Adaptation

1984

1984

It is frightening how Orwell’s nightmarish dystopia continues to ring true, year after year. From Winston’s colleague Syme (Liam McKinnes) exclaiming delightedly ‘It’s a beautiful thing, the destruction of words’, to the proletariat being described as subhuman, those who go against the Party as a stain to be wiped out, even Winston’s desire to sexually violate Julia before murdering her... 

As We Like It

As We Like It

Side by Side Theatre Company, serving learning disabled performers from the West Midlands, returns to Paradise in Augustines this year with their adaptation of As You Like It, the Summer of Love-themed As We Like It... 

The Red Shoes

The Red Shoes

Physical theatre and contemporary dance collide in this all-female youth theatre production that begs the question: what would you do for fame? When a poor young girl is offered a pair of magical red shoes, it seems all her dreams will come true... 

Pulp Fiction: The One Woman Play

Pulp Fiction: The One Woman Play

Be transported back to early 90s Los Angeles; the seedy underworld of gangsters, drugs, danger, and a mysterious briefcase. Accompanied only by a damn good soundtrack, this one-woman show breathes life back into the classic cult film, Pulp Fiction... 

Intro to Chicano History: 101

Intro to Chicano History: 101

From the deep-rooted traditions of Chicano Teatro – a little Brechtian agitprop, Mexican vaudeville and social justice street theatre, we bring you this exploration and celebration of the history and culture of Mexican Americans, told through comedy, music, and drama... 

Titus Andronicus

Titus Andronicus

Shakespeare's classic that has killings, maiming, rape, live burial and cannibalism presented as a latter-day story about a crime syndicate looking to find a new leader in the money laundering business which some say Britain has become... 

Brollies and Bumbershoots

Brollies and Bumbershoots

Brollies and Bumbershoots. Where would Mary Poppins be without her umbrella as a means of transport? For that matter, the umbrella has proven a painter’s muse for centuries, not to mention a weapon adopted by the fair sex to defend themselves from ruffians and hooligans... 

Inferno

Inferno

'Arabella, I would love to show you this world of mine... maybe you’d even have time for a tour?' Bella is at the top of her game: respected, influential and the top authority in criminal law... 

Para Handy: A Radio Play on Stage

Para Handy: A Radio Play on Stage

No Nonsense Productions – It’s a Wonderful Life: ‘A delight’ **** (EdinburghGuide.com). ‘A terrific indulgence’ (LoveBooksGroup.blog) – presents Para Handy: A Radio Play on Stage... 

To Have Done With the Judgement of God

To Have Done With the Judgement of God

Leaving the theatre with no idea what you have just seen but having enjoyed it immensely is perhaps an appropriate response to a production of Antonin Artaud’s To Have Done With The Judgement Of God... 

Romeo and Juliet

Romeo and Juliet

Curious Pheasant Theatre reinvents the Bard’s most famous tale of ‘star-cross’d’ lovers in a bare-bones, twisted production that will have purists running for shelter and audiences that lack their reverential devotion to every word enjoying a butchered but exhilarating rendition of the text... 

The Death of Edgar Allan Poe

The Death of Edgar Allan Poe

In the moments before his death, America’s most celebrated author of the macabre reveals how his sins and the tragedies of his life lead to his descent into madness and alcoholism, inspiring his dark and thrilling works... 

Molière's The Miser

Molière's The Miser

Molière’s classic comedy is reinvented as a dynamic piece of physical performance. Will the greedy and scheming Harpagnon’s love of money triumph over his children’s happiness? Join Greene Shoots Theatre for vibrant, energetic storytelling, a mischievous ensemble and plenty of mishaps along the way – all underscored by a fun and original live musical score... 

Ovid's Metamorphoses

Ovid's Metamorphoses

If you have a ticket to Pants On Fire’s Ovid’s Metamorphoses, you have in your possession a way of securing the ferryman’s passage to one of the most mischievous and charming adaptations of an ancient work at Edinburgh Festival Fringe... 

