who was inspired by her own health anxiety and experience of OCD combined with knowing how access and understanding around invisible disability is still lagging sadly behind.“I discovered Jane Boleyn when I was a teenager; chronically ill, unable to attend school, and eagerly devouring the spate of Tudor media that proliferated in the mid-2000s,” says writer Crow. “I'd just been diagnosed with OCD so the suggestion of Jane’s madness - how it was used to blame her for the tyrannical actions of powerful men - shocked and intrigued me. It began to feel increasingly vital that I reclaimed Jane's narrative, just as the 21st century world made it increasingly necessary for me to fight for my own rights. It feels so important, as a writer, to allow disabled and queer characters to take up room in eras they are so often erased from.”VILE is proudly disabled-led, created by a cast and team with lived experience of disability, neurodivergence and chronic illness, and further developed with input from the disabled community. Creative access is embedded in the show’s design, including captions, an integrated audio description and innovative animated projections that immerse audiences in the chaos and intrigue of the Tudor court.

We invited multi-award winning comic and ISH Edinburgh Awards founder Nathan Cassidy to discusses comic originality at the Edinburgh Fringe.Two years ago I founded the ISH Edinburgh Comedy Awards, the ethos of which is to see every show and have volunteer judges vote for Best Show and 100% of sponsorship going to the comedians. There’s been three winners of Best Show so far (as in 2023 there were joint winners) and it’s been interesting, maybe coincidence, that all three have been doing a very different kind of show, particularly Julia Masli and Elf Lyons with the third winner being the equally unique Paul Foot. As I say, maybe coincidence, but to stand out at the Fringe these days do you need to be both outstanding and different?I try to stand out with original concepts and magical and uplifting elements in my shows – I want the audience to think they are watching one thing, when there’s something else going on that they haven’t noticed. But the material is mainly standup, and how can you be truly original with standup? There are so many comedians and so many that have gone before, is anything original any more? This came into focus when at last year’s fringe a brilliant comedian that always does something different was doing some material that I had also been doing for a while. This is the jumping off point to my show Piracy this year.In my other show It’s Not The End Of the World I’m running with two main themes that I feel we are talking about in society but not on stage. I think it’s original. But saying that, who knows? There could be another show thats’s covering exactly the same ground. In 2016 I walked my audience out of the venue at the end of the show, then down the road to a nearby club where drinks and music awaited. I thought i was doing something that had never been done – one reviewer commented… ‘the ending was very similar to another show I’d seen.’ You can’t win!Of course you can win, and of course you can win if you’re doing standup about themes that have been covered a million times. If the writing and delivery is great then it will stand out. But I wonder… is it easier to stand out when you’re dressed as a horse?! It shouldn’t matter as much as it does to me, but it does - if I feel I’m doing something outstanding and truly original then I don’t care about awards, and good job, as I’m the only comedian not eligible for the ISH Comedy Award! If someone says I’m doing something different then it’s the best compliment they can pay me. I wonder why that is? Isn’t being good, good enough? Maybe it was growing up in the 80s, watching comedy on Friday Night Live etc. It was like there was only one of each type of comedian - Ben Elton, very different from Rik Mayall, different from Jo Brand, different from Victoria Wood, different from Harry Enfield. I’m sure there were similar acts in the clubs but as a kid this was my experience - to be a comedian you had to be different. And when I first went to the Fringe in the late 90s the acts that stood out were different from anyone else - Jonny Vegas, Al Murray, Bill Bailey - to me there was no one like them.Maybe the problem is that there are far too many comedians now! I’m joking, I guess that’s the joy. When someone stands out against the backdrop of tens of thousands of comedians on the circuit and the many hundreds of comedians at the Fringe, then you do truly look at and think, wow! But that could equally be someone doing ‘straight stand up’ as it could be someone walking around with a false leg for an arm asking for people’s problems. That’s the joy of the Fringe and the joy of being involved in an Award. There’s definitely luck of the draw involved, but if something is outstanding then it always has a chance, whether or not it’s ‘original’. Which makes it all the more annoying that I’m not eligible for the ISH. But saying that, that’s never been done before to my knowledge – someone sets up an award and awards it to themselves. A few people suspected I was going to that in its first year, maybe this year is the year I do it. One day, after all, we are all going to run out of ideas!LinksThe Ceremony and showcases for the ISH Edinburgh Comedy Awards are both at the Counting House. Full details at nathancassidy.com and edinburghcomedyawards.com.

Award-winning performer Sean Alexander, known to raving audiences as The Confusionist, is a leading illusionist, stage magician, and mind reader. We asked him to write about his experiences of touring internationally.It’s 4am in Dubai and I’m standing in line at the airport, running on fumes after performing just hours earlier. We’ve packed down the show, grabbed our cases, and now we’re heading straight to Mumbai. We land at 8am, go straight to the theatre, and begin setting up for that night’s show. No hotel, no pause - just unpack, rig, test, tweak. At some point in the afternoon, we manage to snatch two hours of sleep; just enough to function for the tech rehearsal. And then we’re on again, performing Moments in Time to a brand-new audience in a completely new country.When I created Moments in Time, I thought I was building a show. In hindsight, I was also building a test: of stamina, of connection, of adaptability. The show’s shorter festival version—1 Moment in Time - debuted at the Edinburgh Fringe, where the buzz, chaos, and energy shaped its identity. But taking the full production overseas and then touring it across the UK taught me something far deeper….how much art depends not just on what you create, but how you carry it through unfamiliar spaces.There’s something thrillingly surreal about walking off a plane and straight into a technical run-through in a venue you’ve never seen. You cling to your routines like a lifeline…check the props, test the lighting, stretch, breathe, go. Then it’s all adrenaline. The audience was warm, generous, and sharp. The show landed beautifully. You get that instant jolt of satisfaction. But as anyone who tours knows, there's always another hurdle on the horizon.Sleep becomes a luxury. Food is whatever you can grab between airports. The mental load of logistics, language, and cultural dynamics mounts quickly. And then the gut punch….my partner’s bag, stolen in a moment. Cash gone. Frustration high. Emotions frayed. And yet, the curtain still comes up. Because it has to.You learn something about yourself in those moments; not as a performer, but as a human being. Can you still give everything, even when you feel like you have nothing left? The answer, I found, is yes. You can. But not because you’re pretending everything’s fine. Because you’re fully present. That’s the magic. That’s what audiences respond to. Not just the tricks or stories; but the effort, the truth, the real-time vulnerability that seeps into the performance when your guard is down and your instincts take over.I used to think you needed to be fully “on” to give a good show. Touring stripped that illusion away. You don’t have to be 100% to connect with an audience. In fact, it’s often when you’re at your rawest….stripped of comfort, familiarity, and sometimes even sleep; that something truly meaningful happens.Back home, the UK tour of Moments in Time brought its own revelations. Every venue had a distinct energy. Some audiences sat quietly, processing each moment, while others audibly responded to the emotion on stage. One night we’d be in an ornate theatre with a full lighting rig, the next in a more intimate community space. Each night demanded something different. But in every town, people found something in the show that resonated with their own lives. And that, to me, is the purpose of performing live….to create moments of shared reflection.I’ve often been asked what the biggest challenge is when taking a show on the road. The logistics are intense, yes. The schedule is relentless. But the emotional toll is equally demanding. You’re constantly adapting; new time zones, new audiences, new rules. You’re homesick, jet lagged, drained. But the moment you walk on stage, something shifts. There’s a strange peace that comes with it. A kind of alignment. Everything falls away, and you remember why you do it.Performing overseas has a unique way of testing your assumptions too. You quickly realise how culturally coded humour and storytelling can be. A line that draws a laugh in Leeds might get silence in Dubai, but then something unexpected lands even harder. These moments make you rethink how you build connection; not through language, but through authenticity, vulnerability, and presence. They push you to become a better, more intuitive performer.It’s not all hardship, of course. Touring is filled with beautiful moments too….striking up late-night conversations with the team, catching sunrises from hotel balconies, sharing stories with strangers who were once your audience and are now part of your journey. There’s immense joy in witnessing your work cross borders and still make sense to someone who grew up on the other side of the world.If you’re a performer thinking about taking your work on the road…..especially internationally; here’s what I’d say: your biggest asset won’t be your tech rider, or even your material. It’ll be your resilience. Your ability to reset, to adapt, to show up at your best when you feel at your worst. And maybe more importantly, your ability to stay open…..to the differences, to the discomfort, to the joy of reaching someone totally new.Moments in Time isn’t the same show I premiered in Edinburgh. It’s grown, stretched, been shaken and reshaped by the places I’ve taken it. And yet at its core, it’s still about what connects us; and how time, no matter where you are in the world, can be bent, shared, and deeply felt.Website:   www.momentsintimelive.com

We asked the international award-winning comic hypnotist Matt Hale for an insight into his show Funbelievable! 90s Rewind, which goes against the standard image of the genre and is filled with what he sees as liberating silliness that will give you an energising laugh – and is designed not to change your life.Let’s be honest: not every show at the Fringe has to solve the world’s problems. Don’t get me wrong – I love a powerful message or a meaningful takeaway as much as the next audience member, but sometimes… sometimes, you just want to laugh so hard your face hurts.Sometimes, you just want to switch off your brain for an hour and surrender to sheer, unfiltered, unapologetic fun.And that’s exactly what I’m bringing to this year’s Edinburgh Fringe with Funbelievable! 90s Rewind, my all-new 90s-themed comedy hypnosis show. It’s a full-throttle nostalgia ride packed with the biggest (and often cheesiest!) bangers of the decade, dodgy fashion throwbacks and the kind of pure silliness that reminds you why the 90s were so damn fun. There’s no political statement. No underlying metaphor. Just people doing bonkers things on stage and an audience loving every ridiculous second of it.I set the tone from the very start. My shows aren’t what people typically expect from a hypnotist – no dark suits, swinging watches, dramatic whispers… and they always come with a 100% Chicken-Free Guarantee! Instead, it feels like a party from the second the lights go up. I usually burst on stage dancing like an idiot, getting the crowd singing, clapping and laughing before a single suggestion has even been made. I’m not afraid to look ridiculous – in fact, I embrace it. And it feels fantastic. I think when the audience sees me gleefully letting go, not giving a damn, they instinctively follow. The energy lifts, the guard comes down, and before you know it, we’re all on the same chaotic, joy-fuelled ride.But here’s the thing: I truly believe that fun – real, no-holds-barred fun – is just as important as any deep and meaningful message. Maybe even more so, because when you give people permission to be silly, you unlock something incredibly powerful. You remind them that joy isn’t just for kids. It’s for all of us.At the end of my show, I often remind the audience: “You don’t need hypnosis to feel this good. You just need to do something silly, something stupid, something fun – and that will make you feel fantastic.” Kids know this instinctively. Watch any child and you’ll see them make up games, pull faces, dance badly on purpose and laugh uncontrollably for no reason. They’re not doing it to impress anyone. They’re doing it because it feels good. Somewhere along the line, we forget that’s still an option.But maybe people are catching on. I’ve absolutely loved seeing the rise of the modern clown at the Fringe. Zach Zucker's ever-growing StampTown is a prime example – on any one night you could see Dylan, Viggo Venn, Natalie Palamides all part of the joyful madness, playing to sold-out big room crowds. Likewise, acts like Garry Starr and Josh Glanc have been racking up the awards and nominations. All absolutely smashing it by embracing chaos, nonsense and play. They’re not afraid to be over-the-top ridiculous – and the result is usually an audience barely holding it together, grateful for a moment of genuine escape from the world outside. These shows are proof that you don’t need a complex narrative or a life lesson to be memorable. Sometimes, the sheer joy of watching someone commit 100 per cent to an utterly stupid idea is the most cathartic thing in the world.We’ve all had a tough few years. The news cycle is exhausting. Life can feel overwhelming. But fun is still here. It’s waiting in the wings with its party hat on, ready to remind you what it’s like to laugh till your cheeks ache.So, this Fringe, don’t be afraid to prioritise joy. Go and see the show that makes no sense. Applaud the performer who’s clearly lost their mind (in the best way). Say yes to the surreal, the bizarre and the downright stupid. Let yourself play. Let yourself laugh. Let yourself be silly. Because fun is not frivolous. It’s freeing. It’s healing. It’s essential. And if all else fails, come and join me for Funbelievable! 90s Rewind. I promise no deeper meaning, no life-changing epiphanies… just 60 minutes of full-throttle, feelgood, 90s-flavoured nonsense.And honestly? That might be exactly what you need.

An increasing number of performers and artists who have had previous successes at the Edinburgh Fringe and other festivals around the world are looking to highlight what they say are gaps in available funding for their shows. This is despite assistance from the Fringe Society through the Keep it Fringe Fund, offering £2,500 to UK-based artists and a parallel fund offering $2,500 to US-based artists.Raynar Rogers is a Welsh-born Theatre Director and Playwright based in Prague. With her international company LIMBO PINS, is bringing a queer, dystopian sci-fi romance, Ants and Other Strong Things, to the third week of the Fringe this year. She was keen to express how she feels they have ‘fallen through the gaps’ when it comes to qualifying for funding. She told Broadway Baby “LIMBO PINS is a collective of international artists that mostly reside in Prague. Ants and Other Strong Things is the project that brought us all together – that and our shared love for meaningful theatre that welds human stories to movements of societal and structural change. We wanted LIMBO PINS to be a community that welcomes all nationalities, and a company that centres intersectional and queer stories, showcases new writing and dabbles in shifting perspectives.“We have faced a lot of funding hurdles so far. As a collective we fail to meet criteria for traditional British funding routes such as the Keep it Fringe Fund, and Brexit prevents the inclusion of UK projects in European funding routes like Culture Moves Europe. Additionally, Czech funding is often limited for international individuals and mixed nationality groups.”Others have weighed in on the subject too – Freddie Haberfellner of No Tits Theatre is the writer/performer of Fckboy – an award-winning show that received critical acclaim at last year’s EdFringe and was performed at Prague Fringe just a few weeks ago, but he says he wasn’t able to secure funding to bring the show back this year. He told Broadway Baby “We were completely self-funded last year and whilst we (just about) managed to sell enough tickets to cover venue costs, and crowdfunded enough to cover some of our travel and accommodation, making no profit for an entire month isn’t really feasible again. Plus, we did all our own flyering which, with a team that is mostly neurodiverse and/or disabled, was a considerable mental and physical strain.”Asked about whether he found last year’s EdFringe run creatively valuable, he said: “I don’t regret doing Edinburgh last year and would have loved to do it again but despite winning two awards and receiving incredibly positive feedback and reviews, we once again did not manage to secure funding, which is why we are taking the show to other places now.”These performers add to a growing discussion about costs and funding a run at EdFringe, a discussion that doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon. Like other companies LIMBO PINS have launched a crowdfunding campaign to try and raise the money needed to bring the show to the Fringe.Jake Mace is an Edinburgh-based producer and Co-Artistic Director of Elastic Fantastic, ‘a multidisciplinary platform for resilient, defiant, and rebellious LGBTQ+ voices’. They and the Company are helping Raynar fund the show. They added: “After seeing Ants at Prague Fringe this year I was under no doubt that this show was providing the most out-there exploration of what’s happening to Queer rights and civil liberties right now in the World. Raynar expressed to me how keen she was to get the show to Edinburgh’s audiences, media, and those all-too-valuable industry contacts at the Fringe who unlock so much for emerging marginalised creatives.“We have been able to help LIMBO PINS by covering their EdFringe registration fee out of our ticket sales from last year’s Fringe production. We are fortunate this year to be in receipt of the Keep it Fringe Fund this year, which has made possible our new show for 2025, Shallowspace Cryotech Feverdream.“But we will still all be changing beds as hostel volunteers to reduce our overheads.“Crowdfunding Link: https://crowdfund.edfringe.com...  Haberfellner  is searching for future venues to host Fckboy.

Oscar Wilde was more than an astonishing wit and gifted writer. Professor of Theatre at Texas Christian University and well-known actor, director and dialect coach in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metroplex, Krista Scott argues that he gave the strong female protagonist to modern Western theatre and literature. Here she talks about his characters, his great friend Lillie Langtry, and how she brings them together in the Edinburgh Fringe production Wilde Women.“I do not approve of anything that tampers with natural ignorance. Ignorance is like a delicate exotic fruit; touch it and the bloom is gone.” – Lady Bracknell, The Importance of Being Earnest.Only Oscar Wilde could make an utterly paradoxical epigram seem absolutely logical coming from the mind of Lady Bracknell, the nonsensical no-nonsense matriarch from The Importance of Being Ernest. But Wilde’s unconventional and fiercely independent ladies such as Salomé, Mrs. Cheverly (An Ideal Husband), and Mrs. Arbuthnot (A Woman of No Importance), changed the direction of Western theatre and literature by introducing self-determining female protagonists who apologise to no one.His wit and insight gave audiences a multitude of memorable characters and quotes such as, Mrs. Cheverly’s quip:“The strength of women comes from the fact that psychology cannot explain us. Men can be analysed, women… merely adored.”Contrasts between the sexes is a common theme is his social comedies: In A Woman of No Importance, Mrs. Allonby argues against the conjecture that wives' frivolity was what made marriages unhappy:“How can a woman be expected to be happy with a man who insists on treating her as if she was a perfectly rational being?... We have always been picturesque protests against the mere existence of common sense. We saw its dangers from the first.”Over the past nine years I have been researching his work, with increasing admiration for its quality and impact. Thanks to Wilde, other celebrated playwrights of the day began creating strong female protagonists who buck conventional domesticity. George Bernard Shaw wrote Mrs. Warren’s Profession soon after seeing the opening performance of Lady Windermere’s Fan, and the similarities in social politics and the nonconformist mother roles are undeniable. Strindberg and Chekhov also followed suit, creating more psychologically complex female characters at the turn of the 20 th century.Something else I realised as I researched Wilde's life was that his impact on the role of women wasn’t restricted to fictional worlds. His relationship with Lillie Langtry, the celebrated Victorian beauty, socialite, and actress, was crucial to her rise to stardom, and she in turn, influenced his poetry and playwriting. He dedicated several poems to her and based the character of Mrs. Erlynne in Lady Windermere’s Fan on Langtry’s own life experience, although Langtry never performed the role. And Langtry’s life and personality were every bit as outsized as Wilde’s characters.So, it seemed only natural to bring them together and create a play celebrating Wilde's women that has her as its performer. And Edinburgh seemed to be a perfect place to premier the play, since as mistress to the future King Edward VII, Langtry was a frequent visitor to the Scottish love-nest he created for them in Balmoral Castle. Langtry's status as a socialite and the Prince's royal position made their relationship a public spectacle and a source of scandal.“The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about.” – O. WildeLangtry had affairs with other men, including the Earl of Shrewsbury and Prince Louis of Battenberg. She bore a daughter out of wedlock which she kept secret from her husband, Edward Langtry. Oscar was one of only five people who knew about the illegitimate child, who grew up believing that Lillie’s deceased brother was her father and knew Langtry as 'Aunt Lillie' until she was grown. Langtry never revealed who the father was, other than it was not the Prince of Wales.“I like men who have a future, and women who have a past.” – O. WildeSo, I had a source of material, a theme, a historically relevant character, but no dramatic context in which they came together. I started to develop the idea that Lillie wanted to do what I was doing: create a piece for herself in which she would portray the juicy women’s roles in Wilde’s plays.Reading about the frequent and extensive theatre touring Langtry did, I set the play in a backstage dressing room. By casting the audience as adoring fans visiting her there after a performance, they become the scene partner she needs to help her select the proper characters for her piece and with whom she can share her stories about Oscar, his work and their friendship. Tension mounts as she awaits a telegram from Oscar agreeing to assist in creating a grand stage come-back and humour surouns the arrival of other unexpected telegrams.Wilde’s flamboyant lifestyle and his own scandalous trial and incarceration for 'gross indecency' are also explored amidst the monologues and scenes in the 50-minute performance.

Joann Condon made her Edinburgh Fringe debut with The Last Laugh in 1991. Now she returns after 34 years with her new show Litle Boxes. We asked her to reflect on issues that women face in theatre and television. Her response provides a daunting insight into the continuing gender and age disparity in showbusiness.It’s a common story; most of us have metaphorically been 'put in boxes' to meet societal expectations based on age, gender, background or personal traits. It’s called social categorisation by psychologists, but for most of us it’s simply being judged. And that judgement has a way of limiting our behaviours, aspirations and ultimately our achievements. This remains especially true for women.From a young age, girls continue to be conditioned to conform to ideals of femininity: be quiet, submissive, and follow the rules. Breaking these gender stereotypes can create negative connotations limiting girls from stepping out or speaking up. The boxes continue through adolescence and into adulthood and social media enhances the stereotypes, with anyone having the power to label a woman as too fat, too skinny, too stupid, too old, too young or just treat them as a sexualised commodity.Media representations reinforce this further, often portraying women in stereotypical roles: the mother, the lover, the damsel in distress, but almost worse than this is the virtual disappearance of women who don’t classically fit the mould. Enter (or leave as the case may be) the 50 to 70-year-old woman.Women of this age don’t fit the gender stereotypes, and are often judged harshly, reflecting societal ageism. I have experienced this first hand. After graduating drama school at age 21 I started building my career in theatre and TV, landing regular roles in hit British comedies and sitcoms such as Little Britain, Harry Hill’s Shark infested Custard, Edge of Heaven and Cradle to Grave. Then, as I entered my late 40s the work started to dry up. It’s a shocking realisation that when you hit middle age, a time-when women feel more comfortable in their skin, and have life experience, the industry doesn’t see you or your work as valuable.And this is not just a feeling. The Geena Davis Institute published a study which showed that male characters aged over 50 out-numbered females: 80% in films and 75% in TV in the US. The number is two to one in British films. Unfortunately, this story is similar for theatre, where fewer plays are written about older women – creating a vicious circle when it comes to available roles. This is despite audiences wanting to see more authentic representations of aging with middle-aged women being under recognised as a valid audience.Of course, it doesn’t have to be this way, but it does take a conscious effort to recognise the 'boxes' and challenge them. It was this realisation that led me to create my solo-show, Little Boxes. I couldn’t just wait around for things to happen. I’ve looked at other opportunities, but I’ve always wanted to do a one-woman show in Edinburgh, so I made the commitment, wrote it down and here we are. It’s not been an easy journey, but it has been fun. I’ve been scoffed at along the way, and that only made me more determined to prove that I’m not over the hill.As a young girl growing up in the East End of London I had my life mapped out for me by others. I was body-shamed and boxed up to be married and (if lucky), a bank clerk. I wanted to act. But people wrote me off – thought the only thing I was fit for was leaving school and spending the rest of my life doing a boring desk job.It wasn’t until I had my own children that I started to realise how limiting other people’s judgements can be. I really started thinking about my boxes when I saw my three-year-old starting to be put in them herself, especially when she said she wanted to be a boy not a girl. This made me look at the boxes I have been put into and I knew I had to break out of those first to make sure she could be as free as possible.In Little Boxes I share my story by rummaging through a lifetime of boxes, all while challenging the audience to reflect on their own boxes and the ones they have created for others – encouraging them to explore them and get out of the ones that are constraining.Breaking free of the boxes requires challenging stereotypes, advocating for representation, and creating narratives that recognise women as full, multifaceted, complex human beings. After all, the best boxes are full of surprises.

Gwen Coburn's "dark feminist" comedy is her calling card. When she began doing her half hour One Sad Girl, a sharp and self-deprecating standup set, it was a hit. What she didn't realise was that her punchlines weren't just edgy; they were a cry for help. The crushing pain and intrusive thoughts she'd been medicating with constant gigging weren't depression, as she'd been told by doctors. They were symptoms of PTSD from a relationship with an improv teacher that had left her questioning her own reality."I was doing show after show," Coburn reflects ahead of her Edinburgh Fringe debut with Sad Girl Songs. "But really, I was using stage time to get brief reprieves from a pain I couldn't understand. Comedy became my armour, but inside that armour I was suffocating."PTSD, particularly from intimate partner abuse involving psychological manipulation, is frequently misdiagnosed as anxiety or depression. "I spent years in therapy talking about my 'sadness'," she says. "No one asked about the nightmares, the hypervigilance, the way I'd freeze up in certain situations."The breakthrough came when her body was insisting on lying down. "I cried in the car on the way to and from every show, I froze up during rehearsals, but I kept pushing and telling myself I needed to suck it up. That was when my body said, 'you know what? Let's be horizontal for a bit,' and suddenly it was a challenge to be upright." She met with a psychiatrist, and after answering her many questions - from her position collapsed on the couch - the doctor immediately said, "This is PTSD".Getting that diagnosis was the turning point. It was devastating, because it meant confronting what had really happened with her improv teacher - the gaslighting, the boundary violations, the misuse of power. But it was also liberating, giving her a framework to understand her own survival mechanisms.In writing Sad Girl Songs, Coburn has crafted something more complex: an exploration of how women are conditioned to blame themselves for their own victimisation."I kept thinking, 'why didn't I recognise my own distress?'" she explains. "Then I started looking at the myths we tell about women like Medusa and Europa. How we teach girls to modify their behaviour rather than expect safety. I thought about all the times I felt uncomfortable or unsafe but the social cues told me that I should be cool about it."As Coburn puts it, "Patriarchy is a tea we've all been steeped in, we have to realise we're all getting burned." It's comedy born from rage, but also from hope - a deliberate choice to transform pain into connection rather than isolation.The toughest part of Coburn's journey has been what came after speaking out. When she reported her experiences, she found herself facing what she calls "functional exile" from parts of the comedy community."I really thought that if I spoke up about the harm that occurred and asked for the help I needed - in my case it was clear structure in place to assure separation between myself and the instructor I was reporting - that would be enough. But creating a safer space is complex and, ultimately, it's less work to simply let things return to status quo, even if that means you lose the people who have reported harm." As she says in the show, comedy is a tough gig for gorgons.Sad Girl Songs is intentional in its focus on healing and community-building. "This show is about finding each other in the darkness," Coburn explains, "because stories like mine are everywhere."The songs, with titles like Thank You For Not Murdering Me, are a way of reclaiming narrative control over experiences that once left her feeling powerless. "I thought a lot about making a show that reaches towards my audience instead of pushing them away. Every joke I tell now is a choice," she says, "not an escape route."Looking ahead to Edinburgh, Coburn hopes her show will spark conversations about creating safer creative spaces and recognising the intricacy of power dynamics. "Maybe someone will see this and realise they're not alone," she reflects. "Or maybe someone will think twice before crossing a line with a student or colleague. Either way, that's progress.”For more about Gwen Coburn see: gwencoburn.com

It started at a party. Experimental playwright Justin Maxwell explains how he was drawn into the inspiring and chaotic life of one of the world’s greatest artists and how this led to the creation of his innovative Edinburgh Fringe show Exhausted Paint: The Death of van Gogh.Years ago, a charismatic dude at a party tried talking me into writing a play about Van Gogh. He was inspiring enough that I bought a copy of the old painter’s letters. Then I read them. Then it was too late. I was inspired, and I began the journey of writing Exhausted Paint: The Death of Van Gogh.If you haven’t read Van Gogh’s letters, you’re missing out. Turns out the painter could write, too. It was powerful to see him explore his own obsession with craft. He talked about the tiniest choices in the craft of his painting. He talked about building individual daubs of paint by swirling colours together, not mixing to make a single colour, but swirling to make a multicoloured, layered glob of pigments that he’d apply to the canvas with a palette knife. That was an artist that knew their craft. When I got through the early drafts of Exhausted Paint, I made sure each line swirled in syntax, like Van Gogh’s daubs swirled in colour. It helps that often I write dialogue with line breaks, a surreptitiously evocative tool that I brough over from my poetry days.Fortunately, as a playwright, it’s my job to inspire. Van Gogh could work alone, wise playwrights should not. As a writer, I am an artist who works in language. In dramatic writing that means a host of other artists will mediate my language onto the stage. As I type this, I can hear Drew Stroud running lines with Penny Cole in the rehearsal studio behind me – they’re at the dynamic place where actors and director are integrating words, motion, the body, and the voice into a singular presentation. I’ve inspired them to work very hard, and I think Van Gogh would be proud of that. I’m perpetually humbled by it.Van Gogh’s love of craft and his desire for control of form produced amazing art. The fact that he couldn’t control his life off the canvas is where the drama comes in. I can control my words on the page, and make them inspire, but the actor and the creative team mediate the words into the world. As artists we can control our art, but not much else. Sometimes it works out well. Sometimes it works out to quiet fulfillment amid much compromise. Sometimes you shoot yourself in a field near Auvers-sur-Oise. Exhausted Paint is about the contrasting control of artist over art and artist over life. Thus, this play is an emotional biography instead of a historical one.Like most writers, I believe form must fit theme. So, when I started writing the show, I needed to think about how I could manifest control, or the lack thereof, on the stage. From that, a wheel. Something spinning, something uncontrollable, something paradoxically associated with both fate and chance. Scenes connected thematically instead of narratologically — a wheel covered in totemic objects. The actor spins the wheel. Each object on the wheel connects to a scene. The object that stops closest to the audience indicates the next scene. Like Van Gogh painting and painting with masterworks piling up in his bedroom, the actor keeps spinning the wheel. No control over the outcomes, just desperately returning to the action—hoping for an outcome out of control. Every night a different show, a different sequence of objects determined through the character’s doggedness and the wheel’s inherent randomness. It works out well … for the audience. Still, his dedication to craft inspires.Just over a year ago, I published a book about playwriting, The Playwright’s Toolbox. It’s an approach to playwriting inspired by Van Gogh’s thinking about painting. I wanted to offer writers a dynamic, diverse series of exercises to help an individual author strengthen their craft. So, I got over 50 playwrights to contribute skill building exercises. Writers can come to the book to gain the skills they need to make the art they want to see in the world, to make their art, their way, on their terms. Vinnie wouldn’t have settled for anything less.So, I wrote a play about Van Gogh. Come and see.Justin Maxwell's Book:The Playwright's Toolbox: Exercises from 56 Contemporary Dramatists on Designing, Building, and Refurbishing Your Plays

After more than 25 years immersed in the Edinburgh Festival Fringe - as a producer, publisher, and perennial audience member - I can confidently say that it's an addictive, intoxicating experience. For newcomers, however, it’s also daunting. The Fringe plays by its own rules, and the learning curve can be steep. Whether you're headed to Edinburgh, Brighton, or any of the other major arts festivals, the insights below are designed to help you not only survive but thrive. Know Why You're Going Before anything else, clarify your objectives. Are you launching a new piece of writing, promoting a performer or production company, or simply looking for the thrill of participation? The Fringe is the performing arts equivalent of a trade show. Your "exhibit" is your show, and the ticket sales help cover the cost of putting it on. Just like a trade show, your success will be measured not only by ticket sales but also by what you leave with - industry contacts, reviews, partnerships. Write down your goals and ensure you take steps to achieve them - one essential tip is to make an appointment with the Festival’s Arts Industry Office before you start your run. Go over your goals with them; they know who’s in town and who you should target. Budget With Reality in Mind It’s astonishing how many participants underestimate the cost of promoting their show. Marketing isn’t just flyers and posters - it includes PR, digital promotion, photography, and sometimes advertising. Many rely on their venue’s co-op marketing and assume it will do the job. It won’t. A great show with no marketing will likely go unnoticed until it’s too late. Your marketing budget doesn’t have to break the bank, but it should be planned, intentional, and aligned with your goals. PR: Your Secret Weapon Public relations can be a game-changer - if handled well. Hiring a reputable PR specialist with fringe experience can make a significant difference, especially if they have contacts in relevant publications. However, if you’re handling PR yourself, be prepared to work. Crafting a strong press release is a skill in itself. Avoid overhyped language - journalists can smell desperation a mile away. Press Releases: Craft With Care The humble press release is your first impression - make it count. Write in a format that allows editors to copy and paste easily. Begin with a clear summary, followed by increasingly detailed paragraphs. Send your release as plain text in the email body; avoid bulky attachments and fancy formatting. Press releases aren’t one-size-fits-all: differentiate between news, listings, review invites, and diary pieces. Always provide something of substance - “We’re doing a show” isn’t news. Know Your Targets You won’t reach everyone, so identify the publications and platforms that matter most for your show. Local and fringe-specific outlets (like Broadway Baby or The Wee Review) are quicker to press and often more accessible than national media. Focus on the ones whose coverage will help sell tickets. Also, be realistic: reviewers can only see so much. Early buzz and standout visuals help get your show on their radar. Invest in quality photography - grainy rehearsal snaps won’t cut it. Engage Early and Often Don’t wait until the festival starts to promote. Build interest ahead of time through social media and pre-festival content. Follow and interact with key publications and reviewers. Use Instagram, TikTok, etc wisely - tailor your content for each platform, and avoid spamming. Create a Facebook Event and encourage your team to share it. Use hashtags on flyers to encourage audience engagement. A strategic social presence can make your show feel like an unmissable event. Advertising: Spend Smart Advertising in the Fringe Programme is often worth the cost, but consider other channels where your audience is most likely to be. Support fringe press through ad spend - they’re the ones providing real coverage. Budget around 10% of your average ticket price per seat for marketing. Digital ads on Facebook or Google allow precise targeting and can be cost-effective. Be prepared with standard ad formats so you can jump on last-minute deals. And steer clear of glossy “fringe” mags that offer little more than expensive advertorials. Capitalise on Good Reviews When the stars come in, shout about it. Be ready to update flyers and banners quickly. Better still, plan ahead by leaving space on your flyer design for review quotes. Local and online printers can turn around new flyers in 24 hours, which is far less painful than hand-stapling paper scraps onto thousands of flyers. Promote your glowing reviews with targeted online ads and social posts. One £36 Broadway Baby ad blast might bring you more ticket sales than a day flyering on the Mile. Develop a Consistent Brand Branding isn't just for big companies - it’s essential at the Fringe. With thousands of shows jostling for attention, a distinctive, consistent image can make all the difference. Whether someone sees your poster, your Instagram Reel, or a printed flyer, they should instantly recognise the tone and aesthetic of the production. Test your design with others before finalising it. Simplicity, clarity, and visual impact are key. Once your visual identity is set, expand it to merchandise: T-shirts, beer mats, tote bags, badges - whatever makes your show stand out. Get Social Social media deserves its own attention. Platforms like Instagram and TikTok can be incredibly powerful if used well. Don’t just post posters - offer behind-the-scenes footage, rehearsal moments, meet-the-cast videos, or funny snippets that reflect the mood of the show. Create conversation, not just promotion. Use hashtags, geotags, and calls to action to amplify your reach. And make it easy for your audience to do the same - encourage them to post, tag, and review. Showcase Your Talent Consider previewing your work with a promotional video or teaser. Live tasters at High Street showcases or in-venue bars can also be effective, especially for musical or comedic material. Dramatic excerpts often suffer when pulled out of context, so consider whether your show lends itself to a short, punchy scene. If you’re in a larger venue, ask about performing at their “best of” shows or bar spots. Flyering & Papering With Purpose Flyering on the Royal Mile is iconic, but not always effective; far better to flyer outside your venue in the hour before your show goes up. Target your audience. If your show appeals to a specific demographic - LGBTQ+, parents, sci-fi fans - find them where they are. Visit themed bars, clubs, and businesses, and get posters in strategic spots (a pub toilet wall often works better than you’d think). Papering shows (giving out free tickets) can help fill early performances, which in turn builds buzz. But do it smartly - invite locals or visitors who’ll be around long enough to pass word of mouth, not just random passers-by. Final Thoughts In the end, promoting a fringe show is about building bridges - between you and your audience, between your work and the press, between your ambitions and the reality of the festival world. Done right, promotion isn’t a burden - it’s an extension of your creativity, your voice, and your belief in what you’ve made. And when it works, it’s magic.

In an era where arts journalism is shrinking, the role of public relations agents in shaping narratives has never been more crucial. For production companies seeking media coverage, choosing the right PR agent can be the difference between a story that resonates and one that goes unnoticed.The decline in arts journalism has been stark over the past two decades. Newsrooms have downsized, arts desks have been merged or eliminated and many experienced critics have left the industry altogether. As a result, press releases that require significant reworking are far less likely to get picked up by time-strapped journalists. In this landscape, PR agents who can craft media-ready content have a distinct advantage.But how can production companies identify PR agents who are equipped to navigate these challenges?Look for Evidence of Editorial Experience Journalists are less likely to rework press releases today than they were twenty years ago. A good PR agent understands how to write in a way that aligns with journalistic standards. Look for agents with a background in journalism or those who can demonstrate a track record of placing stories that are ready to publish.Assess Their Understanding of Digital Platforms Digital content needs to be structured differently from traditional print. A strong PR agent will know how to format listings information so it can be easily adapted for online publication. This includes concise, SEO-friendly headlines, compelling subheads and clear calls to action that can be lifted directly into online event calendars or feature sections.Ask About Their Media Network As traditional arts journalism declines, freelancers and niche arts platforms have become more influential. The right PR agent will have connections not just with mainstream editors but with independent writers, bloggers and emerging digital platforms that still value in-depth arts coverage.Evaluate Their Ability to Provide Ready-to-Publish Content In a world where arts journalists are overstretched, press releases need to be almost story-ready. Ask potential PR agents for examples of press releases that have been picked up with minimal editing. Look for agents who can provide quotes, high-quality images and suggested headlines as part of their standard service.Consider Their Approach to Data and Trend-Based Stories Production companies that can link their work to wider cultural trends are more likely to get coverage. PR agents who can incorporate data-driven insights or connect your production to a timely cultural narrative will be better positioned to secure media interest.Request Testimonials and Case Studies Look for PR agents who can provide specific examples of past campaigns that have resulted in substantial media coverage. Ideally, these examples should include arts-focused publications or high-profile digital platforms.As the landscape of arts journalism continues to evolve, the expectations placed on PR agents are changing too. Production companies need to choose agents who can not only craft compelling narratives but who also understand how to position those narratives in a media environment where time and space are increasingly scarce.

Theatre, we’re often told, is for everyone. Unless, of course, you happen to want a decent view of Hamilton on Broadway, then theatre is for everyone with $400 to spare and a suspiciously high tolerance for buyer’s remorse.Yes, it’s time we address the slightly awkward truth that Broadway ticket prices have soared so high they now require supplemental oxygen. Meanwhile, the West End, though not immune to inflation’s icy grip, still offers prices that allow audiences to enjoy a glass of prosecco and the show, without having to remortgage their flat.Let’s start with some numbers. The average Broadway ticket now hovers around $130 (£105), but for major shows like Merrily We Roll Along or The Lion King, premium seats easily sail north of $300 (£240); and that’s before Ticketmaster sneaks in "convenience fees" that feel anything but convenient. Want orchestra seats for Sweeney Todd? That’ll be $500, please. And no, the murder of a few pies is not included.Across the Atlantic, the West End is, comparatively, a socialist utopia. Average ticket prices sit closer to £55–65 ($68–80), and even the biggest blockbusters (hello, Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club) rarely top £150 ($187) for a prime spot. Many theatres still offer £25–30 rush tickets and last-minute lotteries where, incredibly, the “cheap seats” do not require binoculars or a Sherpa guide.Of course, London has its quirks: there are "restricted view" seats so precarious you half expect to be issued a hard hat, and no one in history has ever correctly predicted which West End box office website will crash during a ticket release. But by and large, it’s possible to see world-class productions without selling your worldly possessions to the highest bidder.So, why the chasm? The answer, like most things in life, is money (and ego). Broadway musicals cost astronomical sums to produce: upwards of $15–20 million, often more. New York’s unionized crews, higher insurance, celebrity-driven casts, and real estate madness mean producers jack up prices because they have to. (Also, because they can. And because they know Barbara from New Jersey will pay $1,200 to see Hugh Jackman tap dance.)The West End, in contrast, benefits from lower production costs, shorter rehearsal periods, and a government that - gasp! - occasionally subsidises the arts. It's a system that recognises theatre as culture, not just commerce. London’s intimate, sometimes rickety theatres may lack the razzle-dazzle of a glittering Broadway house, but they make up for it with history, heart, and a stubborn commitment to accessibility.That said, the West End isn’t immune to creeping “Broadway-itis.” Premium ticketing is becoming more common; “dynamic pricing” (translation: if you want to see it, pay more) is quietly sneaking in. If we're not careful, we'll all soon need a small inheritance just to catch the latest jukebox musical.Until then, dear reader, my advice is simple: if you’re seeking great theatre without financial ruin, staycation in London; grab a day seat, and spend the money you saved on a G&T at the interval. Your wallet, and your soul, will thank you.

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe, today the globe’s largest arts festival, began not with fanfare; but with a snub. In 1947, eight theatre companies, pointedly not invited to the newly minted Edinburgh International Festival, decided to show up anyway, armed with nothing but determination, battered props, and the kind of chip on the shoulder that you could serve with vinegar. They performed on the fringe of the official festivities, sowing the seeds of an institution built entirely on nerve, grit, and a healthy disrespect for authority.There was no selection committee, no press office, no branding strategy. Just a handful of artists, a few dusty halls, and a collective middle finger aimed squarely at the cultural establishment. No permission? No problem. The spirit of the Fringe was born: if you’ve got the guts (and preferably a flyer), you’re in.Throughout the '50s and '60s, the Fringe was pure anarchy with a budget smaller than a ham sandwich. Performers scrambled for audiences, cobbling together shows in church basements, pubs, and anywhere else with a floor and a fire exit. Marketing consisted mainly of physically thrusting a leaflet into your hand and pleading with their eyes.By the 1970s, the Fringe had gone from lovable upstart to sprawling behemoth. Professional companies began to rub shoulders with clowns, comedians, and interpretive dancers hurling themselves across the Meadows. It became a chaotic, sweaty proving ground where reputations were made, and more often, crushed. If you could survive Edinburgh, you could survive anything.The '80s turbocharged it further. Stand-up comedy, once a sideshow, exploded, with future household names like Stephen Fry and Emma Thompson hoofing it through grimy makeshift venues. Meanwhile, fringe theatre grew bolder, weirder, and occasionally so abstract it left audiences wondering if they'd actually just been mugged by a man in a papier-mâché owl costume. Ah, art!Around the turn of the millennium, thanks to the miracle (or menace, depending on your point of view) of the internet, suddenly anyone could review a show. Theatre blogs popped up like mushrooms after rain. Student websites started dispensing stars like confetti at a particularly enthusiastic wedding. Forums, chatrooms, early online magazines all birthed a new breed: the amateur critic. You didn’t need a column at The Scotsman anymore; all you needed was a dial-up connection, a basic grasp of grammar, and an opinion; preferably a loud one.The Fringe, already the wild west of the arts world, became even wilder. Shows that mainstream critics ignored could now build a grassroots buzz. A one-man Hamlet in a broom cupboard might get an effusive review from "theatre_fan_2003" on a blog and sell out for the rest of the run. Some performers, initially suspicious, quickly realised that these plucky citizen reviewers were often quicker, kinder, and frankly easier to impress than the stone-faced establishment.By 2005, "citizen media" was no longer a sideshow; it was a force. Review sites like Broadway Baby and ThreeWeeks rose up alongside traditional giants, and the holy terror of a show being reviewed before the mainstream papers even deigned to send a critic became very, very real. Suddenly your opening night wasn’t just a warm-up; it was your make-or-break.Of course, not everyone was thrilled. Established critics huffed into their whisky glasses about "lowering standards." Some performers worried about the inconsistent quality of citizen reviews; one minute you were a "revelation", the next you were "an incomprehensible noise show with sad hats." And it’s fair to say not all early online reviewers were, shall we say, seasoned. A few barely seemed to have seen the show, and others seemed to review entirely based on the comfort of the seating.Yet for all its messiness, citizen media blew the doors open. The Fringe became less about winning the approval of a handful of gatekeepers and more about finding your audience wherever you could. Word of mouth, once literal, became digital. It levelled the playing field, at least a bit, in a festival where big companies with big PR teams had often dominated.Today, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe is less rebellious teen, more unruly megastar; 3,500 shows, 300 venues, and enough flyers to deforest a small country. It’s an ocean of ambition, genius, madness, and mild amateurism, all sloshing together down the Royal Mile. And though the heart remains scrappy, the stakes (and costs) have skyrocketed.Performers now need the stamina of an Olympian, the finances of a minor oligarch, and the mental fortitude of a hostage negotiator. One-man shows, immersive theatre in public toilets, stand-up performed while dangling upside down; it’s all there, proudly defying taste and common sense in equal measure.Success at the Fringe can launch careers; think Fleabag, The League of Gentlemen, Flight of the Conchords, but for every star born, a dozen hopefuls go home clutching bruised egos and maxed-out credit cards. It’s a gladiatorial arena of creativity, with added bagpipes.The Edinburgh Festival Fringe thrives because it refuses to be tamed. It’s messy, magnificent, exhausting; and utterly indispensable. A celebration of art in its rawest form, where anyone with enough nerve (and enough loose change for a venue deposit) can take a swing at greatness.It’s not just a festival. It’s a living, sprawling, caffeinated rebellion; and thank heavens it never asked for permission.

Mark Ravenhill took the country by storm 30 years ago with his play Shopping and Fucking. Now he’s gone back over four hundred years and drawn inspiration from the Zanni, Innamorati and Vecchi of Commedia dell'Arte in a bold and bawdy venture at Wilton’s Music Hall that sees ten new full-length plays performed as rehearsed readings over two days.He directs a cast of some 80 actors in plays rooted in scenarios from a 1611 publication by the Italian actor and manager Flaminio Scala; pieces he found to have such a "generosity of spirit and comic energy" that he was inspired to create an epic cycle of modern comedies based around them. “They are sexually frank,” he says "with the women given as much agency as the men. They are socially acute, depicting the newly rich mixing with the urban poor and new migrants from the countryside. They are grounded in money, sex and the body." It’s a project about which he feels passionately enthusiastic and one that is clearly in line with his scandalous first play.He has not aimed for a historical reconstruction of the originals, but rather “to write plays that allow contemporary audiences to laugh and to celebrate our shared humanity”. To this end, written over the past year, roughly at the rate of one a month, the 90-minute storylines depict a world "in which we are all fools and we all need to find a way to get along". How contemporary is that?Rather than becoming a recluse, locked away until the task was completed, he organised actors’ workshops in a collaborative project with Charlie MacGechan’s production company Run at It Shouting, named after the advice Paul McGann’s character is given when faced with a 'randy' bull in the film Withnail and I. Ravenhill latched onto the title and has collectively named his tales Run at It Laughing.In the tradition of the genre, Scala’s extant material has no written scenes or dialogues; simply a four-page outline for each of the plays. Ravenhill explains that the plays had been improvised, using the scenarios, in the 1570s and 1580s by an Italian troupe (Compagnia dei Gelosi, Company of Jealous Ones). These were the first fully professional actors in Europe and the first to include women as equal members of the company. One of these female actors, Isabella Andreini, became the most famous performer of her day." She was also a notable poet and playwright. "But, being improvised,” he continues, “the influence of these plays has mostly been forgotten….(but)can be seen in works by Shakespeare, Lope de Vega and Molière."The marathon event commences at noon on 9th May with successive plays at 2, 4, 6 and 8 pm. That pattern will be repeated the following day. Tickets are available for individual plays, but there are deals for seeing more and a special £40 ‘weekend pass’ for rising to the challenge of seeing all ten. Ravenhill explains, "Each of the plays puts the same characters in different situations. There’s a cumulative pleasure in seeing several … As you get to know the characters, there’s an extra level of comedy and recognition. Much as there is with contemporary sitcom."Profits from the event will be donated to the Nia Project, which runs services for women and girls who have been subjected to sexual and domestic violence and abuse.

If you’re on the hunt for theatre that feels fresh, affordable, and genuinely exciting, it’s time to swap the Royal Mile for the charming cobbled streets of Prague.Now in its 24th year, the Prague Fringe Festival has quietly built a reputation as the ultimate destination where grassroots artists thrive and international audiences uncover hidden gems. Every May, nestled in the picturesque baroque quarter of Malá Strana, this festival showcases a carefully curated programme of new writing, comedy, physical theatre, theatre, music and spoken word — all performed in intimate, characterful venues that give each show a personal touch.And if you miss the days when the Edinburgh Fringe had a more scrappy, welcoming vibe, Prague Fringe might be just the fix you’re looking for.This year’s line-up promises something special for theatre lovers. Before It Overtakes Us by Mark Watson, a familiar face from Edinburgh and the BBC, will test out new material, blending his trademark quick wit with reflections on life’s big questions. Meanwhile, Marc Burrows’ The Magic of Terry Pratchett, is a tribute to one of Britain’s most beloved fantasy authors, celebrating the 40th anniversary of Discworld.New voices are also taking centre stage. Fckboy, a darkly humorous exploration of toxic masculinity by No Tits Theatre, is an exploration of gender dysphoria, bodily autonomy, and celebrity crushes from a trans perspective. Hide My Porn by Minty Spectre is a light-hearted reflection on a young man’s battle with cancer and the characters he met during his fight for recovery.Comedy lovers are spoiled for choice, with rising star Kuan-Wen Huang offering a cross-cultural perspective on relationships and identity in Andrews Are the Worst. Meanwhile, Bombay Comedy Nights brings Indian poet and stand-up Simar Singh to Europe, alongside a rotating line-up of fringe and local acts in a 90-minute comedy compilation show.For something more physical, Gobstopper from Skelf Theatre Co, winners of the Prague Fringe Audience Award and Inspiration Award in 2023, returns to Prague Fringe with brand new a dark comedy. Deeptime Atomic Waste Pleasure Party by Elastic Fantastic follows on from Edinburgh and Dundee Fringe success painting a wild, radioactive future with their trippy, queer exploration of the nuclear waste message. Café de Profundis by Ofelia Grey offers a colourful storm of emotions and memories in this surreal, unreal show.Storytelling is a major strength this year, with Tales from a Country Pub by Christopher Sainton-Clark offering nostalgic British yarns and a good dose of humour. Not content with just one production, Christopher is also the writer/performer in The Night That Ali Died, a brand new show that recounts the brutal domino effect that takes place on the streets of Norwich. Once Upon a Time in Ukraine by artists from the Kyiv-based ProEnglish Theatre of Ukraine uses movement and storytelling to share powerful, real-life tales from war-torn Europe.Literary theatre lovers will enjoy Shylock, a bold reimagining of Shakespeare’s most controversial character, which was the first play to open the very first Prague Fringe 25 years ago. Meanwhile, The Red Shoes by Irish artist Dannie Cullen explores the classic fairy tale using a mixture of theatre and circus. Fans of new writing should check out Blasé by Officine Gorilla/Teatro dell Juta, a sharp take on modern apathy, and Anna’s Apartment by Wandering Stories (presented by Sinéad O’Brien and Liam McCarthy), which delves into mistaken identity in this psychological thriller.One of the true joys of the Prague Fringe is how easy it is to make a full day or week out of the festival. Flights from the UK are frequent and affordable, accommodation is plentiful and reasonably priced, and in between shows, you can wander Prague’s historic streets, sip coffee by the Vltava River, or explore one of Europe’s most stunning cities.The Prague Fringe has a reputation of supporting performers, offering grassroots artists a platform without the hefty costs or intense marketing race. The result is a programme full of bold, heartfelt performances and real discoveries.Prague Fringe 2025 runs from 26 - 31 May — for anyone craving theatre that’s personal, surprising, and joyful, this may be the festival you’ve been waiting for.

It’s officially December (apparently – has anyone really been keep track since March?) The recent news that Brighton and Hove has now exited Lockdown 2 and entered into Tier 2 has given a green light to socially distanced live performances in the city. So, wrap up warm and venture out to enjoy some of these festive treats whilst you still can.Unfestive, but unfortunately necessary reminder: Be sure to check in with each individual venue for their Covid-19 requirements, and be aware that shows may be affected by any change in government policy. Phew, now on to the fun.2020 has been a year for all kind of new and strange experiences, although can watching Netflix in your pants be considered new and strange? With outdoor venues seeing increased interest, Brighton’s very own Brighton Open Air Theatre (BOAT) is taking advantage by staging their very first Christmas season. After having to start their summer season late, they extended into the autumn with Halloween shows timed to coincide with the delayed Brighton Fringe and are now foraying for the first time into winter.Socially distant and outdoors sounds as Covid-safe as can be, although audiences are strongly recommended to wrap up warm and dress for all weathers (there’s a reason why they usually only open during the summer). BOAT's staging of The Snow Queen has already sold out, so you’d better hurry if you’d like to book tickets for Hansel and Gretel? A Postmodern Pantomime. Putting a modern twist on the traditional panto, you can expect musical numbers from Cardi B to Kate Bush and even a rapping dragon. The recommended age is anyone 8+ and BOAT also promise to transform their (already very beautiful) venue into a festive paradise with cosy fire pits and Christmas trees to get you into the seasonal spirit.If you’re the old-fashioned type who prefers Christmas pudding over a Chocolate Bombe this time of year, then Ropetackle Arts Centre’s Oh Yes It Is – A Family Christmas Adventure might be just the traditional fare you’re hankering after. The cast might have been scaled back, but this whirlwind tour of panto-land looks to be filled with fun.Another show that’s bound to delight children is The Littlest Christmas Elf. This story of Pip, an elf who needs help whilst working in Santa’s workshop, will be brought to life through puppetry and interactive drama.If you’re looking for a seasonal showstopper, then A Christmas Carol is certain to be the pick for you. This popular show makes its return to The Spire, an incredibly atmospheric (and notoriously airy) former church on the edge of Kemptown. Previous shows (including Frankenstein and Dracula) have been blockbuster successes and, with the terrifically talented Gary Sefton once again at the helm, A Christmas Carol is a sure fire bet. However, book quickly as, even with two shows daily, their limited capacity and towering reputation mean tickets are selling like hot cakes.You wait all year and then suddenly two versions of A Christmas Carol come along at once! Brighton Dome is also presenting their take on perhaps the most beloved Christmas tale of all time. Narrated by star of stage and screen Harriet Walter (recently seen as Dasha in Killing Eve), this musically inspired version will be accompanied by BPO Brass Quintet and features arrangements of classic carols such as I Saw Three Ships Come Sailing In and Coventry Carol. It’s a predictable as turkey for Christmas dinner: year after year, in households up and down the country, there’s a seasonal standoff over the remote. One person wants to watch Elf, another wants to watch Miracle on 34th Street and someone else keeps on insisting Die Hard is a Christmas film. Many of us can be surprisingly passionate when it comes to picking our favourite Christmas films, and the same is true for comedian and film fanatic Aidan Goatley, who presents Twelve Films of Christmas at Sweet Venues. After receiving five stars Broadway Baby for a previous show, 10 Films With My Dad, this jovial run through Goatley’s top 12 Christmas films will be a winner for any movie buffs out there.For those of you on the naughty list this year, there’s Imaginary Porno Charades: Christmas Special. Bringing an hour of rude and adult panel show mayhem to Sweet Venues, it might not be the high brow choice, but if you’re up for potentially ruining treasured memories of playing charades with your nan this could be up your street.And finally, if you’re uninterested in the usual festive programming then Landmines at The Lantern Theatre offers something completely different. Containing very strong language, references to drug use, sexual activity and violence, Landmines is the story of Vida, a woman who embarks on a mission to confront fascism and bigotry after a politician is murdered in her hometown.After one of the hardest years for the arts, it’s a testament to the resilience of an industry bound by the motto “the show must go on” to see so many performances programmed again this Christmas.