Alice

Alice

Eighteen talented actors bring you a spectacular reinvention of Lewis Carroll’s Wonderland. Alice does not fit in. Brought up to believe in wonder, Alice hates sitting still, she asks too many questions and she rejects everything Victorian England throws at her... 

Hansel and Gretel

Hansel and Gretel

Kneehigh Theatre's adaptation by Carl Grose abridged by KES Theatre. Come follow the breadcrumbs and see what lies in the woods. Kes Theatre bring you an unnecessary blast of brass, a devastating famine, talking rabbits, dead chickens, foreign birds and nefarious creatures in a world where birthdays and cannibals walk hand in hand... 

Ministers of Grace: The Unauthorised Shakespearean Parody of Ghostbusters

Ministers of Grace: The Unauthorised Shakespearean Parody of Ghostbusters

Whom wilt thou call? What if Shakespeare had written Ghostbusters? Ministers of Grace is a wickedly funny, ruff-and-ready mash-up joyride of one of the best-loved films of all time performed as a Shakespearean classic... 

Treasure Island

Treasure Island

The story follows Jim Hawkins on her journey to find adventure away from her mundane existence. When a pirate turns up on her doorstep, she is quickly swept up into a world of treason and treasure with the iconic figure, Long John Silver... 

A Scarlet Letter

A Scarlet Letter

Hester Prynne on the entrenched injustice confronting women: 'the whole system of society [must be] torn down and built up anew.' How prescient The Scarlet Letter seems today. In spirit, Hester finds kindred with #MeToo and #timesup... 

A Christmas Carol

A Christmas Carol

Olivier Award-winning Guy Masterson, (Under Milk Wood, Animal Farm, Shylock), now brings Dickens' festive fable to vivid life. Globally renowned for his physical and vocal dexterity, Masterson recreates Scrooge, Marley, Fezziwigs, Cratchits and Tiny Tim in an enchanting performance that will dazzle and dunk you in Christmas Spirit – in Summer! (Why not? Australians do it!) A memory that will linger... 

Hamlet – Horatio's Tale

Hamlet – Horatio's Tale

A remarkable solo Hamlet from Horatio’s POV! Shakespeare’s classic tale of madness, murder and betrayal with incredible performance, brilliant original music and Sir Derek Jacobi as Old Hamlet! Something is very right in the state of Denmark! Adapted and directed by Nick Hennegan, it's a must-see theatre event... 

The EU Inspector

The EU Inspector

The arrival of an undercover inspector sends officials of a new EU country into a spin. Panic ensues as they frenziedly cover up their double-dealing and ineptitude in this witty and fast-paced version of Gogol’s satirical masterpiece. 

The Red Shoes

The Red Shoes

A reimagining of Hans Christian Andersen's tale, the 'superbly talented' (List) Young Pleasance bring the glitz, glamour, and seedy underworld of interwar Berlin to life with characteristic high production values, 'sheer professionalism and talent' (EdinburghGuide... 

Ganymede

Ganymede

Rosalind's favorite book is As You Like It. From those pages are drawn comfort and parallels with life as an orphan living with the local Reverend's daughter, Celia. When he finds out they are more than just friends, he throws them out of the house... 

Leave. To Remain (an Aristophanic Brexit Tale)

Leave. To Remain (an Aristophanic Brexit Tale)

In an alt-reality Brexit Britain, the Government has outsourced democracy to a TV voting show, pizza is banned for its foreign origins and a visa to France now costs €30 (£300). Eventually, Dick has had enough and decides to rejoin the EU all by himself... 

Spring Awakening

Spring Awakening

Small-town England. 1963. Far from the burgeoning sexuality of swinging London, a group of repressed teenagers experience their own revolution. Wendla and Moritz know nothing; Melchior knows too much, but nothing of consequences... 

Orestes

Orestes

A new comedic adaptation of a great Greek tragedy by Euripides. Orestes and Electra killed their own mother to avenge their father. Citizens want them sentenced to death for the horrible crime... 

Henry V – Lion of England

Henry V – Lion of England

Wild young Hal becomes King and lays claim to the French crown. Agincourt as never before! A solo tour de force through Shakespeare’s patriotic masterpiece. Incredible performance, brilliant original music and SFX... 

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie

Based on the best-selling series of books by Laura Numeroff, this fast-paced, comedic adaptation embraces the joys of parenting – as told through the eyes of a child and a surprise encounter from a hyper, hungry mouse asking for a cookie, setting off a chain of events leaving behind a massive mess and a ragged boy... 

Gulliver Returns

Gulliver Returns

Lil's husband is lost in Gulliver's Travels and now she has a mission of mercy to perform. No matter what the cost, she must find a way to drag this broken man out of his fantasy. She must find a way to bring him home... 

Ahab; or What If Moby Dick Were Stand-Up Comedy

Ahab; or What If Moby Dick Were Stand-Up Comedy

Moby Dick: a book, a play, an episode of Star Trek, 12 movies, and a fish. Now, it’s been adapted into a stand-up comedy show by niche idiot Jonny Gillam. He wondered: 'if we can adapt books into plays... 

One for the Road...

One for the Road...

In the early 1980s Pinter became increasingly interested in human rights abuses and in particular the torture of political prisoners in Argentina and Turkey. One For The Road emerged from those concerns, although it is deliberately given no specific national location; he believed such violations could occur as easily in democracies as dictatorships, although the common expression for another drink, used many times during the play and as the title, suggests an English-speaking background for the lead character... 

The Paper Cinema's Macbeth

The Paper Cinema's Macbeth

The Paper Cinema’s Macbeth is a dazzling feat of storytelling. Using foley sound effects, live music, cinematic projection and handmade paper puppets, the team create a film – with no dialogue – live in the Pleasance Dome’s hangar-like King Dome theatre... 

Freedom

Freedom

Based on the true story of a Ugandan orphan, Amelia, whose parents died in a house fire. Freedom powerfully depicts the themes of sex slavery, domestic violence and misogyny set against the backdrop of life in 1980’s Uganda... 

Julius Caesar

Julius Caesar

Of all Shakespeare’s plays, Julius Caesar is perhaps the best aware of its historical place. It’s a retelling of an event already mythologized at the time of its writing – the assassination of the eponymous Caesar – and takes stock of its own place in the historical canon; it, more than any other Shakespeare play, confronts its own role in future recreations of the story it tells... 

The Black Cat

The Black Cat

In The Black Cat Edgar Allan Poe’s macabre classic is made ironically self-aware. Poe’s original story is a first-person account from a man who is driven by alcohol and paranoia to become violent to those around him... 

The Sandman

The Sandman

This Victoriana adaptation of a gothic adaptation of a children’s fairy tale figure is not exactly breaking new ground. It could have come from any number of the white-shirt and braces wearing wacky student troupes here at Fringe... 

Not I

Not I

Jess Thom has Tourettes, a condition that means she makes movements and noises she can't control, called tics. Following the award-winning Backstage in Biscuit Land, she takes on Samuel Beckett's short play in a theatrical experience that explores neurodiversity and asks who is allowed to perform what and who gets the final say... 

The Tempest

The Tempest

A sibling betrayal. A terrible storm. A magical island, a sprite and a monster. New young female theatre company Ellipses fuse drama, sound and movement to create a snappy, atmospheric, gender-fluid Tempest for our time... 

La Dispute

La Dispute

'What? This is me? This is my face?' A new translation of Marivaux's controversial play, which tackles issues of gender and sexuality. What happens when two boys and two girls experience the world for the first time? A thoughtful comedic performance, which displays the initial interactions between four young adults who are thrown together into a world without an established society... 

The Odyssey

The Odyssey

One man’s quest to return to the woman he loves: beating gods and monsters, battling nymphs and sirens, through the underworld and across the Aegean Sea. This is a new adaptation of Homer’s epic and focuses on the humanity within the hero, told through seven stories... 