Within a few short weeks, our world turned upside down. You know the story by now: the coronavirus Covid-19 has spread across the world, leaving governments little choice but to lock down: all businesses deemed non-essential have been closed. Including our theatres.The government advice has meant that Brighton Fringe has postponed from their usual May to the autumn, but the Brighton Festival has cancelled entirely. The Edinburgh Festivals, including Edinburgh Fringe, have since followed suit, cancelling their 2020 events. Theatres up and down the country have closed their doors, leaving only their ghost lights behind. For some of us this news has made our evenings much quieter, for others it has meant the loss of their livelihoods. Those who have chosen a career in the theatre are often used to instability; they’ve chosen to follow their passion rather than an easy life. However, being faced with a pandemic is a whole new challenge.And yet, somehow, the show does go on.It might not surprise you that the same group of people who can pull a Fringe show together in a couple of months or can make you believe that a puppet is a living, breathing character have enough creativity to make the most of what we have.Plenty of companies have been putting free (with an optional donation) recordings of their shows online for you to enjoy at home. The National Theatre have started #NationalTheatreAtHome with audience delighting over streams of One Man, Two Guvnors and Jane Eyre, originally filmed for their popular National Theatre Live programme. Treasure Island and Twelfth Night are up later this month.It’s not just the big guns offering their performances online for free: plenty of smaller companies have done the same, such as Midlands-based Clown Funeral or Bath based Egg Theatre. We've even collected a few of the best live streams out there ready for you to peruse.Twitter is a good place to discover collectives such as the Coronavirus Theatre Club, which streams five live monologues back to back every Sunday from 7pm, and Online Fringe Festival. Whilst not exactly the same as a night out in the Spiegeltent, a highlight of many people’s Brighton Fringe, Online Fringe Festival present a full programme of previously filmed Fringe performances. To keep it fresh, shows are only programmed for a few days, so you need to act quickly to catch your favourites.With plenty picking up on the trending topics and online chatter, perhaps theatre makers will even gain new devotees. Those who usually cower away from buying a ticket at a Fringe box office might be lured in by the promise of a free stream. There’s no commitment – even a show isn’t for you, you can simply close the tab instead of rudely trample all over the toes of row three.Once this is all over, will we see more companies investing in a professional quality recording of their performances? As ever in the arts, it often comes down to funding. Sarah Brigham, Artistic Director and CEO of Derby Theatre, asked on Twitter:“Discuss: after all this is over, how do we support ALL organisations to have this quality of digital archive of their shows? Lockdown will happen again- I’d like to see smaller work, regional work, new work all at same quality as @NationalTheatre”For those who miss the frisson of live performance that a recording simply cannot offer, live events held over video conferencing platforms, such as Zoom, have become the norm. Performer and occasional Broadway Baby reviewer Annabelszki has set up a live stream cabaret show, Pick n Mix, giving audiences an eclectic mix of music, spoken word and drag. In exchange for a £5 ticket, six hot acts will perform from their homes to yours, with all the excitement and chaos of a live show promised, without the pricey drinks at the bar.Popular comedy venue Komedia have also embraced the live stream, reviving their Krater Comedy Club on YouTube every Friday at 8pm. The event runs as ‘pay what you can’, with all donations used to support Komedia and the comedians involved during this difficult time.Which brings us to the venues. Whilst we’ve all become very accustomed to our own sofas by now, chairs which should have been filled with happy patrons sit empty in venues around the world. As many rely heavily on ticket sales for financial support, this closure could be devastating.So what can we, as theatre loving people, do? Mark Gordon, Marketing Manager at Hove’s The Old Market gave us this advice: “The first is to donate, as most venues in our position basically rely on ticket income, so not having that is our biggest problem. If people have already booked tickets for a cancelled or postponed event, if they can consider gifting the price of their ticket(s) as a donation, that would be huge. Any amount though, big or small, is hugely appreciated.”If you can afford the price of a ticket or a pint that you might have bought anyway, then consider donating it to your favourite venue so, once this is over, they can reopen their doors and continue to provide the high quality performances you’ve come to love. Seek out your favourite performers – they may well have a Patreon or a Ko-fi you can support them on. But times are tough for many – if you’re watching your pennies, is there anything else you can do to help?“The second thing is to keep awareness alive. Just talking about the venues on social media, with others, anywhere really, keeps them in everyone's minds. If the worst happens, then at least we will have the buzz to generate further awareness”Tweets, online reviews, Instagram posts: they’re all free, but can create tangible benefits for theatres and artists that need to feel the love right now.So please, wash your hands and stay indoors to protect our NHS and each other. Stay safe, enjoy good theatre and show support to those who need it most.

In the current climate you’d be forgiven if you’re craving an escape. Where once we might have gone to the theatre and sing along to a feel good musical or release our tears whilst watching an intense kitchen sink drama, increasingly we’re finding escape in new mediums too. Gaming, social media and virtual reality (VR) are absorbing our time like never before, introducing us to new worlds and captivating stories that were previously only the stronghold of theatre and cinema.In 2014 The Old Market’s #TOMtech season blasted into Brighton, exclusively showcasing performances shaped by technology. This year, returning to #TOMtech is Fatherland, a piece first devised during a #TOMtech Lab, where motion capture technology is combined with audience participation in a mixed-reality theatre to create a haunting reflection on dementia. In a world of fake news and deepfakes, technology has often given us cause to doubt reality, a fact exploited by the The Justice Syndicate, which places you as a juror needing to cast a critical eye over uncertain evidence. The season even showcases technology’s influence on one of the oldest art forms: dance. A new collaboration between record-breaking dance artist Tim Casson and BAFTA award-winning digital artist Seb Lee-Delisle, Choreocracy brought democracy to choreography, allowing the audience members to vote on what the performers do next, just as outside in real life fears about the stability of political democracy grow. #TOMtech also brought back their popular vrLAB, with around a dozen unique VR experiences to explore. Whenever you’re experiencing VR you’re the star of the show. If you’ve ever been too scared to try diving, one station allowed you charm ultra-realistic fish to swim towards you. Another cast you as a vengeful robot in a shoot ‘em up with auto generated mazes and rooms. If the gaming style VR experiences offered escapism, the Cinema360 section brought you straight back to reality with documentaries in the round, including Roger Ross Williams’ Emmy nominated Traveling While Black. More than just a novelty addition, the VR places you in the shoes of the speaker for a time, creating added empathy through experiential insight.Whether VR and motion capture is ‘your thing’ or not, you can ignore it at your peril. As the hardware gets cheaper and lighter, it’s bound to be integrated into more performances, transforming physical props and live cast members into something other worldly. Live performance is sure to always have its place (who would have guessed we’d still be watching Shakespeare at the Globe over 400 years later?) as it has always weathered its way as an art form alongside the introduction cinema, television and gaming. However, live performance as we know it will undoubtedly be changed by the technological revolution we’re currently hurtling through. Instead of NTLive beaming out to cinema screens, perhaps we’ll be streaming the latest West End blockbuster through our household VR device. Or perhaps we’ll be heading down to our local venues to explore a new mixed-reality set. Whatever the future holds, #TOMtech proves that technology and live performance is not a case of video killed the radio star.

Unlike its sister crawl, Old Town North, Old Town South traverses more of the South Side’s bars that lie adjacent to many Fringe venues. Accordingly, you should come with the expectation that many of these might be inaccessible due to conflicting shows or simply being overcrowded. As the crawl ends in a large bar/club (Stramash), it is recommended you begin late afternoon or early evening to set you up for an aftermath of clubbing and late bars. A few things to point out before we begin The starting point can be reached from Princes Street walking up the Mound and down George IV Bridge, or from crossing North Bridge and walking along South Bridge and turning right along Chambers Street. Alternatively, you can get the 300 bus from Leith. Please drink responsibly – we want you to enjoy yourself and so do the bar staff! If you need to miss a bar for the sake of time or inebriation then don’t feel you have to tick it off the list. The minimum time required not including food stops would be roughly three hours, so we recommend you begin in the early afternoon. The direction of this crawl takes you to the Cowgate where more places have a 3am or 5am license. 1. Sandy Bell's We begin our tour of the south side of the Old Town with one of Edinburgh’s best loved folk bars. Sandy Bell's caters to a variety of musicians in its diverse display of fiddlers, guitarists, double-bassists and singers, making for a jaunty and fresh start. Whisky abounds here, where Sandy Bell's prides itself on its wide range of Scotches, though it’s recommended you leave the drams towards the end of the route. If you are lucky you may even spot the beloved local dog Kilo. 2. McSorley’s The venue upon which McSorley’s stands has changed hands several times over the last couple of years, yet no matter the proprietor it has remained an Irish bar. Indeed, McSorley’s is the quintessential Irish bar, serving more than just Guinness: Irish whiskies and Irish ales are at your beck and whim. What makes McSorley’s a unique experience, however, is simply how vast and accommodating it is, where its large, two-storey interior – ideal for big groups – regularly hosts live music and ceilidhs. 3. Doctors Barely a stone’s throw away from The Sandy Bells and McSorley’s, Doctors resides on the corner junction of Teviot Place and Forrest Road. This pub, the building’s origins dating back to 1874, takes its name from the neighbouring University of Edinburgh’s medical school and the nearby old Royal Infirmary. Once a coffin maker, Doctors now peddles in local ales and pub food. 4. Paradise Palms Turn left down Teviot Place, cross the road and you’ll hit Paradise Palms, a post-modern treasure trove that offers excellent cocktails accompanied with pretty views of Bristo Square and The McEwan Hall. Though pricier than its predecessors, Paradise Palms’ spirits and cocktails are a fine pallet cleanser to the real ales found in the traditional pubs previously visited. Veggies and vegans will rejoice in the knowledge that it caters exclusively to non-carnivores. 5. Captains Bar (optional) Captains Bar is well known for its traditional Scottish folk music, being a haven for many local musicians, both aspiring and established alike. Unfortunately its cramped venue, coupled with the high likelihood of soft musical numbers, doesn’t make it ideal for a pint and a natter. The opposite is also true: when the volume is racked up it is close to impossible to hear properly. Still, it is a brilliant experience to witness expert folk musicians in their prime, and offers a nice bridging point between Paradise Palms and The Brass Monkey. 6. Brass Monkey Cross South Bridge and head over to Drummond Street to reach Brass Monkey. As a movie themed bar with its own cinema, Brass Monkey is by a large margin the most unique of the locations on this list, sporting a back room complete with the luxury of beds (yes, you heard right) that shows movies daily. Both proprietors of various continental beers such as Weihenstephaner and Furstenberg, and with its own unique cocktails, the experience of Brass Monkey – coupled with its lavish interior décor – comes off as no less Bohemian as it does an adventure. 7. The Royal Oak Head back to South Bridge, turn right, then take the first right and you’ll have hit The Royal Oak – another traditional folk bar. Whilst cramped, The Royal Oak is nonetheless a memorable experience given its propensity towards live music, fine whisky and its endearing, friendly local staff. 8. Pilgrim (optional) If you fancy a stop off at Pilgrim on your way to Bannerman’s you should keep in mind it is a popular Fringe venue, typically hosting various stand up and live music acts. These can vary greatly so don’t come in with expectations of Jimmy Carr or Frankie Boyle; some acts are truly cringe worthy. That said, Pilgrim itself is worth a visit owing to its unique interior design which lives up to its traveller moniker. Suitcases and backpacker memorabilia adorn the inside, where you will likely encounter fellow travellers. Student friendly in spite of being surprisingly expensive, Pilgrim caters largely to international customers by fortune of nearby hotels and hostels. 9. Bannerman’s Now you have hit the Cowgate, cross over to the bottom of Niddrie Street. One of Edinburgh’s core rock and metal bars, Bannerman’s hosts many live music acts on a daily basis. The staff are unmatched in their hospitality, willing to offer recommendations on alcohol or simply just lend themselves to chat when not busy. Being part of the vaults, Bannerman’s interior adheres to the history of its city, with the goth and rock vibe giving it a sunken cave-like atmosphere. 10. Stramash Having finished your drink in the penultimate bar, Bannerman’s should have served as a warmer for the expansive live music bar/club that is Stramash. Turn right down the Cowgate as you exit and you’ll see Stramash located over the road in a refurbished church – one of the few items to stand the test of the infamous Cowgate fire of 2002. Stramash almost always has live music on, so consider this the closing number to your pub crawl. You can stay in the Celtic themed bar until 5am, or venture further afield into nearby clubs. In either case, you won’t be low on options being in the centre of town.

The winner of the Broadway Baby Bobby Brighton 2019 award has finally been announced: FAUX by Loose-Locked. It’s been a year of real quality at Brighton Fringe this year, making it very hard to pick a winner. FAUX won out amongst stiff competition from shows as wide ranging as Janet, a hilarious tale that brought uncooked dough to life, and the latest from the truly brilliant A&E Comedy, winners of the Bobby in 2017.However, FAUX’s clever way of taking a serious issue and making it engaging and accessible through charming puppetry and musical theatre won us over. A musical based in a vintage clothing shop, FAUX follows the story of a proprietor who finds her beliefs challenged when the items she is selling begin to come to life. Through a combination of puppetry, songs and comedy, FAUX aims to educate audiences about the increasing number of cases of real fur being sold as fake on British high-streets.Isabel Pirillo, Performance Designer, Producer and Artistic Director of Loose-Locked, came to collect the Bobby at the superb Bacall’s bar in the Rialto, which was presented by Broadway Baby Brighton publisher, Nick Abrams.‘FAUX was inspired after I took a trip to Sydney and saw a kitsch vintage shop filled with unusual items and pink faux fur. There was a fantastic lady who pretended to be a manikin,’ said Isabel, ‘She let me take photos afterwards and when I got home and looked through those photos, I realised how much taxidermy and fur there was.’ After hearing news stories about real fur being sold as fake, as well as cultural changes around animal welfare and fashion, such as the rise of veganism, the concept of FAUX was born.The original script was written by Hannah Hopkins-Jones and Ben Price and made its debut at Camden Fringe last year. After Hannah Hopkins Jones and Bethan Kate-Tonkin reworked the script over the past year, they made it bigger and better than ever, ready for this year’s Brighton Fringe where they played at The Warren: The Hat.What’s next for Loose-Locked? After their Bobby success, they hope to bring FAUX back to London and could even tour around schools. Our reviewer Simon Lovat asserted that ‘it wouldn’t surprise me if one day, in some form, it found itself in the West End’ and we certainly hope to see FAUX reaching new heights soon! We wish FAUX and all of our nominees the very best in the future and hope to see them back at Brighton Fringe 2020!Nominees:Witch Hunt by A&E Comedy10 Things I Hate About Taming of the Shrew by Gillian EnglishHow Disabled Are You? by The Queer HistorianEnsonglopedia of British History by John HintonJanet by Helen and JohnWinner:FAUX by Loose-Locked

Well, we’ve finally reached the final weekend of Brighton Fringe 2019. There’s been disco-dancing to Madonna in an old church, vegan-based stand up in a room above a pub, incredible acrobatics, hilarious cabaret songs about near-death experiences and that’s just a glimpse of what I’ve seen so far. I say ‘so far’ since there is still a full weekend left for you to dare to discover. Take a chance on something new, donate few pennies (and pounds) to that free Fringe comedy and enjoy the fun whilst it lasts.After spooking audiences at Brighton HorrorFest 2018, Father of Lies (Sweet Werks 1, 31 May-2 June, 18:35) returns to tell the chilling true tale of an unsolved murder in West Germany, 1973. What is the truth behind Anselm and Kurt’s story? The only way to find out is to watch.You’ll be hard pressed to find a better show than SHIFT (The Old Market, 31 May-1 June, 19:30, 2 June, 14:30) this Brighton Fringe. Stunning acrobatics that will leave you breathless, these tireless performers will astound you with their strength, grace and flexibility at every turn. Playful, funny and definitely not to be missed.Recommended by the Amsterdam Fringe Jury, Song of the Sisters (The Spire, 31 May-1 June, 17:00, 2 June, 16:00) combines movement, storytelling and song on stage. Performed by three sisters, this honest portrayal of family life is sure to send you down memory lane.Multi award-winning duo, Zak Ghazi-Torbati and Toby Marlow (co-writer of smash hit SIX) are bringing their Hot Gay Time Machine (Brighton Spiegeltent: Bosco, 31 May-1 June, 21:30) to Brighton Fringe. Follow them on a time-travelling journey about their lives as fabulous gay men for an adventure you’ll never forget. Expect outrageous dances, hilarious songs and all round good night out.If history left you bored and staring out of the window at school, then throw those dusty books away and give history a second chance with Kate Pritchard: Hysterical Histories (The Warren: The Bunker, 31 May-2 June, 10:45). Promising to make history silly again, Pritchard brings her favourite characters from history to life on stage. Through the power of comedy, song and hand-made costumes, you’re sure to learn something new.As we approach the Queen’s official birthday, what better way to celebrate than by watching Amazing Adventures of Her Majesty At 90+ (Sweet Werks 2, 31 May-2 June, 14:10)? This affectionate comedy will give you a sneak peek into the otherwise hidden and surprising private life of Her Maj. As this afternoon show also includes free Battenberg cake and Duchy Original biscuits (courtesy of Princes Philip and Charles, naturally) it would be rude to refuse such a royal invitation.Inspired by the poet and writer Maya Angelou, Sherise Strange brings us I’d Had Enough So I Killed Him (The Spire, 31 May-2 June, various times). This dance/physical theatre solo explores concepts of identity, security and strength. Performed in haunting venue of The Spire, this is bound to be a powerful experience.Bonus Half Term Family Friendly PicksAs half term draws to an end this week, there’s still time to take your kids to see some astonishing performances that they’re bound to remember for years to come.If your kids are still searching for lost Easter eggs, then why not distract them with a new treasure hunt? This Noisy Isle (MEET: Brighton Spiegeltent, 31 May-2 June, various times) is an interactive family experience where you’ll need to solve puzzles, encounter mysterious characters and successfully navigate your team to complete your mission. Recommended for 7-11 year olds, but you just try telling the adults that!The winners of the 2018 Primary Times Best Children’s Show Award have brought their brand new comedy Ogg ‘n’ Ugg ‘n’ Dogg (Komedia, 1-2 June, 14:30) to Brighton Fringe. A very long time ago, wolves were the enemy of all people, but when two young hunter gatherers team up with them, they invent man’s best friend: the dog. A perfect afternoon of entertainment for dog lovers big and small. Recommended age 5+.If you haven’t yet been to the stunning Brighton Open Air Theatre then this weekend’s sunny weather forecast is a sign saying that now’s the time! Come see JW Productions’ version of The Jungle Book (Brighton Open Air Theate, 31 May-2 June, various times), with convincing puppetry showcasing a whole menagerie of jungle animals. As it’s a relaxed space, you’re welcome to bring a picnic along, but hurry as tickets are selling fast.The Extraordinary Time-Travelling Adventures of Baron Munchausen (The Warren: The Blockhouse, 31 May-1 June, 14:45) is top children’s comedy from top comedians and improvisers. Expect very tall tales about the adventures of Baron Munchausen (all of which are completely and irrefutably true, of course).So hurry and get booking those tickets as come next week, when many of the venues and shows are packed away, you’ll regret not filling your days with shows as good as these. Finally, keep your eyes peeled for a special announcement this weekend as we’ll be proclaiming the very lucky winner of Broadway Baby’s Brighton Bobby 2019.

Have you seen your favourite show of the Fringe yet? There have been some stellar hits and some definite misses, but with some five star performances just starting their runs it could be that your favourite show of Brighton Fringe 2019 is yet to come.Incredible acrobatics, astonishing acts of daring and a heartfelt narrative means that Circus Abyssinia: Ethiopian Dreams (The Warren: The Hat, 4 May-2 June, various times) certainly packs a punch. Based on the true story of real-life jugglers Bibi and Bichu, this family friendly show is sure to delight audiences of all ages.It might be a bold move to call your show Unmythable (The Warren: The Hat, 24-25 May, 18:00), but this inventive interpretation of all the Greek myths might just pull it off. With only three women playing all of the legendary heroes, monsters and more, this unique blend of comedy, cross-dressing, stories and songs promises to be fast-paced fun.If you were enchanted by Emily Blunt in Mary Poppins Returns last Christmas, then Eliza von Poppins Presents...A Practically Perfect Guide To Living (The Warren: The Burrow, 24-27 May, 12:00) might just be the spoonful of sugar you’re looking for. Inspired by Julie Andrews herself, follow Eliza von Poppins with her seven steps to get on the path to (practical) perfection. Back again this year is the ever popular (and multi-award winning) Cinebra: A History of Horror (Rialto Theatre, 24-25 May, 21:45). Join Sophie and Megan in this most unusual musical-horror hybrid that will leave you not sure whether you should laugh or scream.Two actors, one story and plenty of five star reviews: A Steady Rain (The Lantern @ Act, 24-26 May, 19:30, 26 May, 14:30) guarantees to be something special. Follow the story of friends Denny and Joey, who are used to the tough streets of Chicago, as their complicated lives begin to unravel. Watch out for the incredible technical effects that create live rain pouring onto the stage and an acting master class from the two leads that will blow you away.With too many top quality shows to mention, there are still lots of opportunities to be amazed and to find your favourite Fringe show in this penultimate weekend.

That’s right, we’re already coming towards the halfway point of Brighton Fringe. Shows have been and gone (including Bin and Gone) but there are still plenty more to come. Book yourself in for brunch, grab yourself a beer at the venue bar and get ready for another incredible weekend of entertainment. Here are our recommendations for the weekend ahead.It’s 1968! Well, no, of course it's still 2019, but accept an invite along to Honey’s Happening (Komedia Studio, 18th May, 16:00 and 25 May, 15:00) and you’ll feel transported back to the swinging 60s. In this wonderfully fun interactive show, expect to play party games with your fellow partygoers, eat pineapple & cheese on sticks then leave feeling warm and fuzzy.Saturday marks the last night of The Fortnight (The Spire, 17-18 May, 13:00-21:00). Harry Clayton-Wright has been performing for eight hours a day since the beginning of the Fringe and each day is exciting and new. You might have already missed the live tattooing session, the Madonna rave, the hand holding and more, but there are still two wonderful sessions you can be a part of if you hurry. Drop in for as long as you want (you don’t have have to stay the whole eight hours!). The Fortnight is free, or pay what you can.You might have heard of Hopwood DePree, the actor who has given up a life in sunny Hollywood to restore a 600-year-old stately home near Manchester that he has recently discovered is a part of his family’s history - and his own namesake. Hear him tell this true story in his own words in The Yank is a Manc! My Ancestors and Me (Sweet Werks 1, 17-19 May, 19:50) a stand-up show about all the ups-and-downs of renovation.Join Stealth Aspies (Sweet Werks 1, 17-19 May, 18:35) for a unique performance which showcases, through verbatim testimonies and original poetry, the real experience of performers who experience autism everyday.Shakespeare. Check. Musical. Check. Classic sci-fi. Check. If you love all these things then you’re bound to love the Rock ’n’ Roll rocket ride that is Return to the Forbidden Planet (Brighton Little Theatre, 17 May, 19:45, 18 May, 14:30, 19:45). This jukebox musical will get you singing along, but doesn’t forget the B-movie jokes.Can there be anything worse than Onstage Dating (Komedia Studio, 17 May, 21:00, 18 May, 18:30, 19 May, 21:00). This award-winning show has finally landed at Brighton Fringe after sell-shows during touring across Australia, New Zealand and the UK. Taking romance to the next level, Bron is going on first dates live onstage.Don’t forget, if you’ve seen something you’ve loved, be sure to spread the word, Fringe shows deserve the biggest audiences they can get in the brief time they’re here.

Here we are, already hurtling into our second weekend of Brighton Fringe. From dark comedies, to sci-fi authors, to an uncooked lump of dough, Brighton Fringe certainly offers surprises for everyone. Read on for our top picks as we begin the second weekend.The team behind the brilliant Blue Sky Thinking are back with the world premiere of their new show Anti-Depressed? (The Warren: The Nest, 11 May, 21:10, 20-22 May, 19:40). This dark comedy promises an unfiltered look at human nature. You’ll be immersed into a clinical drugs trial and side effects may include raving, brutally honest confessions, audience participation and hallucinations.Continuing the mental health theme is A Super Happy Story (About Feeling Super Sad) (The Warren: The Hat, 10-11 May, 20:00, 12 May, 16:15). This musical about depression written by Olivier winner Jon Brittain will be cheerful, joyful and gleeful... except for the bits when it’s not.You’ll have to rush out of work and skip post-work drinks to catch this one, but it’s worth it. Janet (The Tipsy Bear, 10 May, 17:30) is a deliciously naughty and surreal show which is certain to make you laugh out loud. Follow the story of Janet (1.5kg of uncooked bread dough) as she refuses to conform and go into the bread oven. With incredible puppeteering bringing Janet to life, this inventive and quirky show is not to be missed.Fans of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein should head to see Quintessence (Sweet Werks 2, 10-12 May, 21:30), a sci-fi storytelling show inspired by literature’s most famous monster. Discover what happens after the extinction of the human race, when only AI (guided by the complete works of Shakespeare) has a chance to rebuild humanity. Starring fan favourite Emily Carding and originally created in collaboration with the London Science Museum, Quintessence is deeply thought provoking.Speaking of sci-fi, James Tiptree Jr. is renowned for being one of the most famous sci-fi writers of all time, but he had a secret. ‘James’ was actually a woman named Alice. Tiptree: No One Else’s Damn Secret But My Own (Sweet Werks 2, 10-11 May, 18:30) is a one woman show that explores the controversial and extraordinary life of author Alice Sheldon.With the weather forecast looking distinctly average at best this weekend, there’s no better time to head inside and recharge your spirit with some of the very best that Brighton Fringe has to offer.

Welcome to Brighton Fringe 2019! We’re ready to welcome back old favourites, discover new talent and generally have a jolly good time. The Warren’s ever popular launch party is on tonight (2nd May) and with another upcoming bank holiday weekend to enjoy there’s every chance it’ll be the kind of weekend memories are made of. Here’s our pick of what to see this opening weekend. What will you dare to discover?Looking for something unusual to do? Operation Annunaki (Save Caroline Lucas From Illuminati Lizard Sacrifice) (Sweet @ The Welly, 3-6 May, 14:00) is just the ticket. Round up your pals and join in with this reality-bending live game. Together you will follow clues through the North Laine to avoid detection, collect tools and ultimately save Caroline Lucas and the planet. Hurry! Tickets are very limited.Put the Book Down are back again after winning the Best of Brighton Fringe Theatre Award in 2017 with their new show, Insolence (The Warren: Theatre Box, 4-6 May, 14:30). This darkly funny play explores what it means to be a single parent and what happens at the line where love and obligation blur. Still mourning the end of Fleabag? Eleanor Dillon-Reams’ debut show, HoneyBee (The Warren: The Nest, 3-6 May, 16:40) explores similar themes as she tells the story of Kate, a twenty-something woman who feels her life has been turned upside down. Frank and unflinching, Dillon-Reams combines relatable humour with physical theatre and spoken word.Too Young To Stay In, Too Old To Go Out! (Sweet Werks 2, 3-5 May, 17:10) is a state of mind that many of us find ourselves in. With a series of original songs to accompany stories told by male and female characters, Nigel Osner returns with his show that casts a quizzical eye over getting that little bit older. Fed up of history? Well, HERSTORY (The Warren: The Nest, 2-4 May, 18:10) chronicles the stories you didn’t learn at school. Focusing on the most enigmatic and misunderstood women from throughout history, this musical whistle stop tour through the ages is sure to leave you a little more enlightened.After successful runs in 2013 and 2015, Yama Theatre Productions have revived their highly popular show Dead Happy? (The Warren: The Burrow, 6 & 20-22 May, 19:30) for Brighton Fringe 2019. Designed to make the best use of intimate spaces, this atmospheric and poignant show is sure to surprise you.So flick through the listings, grab yourself an ice-cream and don’t forget to keep your eye on Broadway Baby for all of the latest reviews, interviews and features for Brighton Fringe 2019.

This week culminates in International Women’s Day on Friday 8th March and The Old Market’s Reigning Women season has never seemed so relevant. This fiery mini-season was first programmed last year to give a much needed platform to some of the most amazing women in the contemporary arts scene. Now it’s back and here to shout out loud all over again about women who aren’t afraid to put themselves centre stage, rip up all the rules and make you laugh, cry and think in the process.Now halfway through the season, we’ve already seen plenty of highly rated shows, including Koko Brown’s White, an ‘intimate portrait of growing up mixed race in the 90s and 00s’, which received four stars from our reviewer. There was another four star review for Jessie Cave’s ‘brutally honest’ stand up show, which ‘redefines pillow talk’ and was brave enough to leave ‘no mortifying stone unturned'. These women are undeniably in demand. Rachel Parris, star of BBC’s topical comedy show The Mash Report, has already sold out. So has Lovely Girls, the new show from home grown talent and multi award-winning comedic dance-theatre company The Hiccup Project, an ode to being a woman in the 21st Century, which closes the season. Rumour has it that tickets to rising comedic star Kiri Pritchard-McLean’s show Victim, Complex are also selling fast, so you’ll have to move quickly to see this star of Comedy Central at the Comedy Store, The Russell Howard Hour and The Now Show talk about victims, love and lies.But don’t worry, there’s plenty you can still catch. Passionate Machine, winner of Brighton Fringe’s Best New Play Award 2018 and The Infallibles Award for Theatrical Excellence, returns to a Brighton stage on 17th March. Introduced by local short story-writer and performer James Burt, this multiple narrative story charmed hearts at last year’s Fringe and is sure to do so again this St Patrick’s Day.For those who like to dip their toes into cinema (after all, Olivia Coleman’s Oscar winning performance of a reigning woman has been more than inspiring), there’s the Women Over 50 Film Festival, a curated collection of short films which celebrate older women on both sides of the camera, and a screening of Skate Kitchen.Finally, there’s the Oops Festival, which has invited exceptional contemporary performance and visual artists from all over the globe for an exciting schedule of genre-defying performances across two days.Alongside all of this there is an opportunity to buy your very own limited edition Reigning Women tote bag filled with information and goodies from brands such as Brighton Gin and Lewes Football Club Women available for a simple pay-what-you-feel donation. Sales of the tote will raise money for Brighton Women’s Centre, a local charity which has been empowering local women to face all kinds of issues, such as bereavement, trauma and abuse for over 40 years.Brighton Women’s Centre also have their own upcoming International Women’s Day celebrations over at Brighton Dome and Brighton Museums. Their free and inclusive all-day event on Saturday 9th March welcomes everyone to join them for inspiring speakers, workshops, arts and crafts and more, with a focus on gender equality and talks featuring gold medal winning garden designer and TV presenter Juliet Sargeant and award-winning authors Juno Dawson and Tanya Byrne.However you wish to celebrate International Women’s Day this month, you can’t go wrong by watching woman led live performances that have the potential to shock, thrill and excite you and there’s plenty to choose from during the remainder of The Old Market’s Reigning Women season that will do just that. After all, this is The Old Market's unique take on Reigning Women and there isn’t a crown or a corset in sight.

It’s half-term already. Having flashbacks to the time your youngest managed to glue glitter all over your favourite jacket yet? Maybe ditch the messy arts and crafts this half-term and entertain your little darlings with the best live family friendly performances Brighton and Hove have to offer instead. Here’s our top 4 picks that are sure to delight your little ones – for while, at least. You’re on your own for the rest of half-term, sorry.Did your babysitter cancel last minute, meaning your date night tickets to the Krater Comedy Club went to waste? Catch up on your laughs at the highly popular Comedy Club 4 Kids (Komedia, 16th February, 14:00) instead. Some of the country’s best stand-ups and sketch artists host this show, which prides itself on being just like a normal comedy club, except the audience is rowdy with E-numbers, there aren’t any rude bits and the tiny hecklers are a lot funnier than that guy who always shouts something obnoxious from the back. Hurry though, tickets are selling fast! For age 6+.One for older children (for ages 8+), The Lost Things tells the tale of a boy who finds himself in a dark and fantastical world filled with lost things (The Old Market, 18th-20th February, 11:30, 13:30 & 15:30). In this fairytale world, amongst the car keys and wedding rings is a mysterious girl. Performed in a unique dome structure, this atmospheric performance is certain to enchant all those who find themselves there.If the February weather doesn’t make a brisk walk by the sea sound too appealing, then take your kids to enjoy the nautical side of nature at Brighton Dome. Watch three shanty-singing fisherman charm the audience with live music, puppetry and a rapping octopus at The Boy and The Mermaid (Brighton Dome, 20th February, 11:30 & 14:00). This captivating performance from Paper Balloon will remind you why you love living by the coast, all whilst you get to stay warm and dry. We call that a win-win. Recommended for age 5+.Back by popular demand, Shlomo’s Beatbox Adventure for Kids (The Old Market, 23rd February, 15:30) is a Broadway Baby favourite. Shlomo is a world record-breaking beatboxer, whose talent for making all kinds of music and noises using just his mouth and a mic is bound to astonish you. Has to be seen to be believed!

It’s the most wonderful time of the year (apart from Brighton Fringe, of course) and there are plenty of delightful performances to entertain you this winter. From traditional pantomimes to original productions from award-winning companies, there are plenty of choices to get the whole family into the Christmas spirt. Although the crowds flock to the city in the summer, Brighton at Christmas is very special too, with lots to entertain you and your family through the dark nights. So if you'd prefer something warmer than a brisk walk along the seafront, read on to discover our top five picks of what's on in Brighton this Christmas time. Brighton Fringe favourite drag prince Alfie Ordinary is back! Alfie has brought his friends together for a special one night only performance to celebrate all your favourite Christmas songs in Alfie Ordinary’s Christmas Special (Rialto, 13th December). This festive live performance will get your toes tapping ready for a special night out that is guaranteed to be anything but ordinary. Tabby McTat is a cat who just loves to sing with a voice both loud and strong and he loves singing with his best friend, busker Fred, most of all. This much loved children’s book from the Sussex based author of The Gruffalo, Julia Donaldson, has been brought to life by the team behind Stick Man Live and Tiddler and Other Terrific Tales. A heartfelt story about friendship and loyalty, Tabby McTat (The Old Market, 13th-16th December, various times) is certain to please audiences both young and old.If you’re looking for an alternative to your bog standard wholesome Christmas fare, multiple award-winning theatre company 1927 are returning to The Old Market to bring you their latest original theatrical experience in The Animals and Children Took To The Streets (The Old Market, 19th December-13th January, various times). Set in the hopeless and bleak neighbourhood of Bayou, where curtain-twitchers and peeping-toms live side by side and the wolf is always at the door, this mixed media performance will take you on a rollercoaster ride full of twists and turns. Like a graphic novel brought to life, prepare to enter a dark world designed to amaze and startle. After their Brighton Festival 2014 hit FLOWN and a welcome return performance at Brighton Dome in 2015, trailblazing company Pirates of the Carabina are back with their exhilarating new circus show, HOME (Brighton Dome, 15th December-23rd December, various times). This collective of world-class performers, musicians and acrobats explore fantastical lives of a neighbourhood of acrobats, alongside an animated set and absorbing live score. Heartwarming, funny and truly astonishing, HOME features a series of ever more incredible circus skills, including a vertical-swinging trapeze, never-ending ropes, a spinning carousel and a very temperamental staircase.Family favourites, the Long Nose Puppets, have a magical new story to tell at Komedia this Christmas, Out Of The Hat (Komedia, 20th December-31st December, various times). When Doris and Delilah wake up to find something strange and sparkly has fallen from the sky, they are inspired to put on the world’s greatest magic show. Join them as they encounter a whole host of brilliant and funny characters, from a transformative moth, a giant singing frog to some beautiful fireflies and more who all help to create their dream show. Perfect for two-eight year olds, but fun for all the family, this charming musical will have you humming their tunes all Christmas long. There are plenty of ways to celebrate Christmas in Brighton this year, so if you've been stuck as to what to do in Brighton, with a line up of shows as exciting and original as these, you’ll be spoilt for choice this Christmas 2018.

If you’re not a performer, it can be impossible to imagine how anyone is able to get up on stage and entertain. Just the thought of having to tell a joke, sing or act in front of an expecting audience is enough to make knees wobble and hearts race. These fears mean that many non-performers tend to shy away from the stage, but a lack of confidence in front of others is something that can stop many from achieving their best throughout their life. Whether you’re tasked with giving a wedding speech or putting your case forward for a new promotion, speaking with confidence is a skill everyone can benefit from. Brighton based stand-up Annabel Pribelszki, who performed her show Professional Break Up Artist at Brighton Fringe last year, has created a new course that allows both seasoned entertainers and those without any experience at all to escape their comfort zone and develop their performance skills together.'As an experienced performer, I can remember what it was like to go on stage for the first time. The blinding lights, the fear of taking the mic off the stand, the literal ‘rabbit in the headlights’ feeling of pure angst at sharing my words with an unknown audience. I wanted to share the performance skills and knowledge which I wish I had been told when I first started,' she says. 'I’ve now built up these skills across fifteen years of performing spoken word, stand-up, in addition to the audience engagement skills I use as an MC and event host and use them to give the gift of self confidence to my students.'The six week workshop based course will provide you with the tools you need to present yourself, with confidence, in front of any audience. Through light hearted games and set exercises, the course covers everything from matching your expressions to your speech to preparing for audience reactions, working with a mic and more. Creating a safe space for her students to explore their ideas has been a priority for Annabel. 'As a lesbian, I feel that is essential that members of our LGBTQIA+ community are given the opportunity to share their experiences, thoughts and dreams, with a wider audience, through the medium of performance.' Emphasising the workshops as a safe space doesn’t mean that anything is censored or that criticism is barred, it’s just kept constructive. In fact, a core element of the course is watching and analysing masters of their stagecraft, such as Joelle Taylor and Kate Tempest, to pick apart their routines and study their techniques. Participants are also given video recordings of themselves as a tool to help them critique their own performances. Painful to watch at first, viewing themselves from a new perspective allows them to fully engage with the course’s teachings and quickly strengthen the quality of their performance. Does it work? Participant Aiden Bex thinks so: 'As a result of the activities, it isn't long before the group has bonded and people are no longer feeling very self-conscious. Each student has been continually working on their own individual areas and has been learning all the time, even though the group has been of mixed ability.'By the end of the course, all participants will have developed a five minute performance that they have the opportunity to showcase in front of an invited audience. Beyond the stage, many of the participants have found unexpected bonuses. 'The opportunity to learn and play with others bonds the workshop group and new friendships are formed, which go beyond the six weeks of the course,” says Annabel. “The mental health and wellbeing benefits of taking a course like this can be so empowering. Performing in front of one another, giving each other feedback and generally having a laugh together is a great way to make lasting friendships with people you may never have met otherwise.'The next six week Performance Skills Workshop will be held on Mondays at the Caroline of Brunswick Pub, Ditchling Road, Brighton, starting on Monday 7th January, 7-9pm. Contact [email protected] for more information.

It’s that time of year when we draw our curtains ever earlier in the evenings, fearful of whatever may be lurking in the darkness beyond. However, Sweet Venues have decided to drag those lurking ghouls out into the spotlight with the third year of Brighton HorrorFest, their spooktacular celebration of all things that go bump in the night. Whether you’re looking for something a bit creepy or straight up terrifying to get you into that Halloween mood, you’re sure to find it at Sweet this October. Phantasmagorical Starting off HorrorFest with a bang is Miss Sylvia Spectre who invites you to join her on a macabre Victorian adventure. Brought to you by the talented Careena Fenton, member of The Magic Circle, Phantasmagorical is a mesmerising mix of mindreading, magic and Victorian spirit theatre. Be prepared for laughs and frights that last long into the night. Recommended age 16+. Foo Foo Fighters: Gothic HorrorFrom vampires necking their victims to damsels in scantily clad distress, Gothic horror has always been a flimsy facade for erotica. Embracing the sexy side of all things supernatural are the Foo Foo Fighters, who combine gruesome horror and titillating burlesque for an adult treat that is sure to scare as much as it will delight. Recommended age 18+. Mistress To The MidnightA witty spoof of all things Hammer House of Horror, get ready for a hilarious spin on a classic British institution. Bringing all your favourite tropes to life on stage, if you're a fan of Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing you're bound to enjoy this thrilling homage stuffed with jokes. Recommended age 15+. Doctor James’ Skary StoriesIt’s the dead of night. There’s endless screaming and wailing. The latest novel from Stephen King, perhaps? No, that’s simply parenthood. If you want to take revenge on your kids for all the terrifying times they’ve put you through, then take them to see Doctor James’ Skary Stories. Ready to trick or treat everyone, Doctor James needs you and your kids to help him terrorise the city with giant monsters, vampire doctors, cake loving ghosts and more. Recommended age 7+.Talking To The Dead – A Séance Following their successful sell out runs at Brighton Fringe and Edinburgh Fringe, Brighton HorrorFest fan favourite Talking To The Dead – A Séance have returned. Magicians Griffin and Jones set an ominous atmosphere as they use the techniques honed in Victorian séance rooms for an unsettling evening where you will need to face your fear in order to discover if anyone really is out there in the spirit world. Recommended age 18+.Whatever you choose to see this Brighton HorrorFest, you're sure to have a bloody good time.

We’re incredibly grateful to the theatre companies that support Broadway Baby with their advertising. Without them, we wouldn’t be able to continue our arts coverage. But sometimes we see ads being placed that make a few classic mistakes – and we know their effectiveness will be less than it could be. So here are our top tips to help you get more bums on seats. TL;DR – Or why you really need to read this... Every year, we partner with theSpaceUK at the Edinburgh Fringe to offer their companies a homepage carousel ad on Broadway Baby. All ads launch at the same time and are shown the same number of times – which gives us a rare chance to compare performance when everything else is equal. Looking at 2023, everyone paid the same price, so their CPM (Cost Per Thousand) was identical. But CPC (Cost Per Click) varied wildly. The only difference? The image. So getting your ad design right makes a huge difference in click-through – and ticket sales. Your Brand Consistency is key. Your brand – which usually means your poster image – needs to be instantly recognisable. Analysts say audiences need to see an image up to seven times before they take action, so make sure your branding is consistent across your flyer, ad, listing and social media. The Value Proposition Why should someone care? That’s your value proposition – the reason to buy. If your show isn’t a household name, make sure something else grabs attention. A powerful quote, a striking image, or even a familiar actor can be more effective than just the title. Make that your headline. The Call To Action Tell them what to do. Your ad needs a clear call to action – phrases like “Book Now” or “Watch a Trailer” are simple and effective. Give the audience a reason to click and an idea of what to expect. Keep It Simple Less is more. Don’t overcrowd your ad. You have limited space, and users will only glance at your banner for a second. Avoid tiny text, decorative fonts, and all-uppercase copy. Stick to four elements: brand image, value proposition, title and call to action. Frame It Guide the eye. Effective ads use a defined frame – even a subtle 1-pixel border can help the content pop. Tricks like extending design elements slightly beyond the frame can also draw attention. Use Animation Movement catches the eye. Animated banners almost always outperform static ones – but animation should enhance, not clutter. Don’t just add more text in new frames. Instead, add subtle, memorable motion. One of our favourite examples? A performer exhaling animated smoke – hard not to look at. Keep Your File Sizes Small Speed matters. Many users browse on mobile, often with poor connections. If your ad is slow to load, they may scroll past before it appears. Keep your file size below 150K. Smaller is better. Don’t Abandon Your Clicks Where you send them matters. A good banner is only half the job. If your click-through leads to a generic listing on EdFringe.com, you may lose the sale. Instead, create a landing page that builds on your ad’s promise – tell the viewer why they should come, and only then link to EdFringe’s deep booking page. Advertise with Us Advertising on Broadway Baby costs just £12 per day. Upload your banner and start reaching Fringe audiences in minutes. Visit our advertising page to learn more.

Just like that, we approach the final weekend of Brighton Fringe. We’ve been dazzled, bemused and wowed, but there’s still time for more. So whether you’ve collected more ticket stubs than an usher at The Warren or still haven’t got round to seeing anything, now is your last chance to do so.Being pregnant can make women suddenly very visible, but it’s not often that pregnant women get to be heard. With Child (The Warren, 2nd-3rd June, 13:00) aims to change this with a series of talking head monologues that will make you laugh and cringe in equal measure.Part of Brighton Fringe’s Finnish Season is the UK premiere of The Fabulous Bäckström Brothers (The Old Market, 2nd June, 14:00 & 19:00). This international musical-comedy hit is a multi-genre fun fest. If you haven’t yet seen anything Finnish this Fringe, this is your chance to change that.Ringo is a survivor. He’s a refugee, a former child soldier and homeless. Hear his story in Boxman (The Warren, 2nd-3rd June, 16:00). An astonishing and moving portrayal of a man who has lived through many difficult times, you will not regret seeing this atmospheric and mesmerising production.Serena Flynn’s ex cheated on her with webcam girls. So, she’s decided to write a show about it. By unleashing her anarchic and grotesque alter-ego, the bouffon Prune, she is able to parody gender performance and even ridicule her own heartbreak in Serena Flynn: Prune (The Warren, 2nd-3rd June, 16:30).Mr B is returning to Komedia to entertain you with some more classy rhymes in Mr B The Gentleman Rhymer (Komedia, 2nd June, 19:15, 3rd June, 20:00). This highly mannered hip-hop comedy is sure to make you laugh. He’s a jolly good fellow indeed.Playing its last night in Brighton is Joseph Morpurgo: Hammerhead (The Old Market, 2nd June, 21:45). This side splittingly funny parody of a post-show Q&A ruthlessly skewers theatrical tropes and egotisical actors with razor sharp timing. This hilarious genre bending show is not to be missed.If you’re looking for some free comedy to warm up your Saturday evening, enter the world of Slipskin (Junkyard Dogs, 2nd June, 20:00). Sami Stone presents an imaginative, intelligent and witty show with an environmental focus.The Museum of Ordinary People (The Spire, 2nd-3rd June, 11:00-19:00, 11:00-18:00, Drop In) is a brilliant archive of everyday possessions which present an important historical record of the interesting lives of ordinary people. Surprisingly moving, with plenty of interactive exhibits and surprising artefacts, visit this free temporary museum before it closes this weekend.

If your house was on fire and you could only save one thing, what would it be? There used to only be one answer – the photo album. In it every family holiday, birthday and wedding would be meticulously kept; blurry stolen moments and formal portraits would be the only way to travel back in time. In the last ten years, life has transformed and now almost everything is backed up to the cloud. Would you really want to save those 100 selfies you took before going out last weekend, all them of eerily similar as you tried to get the ultimate angle? Would you really miss the myriad of food pictures? Even the one you took at Nando's last Sunday when you were hungover? In this digital age we have more evidence of our lives than ever, but it all feels a lot less significant.The Museum of Ordinary People (MOOP) is a pop-up museum, running for one week only, as part of The Spire’s secret Fringe programme. Despite only opening this week, they have already been nominated for the Brighton Fringe Visual Arts Award. Proudly analogue in our online world, MOOP celebrates the most evocative mementos of our life. Nine participants have volunteered to showcase a part of their lives by presenting everyday objects which once belonged to someone else. Short, insightful captions give even the most mundane objects meaning. There are bank letters which reflect the entire banking career of a man, as well as the financial industry he worked in. Elsewhere are photographs of a man living life to the full until his life is sadly cut short. Plenty of the exhibits are tactile, some inviting you in to open drawers and others requesting you leave notes. Particularly emotional are the diaries of Mary Booth, discovered at a car boot sale. You can listen in on headphones to a reading of extracts and hear about when she went to New York, the latest in her love life and when she begins to notice she’s unwell. The collection is presented by Clair Morrow who found that her own struggle with MS poignantly paralleled in the pages of Mary Booth’s handwriting. Other exhibits explore issues of identity and memory; you’re led into wondering whether you can truly understand a person from the artifacts they leave behind. After all, each of us withhold a great deal even from our most intimate diaries and records.The museum was co-founded by Jolie Booth and Lucy Malone, both artists who discovered an emotive connection through ordinary objects. For Booth, it was stumbling upon the left behind belongings of Brightonian Anne Clarke, who helped set up Infinity Foods and shape the Brighton we know today. For Malone, it was when she decided to create an archive of her mother’s artistic practice after she passed away. She felt that 'there were so many parallels between [Jolie and my] work, we were both using documents to tell a story, and we realised there was a personal connection.'But why create a museum out of these seemingly innocent objects? Jolie says: 'People really appreciate things being more interactive, and people want to be involved. Real people and real lives are the silences in history, the blank spots.' It’s true that in many mainstream museums you will mostly see the art, jewellery and relics of Kings, Queens and the aristocracy, later collected and curated by rich and well connected. Stories of ordinary people are often lost, having slipped through the cracks.There is also space for local organisations to show objects of importance. One such partner is PACT, a charity that helps hundreds of families every year on their journey to adoption. After adopting their child, one family decided to use the same Ariel laundry tablets that had been used at the child’s foster family. It became their family smell - another small moment which could easily be missed and ignored. Another MOOP partner is Miss Represented, a collective of artists, support workers and young women aged between 13-23, supported by Brighton Dome. On Friday June 1st, MOOP will join with Miss Represented to host a conversation about the need to create a space for unheard voices in arts and culture, followed by the Miss Represented ladies taking to the stage to share their own creative experiences and revelations. Alongside this event, they have an interactive exhibit in the museum where visitors are encouraged to anonymously share a worry by writing it on a square of wallpaper and perhaps then write advice and support on someone else’s worry. Bex, who works closely with the young women, agreed that the concept of a problem shared being a problem halved was part of the inspiration behind the project. Allowing visitors to publicly voice their deepest concerns, all with the safety of anonymity, can lead to real peace of mind and there is a sense of solidarity that other people also have worries and concerns that may be concealed behind smiles.We live in times where the fear of missing out drives us all towards more extreme, expensive and extraordinary experiences. The Museum of Ordinary People helps us to take a step away from this ever increasing pressure to reveal that some of the most important encounters are right in front of our eyes.

On a rainy post-bank holiday Wednesday it can be hard to raise a smile. However, comedian and TV star Joel Dommett, along with plenty of special guests, will be raising smiles and plenty of much needed funds for charity with their show Comic Relief Live tonight (Komedia, 30th May, 8pm).Despite the costs many performers experience putting on a production there are plenty who use the platform provided to them to fundraise or raise awareness for a cause close to their hearts. Earlier this month, Brighton Spiegeltent played hosted to the Heart of the Fringe Show, a charity cabaret, circus and music showcase which raised money for Clowns Without Borders. Seán Leonard was inspired by his character in Humanity Dick: A Tale of Beasts and Bullets to use his show to help raise money for Brighton RSPCA. Popular comedian Jane Postlethwaite harnessed her own experiences with mental health in Last Night at the Circus to raise awareness about mental health and especially the Brighton based suicide prevention charity, Grassroots and their app Stay Alive. These are just a few examples out of a whole host of charitable performers and theatre makers making a difference for important causes.Fundraising now takes many forms. Bake sales remain popular, but no doubt your Facebook feed is full of friends completing sponsored marathons, sky dives and more. Perhaps the online version of a charity auctions is crowdfunding, which has quickly become another important way to raise funds. Earlier this year, Brighton Fringe suffered a £20,000 deficit in their budget after losing their headline supporter and in response, started a Crowdfunder campaign. Acts from all over the Fringe rallied to the cause and donated a range of prizes ranging from merchandise such as stickers, badges and bags to personalised performances from Brighton's Singing Barber and your own private silent disco hosted by international Fringe favourite Guru Dudu. The quirky gifts on offer worked and, just over a month later, Brighton Fringe successfully raised £21,600 with donations from over 338 supporters.Comic Relief Live is relying on a cracking line up of popular and up-and-coming star talent to draw the crowds. You’ll probably recognise comedian and host Joel Dommett from his appearances on shows such as Skins and I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! He's joined by special guests Sofie Hagen, Larry Dean, Angela Barnes, Catherine Bohart and Lauren Pattison, so it is sure to be a memorable night. With at least £5 from each ticket sale going to Comic Relief, it will put a smile on someone else’s face too - and you don’t even have to wear a red nose.

May is marvellous. Two bank holidays, Brighton Fringe and sunshine. What's not to love? If you're still undecided about how to spend the long weekend, we have all the top recommendations to make this the best bank holiday yet.Blasting back onto the Brighton Fringe scene is the completely unmissable 7ft Bearded Lady-Man Gingzilla: Glamonster Vs The World (27th-28th May, 18:00, The Warren). After sending the crowds wild earlier this Fringe, she is back and inviting you to a 1950s drive-in movie to watch her tear up the stage once again. Speaking of strong women, Queen Margaret of Anjou was certainly not content to be the quiet and submissive Queen medieval England expected her to be. In fact, she’s thought to be the inspiration for Game of Thrones’ Cersei Lannister. See Gillian English take on this fearsome Queen in She Wolf (26th-27th May, 19:30, Sweet Werks 1). After a sell out run last Brighton Fringe, Are Strings Attached? (26th-27th May, 21:50, Sweet Werks 2) has returned. This is an inventive and darkly comic take on the Pinocchio story, told through the eyes of a graffiti artist and former tennis pro called DOG. Almost 63 years after his untimely death at the tender age of 24, you’re probably still guilty of slicking back your hair and donning a white tee and jeans in an attempt to emulate James Dean’s effortless cool. His short life as one of cinema’s most enduring stars is told in James Dean is Dead! (Long Live James Dean) (26th-27th May, 14:30, The Warren). All these years later, his story of how the Hollywood powerful use sex, drugs and power to make and break careers is still relevant today. Australian award winner Bus Boy cycles on stage this weekend (26th-27th May, 13:15, The Warren). After Jerry, a woman in transition, encounters the eponymous Bus Boy her life is changed forever. After brilliant success in Perth, catch this down under hit while you can. Another award winner, this time the Amsterdam Fringe Festival Gold Award 2017, is My Father Held A Gun (26th-27th May, 17:50, Sweet Werks 1). A moving and passionate storytelling show told by an Iranian and an Israeli, recent events in the Middle East have made their stories more timely than ever. Discover this unlikely friendship in this intense performance that still manages to find humour and pathos. Searching for love is hard work, so join the great company of energetic Annabelszki to hear the hilarious highs and lows in her search for Ms Right in Professional Break Up Artist (26th-27th May, 19:00, Sweet Werks 2). A fabulous fusion of stand-up, audience interaction, comedic poetry and a bit of improv, prepare to laugh at the ridiculous scenarios she’s found herself in. Run, run as fast as you can, you can’t catch me I’m The Gingerbread Man (27th May, 10:30, The Warren)! This brave biscuit is ready for an adventure and is inviting all the family to join him. Brilliant puppetry, music and humour will entertain everyone from 3 to 103 in this delightful staging of the well-loved tale. Fans of Sunday evenings tucked with a glass of wine and another Agatha Christie adaptation are sure to be delighted by Murdered by Murder (26th May & 28th May, 18:00, 27th May, 19:00, Komedia Studio). This award winning take on the classic murder mystery will skewer all of the unavoidable tropes with razor sharp wit. Be sure to avoid Colonels with candlesticks in the dining room by catching this high spirited comedy instead. It’s been a big week for Ireland. Three years ago it was another big week, where 62% of Ireland got #hungoverforequality. The Morning After The Life Before (26th-28th May, 19:30, Marlborough Theatre) is a light-hearted and personal tale about Marriage Equality in Ireland. Expect music, cake and an evocative portrait of modern Ireland in this multi-award winning show. Alfie Ordinary is back! After a fabulous 5 star run at the start of the Fringe, here’s your second chance to see Drag Prince Alfie in Help! I Think I Might Be Fabulous (27th May, 21:30, 29th May, 19:45, Brighton Spiegeltent). This is a riotous celebration of queer life that is guaranteed to bring a smile to your face. With confetti cannons, LGBT anthems, puppetry and a touching story line to boot, you won’t be able to resist singing along. It’s the bank holiday, so what better than some free comedy fun? Become PALS with Simone Belshaw and William Stone (26th-27th May, 19:00, The Black Dove). This entertaining pair, joined by a phone voiced by Jen Ives, promise to keep you laughing with whimsical one-liners and offbeat fables.

Many of us will have walked the streets of Brighton a thousand times. We've stared at the wondrous and exotic creations in the windows of of Choccywoccydoodah, we've shopped at Infinity Foods and eaten brunch at Mange Tout. We've probably walked the circumference of the globe the amount of times we've been up and down the pier and we know that summer is the time for BBQs on the beach - or for avoiding the tourists. However, for many people bringing shows and exhibits to Brighton Fringe, they will be stepping foot in Brighton for the very first time.Izzy McDonald is Co-Artistic Director of Rorschach Beast, a theatre company who have the simple ambition of wanting to perform good stories that are well told. They've brought their show Bus Boy (24th May-27th May, The Warren) with them all the way from Australia after exceedingly good reviews at Perth's Fringe World in 2017, where they won an incredible three awards. Bus Boy tells the story of a boy who rides a bicycle, but dreams of buses instead. When he meets Jerry, a young woman stuck in transition, they strike up an immediate friendship which results in them sharing secrets, achieving dreams and getting into and out of trouble.We caught up with Izzy, who like many of the Fringe's international artists, is visiting Brighton for the very first time, to discover what surprised her most about the city we know and love so well:1. Brighton's super supportive communityThere are multiple Facebook groups offering advice and help, plus the Brighton Fringe organisational crew have been incredible. This has also been especially true of our venue, The Warren. They've just been so supportive, which is an incredible feat considering the size of the Fringe. It's quite daunting coming so far to a whole new country with new audiences, so that level of support was a really nice surprise.2. How much Brighton feels like homeI live in a place called Fremantle in Western Australia, which is a small coastal city with a long maritime history. It has beautiful old buildings, fresh sea breezes and everyone goes to the beach. It has a great arts and music scene (maybe not as big as Brighton) and just has a lovely feel about it all.3. Brighton's ride sharing bicycle schemeI just think that's so cool because we have nothing like that at home! Or at least on that large of a scale.4. How beloved Brighton isI was told by a friend who has travelled all over Europe and has been to lots of renowned and beautiful cities, such as Prague, Barcelona and Paris, that out of all the places she has been, Brighton was by far her favourite. 5. That Brighton has a pebble beachWhat's up with that! The beaches back home are mostly all sand, and in some places its so soft and fine it squeaks under your feet! At least the wind doesn't blow it in your eyes though, but I thought that was pretty surprising.