Woolf

Woolf

Many scholars and philistines alike think they have a good understanding of Virginia Woolf – a suicidal bisexual who used too many semicolons. While Theatre With Teeth’s new look at her life does not particularly challenge any of these notions, as a piece of theatre this is an extraordinary, ephemeral fifty minutes that left me re-examining my thoughts not only about Woolf but also about literature and its purpose... 

Avery Pierson

Avery Pierson

In this modern interpretation of the classic morality play Everyman, Avery Pierson discovers that she is to be taken away by death. This contemporary reworking tackles society's relationship with social media, family life, consumerism and much more. 

Freedom

Freedom

Based on the true story of a Ugandan orphan, Amelia, whose parents died in a house fire. Freedom powerfully depicts the themes of sex slavery, domestic violence and misogyny set against the backdrop of life in 1980’s Uganda... 

The Egg-Born Princess

The Egg-Born Princess

‘Once upon a time there lived a queen whose heart was sore because she had no children…’ Performed by an exquisitely talented company, this enchanting adaptation fuses traditional Estonian folk music, song and dance with innovative storytelling... 

Shakespeare on a Shoestring: Cymbeline!

Shakespeare on a Shoestring: Cymbeline!

Shoestring returns! The next generation of the Fringe First Award-winning Shoestring Players bring their trademark fast-paced and irreverent take on Shakespeare’s most troubled play... 

The Black Cat

The Black Cat

A renegade retelling of Edgar Allan Poe's twisted tale. Two performers dismember the process of adaptation by reimagining a macabre classic with the cheekiest of glints in their eyes... 

The Course of True Love

The Course of True Love

A reinterpretation of some of William Shakespeare's best scenes woven together to create a new story about two young lovers. Together, they explore the different stages of their relationship: from the fiery passion of novelty to the cold staleness of repetition... 

All Quiet on the Western Front

All Quiet on the Western Front

Incognito Theatre’s adaptation of All Quiet on the Western Front is a solid, if predictable, production which ticks all of the necessary First World War boxes.Being an adaptation of Erich Remarque’s 1928 novel, it’s not hard to see why this might be the case... 

The Giant's Loo Roll

The Giant's Loo Roll

'Oh fe fi fo, and fe fi fum! Now what shall I do to wipe my...' Bumpety! Bumpety! Bumpety-bump! A Giant’s toilet roll one day fell to the floor and flew away. Returning to Edinburgh after its successful West End run... 

Father Christmas Comes Up Trumps

Father Christmas Comes Up Trumps

Father Christmas is back, and this time he's had three helpings of sprouts! As he tries to deliver the presents, his tummy rumbles, gurgles and groans, but Father Christmas knows he must keep it in – he doesn't want to wake anyone up! TaleGate Theatre Productions hit the perfect combination of witty humour, fantastic music and the extra sparkle for which they have become known in this fabulously funny and brilliantly bouncy musical adaptation of Nicholas Allan’s sequel to Father Christmas Needs a Wee. 

The Alchemist

The Alchemist

Caterham Rep’s adaptation of Ben Jonson’s classic tale The Alchemist is exactly that: don’t expect any surprises here. If you know the play, then this is a nice romp through his well-known Jacobean farce, and if you don’t then you’ll certainly pick up the gist fairly quickly... 

Alice in Wonderland

Alice in Wonderland

Not Cricket’s new production of Alice in Wonderland is a charming and whimsical piece that delights audiences both young and old with its blend of live music, puppetry and dance.The show tells the classic tale of Alice: the girl who followed a stranger down the rabbit hole and ends up entering the strange and confusing world of Wonderland... 

Everyman

Everyman

Freemen’s Theatre Company returns to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2017, after their previous run in 2015 with What a Grimm Tale, to perform the medieval mystery and morality play Everyman... 

Beasts & Beauties

Beasts & Beauties

Beauty and the Beast without Gaston? In Italy?! If you can get over the sacrilege of daring to be different from the Disney version of events, Beasts and Beauties, by young company Grey Dog Theatre, offers a light but fun hour of entertainment for children young and old... 