Broadway Baby was founded in 2004 by Pete Shaw with the aim of providing coverage of performing arts from a perspective of people who work in performing arts. Knowledge of the subject is one thing, but we also strive for high journalistic standards and the ability to write copy that is both informing and entertaining. From the very outset, Broadway Baby operates as any normal professional publication would, using the principles of the NUJ and BECTU of which Shaw was previously a member. All submissions to Broadway Baby are proof read by at least two people other than the author to check not only for grammatical quality, but also to fact-check any claims made by our reviewers. We follow the International Fact-Checking Network code of principles. We don't always get it right, of course, so we have a formal complaints procedure in place to ensure mistakes are rectified quickly. We also want our reviewers to be good theatre citizens, which is why Broadway Baby has adopted the principles of the Theatre Charter, which aims to be a 'good etiquette' guide for theatre patrons, and none of our reviewers are allowed to venture out on our behalf before digesting our Reviewer's Guide - a 41 page tome that sets out everything from their responsibilities to house style. Although the Reviewer's Guide is an internal document, we've noticed it's been good enough for other publications to adopt it with modification for their own circumstances, and we can only be flattered by that. ;-) So, bottom line, as Broadway Baby enters its third decade, we hope you can trust us for knowledgable, interesting and honest commentary on the performing arts landscape. Most of our writers are on Twitter, or Bluesky with their usernames linked below their articles should you wish to reach out (but for complaints, please review our formal policy - Social media abuse only delays a resolution, and you've all heard of the Streisand Effect, haven't you?).

You have probably seen an awful lot about GDPR coming from all angles recently and although I’ve no desire to add more white noise to the conversation, in the spirit of compliance this article sets out what Broadway Baby is doing about this new EU regulation to protect your data.For the most part, very little changes on BroadwayBaby.com – our privacy policy has always been very explicit about what data we collect and how it is used, plus we also spell out the third party extensions we use and how they use your data, so we are not making any sweeping changes.Essentially the only reason we would store your data on Broadway Baby is to maintain your user account if you are adding a listing, advertising or you are one of our reviewers. We have never, and will never sell your personal details onto a third party or let them ‘rent’ your data for marketing purposes.We’ve never been big on sending out mailshots, but one decision I’ve taken as a result of GDPR is that should we decide to create a regular newsletter in the future, that it will only go to people who’ve explicitly requested it after 25th May 2018. Even if you left the ‘send me the occasional newsletter’ box checked when you registered, all of those have now been reset. Anyone on the database prior to that date won’t be included unless they’ve updated their preferences to grant consent and for new registrations our mailing list is now opt-in.GDPR also calls on organisations to keep your data safe, and whilst no company can make 100% guarantees on the Wild West of the Digital Frontier (remember, Russia managed to hack America), we follow the principles of OWASP, which are the guidelines of IT’s best security experts. Even if a hacker managed to crack open the Broadway Baby database they wouldn’t find much of interest – passwords are one-way encrypted and we don’t store any financial info. Your email address is potentially the riskiest bit of data they could get hold of; but as I’ve said, we make our best efforts to keep that safe.Another aspect of GDPR is the right to be forgotten, and in that regard we’ve already taken the decision to remove audience reviews from the site – so for the majority of people who have created an account on Broadway Baby to add a listing or place an advert, no personally identifiable information is publicly available anyway. If you would like to have your data removed entirely, you can do that by sending a request to [email protected] from the email address you used to register. For our reviewing team, they’ve always had the option of writing under a pen name but they will now also have the right to have all their author panels removed too. Note that the right to be forgotten doesn’t apply to the subject of a review (should you be thinking this new regulation is a shortcut to getting a negative review pulled), as there is a specific exemption for data that's used to exercise freedom of expression and information.

We're almost mid-way through the Fringe and it seems like there are more shows than ever to pick from. Never fear, here are some of our picks to keep you entertained, excited and delighted this weekend.With astonishing high wire stunts, you are bound to be shocked and amazed by Circus Vegas (Preston Park Big Top, 18th May, 17:00 & 19:35, 19th May, 15:00 & 18:00, 20th May, 14:00 & 17:00). Bringing a taste of the Nevada desert to Preston Park, they perform incredible feats of gymnastics in a traditional circus big top. Accompanied by glamorous showbiz dancers, they are sure to inject a little viva Las Vegas glitz into your weekend.It’s 2018 and many of us are fed up with the endless political news cycle. Nonsensical negotiations, world crises, national outrages. Politics might have an effect on all of our lives, but who actually wants to be a politician? The Polished Scar (Rialto, 18th-19th May, 18:30) aims to find out. This extraordinary production critically examines what makes some of us strive for leadership and control. After all, what is the true cost of power?A Fringe hit the world over, the Sh*t-faced Shakespeare crew return to Brighton Fringe with their hammered version of Hamlet (The Warren, 18th-23rd May, 21:45). With one of the cast genuinely inebriated, you’ll never know what to expect - even if you studied the Spark Notes for GCSE.It’s late at night and you can’t sleep. These days you can just watch cat videos on YouTube and watch a dodgy American cop drama on Channel 5. But it didn’t used to be that way. If you’re up late at night, join Niteskreen (Sweet Weeks 2, 18th-20th May, 22:00) to discover how when the TV goes dark, the imagination comes to life.RuPaul first introduced us all to the fabulous drag queen, Courtney Act (Brighton Spiegeltent, 18th-20th May, 19:15). However, it was her Celebrity Big Brother win that truly helped her steal the heart of the nation. Now she’s inviting you under the covers to hear some of her signature sultry tunes sung with her typical allure and glamour.If you’ve ever visited New York you’re likely to have wolfed down one of Nathan’s Famous Hot Dogs. Now you can hear the tale behind Nathan & Ida’s Hot Dog Stand (The Warren, 19th-20th May, 11:30). This physical comedy with plenty of clowning tells the story of how Nathan and Ida arrived from the old country to found and grow this Coney Island institution to the success it is today.Looking to experience the wild nights of the Weimar Republic? Enter the award-winning A Berlin Kabaret! (The Warren, 18th-20th May, 21:45). Capturing the tumultuous spirit of the Weimar years, this avant-garde performance has a strong political streak, filled with songs inspired by the current refugee crisis, love and exile.For family fun then Captain Cauliflower and Marvin the Mischievous Moose (The Warren, 19th May, 10:00, 20th May, 10:00 & 11:30) will come to your rescue. Their extreme silliness is bound to have you rolling with laughter as Captain Cauliflower fights to defeat the evil Onion Man. Already marked out as two of the brightest stars at the upcoming London Clowning Festival, catch them in Brighton whilst you can.Lost Voice Guy has built up an astounding reputation, with celebrity fans including fellow funnyman Matt Lucas. Hear why he is sick of being an inspirational internet star at Lost Voice Guy: Inspiration Porn (Komedia Studio, 20th May, 17:15). He’s fed up, funny and ready to make you laugh for one night only.Tear yourself away from binge watching box sets for this sure fire gem. One of the highlights of last year’s Edinburgh Fringe, you’re sure to be entertained by an evening with Notflix (Komedia Studio, 20th May, 19:30). After sell-out performances across the country, Notflix now bring their special brand of improvised musical to Brighton Fringe.Finally, some local comedy in the form of The Frow Show (Rialto, 18th-19th, 21:15). Set in a Sussex village, they find comedy in the gentrification and alternative lifestyles many of us who live here are all too familiar with.

After the glorious sunshine of the opening weekend, you might be forgiven for thinking that the fun was over. You couldn’t be more wrong. With a weekend jam-packed with brilliant performances, you’d better clear your schedule to fit them all in. Back for its record-breaking 18th year is The Treason Show: Festival Special (Horatio's at Brighton Palace Pier, 10th-12th May, 20:30). Join Brighton’s resident satirists, out on the pier, to discover why this festival institution keeps crowds entertained year after year in this gag-a-minute topical sketch show. Kafka fans are sure to be delighted by Different Theatre’s astonishing production of Metamorphosis (Sweet Dukebox, 11th-13th May, 21:30). An engaging performance by Heather-Rose Andrews means this show is not to be missed.If you’re looking for laughs and guffaws, you should head on down to Lolbot Wars (Laughing Horse @ Temple Bar, 11th-13th May, 22:00). This late night special sees comics battle each other, armed only with their words and wits...and also some nerf guns and lightsabers. With a rotating line up for each night, let the wars commence!Clowning and a capella? Puppety and cabaret? Female sexuality and Christianity? Just Don’t Do It (Sweet Werks 1, 11th-13th May 15:00) mashes up all these ideas, genres and more with their clever and witty look at the Church’s advice on premarital sex. Just do it – buy a ticket that is.You wolfed down Wolf Hall, binged on Blanchett’s take on Elizabeth and was thrilled by The Tudors. Now for a modern twist on this most famous of English historical eras. Marie (The Warren, 11th May, 16:00, 12th- 13th May, 11:30) is a darkly comic, new play inspired by the life of Mary Queen of Scots. Join landlady Liz and husband Barry as a mysterious young woman from Edinburgh steps off the train in London.Did you go walk along the seafront last weekend? I bet you did. However, Brighton Dance Network want to give you a refreshing, new perspective on this iconic Brighton location with a promenade dance performance. Now in their fourth year, Dance Trail 2018 (MEET: Bedford Square, 11th-13th May, 18:00) presents site-specific outdoor choreography like no one else.Down to earth Erin Bolens is ready to write poetry – even when it’s about death. Still such a taboo subject, although it affects us all, Erin uses her highly commended warmth and wit to discuss how we remember those who have died and how we wish to be remembered ourselves. What We Leave Behind (The Warren, 11th-13th May, 14:30) is sure to be the most enlightening way you can spend an hour this weekend.If you’re still hungry for poetry, Joseph J Clark is willing to share 13.5 of his very best poems in Drunk With A Pen (Sweet Werks 2, 11th-13th May). This fast-paced, hard hitting poetry is more refreshing than a cold pint of lager on a hot day.Swap Brighton for the Welsh mountains with Honey (The Old Courtroom, 12th-13th May). Follow the story of a young boy with autism who loves to dance, his mother and his tattoo-artist sister in this charming piece that is bound to be a breath of fresh Welsh air.Don’t know how to entertain the kids? Back at Brighton Fringe due to popular demand, it’s the one and only Signor Baffo (The Warren, 12th-13th May). Packed with culinary chaos and plenty of fun, this highly commended show is bound to delight youngsters and their parents.With more than enough to get your teeth stuck into this weekend, make sure you follow Broadway Baby’s coverage for the latest reviews, listings and features.

Where would Robert Burns be without a dram of whisky? Not to mention that Hemingway boasted he could drink anyone under the table. The relationship between poetry and alcohol is renowned and Joseph J Clark continues in this tradition with his show, Drunk With A Pen (Sweet Werks 2, May 5 - 13, 19:00). Presenting poetry for the drinking classes, even poem-phobics will enjoy these 13.5 booze based poems.Not unfamiliar with a local watering hole or two, we asked Joe to pick out his favourite Brighton & Hove based boozers so you'll know where to grab a poet approved pint during the Fringe.Pick of the PubsBy Joe the PoetI’ve spent 15 years hanging around pubs in Brighton. And Hove, actually. I learned to drink here. I learned to write and perform poetry here. I learned the joy of live music here. I’ve loved here and, yes, I’ve lost here, too.Picking just five of the best from such a great (and ever-changing) scene is a nearly impossible, thankless task. But hold my beer while I pick out the five closest to my heart.The George PayneDo you have any idea how many outstanding pubs are in Poets' Corner? Out near Aldrington Station? Did you even know Aldrington Station existed? I didn’t, until I had the good fortune to move there. And then I barely left.Hidden away in the residential maze north of Portland Road lies The George Payne. Hands down my favourite pub in town. Admittedly it can be a victim of its own success, as it gets overstuffed at Christmas and can be overrun with children (particularly on a sunny weekend).But there’s a reason for that, a great selection of drinks, superb food, excellent staff and a constantly busy schedule of events and things to do. One of the hardest working pubs in town.AND they have a Tardis in the garden.The FoundryI went through a phase of going to The Foundry regularly for its Americana nights: a scene which introduced me to amazing roots acts like Porchlight Smoker, Danni Nicholls and Dr Bluegrass and the Illbilly Eight. And I’m talking properly acoustic - not a cable or amp in sight.The Foundry is a good no nonsense boozer and a cosy treat in winter. It had a bit of a makeover recently, but pleasingly, nothing too heavy. Just a bit of a freshener really, it’s a little bit lighter and less musty, but still retains it’s original character. And serves a cracking roast.The ExchangeA short walk from Hove Station lies the Exchange, a colourful, characterful pub with loads going on. There’s vibrant art over the walls full of cult and Brighton references, a pinball table for the afficionados (I know you’re out there) and superb music every Saturday night. Plus a good range of beers and a whisky of the week, oh yes! Finding a pub with good atmosphere can be really difficult out in the genial Hove backwaters, but The Exchange always seems to be just the right pace. Open late too, so I’ve had plenty of ill-advised nightcaps here.Sussex YeomanBrighton’s as blessed with food as it is with drink. But my favourite place to eat has to be the Yeoman, located just up the hill behind Brighton Station. There’s a spot at the window, by the front door, where you can gaze out over the hill at the sunset with a good pint. Bliss.The food is just shy of fancy, with mains around £12-15. But the portions are always generous, the food always outstanding, and they have regular deals going too. I once had three sausages, mash and ratatouille there for £5 on a half price weeknight deal. Absolute robbery! It was so good I still genuinely feel guilty for not paying full price.The DorsetThe Dorset is a venerable Brighton institution, the most mainstream place on this list by a mile. But for all the post-student jazz Tuesdays, for the introduction to some amazing gypsy jazz guitarists, and for the ridiculous amount of wine I’ve drunk there, it absolutely has to be on this list. A key part of my life through a difficult couple of years, the Dorset is home to great characters.Honourable MentionsOkay, since five really isn’t enough, I’m going to cheat a little bit and just call out a few hidden gems which you may not have heard of (some of these are quite new to me). The Lion & Lobster, The Bottom’s Rest, The Black Dove, The Robin Hood, The Shakespeare’s Head, The Hampton Arms and The Globe. All quirky, vibrant places to have a drink. Get exploring this summer!Photo by: Mike South

Do you always listen out for the screeching sound of the TARDIS? Have you dreamed of captaining the Enterprise to boldly go where no one has gone before? Does other people’s lack of faith in the force disturb you?If so, you might be a fully-fledged sci-fi geek. So whether you’re a Blade Runner or a replicant, a HAL or a Dave or even a Luke or a Leia, don’t panic, these are the sci-fi picks for you.Imagine three 80s cops working the most dangerous place on Earth... Space. Following their three sell out runs at Soho Theatre, multi-awarding winning The Pretend Men bring their acclaimed EdFringe 2017 sell-out Police Cops In Space (The Warren, 5th May, 20:00, 6th May, 21:45, 7th May, 16:30, 16th May, 20:00) to Brighton Fringe. Expect more 80s references than Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2 in this raucously funny space adventure.There’s a Doctor. He travels through time and space with sexy assistants to fight scary monsters and aliens. He has 1.5 hearts. Huh? Yes, that’s right, it’s Space Doctor (The Warren, 19th-20th May, 14:45, 24th-25th May, 18:15)! After 40 years in the wilderness, join in with the Space Doctor convention to watch some of Space Doctor’s most ‘celebrated’ moments and discover the horrific truths which will be revealed….If your brain has been through the space vortex a few too many times, then Tits In Space (Sweet Dukebox, 28th- 31st May, 20:00) is the wacky and surreal antidote for you. Expect two idiots, plankton and boob hats in this frenetic sketch show.Whether you class Lovecraft’s writing as horror, fantasy or science fiction, he is certainly an influential literary figure. Watch Lovecraft battle his demons into fiction at Lovecraft’s Monsters (Rialto Theatre, 28th-31st May, 18:45). Here American actor, David Crawford of Dawn of the Dead, takes on many of Lovecraft’s masterpieces.In space no one can hear you scream. Discover if the same rule applies at Sweet Dukebox with One Woman Alien (Sweet Dukebox, 21st-24th May, 21:30). Starring Heather-Rose Andrews as one of the most kick-ass women in sci-fi history (as well as the rest of the cast) in this inventive, humorous and pleasingly messy one-woman (plus one cat) version of Ridley Scott’s memorable thriller.Parents are sure to have as much fun as their kids at Kids Disco: My Mini Disco (Brighton Spiegeltent, 7th May, 28th May, 14:00). Brighton’s number 1 family-friendly club mixes rave faves with all kinds of wild activities bound to keep your kids squealing with delight, including giant balloons, bubbles, parachutes and more. Recommended for ages 0-10, join DJ Krafty Kuts on the 7th for an ‘Intergalactic Space and Star Wars’ fancy dress’ themed party. If you can’t make the 7th, the theme changes to ‘Gangsters and Hippies’ on the 28th.Although definitely more sci than fi, Physics Fan Fiction (Sweet @ The Welly, 10th-12th May, 15:00) is a comedic look at the life of a theoretical physicist. Dr Fran Day will introduce you to the witty and surreal world of theoretical physics, revealing the inside story of what really goes on at the Large Hadron Collider.With plenty to geek out about this Brighton Fringe, check your radar and re-adjust your course to head towards some of these fantastic sci-fi shows this month. Just don’t forget to bring your towel.

It’s the bank holiday and you’re ready for the long weekend – but what to do? After grabbing some doughnuts at the pier and dodging dive-bombing seagulls, there’s plenty to see during Brighton Fringe’s opening weekend. Here are some of our recommendations.If you want to kick-start your weekend with some comedy, then Lorna Shaw has a growing cult following after appearances on Radio 4, BBC3 and ITV2’s Plebs. Her show Ava Rage (The Warren, 3rd-5th May, 20:30) brings her eponymous character Ava to life for an hour of exceptional stand-up mixed in with music.Peeling yourself off your sofa on a long weekend can be hard, right? If you agree then you might relate to What’s Wrong With Monotony? (Rialto Theatre, 4th-6th May, 17:15). Discover whether the show’s couch-potato hero has managed to write his play within a play or whether it all descends into improvised chaos...Choosing Brighton over backpacking for the weekend, world traveller, comedian and podcaster Struan Logan has brought his show Struan Logan: Struan All Over The World (Laughing Horse, 5th-7th May, 15:45) to Brighton Fringe after rave reviews down under in Perth, Adelaide Fringe, Melbourne and Singapore. Join this free must see show to discover more about all of his adventures after 18 months of backpack living.Life is complicated for the modern woman. Join Am I If? (The Warren, 5th-7th May, 12:00) for a half an hour of no-nonsense fast paced exploration of the quirkier subjects around feminism. If you think Bank Holiday weekend should be renamed to Beer Holiday weekend, you may want to check out the free FEM.ALE Brewster Beer Festival (Marlborough, 4th-6th May, 12:00-20:00). With live grrrl bands, local DJs, a Saturday street party and, most importantly, local women beer experts ready to decant their best brewing knowledge, you’re welcome to drop by for a chilled afternoon and a pint or two.Blasting into your life this weekend is Hot Gay Time Machine (Brighton Spiegeltent, 4th-6th May, 19:30). After a sell out run at Edinburgh Fringe, this Brighton Fringe favourite is back for one weekend only. Covering the key milestones from a gay man’s life, you don’t want to miss out on this extravagant, flamboyant party to get you geared up for the weekend.If you think the hills are alive with the sound of music and that a spoonful of sugar always helps the medicine go down then Being Julie Andrews (Junkyard Dogs, 4th-6th May, 12:30) speaks your language. Follow Lesley through her emotional life story and discover how growing up in the West Midlands’ equivalent of the Von Trapps shaped her life forever.With so much to see this bank holiday, there’s no excuse not to get stuck into Brighton Fringe and catch some of the hottest shows before they go.

Know your camembert from your comté? Your seitan from your soy? If you serve your steak on a Himalayan salt block or enjoy covering your chargrilled cauliflower with chermoula then these are the foodie picks for you.For a taste of sunshine, join Dean Atta and Deanna Rodger as they serve up a delicious Caribbean dinner complemented by some fine rhymes at Come Rhyme With Me (18th May, 19:00, The Writers' Place). With rice and peas on the menu, alongside a range of witty and astute performers, this cosy evening is sure to tingle your taste buds and warm your spirit.Italians are known for their love of good food and since Alex Martini has named his debut show Alex Martini Is Mad About Food (18th-19th May, 1st-2nd June, 17:40, Sweet @ The Welly) it proves he is no exception. With humour as dry as a gin martini, this early evening comedy is the perfect aperitif for anyone passionate about pasta.After a sell-out run at Edinburgh Fringe 2017, George Egg: DIY Chef (24th May, 26th May, 20:00, The Warren: The Hat) shows that cooking doesn’t get tougher than this. An audacious combination of stand-up and comedy lecture, George cooks live on stage, using power tools. Don’t try these techniques at home, but do try the food, as everything cooked is eaten at the end by the audience.If you’ve Instagrammed one too many avocado toasts or açaí bowls, then Clean Mean Eating Machine (17th May, 20:00, 18th-19th May, 16:30, 20th May, 13:15, The Warren: The Blockhouse) will hit home. This debut full length theatre show blends physical comedy, clowning and a whole lot of kale into a smoothie of satire. Join the Clean Eaters Anonymous to discover whether the #cleaneating lifestyle is really as simple as the bloggers make it out to be.Recently crowned the hipster capital of the world, Brighton is proud of the many independent businesses championing locally sourced products in the Lanes and beyond. If you want to discover the unsung heroes of the Brighton food scene, then join Brighton Food Tours: The V.I.B. (Very Independent Brighton) Food Tour (4th May, 11th-12th May, 18th May, 11:00-14:00). Whether you’re a lifelong Brightonian, or just down for the weekend, you’re bound to discover something exciting to eat.Marlene and Boycie have invited you to a Gala Dinner. Surely it would be rude to not accept? Only Fools And 3 Courses (11th May, 19:00, 27th May, 13:00, 19:00, The Jurys Inn Brighton Waterfront Hotel) is a comedy caper, served up alongside a slap up meal. Inspired by the stalwart British sitcom, you’ll get to see all your favourites, including Del Boy, Rodney and Uncle Albert.Finally, all real foodies will surely be irresistibly drawn towards Foodies Festival Brighton (5th-7th May, 11:00, Hove Lawns). At the largest food and drink festival in the UK, you’ll get to meet Michelin star chefs, Masterchef winners and GBBO winners and discover their top tips for inventive and delectable delights. With masterclasses, award-winning producers, a street food village and more on the programme, your tummy will be entertained the whole day long.

The guidelines below are designed to help us find the press releases we need and extract the information we need from them. We receive thousands of press releases every year, so your help in making working with them easier is much appreciated. On Broadway Baby, if your goal of sending a release is to get listed, remember you can add this information to Broadway Baby yourself for free, and if you're at a festival like Brighton or Edinburgh Fringe, we already have (or will have) your listing. Of course, not all publications offer this function, so the tips below will be useful for all media. The first thing your should consider when creating your release is what you want it to achieve. Not a stupid question, as there are actually many types of press release which all serve a different purpose. Here are some of the most common ones: News Release Listings Info Photo Call Diary Piece Each of these releases are constructed in different ways in order to maximise their effectiveness. You may be surprised to learn that 95% of the releases sent to us do not meet their objective. Most releases sent to us are hybrid news & listing info that we can't use.Journalists Are (Very) BusyAnything you do to make a journalist's life harder makes your chances of a release getting used a little less likely. Taking the most common type of release, the news story, as an example, when you read your release is it actually news or just an announcement that you're taking a show to a festival? As your show may be one of 3,500 shows going to a festival, that's not really news. What you've got to find is the 'story'. Have you cast someone of note? Is this a hotly anticipated show? Did you overcome a major challenge to make this show happen? Chances are there's a much more interesting spin on your story than just the fact you're staging a show. Once you've found your angle, you should write your release as though a journalist has written it. Cut the flowerly language and focus on facts. Write it as though it could be simply copied and pasted into a quality newspaper. Make the job of the journalist in choosing to run your story a no-brainer. There are long-standing rules about how to write a news release, although it seems even the best PRs have forgotten them. Your release should be written in a pyramid structure, so your first paragraph should summarise the whole story, and each further paragraph adds more detail - but the release could cut paragraphs from the bottom and lose none of the meaning. So don't try to tell a narrative or be mysterious in an attempt to make your release more interesting. Always imagine the journalist reading your release has another 3,000 to skim through, so if the first line hasn't told them what they need to know, the release isn't doing its job. Do some research on the publications you're sending your release to. There really aren't that many normally active on the fringe, and you can at the very least categorise them into local news, listings, reviewers, nationals, TV and Radio. Each category will be looking for different stories, and won't thank you for sending them irrelevant info. In a festival such as Edinburgh your release will be one of more than 3,000. Spamming will quickly get you a reputation that means your release may not even be opened. Don't send your release as an attachment, or - even worse - as a link to Facebook, et al. Any click you put between your press release and the journalist you want to read it is another chance that it won't be read. Don't litter your release with pull-quotes or other information that is unlikely to be published by your target media. Have the mindset that the person receiving it needs to copy / paste from top to bottom and paste next to your listing. What in your release would stop them doing that? Quotes from other publications between every paragraph probably would. Broadway Baby has a dedicated team of feature writers, so we are always on the lookout for news-worthy content. If you write a release that catches our interest, we may commission one of our writers to interview you or your team to turn that into a larger article.For reviews, we now allow you to attach your general show press release to your listing on Broadway Baby, accessible by the reviewing team in our scheduling system, Thistle. If your show is already listed on Broadway Baby then you just need to 'claim' the listing in order to edit it and add your release. You can also set your 'press night' (ie, the first night in your run you want press in). If your show isn't listed on Broadway Baby already, you can add your listing yourself and include the press information at the same time.Listings Info For Listings Info you should focus on the performance dates & times and location. Give the publication a thumbnail poster image and your marketing-blurb show description, but don't send high resolution image or spreadsheets - just give them the links so they can download that material themselves. For publications regularly involved with Brighton and Edinburgh Fringe like Broadway Baby listings info releases are unnecessary, as that data comes directly from the Fringe office. Check whether you need to send a release at all. Photo Calls Photo Calls are useful for national newspapers with their own picture desk and freelance photographers. They are less interested in what your show is about and more in what they can expect to get a picture of, so if you're organising a photo call describe the scene, people involved and location. Broadway Baby doesn't have a picture desk, so we don't need this type of release.Diary Pieces Diary Pieces are snippets of news that wouldn't justify a full news release, such as a performance being cancelled because and actor got stuck in a lift or a celebrity turning up to watch the show. Check which publications run columnists, as they are your most likely target for a diary piece. Gloria is our columnist at Broadway Baby, so if you have an interesting tale for her, drop her an email at [email protected] - BUT - don't send general releases to her, she already gets those through the [email protected] address.Notes To Editors All release types should include a 'Notes To Editors' section which isn't intended for publication but gives the journalist some background on who you are and what the show is. You should also include contact information so that if you've garnered interest in your story we have someone to call or email for photos or more quotes. Attachments No, seriously, don't include them. We get something like 5,000 releases over a typical Fringe and if they all had a 1MB attachment we'd have to constantly upgrade the hosting requirements with our ISP, plus dealing with large attachments while mobile is not easy. One theatre company (no names) recently sent us two releases within a week that weighed in at over 100MB. We deleted them. Nothing personal, but they make our life hell. Who to send to?Chances are your target media will publish the email address they prefer to receive releases at. In our case it's [email protected]. An email without a specific name should be a clue that it's a forwarding address to the people in the organisation that pick through releases for the stories. Please, even if you have the direct address of the publisher, editor or cleaning lady, when a publication gives you an address to send a release to, do not send to other contacts you make have at the same outlet. I often end up with multiple copies of the same release and when I'm looking at a list of 100 releases to be scanned that may be all the excuse I need to delete all the dupes. You may think the more-is-better approach is the way to go, but it may also just hurt your chances.Don’t send newsletters or similar material intended for a general audience to the press. We often get auto-subscribed to your mailing lists, and to be honest this causes us more hassle weeding out the actual press information. We will unsubscribe.We'd don't monitor Twitter DM or Facebook private messages - so our email is the best way to get in touch with us. We also encourage you to take a look at our Fringe Marketing Guide for comprehensive insights on how to sell your show at the Fringe.

Some years ago I wrote an article about the best strategies for getting Broadway Baby to review your show. Today I’m updating that because technology has taken over to the point where old school wisdom no longer applies.At Broadway Baby we use a custom-written tool called Thistle which handles all of our scheduling, ticketing and publishing. So the best way to get on the radar of our reviewing team is to make sure you’re in Thistle. The good news is if you’re listed on Broadway Baby, you’re already in Thistle – but you can enhance your chances further by adding info like your press night and attaching your press release.If you’re not already listed on Broadway BabyYou'll find a link to adding a listing under the categories menu. If you’re in a festival such as Edinburgh, Adelaide or Brighton skip to the next step because we’ll get your listing details direct from the festival organisers.If you are listed on Broadway BabyYou can ‘claim’ a listing on Broadway Baby if you’re the producer or publicist. To do this first either login or register a new user account. Then navigate to your listing, and just above the performance calendar you’ll find a link to claim it. Complete the pop-up form and we’ll check it’s valid before assigning it to you.If you include a press night with your listing info, we’ll assume that all shows prior to that date are previews and we’ll automatically block those dates from our reviewers (previously we used a dedicated email address for 'first dates', but this is now replaced with this system). If you attach a press release, we’ll make that available to the reviewer we’re sending to see your show.With these details attached to your listing, you'll have a much better chance of making it into our schedules.When you're logged in you can find a link to all your listings under the categories menu. As the owner of a listing you’ll be able to edit it at any time.

Mutterings about star ratings are as much a part of the Fringe as plastic pint glasses. Some people think critics are too generous, some people too harsh (mainly about their own shows), and others think star ratings should be abolished altogether. James T. Harding does the sums and finds that, whatever you think it means, star-rating inflation is real. The Fringe is the largest arts festival in the world, which makes choosing what to see quite an intimidating prospect, especially for first-time visitors. Enter the star-rating system: your at-a-glance guide to what is worth seeing at the Fringe… except it seems like almost every show has a raft of four- and five-star ratings printed or stapled onto their flyers. The fact is, if everyone’s getting positive star ratings, star ratings are pretty meaningless. Using data aggregated on the List’s top-rated shows page, checked on August 26, I made some charts: Figure 1Figure 2 As you can see, the average star rating of reviews published at the festival (the data includes EIF shows as well as the Fringe) has risen from 3.30 to 3.51 over the last nine years. It wouldn’t be unreasonable to exclude 2009 and 2010 from the trend on the grounds that they have a much smaller sample size, but even if you do that the average still rises from 3.37 to 3.51. It isn’t as mammoth a rise as you might expect from the way drunk fringe lags complain about it, but star inflation is indisputably real. There are, of course, different ratings and coverage policies at different publications. Some focus on debut shows, others go after safe bets. Some review in the context of the Fringe, others hold shows to the standard of London theatre. Some choose to publish only 3-star ratings and above, others have critical integrity. Such policies are not an important factor in star inflation, however, because they are mostly constant from year to year. Average star rating is a bit of an abstract concept, especially as star ratings are generally looked at as an exponential rather than a linear scale. Naturally, I wanted to drill down into more detail by star-rating category:Figure 3Figure 4Figure 5Figure 6 It turns out that the proportion of positive star ratings published has gone up, while negative ratings have fallen. The biggest shift has been directly on either side of the three-star rating, with four stars rising and two stars falling by five percentage points each. Sometime in 2011, four-star reviews started to become more common than three-star reviews, both as a proportion of total coverage and in absolute terms. (That was the year Lyn Gardner was moved to write a condemnation of star inflation in the Guardian.) This stabilised in 2014, and now 4 stars is firmly the most commonly published rating overall. This year, 53% of reviews published sported four- or five-star ratings. It’s so tempting to quip that above average is the new average, or that four stars is the new three stars, but sadly these statistics don’t tell us enough about the critical standard of the reviews for such appealing conclusions to be drawn. As Richard Stamp, the editor of Fringe Guru, put it to me in a bar on the last night of the Fringe, it could simply be that reviewers are getting better at finding the best shows to see. One trend I’ve noticed in the last few years is for reviews to cluster around award winners and other buzz shows. This is natural, I suppose, in that readers are more interested in reading about the ‘winners’ of the Fringe. Reviewers too – if you’ll forgive my cynicism – are more interested in enjoying a good show than they are in sitting through a bad one. This coverage clustering contributes to star inflation twice over, however. Firstly, it increases the number of positive star ratings. Secondly, it decreases the number of negative star ratings given due to the opportunity cost of attending the buzz show. A similar effect is caused by the rise of the returning show, one which has done well critically in a previous year and is back for more. Although some publications avoid these known-quantity shows, others embrace them. The result, of course, is yet more star inflation. It isn’t that these shows are being given higher ratings than they deserve, it’s that their inclusion increases the star-rating average as experienced by the audience. Caveats aside, it isn’t that preposterous an idea that reviewers are getting more generous. Certainly, my personal impression of the Fringe over the last few years is that star-rating standards are falling across all publications. High ratings are good for shows and publications to promote themselves in the short term, but if the Fringe community allows star inflation to continue at its current rate we’ll reach a tipping point for the whole system. If shows stop putting four stars on their fliers, we’ll know it’s too late.Photo by Kim Traynor, used under Creative Common license.

The Army has set up camp for the first time at the Fringe and is stationed with Summerhall in its own premises. The move is not without its critics, but its contribution to the Fringe is welcomed by many. They invite us to join them for a ‘cutting-edge performance programme sparking conversations about what the Army is and what it stands for in twenty first-century society’. Richard Beck inspects the front line.When I heard that the Army would be at the Fringe I imagined it had embarked upon a campaign for inclusion and that performances would be given by active soldiers who had somehow formed dance or drama groups and were now geared up to entertain. The reality has turned out to be quite different. The shows are not performed by recruits and the idea was to a large extent the culmination of one woman’s ambition.Rosie Kay set up her own dance company in 2004, with which she toured internationally. In 2007 she suffered the dancer’s nightmare – a leg injury – that caused her to question why people put themselves at physical risk for their work. At the same time she saw, on the news, injured soldiers in Iraq and decided that she needed to bring her choreographic experience to bear on the issue.After some tough negotiating and powerful persuasion, Kay was invited to join The 4th Battalion The Rifles for two weeks and experienced full battle exercises on Dartmoor and Salisbury Plain. Later she visited the military rehabilitation centre, Headley Court, to see the effects of conflict and training on the soldiers’ bodies. 5 Soldiers, subtitled The Body is the Front Line emerged from those encounters and was premiered in 2008. Rehearsal preparation involved the dancers spending several days of army exercise and engaging in discussion with soldiers. Kay’s programme notes describe the work as ‘an intimate view of the training that prepares soldiers for the sheer physicality of combat, for the possibility of injury, and the impact conflict has on the bodies and minds of everyone it reaches. The piece has a powerful physicality, moments of humour and is full of honesty, all inspired by input from serving and former soldiers’.Kay believes ‘the arts make you confront issues’ attaching particular importance to the ‘consequences of leadership’. In 5 Soldiers she saw the opportunity to use dance as a cathartic experience for those in uniform and to change ‘perceptions of the soldier in the mind of the general public, allowing soldiers to be seen as humans and individuals, showing the sheer effort and physical work involved, and touching people with a deep understanding and portrayal of the life of a soldier’.Not content with leaving it as a work for casual audiences Kay continued to talk with the Army about a collaboration. Brigadier Gary Deakin, Brigade Commander 51st Infantry Brigade and Army Headquarters Scotland, was the man whom she ultimately convinced.Deakin has now taken up the cause of bringing the arts and Arny together. Speaking proudly of the project, he maintains that their venue has attracted ‘an outstanding programme of talented artists across a spectrum of genres, who will draw from history and more recent experiences to stimulate conversations about war, conflict and our people living and working in Defence today’. He believes that ‘by opening our doors we aim to open festival-goers’ minds to our diverse and inclusive family culture and the powerful bonds of belonging.’This soft-touch, socially worthy message is precisely what has concerned critics of the Army’s involvement with the Fringe. Writing in Bella Caledonia Catrin Evans sees this venture in conjunction with Summerhall as support for ‘the mainstreaming of militarism within UK’. ‘I feel a deep discomfort with the presence of a new venue run, resourced and managed by the British Army,’ she says. Her objection asserts that there is ‘little or no space for the narratives of the people affected by, or in opposition to, the actions of the armed forces’. She goes on to ask, ‘How can we genuinely have an in-depth critical debate about what the army stands for if the shows, the staff, and the entire atmosphere of the venue are being stage-managed by the military itself?’.I had similar misgivings at first, but having seen the productions on offer I now think her argument is overstated. True, nothing deals directly with the consequences of war for civilians and displaced populations and there are no overt condemnations of militarism, but neither are these performances what she regards as a ‘live advert for the military’. In no way do they fight shy of exposing the discomfort, pain, suffering and life-long consequences of military service and certainly do not glorify it. The test will be in future years to see if companies are able or choose to perform in this venue and present plays that, in reference to wars and the military, and in her words, ‘scrutinise the agendas, geopolitical drivers and material consequences of our participation in these so-called necessary conflicts’.The venue and performing space has inevitably had immediate appeal to companies with productions related to military life, but there was no sense in which the Army hand-picked them or that they were coerced into performing there. The choice of a site was a matter for companies wanting to use the Summerhall brand and organisation for their production and agreeing the best venue.The outcome has been remarkable in terms of the programme that is now on offer. The Last Post is based on ‘one man’s love letters from the front line’. In Between The Crosses ‘a WWI veteran …. speaks to his great nephew from beyond the grave in a recorded interview’ giving his account of life with soldiers and horses at Ypres and the Somme. This Is My Life relates a young man’s time at home and school after his father is deployed with the Royal Marines. Wired is ‘the story of a young woman soldier’s journey through post-traumatic stress’. There is also an exhibition, Military Families, that developed from a photographic and audio project in which families shared ‘conversation, letters, personal stories and family photographs’. Still dealing with people in uniform, Stand By examines ‘the relationships forged through the stress of the job and the turmoil of being caught between following orders and protecting themselves’ as four police officers sit in a riot van wondering what will happen next. Standing alone in this context, What If I Told You is a participatory experience that explores ‘boundaries, personal histories, gender and race’ along with the story of James Sims, ‘self-ascribed father of modern gynecology who operated on slaves without anaesthetic’.Whether we like it or not, the armed forces are part of society. We can discuss the rights and wrongs of particular engagements and aspects of conduct in the field but few would argue for the total abolition of all military forces in the current international climate. Yet for civilians who have never lived with bombs falling around them or had members of the military in their family, the constituent forces often remain aloof institutions seen only in formal dress at parades or in news clips from engagements in distant lands.In response to Evans’ question, ‘Have we have now reached a point where militarism is so insidious that it can seamlessly be thrown into a traditionally liberal, anti-establishment set up like the Fringe and not only go unnoticed but actually be welcomed by major creative players?’ my answer may not be to her liking. I think that the contribution of the Army has not gone unnoticed: theatre groups have welcomed and taken advantage of their splendid facilities and audiences have flocked to see the productions.A word of warning should you be inclined out of curiosity or the appeal of the shows to visit. Before you start rushing off to Summerhall, this venue is the army@TheFringe in Association with Summerhall and is on the opposite side of town at the Army Reserve Centre in East Claremont Street.

In 2005 it was revealed that author JT LeRoy was in fact a hoax – written by Laura Albert but played in person by her sister in law Savannah Knoop. At this year’s Book Festival, Laura Albert attempted a therapy session with psychotherapist Susie Orbach in front of a live audience, talking about her eating disorder, relationship with her son, and the power of her pseudonym. Broadway Baby’s James T. Harding reports.The stand-out event from my time at EIBF this year was In Therapy with Susie Orbach: Laura Albert. The concept was for the two women, who had never met before the event, to attempt a short therapy session just as they would if they were a new therapist and client in real life – ignoring the audience as best they could. (As if.)I was as uncomfortable witnessing the session as I was fascinated by it, doubly so as the press pass weighing around my neck made me as much psychological pornographer as voyeur. It would have fit right in at Summerhall.Laura Albert is famous for her creation of the literary persona JT LeRoy. Writing as JT, she was able to tackle tough subjects like poverty, drug use, emotional and sexual abuse. At first, Albert communicated with the wider world by phone and email. By 2001, Savannah Knoop, Albert’s sister in law, was making public appearances as the fake author, with Albert herself appearing as JT’s assistant. Things came to a head in 2005 when Albert was ‘outed’ (her own word choice) by the press, and then in 2007 when she was sued by Antidote International Films for signing a film option under an assumed name. A biographical documentary, Author: The JT Leroy Story was eventually brought out by a different film company in 2016.In therapy, Albert spoke primarily about her compulsive overeating, a problem she’s wrestled with since her care-home upbringing. Her diet is both a coping mechanism and a curse. Sometimes, controlling her diet sublimates her self-destructive instincts; sometimes her relationship with food causes her to hurt herself and others.Susie Orbach is the ideal person to act as therapist. The author of the iconic Fat is a Feminist Issue: the Anti-diet Guide to Permanent Weight Loss (Paddington Press, 1978) was a calming presence during the therapeutic part of the event, but in the discussion afterwards she let some of her frustration with contemporary attitudes towards food and body image come out to play. Manic anxiety about food has become an international public health emergency, she says, maintained for corporate profit by the fashion and food industries.Watching from the stands, I was struck by a certain crossover between some of Orbach’s therapeutic techniques and my own practice as a journalist. In particular, a technique Larry Bartleet and I call ‘black holing’, which involves staying as silent and receptive-looking as as possible in order to make the subject feel socially obliged fill the void with interesting material.In journalism, black holing has the dual purpose of getting any publicist-prepared material out of the way and helping the subject discover what they really have to say. In therapy, as Orbach explained in the post-show discussion, it lets the client’s avoidance tactics run out of steam.Orbach seemed keen to let Albert set the agenda as much as possible for the first half of the session, then attempted to focus in on an angle rooted in the present and the specific – another important technique in journalism. She did this more than she would have in real therapy, she explained afterwards. The presence of the audience made her talk more than she would have in a normal first meeting: she wanted to find a strand for the audience to take away with them.In response to an audience question, Orbach explained that overcoming any initial dislike of a client is part of the work of a therapist, which is to connect with and appreciate the problems of another person. ‘It’s impossible to have a client-patient relationship without falling for them.’That, I suppose, is where the crossover with journalism ends.

As we celebrate 70 years of Edinburgh Fringe defiance, Fay Roberts suggests that more work is needed to make it truly open access for everyone.The Edinburgh Fringe celebrates itself as a place to be bold, to take good risks. Increasingly, voices that are less well-represented in the mainstream are engaging stages here. You can see the expanded platform for women’s voices, LGBTQ+ voices, voices of colour, disabled voices, and for shows tackling mental-health issues. More women are winning Fringe awards (four of nine 2017 Comedy Award nominees are female). More fiercely feminist shows are gaining positive coverage. We should be celebrating the progressive diversification of this enormous conglomeration of talent and work and people.And we do celebrate, it’s just… Look. You may not want to hear this, but the Fringe is still an incredibly embattled place to be a female-presenting person. There are still an extraordinary number of people putting effort into limiting the amount of space we’re permitted to take up.In 2012, the first time I’d brought a show to the Fringe, the big trend in stand-up was rape jokes. I immediately felt like I’d stepped into battle. Some years are worse than others, but what seemingly goes unchanged is the persistent, low-level nastiness that no amount of award-winning shows and individuals appear to be able to shift.I found myself saying, last week, about to embark on flyering with a young, female performer new to the Fringe: ‘At least I haven’t had any unsolicited face-touching yet this year.’ She grimaced sympathetically. ‘As if that’s the bloody bar!’ I added, appalled by my own stoicism. Thirty minutes later, she came back for more flyers and to tell me of the photographer who’d spent the entire time talking to her chest.The inequities range from the microscopic (mostly casual ‘womanlike = inferior’ language) to the outright. Within minutes of putting out a call for stories, I was inundated with horrible tales (far too many for this article alone). We’ve all experienced inappropriate flyering interactions: from leers and vile propositions to unwanted touching ranging from shoulder-taps to face-pats, hugs, and bum-gropes, to one young woman being seized by the wrist, immobilised so that the man who’d already propositioned her, and repeatedly touched her without consent, could ‘apologise’ for his behaviour. My show costume leads to a fair amount of street photography. I’m always happy to comply to those seeking explicit consent to take my picture, but I’ve more than once had a man lead me into what turns out to be a darkened alleyway (‘It’s better for the light…’) and ask me to smile properly, smile more, smile while looking over your shoulder, smile like you mean it. Time to walk back into the clean light…Off the streets, women tell stories about having their own shows explained to them by men; others of their performances being interrupted by men who start cat-calling or vandalising their equipment. One woman said that the follow-up to yet another disruptive incident was the men in question repeatedly posting a video of themselves urinating on her flyer (incorporating a picture of her face) to her Facebook Page, accompanied by a narration of sexual threats, describing her as a ‘man-hater’. ‘Feminism’ is still an unclean word to some.Others talk about being objectified during their show by audience members. The opposite is also common. Still others talk about the sexual threats and propositions they receive from fellow cast members while trapped in small spaces. And it’s not just performers and flyerers. Female technicians and other staff tell of groping, harassment, aggressive propositions.And for those who think that ‘feminism has gone too far’ and that ‘women are more than equal now’, we have some professional inequities to illustrate. A 2017 brochure listing the ‘top comedians of the Fringe’ apparently lists not one single female artist. One award-winning female comic’s coverage in the press is more for her body hair than her work. I’ve been told more than once that, in the world of spoken word, ‘there just aren’t enough women of calibre’ to warrant equally gendered line-ups. Yet the BBC Edinburgh Fringe Slam manages an equal ratio of male to female competitors (cis and trans), plus non-binary performers. And let’s not forget the three explicitly intersectional feminist spoken-word cabarets in PBH’s Free Fringe alone this year.Even female-focused spaces get invaded. Promoters of the above events report this year fielding objectifying hecklers, and men who insist on performing aggressively lewd material (‘You can’t “grab” a pussy… [explicit detail]…’). Apparently the f-word is also a challenge to some who’d like the playing field tilted back in their favour even in those few spaces that are set up for people other than them.From the microaggressions to the sexual harassment, the stage invasions to the unconscious/systematic erasure of women’s presence, it seems like the Fringe has an awfully long way to go in terms of gender equality – until everyone commits to the necessary effort it won’t get there.Fay Roberts is one of the two current Artistic Directors for Spoken Word at PBH’s Free Fringe (fulfilling that role since 2013). She has been running spoken-word events since 2008, and running arts events since sometime in the 90s. She is the Hammer & Tongue co-ordinator for Cambridge and an increasingly outspoken queer, Welsh, disabled feminist. Find her online at http://www.fayroberts.co.uk.

Back in 1947 the founders of the Edinburgh International Festival could hardly have imagined what their legacy would be. Over the years their inspiration has not only spawned the Fringe but a host of claimants to International Festival status: Film (1947); Television (1976); Book (1983); Science (1988); Children’s (1990); Storytelling (1990); Internet (1999) and Marketing (2010). In addition there are many other celebrations that abjure the international title and are content with just being a Festival. The creators of this latest addition hail the Edinburgh Cocktail Festival as a first. In a city with a long history of distilling, brewing and imbibing, never before has there been a festival dedicated entirely to cocktails.  Behind every big event is a big name. In this case it is Diageo. While we all know what we like to drink, we may not know the company behind it. Such is the scope of Diageo’s brand portfolio that if you have stood at a bar and ordered a drink one of theirs will have been on your lips. If you are in any doubt, here’s a brief checklist: Gin (Tanqueray, Gordon's, Booth's), Rum (Captain Morgan, Ron Zacapa, Cacique), Tequila (Don Julio), Vodka (Smirnoff, Ketel One, Cîroc) and Whisk(e)y (Johnnie Walker, Crown Royal, Bulleit, Seagram's, George Dickel, Caol Ila, Talisker, Lagavulin, Oban, J&B, Bell's, Buchanan's, Cardhu). To that can be added Baileys and Guinness along with a sizeable share in Moët Hennessy, for those who prefer cognac and champagne. Until April of this year, when it was overtaken by China's Kweichow Moutain, Diageo was the world's largest distiller for many years. The number of people and events in Edinburgh during August makes it an exciting location with a vast market for a company like Diageo. Being on the streets of Edinburgh is a world away from a trade-only show behind closed doors. Stephen Martin, Diageo Reserve Brands Ambassador for Scotland, said, ‘The first ever Edinburgh Cocktail Festival is a global platform for industry professionals to showcase the city’s eclectic and vibrant cocktail scene to an international audience. I was excited to work with The Drink Cabinet on this project, as their team possess all the creative flair needed to bring guests a fun, interactive and entertaining festival experience’. The month-long event takes place at New Waverley, a courtyard at the lower end of the Royal Mile. It's a compact square that’s suited to browsing around. There are not just bars. The Food and Flea Market features local handicraft stalls and the central, undercover area is the focus for an eclectic mix of live music events and guest DJs. Set back from the hustle and bustle of the High Street it can be something of a refuge, but with fine weather it soon fills up and develops a party atmosphere. Inevitably, the bars are the main feature, but if you feel the need to line your stomach before starting on the hard stuff there are plenty of food outlets to suit most tastes. Scottish Street Food Awards 2017 Champion’s The Buffalo Truck has a range of burgers on the burner, while Pizza Geeks will create perfect handmade pizza for you and Barnacles & Bones will supply fresh Scottish seafood. Now it's probably time to mingle among the medley of cocktails and cocktail-themed experiences available every day, led by three main brands. Ketel One’s Bloody Mary Kitchen offers a hands-on cocktail-making experience, where guests can design and construct their own personalised Bloody Mary. For those into the deconstruction game it's possible to throw away even the tomato juice and add flavours that perfectly hit the spot. Chemists, or those who just like to play with misty mixes, will have fun in the mysterious Tanqueray Ten Future Forest where they can mess with nitro-infusion and other methods favoured by top mixologists. If you are a devotee of whisky you are invited to the Make Yourself @ Home event courtesy of the #LoveScotch campaign. This is a cocktail party where you can learn all about the classic Old Fashioned, sip on whisky cocktails, and discover the secret of creating your own cocktail bar-quality drinks in your own home. If overindulgence leaves you in the dog house you will not be alone. Edinburgh’s famed Dog House pub has been on walkies and made friends with Copper Dog blended malt whisky and Hop House 13 Lager. Try it's pop-up for a pairing or go for a cocktail. You might, of course, feel the need for a soft drink, but this too can be a source of discovery. There was a time when tonic water was simply tonic water. Now, it can be enjoyed alone and in a variety of contrasting flavours courtesy of Fever-Tree, although the company is by no means alone in exploiting this burgeoning market. Having decided it's time for this refreshing drink your resolve to resist alcohol might weaken, however, when you see the carefully chosen gins to match the range of distinctive styles. To fully participate in all that's happening wristbands are available for purchase at different prices giving discounts and various levels of access to events, although it's possible to pay regular prices at any of the bars and there is something for everyone. As the organisers say, this event is a call to ‘all cocktail lovers, mocktail lovers, gin lovers, whisky lovers, vodka lovers, beer lovers and street food lovers!’Get tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/edinburgh-cocktail-festival-tickets-35630704396

The Scottish Storytelling Centre is, in its own words, ‘a vibrant arts venue with a seasonal programme of live storytelling, theatre, music, exhibitions, workshops, family events, and festivals’. Open all year round, it hosts TradFest, a traditional arts festival in the spring, and the Scottish International Storytelling Festival in October. Predictably, in August it becomes a Fringe venue. Broadway Baby’s Richard Beck explains why the Centre is so important.Before discovering what goes on there it is worth noting its location, as the site itself is of considerable interest. Beside the medieval city gate, Netherbow Port, The Scottish Arts Council proudly proclaims the building to be 'the first in the world designed for storytelling'. Below is the Netherbow Theatre and in what might be regarded as a transition zone from the main room and cafe, the interactive Storywall, listening area, reception and bookshop lead into the famous John Knox House, allegedly the last home of the great Protestant Reformer. The building’s website points out that to visit is not just to see another historic building but that ‘here you can walk in the footsteps of its famous inhabitants and hear the drama unfold in every room. Look out for the tricks and traps to fool intruders; hunt for the devil hiding in The Oak Room ceiling and try your hand at our portrait puzzles that have stumped many visitors in the past’.It is the wide range of events that brings the Centre to life, especially during the Fringe. In 2014, and again this year, I attended Cafe Voices. This is a monthly occurrence with an extra evening in August. Each night’s guest host heralds the session with a story or two before the evening is opened to the floor. Especially at this time of year, people of all ages and many nationalities are likely to be in attendance, with well-rehearsed tales from far and wide. Of my first visit I wrote that we heard ‘traditional stories and legends from long ago filled with mythical creatures, [...] a lady from the US, another telling a tale she had previously only ever recited in German, two young lads in full tartan and a resounding finale from two newly-landed Aussies, minus luggage, who gave a hilarious poetic performance from their free Fringe show What Rhymes with Kangaroo?’ This year Diane Edgecomb told remarkable stories and tales of adventure which form part of her show A Thousand Doorways, created out of her time with the Kurds in Turkey. Inevitably, no two evenings are ever the same, but a constant is the warm, hospitable welcome to a relaxed and uninhibited environment that is extended to everyone.Cafe Voices is just one event among many. Daniel Abercrombie, Programme & Events Manager, puts it in context: ‘Throughout the programme there is a sense of community, friendship and fun. There is language and love, Shakespeare and Burns, African mythology and Indian reflections. There is Gaelic culture and Falkirk culture, questions of mortality and self-discovery, strong female narratives and poetry of the heart. There is human interaction here. The story is told eye to eye, mind to mind and heart to heart’.Be they fact or fiction, stories have the power to enchant, inspire and thrill, but like a joke, if not told properly, their impact can be lost and the art of telling, if not practised, can wither away. This is why the Centre is such an important national treasure. Safeguarding this heritage, Traditional Arts and Culture Scotland (TRACS) was formed in 2012 as a collaborative body that brings together and represents traditional music, storytelling and dance.So how is ‘tradition’ understood in this context? Gary West, Chair of TRACS, draws on the ideas of Hamish Henderson, an intellectual often referred to as the greatest Scottish poet since Burns. West maintains that ‘tradition is a carrying stream, flowing through time and picking up new ideas on its way. It is not a stagnant pool or a mere moribund memory, but is constantly being reshaped and renewed. It does so because its practitioners listen and respond to that which has gone before, yet enjoy the freedom to move it forward on their own terms. Tradition, then, is a story, learned from the past, told in the present, but looking to the future’.Three years ago storytelling as an art form was something I knew very little about. Thanks to the Centre I am now better informed and have enjoyed listening to delightful tales and meeting fascinating people. For visitors, it provides the opportunity to indulge momentarily in the rare art form that it highlights. For locals it is a year-round source of entertainment that preserves and promotes the very heart of cultures.As Sue Monk Kidd said, ‘Stories have to be told or they die, and when they die we can't remember who we are or why we're here’. So if ever you are feeling lost in life, make your way to the Scottish Storytelling Centre where you might just discover the stimulus to restore your memory and give fresh meaning to your existence.

Earlier this month I saw an amusing post on Twitter from Garrett Millerick who decided not to drop £2K on an EdFringe PR and instead buy a top-of-the-range flatscreen TV instead. He then proceeded to staple reviews of the telly from the likes of What HiFi? to his flyers. A stunt worthy of a Malcolm Hardee Award. But this raises the point about the value of PR. A couple of years ago one PR posted on Twitter “Fringe Guru want me to do a questionnaire but I can’t be arsed. Instead I’m going to send them a job lot of these” with a link to a knitted penis hat. Needless to say their clients seemed less than impressed with their lack of enthusiasm to do their job when an opportunity was handed to them on a plate.That’s not to say hiring a PR won’t get you any coverage – the best PRs know exactly how the system works and which strings need to be pulled in order to get your show in the media. But there is a depressingly large number of PRs who either don’t know the basics of a press release, or seem to do their level best to get themselves blacklisted – along with your show – from the pages of a publication.This article is not the place for a tutorial on creating a press release – much has been written on that subject on Broadway Baby already – but the bottom line is that 99% of the press releases we receive serve no purpose. If you send us a news story, written as such, we might be able to use it; if you’re just sending us the blurb from your flyer littered with pull quotes from other publications, that’s of little interest. Especially since we, like most of the larger publications covering the Edinburgh Fringe, already have your show details and marketing blurb courtesy of the Festival API which transmits all that data straight to our listings.If your PR is creating press releases like the latter described above, perhaps you’ve picked the wrong one. A good PR will be looking for all the angles about you and your show so they can spin a story; and they will try to find different ways into each publication based on their knowledge of what the editor likes.This knowledge, and the relationships between PR and publication are vital. A good PR will know who has the influence in the media to schedule a review, run a story, or conduct an interview; and the best PRs have a relationship with those contacts that mean their communication doesn’t get ignored. But there’s a fine line they have to walk between exploiting that influence for the good of your show or destroying your chances entirely.A case in point. Early in the festival we handed a one-star review to a show promoted by a familiar face in Edinburgh (I won’t go into names). This person decided to berate both the reviewer and Broadway Baby on Twitter – effectively saying we weren’t real reviewers. Armed with the information this promoter didn’t consider BB a valid source of reviews, we pulled all the ticket requests for all the other shows they were representing. Sometimes you’ve got to take the rough with the smooth.PRs also need to manage expectations. Even with the largest reviewing team at the Fringe, our resources cover barely a third of the burgeoning programme. So when a PR I have known for years sent a polite, if not a little desperate, email asking for help getting coverage I at least opened the message. But the problem was not just one show that needed a little love, but eleven. A case of asking for too much at once resulting in getting nothing – the reality is that once the Festival is in full swing, our schedules are pretty much sewn up. Squeezing in the odd one or two may be possible but not your entire portfolio.Another regular Fringe PR was dealing with our Managing Editor, Levi. Levi’s a generally accommodating kind of guy, but has way too much on his plate during August just keeping track of ticket requests, reviewers and the inevitable problems that spring up on an hourly basis. Said PR pushed so hard to get his entire roster on the schedule to the point Levi was uncharacteristically going to delete all his planned reviews. He didn’t, but it took two strong cups of tea to talk him down.Features Editor James T. Harding said, “Press releases in August proliferate like ignored Hogwarts letters. Last year, I was even sent one on Grindr. (I blocked him). The unfair emotional pressure some PRs try to put on critics and editors to cover their shows favourably makes being at the Fringe quite unpleasant sometimes. I know at least one person who denounced a promising career in criticism because of it.”Being greedy isn’t an appealing quality. Far too many emails, Tweets and pigeon carriers arrive with gloating notes of five-star reviews from other publications asking for us to come in too. We look at those less favourably, as we’d rather cover the guy who’s had no press in rather than add another notch to your bedpost. Your PR may have a decent contact list, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they know how to use it.So is it worth putting down £2K on a top-flight PR? Possibly, but I wouldn’t blame you if you went for the 50” OLED flatscreen instead.

With the second and most exhausting weekend of the Fringe nearly in the rearview mirror, it’s time to have a rest day. It’s tempting to curl up in bed and succumb to the hangover that’s been building for a fortnight, but there are other options to get a few hours respite from the crowds and the flyers for less than the cost of a show. Frankie Goodway takes us through the options.1 Go to the beachThe weather has been fair enough this Fringe that the sea has been visible from the Mile and the Roxy almost every day. Walking almost dead east from the centre of Edinburgh for a little over an hour will take you to Portobello Beach – stop once you reach the sea. You can take a more lingering scenic route through Holyrood Park, if the mood strikes you. There’s also a swimming pool and a turkish baths for those not keen on a dip in the North Sea.If the beach appeals, but stopping at the sea does not, head to Cramond Beach. At low tide a walkway to the island is passable, although visitors must keep an eye on the weather and the time. Noticeboards show the proper times to cross. On the island there are ruined farm buildings and gun turrets built during the Second World War. Oh, but it’s not entirely festival free – there’s a secret punk rock concert on the final Saturday of Fringe. No, really.2 Enjoy sunshine on LeithThere are a few venues to dodge here if you want to keep free of the Fringe, but you’ll leave plenty of punters and tourists behind as you walk down the increasingly gentrified Leith Walk. There’s a Trainspotting tour, for the truly uninspired, or the Royal Yacht Britannia, for those with cash to burn (entry is £15.50) and an unlimited tolerance for kitsch.3 Get highClimb Arthur’s Seat. Wear decent shoes – you’ll need your feet for the rest of the month – and if you want to completely avoid the festivals, check that Barry Ferns isn’t mucking about on it first. There are several routes up to the top, of varying difficulties, but set aside at least a couple of hours to get up and down again. Choose this escape for the views, the exercise, and being able to smugly drop it into conversation for the foreseeable future. If you like a bit of history with your hiking, or feel like taking an atmospheric Instagram, stop by St Anthony’s Chapel in Holyrood Park.If that’s a bit much, try the Walter Scott Monument – for for those who like views, but not climbing. Steel yourself and tackle the 287 steps to the top (which is barely more than you’ll climb trying to find the Bunker in Espionage). It costs £5, and it’s best to go early to avoid the crowds of Pokémon hunters (yes, they gather still) on Princes Street.Or, for a slightly less exposed experience, between 9am and 10pm you can visit the Edinburgh Camera Obscura, which is as eccentric as it sounds, with collections of 3D holograms, a mirror maze and a vortex tunnel. It’s pricier, at £15, but there’s a vortex tunnel.4 Go westWalk far enough along the Union Canal and you’ll end up in Falkirk, or horribly lost (or both). It starts in Fountainbridge, but you only have to get a little way along it before the distant din of the city fades to nothing. There’s a cycle lane along the towpath, so watch out for commuters speeding by, but otherwise it’s a lovely walk, especially once you get to the aqueduct over the Water of Leith.Don’t bother the boat people though. It’s not worth it.5 Get on yer busSink into a seat in the knowledge no one expects you to applaud at the end. A £4 day ticket from Lothian buses is cheaper than most shows and well worth the price of admission. A No 22 will take you to Edinburgh Zoo, while a No 37 can take you to Roslin and Penicuik. The first is home to the intricately carved Rosslyn Chapel that has been associated with the Knights Templar and the Holy Grail, not least by Dan Brown in The Da Vinci Code, which has led to something of a revival. It’s open 9.30am to 6pm on weekdays and admission is £9.If you want to dodge Brown’s fans, head to Penicuik. The grounds of Penicuik House are open to visitors at all times, for free – the house itself, a burned-out and then restored shell, plus stables block, is open on Sundays between 2pm and 4pm. More importantly, Penicuik is home to several good pubs.6 Dungeon divingI’ll be honest, you’ll probably have to endure tourists, dodgy scripts and the occasional actor if you go on one of the many underground or ghost tours, but you’re at the Fringe, you love it really. Tickets to the Edinburgh Dungeon hover around the £10-15 mark depending on the tour, and for that you can savour some dark, musty rooms without having to bung a fiver in a bucket at the end. Breathe it in.7 Stay in bedIf all the above holds no appeal, you probably need the sleep.Photo: Frankie Goodway on top of the Scott Monument

As the Edinburgh International Festival and its Fringe celebrate their 70th anniversaries, Broadway Baby’s James T. Harding takes a look at how they’ve inspired a plethora of literary events in counterpoint to the Edinburgh International Book Festival (EIBF).The Edinburgh International Book Festival launched in ‘83 with a sensible 30 meet the author-type events. These days, under the directorship of Nick Barley, it’s a towering figure of Edinburgh’s festival landscape with over 800 events year. Inspired by it’s theatrical older brother the Edinburgh International Festival, the EIBF has spawned a variety of unofficial offshoots around the city - its own fringe, if you will.Although a (famously controversial) International Writers Conference took place as part of the 1962 EIF, it was in 2003 that something you could call a book fringe took off in the form of Thirsty Lunches, a series of boozy lunchtime book events which Stuart Kelly, Peter Burnett and Sean Bradley organised for three years.‘We all felt slightly excluded from the Book Festival,’ reminisces Stuart Kelly, who has since become one of their regular event chairs. ‘It was time to shake things up.’Kelly laughs as he remembers being chased away from Charlotte Square when he attempted to hand out his flyers there. ‘We were doing it out of pure mischief. It was a piece of cheek from beginning to end.’This anarchic spirit is reflected in the 2004 programme, which promised, among other things, that Scarlett Thomas’s latest novel would be introduced by her dog. One of the events, Alas Poor Doric with John Aberdein and Brent Hodgson, boasted ‘Scotland’s only Doric pornographer dusts off the antimacassars for a puckle bawdy verses, plus a Kiwi who only writes in medieval Scots - an event that makes more sense than you could possible imagine.’It was quite a while later in 2009 that an event series began explicitly billing itself as a fringe for books: the Book Fringe at Word Power Books. Organised by the independent bookshop proprietor Elaine Henry, it took a more serious tone than Thirsty Lunches, making a point of programming radical political writers alongside established authors and comedians.Henry’s radical spirit lives on in today’s Book Fringe, which features events like Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People about Race with Reni Eddo-Lodge and Violence of Austerity with Sarah Glynn alongside big names like Will Self, Fringe favourites like Glenn Chandler, and Scottish poetry maven Rachel McCrum.Organiser Mairi Oliver says this year is ‘aimed at championing independent bookshops, publishers and voices from beyond the mainstream. Working with Golden Hare Books we focused on curating a festival that reflected our readerships and actually celebrated 'the fringes' by covering subjects such as climate change, austerity, structural racism, sexism in science and much more.’Over the road on South Bridge, meanwhile, Blackwell’s bookshop continues its Writers at the Fringe series—now in its tenth year. Of particular note are Scottish writers Kaite Welsh and Ever Dundas, whose debut novels were well received this year.In recent years, the official Fringe programme has also seen an increased number of literary events, with spoken-word poetry at the vanguard. Some of the best performers each year will take part in the BBC Edinburgh Fringe Slam, now organised by its former champion Sophia Walker. She comments: ‘It feels like there's never been a more important year for us to go back to the founding ideals of the Fringe, to that idea of welcoming in the world.‘The chance poetry brings for each of us to speak for ourselves, to be truly heard, to feel represented is never more important than at a time where so many would want us to feel divided, quieted, minimised. The Fringe, and indeed poetry, are both about coming together, exploring together, having our ideas challenged and our minds expanded.’The EIBF itself, however, is not to be outdone. This year the programme is at its most expansive, inclusive and genre bending. Highlights include a partnership with the Royal Lyceum Theatre to create dramatic presentations of some of the most talked-about Scottish books, and the late-night Unbound strand which invites Edinburgh stalwarts such as Flint & Pitch, Neu! Reekie!, Shoreline of Infinity and Dive Queer Party into Charlotte Square.Of these, Dive Queer Party’s Homage and The Last Night on Earth promise particularly enjoyable evenings. ‘Dive’s ethos draws a lot on the spirit of ’47 and the belief that art has the power to make change and provide hope and understanding, especially in the most challenging times,’ said Miss Annabel Sings and Agent Cooper (depicted), collectively known as the Annabelz.‘Despite massive leaps forward in recent years there have also been tragic steps back for LGBT rights around the world, so we want to rally those on stage and in the audience to stand up against hate and celebrate tolerance and diversity. So wash your best wig, throw on some glitter and join us as we conga our way into a brave new world!’Back in 1947 when eight theatre companies who weren’t in the official EIF programme decided to put on shows anyway, they could have had no idea they were to be the birth of Edinburgh’s famous Fringe, and through that the pitch-up-and-do-it inspiration for any number of fringe events across borders and genres. First theatre, then comedy, now books - I can’t wait to see where the fringe spirit flies next.Broadway Baby’s coverage of Fringe spoken word is here: http://broadwaybaby.com/genre/Spoken+WordThe full programme for the Lighthouse/Golden Hare Book Fringe is at: www.facebook.com/bookfringe. Blackwell’s Writers at the Fringe series: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/blackwells-writers-at-the-fringe-tickets-33422841619The Edinburgh International Book Festival: https://www.edbookfest.co.uk and Dive Queer Cabaret: http://dive-party.org.uk/

Over 3,000 separate productions will squeeze themselves into Edinburgh this August and the slightly depressing reality is that most will not achieve their objectives for the festival. Which brings us neatly to the first way to screw up your show in Edinburgh and that’s not to set yourself objectives in the first place. Pause for a minute and think ‘why am I doing this?’ Seriously, you need to understand why you are there and what you want to get out of it. The obvious, but slightly unrealistic one for most, is for financial gain. With so many shows chasing a finite audience who are price conditioned into thinking anything over a tenner is a bit of a stretch, making money is not easy. If this is your first time in Edinburgh, chances are your wallet will be significantly lighter when you leave, but don’t worry it’s not all about the moolah. Let’s face it, if it was, you wouldn’t be in this business in the first place.There are other, probably better, reasons for attending EdFringe. Getting critical coverage; securing tour bookings, or simply networking to give your show life beyond the festival. But if you don’t have a goal you’ll probably miss those opportunities. Don’t expect Edinburgh to simply stumble upon you – get out there and make those opportunities happen. Go to the press events; consult the experts in the EdFringe Industry Office and seek out the free workshops and seminars that take place throughout the month. EdFringe is less an arts festival and more a trade show for the performing arts.The second way you can screw up your show in Edinburgh is to completely underestimate the white noise of competition you’ll be up against. It’s worth repeating that you are one of over 3,000 shows in the Scottish capital in August. The programme feels more like a telephone directory every year. Do nothing to market your show and you’ll get nothing in return, but the good news is you don’t necessarily have to splash out the equivalent of the national debt to get noticed – just think a little outside of the box. And the box, in this context, is the basic marketing that your venue will have asked for which includes posters, flyers and (depending on which venue you’re in) a mention in their own programme. Bear in mind that for the majority of your competition, that will be the full extent of their marketing activity, so anything – no matter how nominal – will give you an edge chasing the elusive Edinburgh punter. Online advertising can be cheap and very effective (shameless plug for Broadway Baby here, nudge, nudge), as can Google & Facebook keyword campaigns. The point here is to do things your competition isn’t. Don’t follow the pack and you’ll be rewarded with bigger audiences.Your third screw up is to ignore your branding. Again and again in this article we’ll come back to the sheer size of EdFringe, and this means eyeballs scanning listings will only grant you fleeting moments of attention. Your brand, therefore, is paramount in burning your show into the consciousness of your potential audience. The golden rules are to keep it simple (it’s got to work when your image is tiny); keep it relevant (how does the image reference your show?) and keep it consistent (don’t change the image after you’ve submitted your programme listing – a new image means each appearance has to work twice as hard to garner recognition). Flyers, posters and other marketing materials should compliment each other and give the viewer enough information to make a purchasing decision. Try not to be so obscure that you don’t tell people what the show actually is – there’s a fine line between intriguing and confusing; know which side of the line you’re standing. Don’t skimp on design and think just because you’ve got a copy of Microsoft Publisher and a hundred free fonts you’ll be able to DIY a superb flyer. I’ve seen those way too often and an amateurish flyer implies an amateurish show.Screw up number four is to be (or appear to be) unprepared. Segue into an anecdote here: A few years ago I was putting together the lead review for front page of the printed edition of Broadway Baby. Back then being the lead review often meant sell-out houses for the rest of the run. I needed an image to accompany the piece and contacted the show’s producer who sent me a slightly blurred photo from the rehearsal room of two actors standing some distance apart out of costume and a huge valley of bland wall between them. Needless to say I didn’t use it and we went with a different show that had a better picture ready. In this case preparation is everything. Go to Edinburgh with everything you may be asked for on a memory stick. Good production photography, your editable artwork for your flyers, cast lists, etc. Better still, create a publically shared folder in the cloud on Dropbox or similar with all your assets in it – then create a short URL to that folder that you can repeat over the phone, so even when you’re on the Meadows enjoying a rare bit of Edinburgh sunshine you can provide a journalist or printer with files instantly.Never give up. That’s screw up number five. John Fleming, a well-regarded blogger who also creates the Grouchy Club podcast with Fringe veteran Kate Copstick wrote about his experience with acts looking out at single digit audience numbers and thinking of throwing in the towel. He recounts how he advised one performer not to go home even though he was getting virtually no punters. One night there were only four in the room, but two of them were TV producers and the act was subsequently booked for a two series run on BBC2. Another time Fleming (who was scouting for Channel 4 at the time) turned up for a show where the performers had already given up and gone home. The other audience member was a BBC radio producer. As Fleming points out, it’s not the bums on seats that matter, it’s whose buttocks they are. Wise words. Opportunities in Edinburgh are around every corner.If you let bad reviews get to you, you’ve achieved screw up number six. Put half a dozen Edinburgh Fringe reviewers in a room and they won’t agree on what time of day it is. The point is you’re unlikely to appeal to everyone, so chances are you’ll get a range of opinions. My tip is don’t read the reviews – even the good ones – while you’re doing your show. If you believe in yourself and what you are doing, don’t let a negative comment effect your work. Leave it to your marketing guy to comb through the reviews for the pull quotes and if you must read the reviews, put that off until your show is packed up in a van and heading home. Publically complaining about a review on Twitter, etc, creates what is affectionately known as The Striesand Efffect – the phenomenon whereby an attempt to hide, remove or censor a piece of information generally draws attention to it. Don’t be a Barbra. Be a Meryl.Look after yourself or you’ll screw up big time. Yes, I know The Abattoir is open until 3am and those kids over at C Main are having an awful lot of fun until five in the morning, but you don’t have to join them every night unless your FOMO is so far off the scale it needs medical attention. You’ve probably paid a small fortune to be in Edinburgh, don’t screw it up by turning up to your gig with a gale-force hangover. Drink water; eat proper food and get a good night’s sleep. The flip side to this coin is don’t be a hermit either – the performer bars provide excellent opportunities for networking and you’d be surprised who you’ll strike up friendships with. Some of the folk I’ve met over a festival pint have had a huge impact on the growth of Broadway Baby. But, as they say, everything in moderation or your liver will be filing divorce papers.The Edinburgh weather will screw you up, which makes eighth on our list. You’ll get rained on one minute, then in glorious sunshine the next. Your venue will probably get unbearably hot and the portable air conditioning (if they even have it) will be too loud to turn on during the performance. You’ll end up smelling like a damp dog sweating in a polythene bag. So pack clothes accordingly. You’ll need a light rainproof jacket and decent brolly (no, not one of the cheap ones – the wind in Edinburgh means you can pick up plenty of broken ones of those in any bin). Wear layers that you can remove easily to adjust for the climate and take a small rucksack so you can tote it all around.Ninth, be nice to Dave, or he’ll screw you up. Dave is your venue tech and he’s overworked, underpaid and didn’t get much sleep last night. Sure you’d like to get the lighting plot just right, but you’re sharing this space with 12 other companies and Dave’s nerves are getting a little frayed. If you’ve not been to the Fringe before, you should realise the tech get-in is never long enough, almost always at unsociable hours and if you aren’t prepared for the odd compromise you’re going to have bad times. If you’ve been before, you already know this. Your venue tech can usually perform miracles if you get on their good side and make your life hell if you piss them off. Dave likes beer and Haribo. I’ll just leave that there.Finally, be nice to each other, or you’ll screw up your show completely. Yes, I know the audience numbers have been depressingly low, the stage manager snores like a wildebeest and someone is stealing your lunch from the communal fridge in your damp and overpriced rented flat, but don’t let the rot set in and fall out of love with your show and your team. Stress comes with the festival territory, you’ve just got to slap a smile on your face and get back out there on the mile and hand out another flyer. Try bonding activities with your company that isn’t just sitting in the bar after your show. One theatre company I know have an annual trip up Arthur’s Seat in the last week of the festival at midnight to get naked. They always come back to Edinburgh, so I guess it works for them.So don’t screw up. Be awesome and enjoy it.

Renowned for its comedy, Brighton Fringe is the perfect time to discover brand new talents. Here’s our guide to stand-ups you’d be totally crazy to miss.John Hastings: Works!, Caroline of Brunswick, 20-25 MayJohn Hastings is loud, unabashedly honest and kind of weird, but definitely in a good way. Plus it’s free so there’s no excuse.Sofie Hagen Tells Some Stories and Tries Out Some Jokes, The Blue Man, 8-10 & 15-17 MaySofie Hagen is a pleasure to watch; self-deprecating but very relatable. Performing at the Blue Man, her stand-up is sure to be thoroughly enjoyable.Tom Ward: Work In Progress, Junkyard Dogs, 5 & 19 MayFollowing a hugely successful debut in Edinburgh last year, Tom returns to Brighton. If you’re up for seeing something that’s a little more unusual and off the wall then Tom Ward is the man for you. Plus it’s another free show! Yuriko Kotani: Work In Progress, The Warren: Studio 3, 7-8 & 14 MayWith several awards under her belt, including BBC Radio New Comedy of the Year 2015, Yuriko expertly dissects differences between Japanese and UK culture. The Alasdair Beckett-King Mysteries, The Caroline of Brunswick, 18-20 MayAlasdair Beckett-King has a very intelligent, humorous way of looking at the world. It is genuine, charismatic comedy.Louise Reay: Hard Mode, Komedia Studio, 21& 28MayLouise’s playfulness with language, innovative physicality & clowning makes for an engaging performance. Recently won Best Emerging Artist at the Adelaide Fringe.Ken Cheng: Chinese Comedian, The Quadrant, 3 JuneOriginally studying maths at Cambridge, Ken dropped out to become a professional poker player. A member of Cambridge Footlights, he directed their international tour, Love Handles. Analytical & logical; not your usual approach to comedy, but excellent nonetheless.Nicole Henriksen: Techno Glitter Penguins, The Marlborough, 6 & 12 MayHailing from down under, this is Nicole’s debut at Brighton Fringe although she’s been a stand up since 2011. Expect to be amazed, and also a bit freaked out, at this delightfully absurd, alternative comedy show. Athena Kugblenu: Reality Check, The Caroline of Brunswick, 6, 13 & 20 MayWho better to guide you through life and help you laugh at the horror than Athena Kugblenu? She returns this year with the excellent Reality Check (read our 2016 review here).Tez Ilyas: Teztify (WiP), The Warren: Studio 3, 15-17 MayHis uncompromising style will leave you full of laughter but also with a lot to think about. Coming hot off his first nationwide tour, this may be one of the last chances you have to see him in a venue of this size.

Last week saw 10 shows that will be selling out shortly, this week brings 10 shows that might be currently flying under the radar, but not for very much longer.Bug Camp, The Rialto 20-23 MaySince 2013, Broken Silence Theatre have been dedicated to new writing and garnered strong reviews for their work (previous reviews here and here).Bug Camp is premiering at Brighton Fringe and given the company’s past record has potential to be a gem.Dot. Dot. Dot.  The Stroop Effect  The Fool, The Champ and The Bandito & Just Broken, The Warren: Studio 3, 30 May – 2 JuneBravely bringing four separate devised pieces to Brighton Fringe, final year students from the University of Colchester will have their work cut out for them. Always interesting to see the next generation try their hand out.Father God, Broadway Lounge 10-12 MayComedy writer Tasha Dhanraj’s sitcom based on a single dad (God) and his two unruly teenagers finding their way in the universe. Father God started life in 2014 but has since been updated and re-written.Lulu, New Venture Theatre, 18-27 MayHer name is Lulu and she’s nothing but trouble. German playwright, Frank Wedekind wrote the explicit coming-of-ageSpring Awakening which caused such scandal that Wedekind fled to Paris, where he met the woman who was the inspiration for this misogynistic masterpiece. A new adaptation from the excellent team at New Venture Theatre.Oyster Boy, The Warren: Studio 2, 6-7 & 13-14 MayHaving first come across Haste Theatre in 2015’sThe Hideout(read our review here), they’re returning to Brighton Fringe with the multi-award winningOyster Boy. Creating delightful fairy-tale worlds with family friendly story-telling, this is perfect weekend fair.Donal Coonan: Mr Grebe Is Taking Your Class Today, Lamb@Nowhere Man, 25-27 MaySupply teachers get about as much respect as comedians so Donal Coonan is a brave man to do both. Mr Grebe is a supply teacher who ends up teaching all manner of subjects in this solo show.Duker & Henderson: Soph Opera, Lamb@Nowhere Man, 26-27 May & 2-3 JuneIndividually, Sophie Duker and Sophie Henderson have been finalists in Funny Women & So You Think You’re Funny? Together, who knows what they might be capable of. Hopefully they’ll be Soph-unny… apologies.Guy Wah: Professional Arsehole, Sweet Waterfront 2: 15-12 MayAs the artistic director of the growing Brighton & Hove Grown Festival, Guy is a familiar face in Brighton and has a good eye for picking shows that will appeal. He brings he solo work discussing how professional behaviour helps idiots stay in positions of power to Sweet.Passpawt, Sweet Dukebox: 5-8 MayMany years ago I toured the USA with the Acro-Cats, a performing cat troupe that left no doubt as to the ability of cats to do absolutely anything except what they were meant to. Linda has discovered a similar advertising scam in her cute, loving, friendly cat that’s anything but.Stones, The Rialto, 5-8 MayNew writing from Katy Matthews, who garnered 4 stars for last year’sUn-Titled(read the review here), Stones provides an insight into the mind’s ability to create both heaven & hell in this philosophical prison play.

Broadway Baby's Senior Critic Simon Smith looks back over 2016, a year in which we took what we've learned for more than a decade as the biggest reviewer on the Fringe and turned our attention on the West End.It's been a busy old year for London theatre, welcoming a number of new shows and big old musical showstoppers from Disney, Lloyd Webber and Mr Mackintosh himself. There's also been some extraordinary performances that have drawn people in to non-star vehicles – though Billie Piper managed to surprisingly be both a 'name' and a star.I've only managed to see around one show a week (PRs can be tough and damn me for getting a day job again!) and whilst I'm aware that my expectations may be higher than some other (dare I say, "more popular") mainstream critics, I've stood my ground and my opinion stands (Lazarus springs to mind as possibly one of the most over blown pieces of pretension I've ever enjoyed). With the price of a night at the theatre rocketing all the time, I don't think it's good enough just to be good – it's only parents at a nativity that can be proud those on stage are simply up there – but occasionally all the planets collide when people take risks and remind me why I love the genre. Using theatre not just as a place to put on a film – but to embrace everything the medium offers to make you truly understand what a unique experience it offers. It happens rarely – but possibly that makes it all the better for when it does.Within a sea of mediocrity, these were my Top Five that made me realise how lucky I am to get the chance to share my opinions with you. I will leave mere headlines here but please do read the whole reviews if you'd like to know why they ignited my passion, and made me 'moist' for the theatrical form. And if you can track them down and see them yourself, please go...Yen - Royal Court Jerwood Upstairs This tiny gem of a piece had an all too short run and is now set to treat the US. "Anyone who has any interest in theatre needs to see this play."The Father - Duke of Yorks A true example of how every element of the experience made this as challenging as it was exciting."A mind-blowing literal theatrical demonstration of how it may feel when one's mind actually seems to have been blown."People, Places and Things - WyndhamsSo much has been said about Denise Gough's explosive performance that I feel I can add little more - except how excited I am to see her next year in the NT's revival of Angels in America."You're not being bashed around the head here, rather being coddled with enjoyment so that the painful reality of the characters' issues simply seeps through."Amadeus - National TheatreIt's the very talented musicians being part of the story rather than simply underscoring it that makes this an absorbing watch - even if this Amadeus is part Rik Mayall."There's no tricks to what is going on here - classic theatre done subtly and cleverly. A truly fitting Requiem."Half A Sixpence - Noel Coward Theatre Probably the biggest shock for me as I didn't expect to like such an old fashioned cheese fest of a traditional musical. But it's just all done far too well to be able to hate!"If you think this sort of theatre is too old-fashioned for you then you risk missing out on what must be the most exhilarating and uplifting show in the West End right now."I wouldn't do a 'worst' because that seems petulant – but I would touch on my most disappointing. Having been a life long fan of Caryl Churchill, my first visit as a reviewer to the Royal Court was to see her newest (much plaudited) play, Escaped Alone. My verdict upset myself to write – "it may satiate our desire to feel clever but doesn't make for welcoming or informative entertainment."So next year? There's lots ahead but my bets for the Big Three -Angels in America at the National Theatre. There's a risk that this may well be dated now but it's still a magical play and with a cast that is close to die for-Hamilton at the (going to be) newly reopened Victoria Palace Theatre. If you've heard any of the music from this then you know it's something different, exciting and also damn fun. My guess is that getting tickets for Harry Potter may be easier -The Ferryman at The Royal Court. Jez Butterworth.... Sam Mendes.... Sold out already.... 'Nuff said So on the assumption that the majority of West End PRs haven't yet blacklisted me for:a) taking a swipe at assuming we should applaud children on stage just cos they're young (School of Rock)"I may be controversial here but I think there's a fine line between "stage school tits and teeth" performing and actual acting and reacting."b) entering into a debate on stereotypes versus (being challenged on my own) racism (The Plough and the Stars)"The result is little more than clichés and possible stereotype in a piece that feels dated and unloved. I'm not sure whether the initial muted applause at the end was due to some being moved or possibly because of our unbelievability in the unbelievability of the last two and half hours."c) questioning one comedy legend's take on another comedy legend (Jeepers Creepers)"The only tragedy here is that anyone thought that a script that seems to have been written with little knowledge of the form of the spoken word, and directed without light or shade, tone or pathos - or even an awareness of the basics of sight lines - should have a place in a theatre in London's West End."....then I hope to back to share my very own take on high expectations – and particular way with words – in 2017(Ticket sales allowing of course!)

One Day Moko is a devised solo show following the life of a homeless busker and the characters he meets in his daily life. Creator Tim Carlsen talks to Adrian Bradley about the inspiration for the show, what it’s like to be an Edinburgh virgin, and how to perform when the audience aren’t playing ball.One Day Moko plays at the Gilded Balloon Teviot throughout this Fringe. Find the production company online at http://www.portableunion.com/ and on Twitter @portableunion. Full Edinburgh listing: http://www.broadwaybaby.com/shows/one-day-moko/714658.

Anyone who thinks Edinburgh amounts to the Fringe festival, a castle and a zoo with two Chinese pandas clearly hasn’t discovered its gruesome history: while Jack the Ripper was killing five women in London, Burke & Hare slaughtered over 60 people in Edinburgh. Sophia Charalambous met City of Edinburgh Tours founder Davy and tour guide Al, who both prefer to be known as their characters names, William Burke Esquire and the Earl of Drumlanrig, to get the lowdown on what to expect from a ghost tour in the capital city.So why Edinburgh?William Burke Esquire: My family has lived on this street [High Street, commonly known as the Royal Mile] for over 200 years. My mum still lives at the top of it now and I was born on Drummond Street just around the corner. I can even remember Aunt Molly who was 101 when she died and stayed in the same house her whole life.What led you to set up the ghost tours?William Burke Esquire: I’ve always been into history. My playground growing up was the High Street, and I used to play in parts of the underground because some of them were open as air-raid shelters and nobody knew they were there. Then a certain gentleman in the town started opening up bits of it 25 years ago and I knew that would be ideal for underground ghost tours. I got permission to use a piece of underground but I had no idea how big these tours would be. Why is the police box on Hunter Square your base?William Burke Esquire: Here’s the ironic thing, my family lived on the street for over 200 years, they were working class, poor (my dad was a bus driver my mother was a waitress) and I now own the most expensive piece of real estate in Britain, per square foot, because that box cost £102,000. It’s been worked out as even more expensive than Buckingham Palace. Earl of Drumlanrig: There’s a wee garage down in London that’s quite close, but not quite there.What is the winning formula for a ghost tour?William Burke Esquire: I’m actually a published historian and a standup comedian as well. Put the two together and you’ve got a winning formula. I looked at other companies and some of their ideas are quite stale, so what I wanted to do is create a presence on the Royal Mile, making it funny, interactive but giving you the history as well. The jokes, are they yours?Earl of Drumlanrig: Ay definitely. You don’t really get a script. We try and give new tour guides a basic history, with a couple of terrible jokes from 1995 that Davy’s written, and then everyone’s encouraged to grow their own tour a little bit. You’ll find that all the tour guides that work in the company do the tour differently, but they’re all infamous characters, horrible creatures from Edinburgh’s past. Does your comedy get lost on some people?Earl of Drumlanrig: Depending on who’s on the tour, some jokes will go over people’s heads.William Burke Esquire: Yeah like when William Burke gets dissected, I make a joke and say, “They even made a book out of my skin and don’t say that was novel”. You see the joke taking wings and flying over their heads. You feel like saying, “Excuse me that’s one of my best one liners!”Earl of Drumlanrig: But comedy is such a good way to get people relaxed because when you’ve got about 30 or 40 people on a tour, some of them want to be scared or others who don’t believe in ghosts, rubbish jokes immediately puts everyone on the same page and sets the tone for the night. Do you believe in ghosts?William Burke Esquire: What I’ll say is I’ll quote Mark from Paranormal Magazine on that one: “Ghosts are not impossible, they’re improbable”. I’ve never seen a ghost, I’ve had one or two things happen in the underground that I cannot explain. I don’t want to see a ghost because it’ll mess with my mind. Mark came down and he said he got more readings in our part of the underground than he got anywhere else. Earl of Drumlanrig: Davy was standing there going “What a lot of rubbish”. Some tour guides have seen ghosts and have quit the company because of their experience, because if you do see a ghost it is very scary. Is anything made up?Earl of Drumlanrig: Well, Mackenzie’s crypt, that’s interesting because…William Burke Esquire: I invented Bloody Mackenzie. Earl of Drumlanrig: Don’t get us wrong, George Mackenzie was a real guy, the story is true however what isn’t true is the idea of people getting attacked in the graveyard. That was invented by Davy.William Burke Esquire: When I started ghost tours I wanted a good name and it was one I came up with, but if I tell everyone it’s a lie that wouldn’t be entertaining.Earl of Drumlanrig: Oh and Sawney Bean (executed for the mass murder and cannibalism of over 1,000 people) isn’t really buried under McDonald’s.http://cityofedinburghtours.com

If you were to list Every Brilliant Thing about life, what would you include? This is the idea behind Duncan Macmillan’s critically acclaimed play, broaching the subject of mental health through the story of a six-year-old boy and his heartfelt attempt at making his mum happy after she tries to commit suicide. Sophia Charalambous met director George Perrin to discuss the unusual evolution of Paines Plough’s interactive production at Summerhall.The play, which began as a four-page short story written by Macmillan in 2006, became a standalone show that ran for ten years, three in its current format. But the idea of selecting audience members to act our characters “evolved over time”.“We got actors to read it and non-actors to read it, and there was always something quite moving about hearing people who weren’t performers telling the story. So when we started to turn it into a standalone show we thought about the idea of involving to tell a story in a way where there’s a performer at the heart of it but then non-performers are involved, leaving space for them to improvise their own contributions. That felt like it was in keeping with what the gesture of the actual play was about.”Perrin, who’s worked closely with actor Jonny Donahoe in developing the show, said that around 60% is scripted while 40% is the actor improvising with members of the audience. The result is an organic mergence between the real and the unreal, with the audience playing their parts with pride.But Perrin and the team were adamant that they wanted to keep the piece as a monologue. “There was always a single voice and this is from a single person’s perspective so it was inherent in the play that it was always going to be one person’s story.”“I’ve never asked Duncan in any great detail about where the play came from as one doesn’t really when one directs a play. You just try and stay true to the heart of what the characters are doing and the story they’re telling.”The play starts and ends with a list the protagonist compiles of everything that’s brilliant about the world, and this has inspired a Facebook group called Every Brilliant Thing in honour of the show. “I think it’s still going,” said Perrin. “People would add entries to the list and actually the entries in the box in the show are real, written by people over years of it being in exhibition.”“I don’t always personally find it emotionally moving necessarily, but I think what I do find moving is watching other people’s responses to it, particularly when we do it at Roundabout, where you can see how everyone else is experiencing it. But as any director must do, you have to maintain an element of detachment, perspective and analysis.”For someone in Perrin’s position, letting go of a certain amount of control over the direction could be quite liberating, but he believes the live nature of theatre is unavoidable.“Anyone who works in theatre as a director knows there’s always an element of unpredictability. Otherwise you’d make a film, or art that you could hang on a wall. Theatre is inherently unpredictable because the audience is an integral part of the experience. I think it is a sliding scale and this play happens to be at one of the furthest ends of the spectrum.“Ultimately you’re trying to give an audience a consistent experience, and obviously with this show, compared to others, there’s less predictability because of the audience involvement, but broadly speaking it should evoke the same emotions every time.”Although elements of any theatre show are the same, Perrin identifies key differences between this show and others he’s directed within his ten-year career as a professional director.“I suppose more than any other it has been a process of development and evolution whereas normally I’d get a play and cast it to be staged in the more traditional sense. There’s a larger element of freedom for the performer in the sense that Jonny is encouraged to be quite free and draw on his own his own skills and experiences as an improvisational comedian. And obviously Every Brilliant Thing involves the audience so you’re trying to create conditions where they feel comfortable by themselves.“Then the fundamentals become the same, you try and tell the story, populate it, and do it justice.”In the same vein, as a director, this is the reason why he doesn’t have a favourite moment.“As a director it’s not up to me to have a favourite bit, I just have to make sure I do the play justice.”Every Brilliant Thing plays at Summerhall this Fringe. Full Edinburgh listing: http://www.broadwaybaby.com/shows/every-brilliant-thing/701825 Fine the company online @painesplough. Photo: Paines Plough co-artistic directors James Grieve (left) and George Perrin (right)

Three AM in Edinburgh is something of a witching hour. But if you were under the impression that three in the morning might be a respite from the Fringe, you’d be wrong. The Fringe never rests. Venture across to the Bedlam Theatre at such a time and you’d find Floor Play, a new-writing showcase burning the midnight oil. Broadway Baby spoke to producer Cordelia Grierson to find out what keeps her up at night.Can you give me some background, about the show and about yourself?Sure – I studied at Edinburgh University, acted in loads when I was younger, but then decided not to act anymore, that to produce is more my calling. So in my last year I set up this thing called Floor Play, which is where you go to people’s houses and watch theatre. It turned out to do really well.In my last year, all my friends were saying that we can go for drinks with our friends or we could see a play, because we couldn’t take two nights off. So I was like – why don’t we mix that and do something slightly more interesting? Then Bedlam found out about it and slotted us in at the Fringe, so we decided to create a show.The time slot they gave us was three in the morning (which is outrageous but very fun), so we got together with a bunch of our writers and started exploring what goes on at three in the morning. Both the shows were written for that time.The first one is Something’s Happened by Pedro Leandro, about two male housemates who are discussing love in a theoretical and personal way. Then the second one Sweatshop by Joe Mcardle (who is also in loads of other stuff you should check out) is about a cleaner in a strip club after it closes.So was it a deliberate move then away from traditional theatrical spaces?That’s how it started – I’m obsessed with space, as a person, and I find the use of space incredibly interesting. In Edinburgh we are incredibly lucky with our student accommodation – they’re such big spaces. (Especially when you are thinking about moving back to London. I’ll be lucky to have a very very small flat somewhere I could crash.) So I use this space to do create a more interesting evening. I love this combination of a event and theatre as a platform to showcase new writing.When we did it originally we did a combination of three short plays and then a surprise act – one night we had this mime, John Oldfield (who is also in Jam Sandwich – he is so talented) – and it became this really fun, interesting evening.I always find that when I go to theatre and films, one of my favourite things is going to a Q&A at the end, so I really liked this idea that actors doing their bit and coming offstage, having long intervals where people drink and talk and could ask actors anything, and the directors were there. I really like that interactive element of theatre.Are you guys the fringiest thing on at the Edinburgh Fringe?I don’t know, and I don’t want to give myself a self-professed name! But I feel that’s sort of what we’re trying to do. I love the Fringe, and I’ve been coming since I was such a young child. What you notice more and more is how expensive everything’s got, and how big names fill out hundreds and hundreds of tickets that cost twenty quid – which is fine, but also in a way, quite sad.I really want Floor Play to be a platform for new writing, because I believe the Fringe should just be all new writing, personally. Maybe, maybe that’s more of our way – but I don’t really want to give ourselves a self-professed name.What does Floor Play take inspiration from?Loads of different things I think – I love short plays. I find that my generation’s attention span has become shorter and shorter – obviously there are so many things trying to combat that – I saw Richard III at the Almeida a few weeks ago, and everyone’s attention was held for the whole three hours. But more and more I like short plays – and loads of writers write short plays that are never read and never performed, and I think that’s a bit of a tragedy because what you can do in a short space of time is really interesting. So I usually take inspiration from shorter works.How do you go about finding writers?Pedro is an actor who was also in another Floor Play, who approached me saying “I want to write for the concept, because I liked it so much”.Then Joe is very dear friend of mine whom I have acted with before. I think he’s a very talented writer, and he wrote Subs last year, which was a short play about substitute teachers, which I really really enjoyed.I’m not really a writer myself, I’m very, very dyslexic, but I can edit scripts, which is where in the writing process I come in.So what do you think the next step for Floor Play? Will you continue it on, or is this the end?My aim is to start Floor Play in London on a monthly basis in different spaces – a lot of them domestic, as I love the home as a space for theatre. We’ve had a few offers from other venues, which is very cool. I don’t want to be in any theatre, that’s my thing, but I basically want Floor Play to become a platform for new writing.Floor Play is at Bedlam 5th – 10th and 14th-17th August at 03.00 (1hr). Find the company on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/floorplaytheatre and Instagram https://www.instagram.com/floor.play/

What happens when you take a beloved seaside puppet show, remove the puppets, and give it an Australian accent? That’s what Brent Thorpe wants to find out with The Fabulous Punch and Judy Show. He talks to Adrian Bradley about the differences between Australia and Britain and why making a puppet human lets us have a thought provoking look at domestic abuse and misogyny.The Fabulous Punch and Judy Show plays at the Gilded Balloon at the Counting House throughout the Fringe. Full Edinburgh Listing: http://www.broadwaybaby.com/shows/the-fabulous-punch-and-judy-show/714932 

The elderly residents of a care home just off the A1 are waiting to die, some of them less quietly than others. What looks set to be a quiet day spirals out of control in the world premiere of Inspector Sands’ The Lounge at Summerhall. James T Harding met co-artistic director Ben Lewis to ask what really happens in care homes when the families aren’t there, licensing The Jeremy Kyle Show, the magic of parakeets, and the relationship between devised and scripted theatre in this new work.The book Ben mentions in the interview is Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End by Atul Gawande: http://atulgawande.com/book/being-mortal/The Lounge plays at Summerhall throughout the Fringe. Find then online @inspector_sands. Full Edinburgh listing: http://www.broadwaybaby.com/shows/the-lounge/715022Photo credit: Ed Collier

Adele Hampton was a member of the Washington DC 2013 Beltway Poetry’s National Slam Team. She has performed at The John F Kennedy Centre for the Performing Arts and is a Capturing Fire Queer Spoken Word Summit Slam finalist. I sat down with Adele before the third heat of the BBC Edinburgh Fringe Slam, which she went on to win.How long have you been performing poetry for?I started performing poetry in 2012, and writing when I was in college. I’m not one of those people who have been writing since five, I was just bored in class. I used to hate reading my own voice, and so I never kept a journal. My roommate showed me a poem by Andrea Gibson, and I thought “holy shit, people actually say their feelings.”I didn’t really want to perform my poetry until I moved to Washington DC after college. Washington DC has a very large spoken-word scene. It was a really cool scene to come up in, because you could be really hard-core and try to win all the slams, or just perform at LGBT nights.How did you find out about the BBC Slam?My fiancé told me I should put my name in the hat and I said “nope”.I was on the national slam team for Washington DC in 2013. I thought that was how people became a legitimate performance poet. This wasn’t until after nationals, but I began to not see the point in being judged for what I feel. Sometimes slam can be really manipulative.Being in the UK as an American is weird. I wasn’t sure if I would fit in, even among the different accents.But I hadn’t been writing for a while, and my finacé said this might help me to write more. So I listened to her, and I’m here now.I remember speaking with Catherine Wilson who slammed at CUPSI, and she described slamming in America as involving a lot of high emotions.You get taught that. There are workshops on getting into the right mind frame. I feel that takes all of the authenticity out of it. If you don’t feel like reading a poem, don’t read that poem. That’s okay.So much of it is choreographed, and slam teams will have judges in the back throwing up hand signals. That’s not sincere. The whole point of doing poetry is to express yourself and to say something that is your truth. It can’t be truth if it is faked, or rehearsed. Truth is a raw thing, and it is not something you can practice.What decisions did you make in choosing your poems?My poems depend on what is going on in my life. I’m getting married, so I am having to talk to my family a lot. That is bring up a lot of family bullshit. A lot of my poems focus around my family, who I am, and what grounds me.I woke up this morning and I was thinking about my grandmother. That was in the forefront of my mind. It’s not about a hot-button issue. I think I’m going to read that.That might not be the best strategy, but you kind of have to play it by ear. Be confident enough in your own poems. When a slam is audience-judged you can definitely strategise, because an audience can be moved. The judges in the BBC slam are more immoveable. You don’t have to be funny, or political. You can just be yourself.What do you like people to take away from your work?I have problems with the idea of reading a poem to affect someone. I don’t read poems to elicit a reaction, because I got into poetry to discover my own voice. I never thought I had one in the first place. I’m not really a political poet, I don’t want to affect change. I think the poets that do that are to be commended, but I don’t have that mouthpiece. I was surprised the first the first time someone said that one of my poems had affected them. It gave me more confidence in reading some of my work.I have a poem about domestic abuse, which I did it once at a poetry event for LGBT women. Afterward, when the audience explained how this was so important to them, that was a wake-up call to me. My poems aren’t just for me. Sometimes you just need to stand on stage and say that something is happening. You can follow Adele on Twitter at @AdeleHampton. She will be competing in the BBC Edinburgh Fringe Slam Grand Final, on Sunday 14th at 21:00.

When safe spaces for LGBT people are shut down, what does that mean for the communities left behind? Bertie Darrell talks to Adrian Bradley about his new play A Boy Named Sue, and why it’s important to explore the barriers that can hide LGBT people in plain sight. Photo credit: Rah PetherbridgeA Boy Named Sue plays at C nova throughout the Fringe. Find the show online @sueproductions. Full Edinburgh Listing: http://www.broadwaybaby.com/shows/a-boy-named-sue/715961

Hot Brown Honey is loud, proud, in your face, and at the Fringe for the first time. The hip-hop cabaret’s creators Lisa and Busty tell Adrian Bradley why putting diverse faces centre stage is crucial - and how a show can be fun, raucous and powerful at the same time. Hot Brown Honey plays at Assembly Roxy through the Fringe. Full Edinburgh listing: http://www.broadwaybaby.com/shows/hot-brown-honey/713619

Sophia Walker is an internationally renowned poet. Having won the BBC Poetry Slam in 2013, she’s organising the competition in Edinburgh this year. She won Best UK Spoken Word Show 2014, and her debut collection Opposite the Tourbus was published by Burning Eye press that year.Why do you think the BBC Slam has such enduring appeal at Edinburgh?I think that it is this beautiful halfway point, in which you have the traditional BBC Radio 4 audience who are interested in poetry, and all of us from PBH Spoken Word who understand what slam is. It is a car crash between these two audiences, and we are the halfway point of spoken word.What is the process of choosing competitors for the Slam?The process has changed. The BBC Slam is six years old, and was an invite-only competition. When I was handed it last year, I knew that slam in the UK has become more popular, so I decided to have an open draw. We had over 300 people apply for 24 spots, after which we drew names out of a hat.We reached out to the trans and gender non-binary communities, and unfortunately we did not get any take-up. As a result it is a 50-50 split between male-identified and female-identified, and we hope in future we hope to get more non-binary entrants.What else do you like to reflect in the lineup?Almost everyone competing this year is just coming for the Slam. There are people boarding planes from Belfast just to come to this Slam. I would say that Manchester and Glasgow have the most interesting poetry scenes in the UK right now. I think that regional poetry in the UK is very exciting, and the BBC Slam is the chance to showcase that. I like the fact that it is not London poets who win, ever. That is kind of important.What is the objective of the BBC Slam?What we are trying to do at the BBC Slam is create a poet’s slam, one that is specifically what poets want to do. There is a reason we pick the judges we pick. Last year, a number of our poets got book deals, or booked at StAnza. It is not just the champion that wins, but everyone gets something out of the Slam. I want it to be impossible to lose. Exposure doesn’t have to be a dirty word if it actually translates into something tangible.There are 340 seats in there and I’ve sold them out. But the important thing is who I’ve sold them out to.Which entrant has really grabbed your attention?I’m nosey, so I look everyone up on YouTube. Last year I knew who was going to win every heat and I was right every time except for one. I was able to call the final. I’ve been able to call the final every single year, except for the year in which I won. But this year, I have no clue. I don’t know who 90% of these poets are. That is really exciting to me.Why is age diversity so important?When David Lee Morgan won in 2014 every single poet in the tent lost their minds, because they knew what that meant. David Lee Morgan is a real poet. He pulls no punches, and says the things you don’t know that you can get away with saying. And that year he performed wearing a Trayvon Martin T-shirt. David Lee Morgan is a dude.That gave us permission to do real poems again. There is a temptation in spoken word to forget and convince yourself you need to be an entertainer. That is not our job. We are supposed to remind people of shit, and make people think, and challenge. We are performing journalists, and confronters, and we have a duty to what the genre was created for.David Lee Morgan was the personification of that. Him winning this slam, to me, gave it a whole different degree of credibility. You can come here and do real poems, and you will win. I don’t think that is true of slam anymore.What is your favourite moment in a slam?My favourite moment is the moment when poets finally get comfortable admitting to each other that they are nervous and they hate slamming. That is when you see the hugs. Every year I love seeing what the finalists do backstage. In my year there was a constant group hug, but last year they were doing press-ups and jumping jacks.You can follow Sophia Walker on Twitter @PoetWalker. The BBC Slam heats will be conducted every evening from the 8th-12th August at the BBC Fringe main stage, with the Grand Final on Sunday 14th at 9pm. 

Canadian a-cappella group Countermeasure are stopping off to perform their show 14 Characters at the Fringe as part of a European tour. Chris spoke to arranger Aaron Jensen, and J-M from the group, who say the group’s six-year friendship is what makes their performance stand out. You can find Countermeasure @DefyGenre and on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/Countermeasureacappella/. Full Edinburgh Listing: http://www.broadwaybaby.com/shows/countermeasure-14-characters/715599

In 2012, Harry Baker became the youngest ever World Poetry Slam Champion. Having toured internationally, this year he’s in Edinburgh with his fourth Fringe show The Harry and Chris Show, working with musician Chris Read. Harry’s debut collection The Sunshine Kid was published in 2015 by Burning Eye Books.What went into creating the Harry and Chris Show?It is my fourth year at the Edinburgh Fringe, having brought up three solo shows previously. This year I’m bringing my best mate, a childhood friend and fantastic musician named Chris Read. The Harry and Chris Show is two childhood friends playing music together. Chris calls it “reckless joy”, which I like. This is an attempt to be unashamedly positive, even when the world doesn’t feel like that.My background is poetry, and Chris is from a jazz background. Sometimes it can sound just like rapping, but Chris knows the poems well enough that he can give them space. Having someone that knows your work can make it a much more enjoyable collaboration.In the show you mention that you have been playing together for ten years. What was one of your favourite moments?We went on tour to Texas. There was one time where these people had this huge ranch, and they built this this amphitheatre into the garden. As the sun was going down, they were cooking barbecue, and we were playing to a group of strangers. There were so many levels in that, like relying on people you don’t know, and experiencing the kindness of strangers. Even though we were half way around the world we were made to feel at home. There was something empowering about knowing you are fully in someone else’s hand.What kind of inspiration do you and Chris draw on?When we were coming up with a flyer blurb, we were wondering what to put on there. There is music, and also funny bits, but we didn’t want to put ourselves in Musical Comedy. In a way, we both love Flight of the Conchords, two people who are clearly mates playing music. When I was growing up, as a poet there was Sage Francis and Scoobius Pip. Chris has a lot of jazz influences, and in the show there is a little bit of Louis Armstrong. But we both grew up in the 90s, so there are R&B references.How has working with Don’t Flop been changing your work?What I find interesting is that rap battles are all about punch lines. When writing a poem, or storytelling, it is about the overarching theme of the poem. In a rap battle the theme is always ‘I’m better than you, and this is why.’In The Harry and Chris Show a lot of the songs are a battle-rap structure, in that there is multi-syllabic rhyming and puns. I find writing for rap battles really enjoyable, because I can think about a few lines at a time. But to write a full poem, you need to get more into the headspace of where it was going. Are you going to continue competing in Don’t Flop?I enjoyed stepping away from that to focus on The Harry and Chris Show, because I am a poet, and that’s what I love doing. Don’t Flop was really good for promoting that, and I love that people have seen me on an online rap battle and come to an hour-long poetry show because of that.I’m trying to focus on other stuff now. When you know you have a rap battle coming up, there is that pressure because you know it is going to be filmed and put out there, and if you choke that is the worst possible thing. But if you are performing a poem at a gig and you forget a line it’s not a big deal. I’ve not written as many poems in the last year because I’ve been focussing on rap battles instead. But now I’m trying to put the emphasis on other things. Some people want to rise to the top of the rap battle world, but I don’t think that’s my destiny. It’s great fun though.Are we going to be seeing more of The Harry and Chris Show?Absolutely. We are going to be moving in together in September. We’ve got a couple of gigs and we are looking to tour with this show. What is good about this show is that we can break it up into twenty minute slots. So far we’ve done stuff at poetry nights, in music venues, and in theatre. At the moment we want to promote our CD, but I’m sure we will end up writing more songs. You can follow Harry Baker on Twitter @HarryBakerPoet, and The Harry and Chris show at @HarrynChris. The Harry and Chris Show is on at 13:45 Aug 6-27th, not 17th, at Pilgrim (Venue 100). 

Anna Brook-Mitchell and Angela Nesi are Isle of Edna. G Street, their latest show, takes apart all things gentrification - from beards and craft beers to bakeries in public loos. They tell Adrian Bradley how they got together, how to find the perfect puppet, and how to deconstruct a flat white. Find Anna and Angela @IsleofEdna and http://www.isleofedna.co.uk/. Full Edinburgh listing: http://www.broadwaybaby.com/shows/isle-of-edna-g-street/715018

An exploration of modern sexual moralities, F*cking Men reimagines Arthur Schnitzler’s 1897 La Ronde in the modern world of dating apps and open marriages. Harper James, Richard De Lisle and Haydn Whiteside talk to Adrian Bradley about bearing all on stage - and how Edinburgh crowds aren’t the same as London ones.Find the guys @lislecheever, @HarperJamesH, @haydnwhiteside and their full Edinburgh Listing: http://www.broadwaybaby.com/shows/fcking-men/714660

What do you do if you have to have a circumcision at age 27? Well if you’re Dave Chawner, you write an Edinburgh show about it. He talks to Adrian Bradley about why he wants to do a show about masculinity, what dating’s like when you’re a feminist, and how many knob jokes he can fit into a one-hour set.Find @DaveChawner and his full Edinburgh listing here http://www.broadwaybaby.com/shows/circumcision/713922

The Tumanishvili Film Actors Theatre has been bringing Georgian theatre to Edinburgh for nearly 20 years, filling theatres and getting critical acclaim for foreign-language theatre. Director Keti Dolidze’s tells Adrian Bradley why she wanted to tackle Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire, and calls for more international theatre at the largest arts festival in the world.Website: http://www.tumanishvilitheatre.ge/. Full Edinburgh Listing: http://www.broadwaybaby.com/shows/a-streetcar-named-desire/714659

Andrew Hunter Murray has been coming to Edinburgh for years with Austentatious - but now the QI researcher come quiz show panellist in his own right is bringing a very special pub quiz to Edinburgh. Andrew speaks pub quiz hosts, facts and kangaroo genitalia with Adrian Bradley.Follow Andrew @andrewhunterm. Andrew Hunter Murray: Round One plays at the Pleasance Courtyard at 16:15 every day (not 16th) this Fringe. Full Edinburgh listing: http://www.broadwaybaby.com/shows/andrew-hunter-murray-round-one/714189