Ella Enchanted

Ella Enchanted

This production is based on Gail Carson Levine’s Ella Enchanted, a young adult novel that previously inspired Anne Hathaway’s second turn as a movie princess. Despite the older age group that the original book is aimed at, this is very much a show for children, and serves as an excellent way to keep the kids entertained and engaged for 1hr 15mins of the festival... 

Miss Julie, Clarissa and John

Miss Julie, Clarissa and John

Inspired by August Strindberg’s groundbreaking 1888 naturalistic drama, Miss Julie, the action is relocated to a Reconstruction Era Virginia plantation. The dangerous attraction between the landowner’s daughter and his top servant takes on new shades, as its taboo nature expands from crossing boundaries of social class and encompassing racial lines... 

The Picture of Dorian Gray

The Picture of Dorian Gray

It’s always difficult to tell a story that audiences are familiar with and manage to find a new way to engage them in it, but in Box Tale Soup’s new adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray, it is safe to say that new ground is thoroughly covered... 

The Damned United

The Damned United

Powerful and demanding, Red Ladder Theatre Company’s production of The Damned United is every bit as belligerent and uncompromising as the protagonist of its story.An adaptation of David Peace’s novel of the same name, The Damned United tells the story of Brian Clough’s doomed 44 day tenure as manager of Leeds United... 

The Shakespeares: Scenes from a Marriage

The Shakespeares: Scenes from a Marriage

Was Shakespeare ever really in love? On 27 November 1582, he registered to marry Anne Whateley. But, the next day, he bought a licence to marry Anne Hathaway. So begins the story of Shakespeare’s tangled affections... 

Macbeth / Redux

Macbeth / Redux

The first half is a cut-down, 30-minute version of Shakespeare's play. In the second half, we perform an entirely separate piece, contrasting in content, though thematically similar to Macbeth... 

The Boor (Peking Opera)

The Boor (Peking Opera)

Adapted from Anton Chekhov’s comedy. The sudden loss of her husband left her mourning, in tears, for months. She has isolated herself from the world ever since. One day, a sudden burst of knocks followed by a man’s voice changes everything... 

(My Father) John Gabriel Borkman

(My Father) John Gabriel Borkman

Most bankers walked free after the bubble burst – but not John Gabriel Borkman. Years have passed since he got out of prison, and his son Edwin has grown up in his father’s shadow and absence... 

Ruby Redfort

Ruby Redfort

The first ever stage adaptation of Lauren Child's bestselling mystery series, 'one of the best things to happen to British fiction' (Sunday Times). When the world's greatest criminal masterminds target a supernatural statue, it's up to Ruby – code-breaker, special agent and 13-year-old girl – to crack the case... 

The Wind in the Willows

The Wind in the Willows

From the peaceful pleasure of Ratty’s beloved riverbank, to the fearful frights and wicked weasels of the Wild Wood, join Mole and Ratty on their marvellous adventures, along with gruff old Badger and magnificent Mr Toad... 

Elliot and the Enormous Sneeze

Elliot and the Enormous Sneeze

‘Elliot and the Enormous Sneeze’ follows the story of the old man who never (hardly ever) sneezed. Featuring chocolate pudding, live music, magical mucus and ever extendable nose hairs... 

Any Suggestions, Doctor?: An Improvised Adventure in Space & Time

Any Suggestions, Doctor?: An Improvised Adventure in Space & Time

Taking a much loved pop culture reference point is always a sure fire way to fill seats. It also carries with it the weight of expectation and so can easily be a sure fire way to disappoint... 

New York Stories

New York Stories

I wasn’t sure what I was expecting to see when I arrived at the Rialto Theatre. New York Stories appealed to me, primarily due to my love of Yankee accents, and boy, they didn’t disappoint! The stage was set plainly; three stools and a projector screen set above the stage... 

Moondial

Moondial

Even before she came to Belton, Minty had known she was a witch, or something very much like it. When she uncovers a time portal (the ‘Moondial’ in the grounds of Belton House) she meets Tom the sickly kitchen boy, and Sarah, a girl whose family think her birthmark makes her the ‘Devil's child’... 

Philip Pullman's The Ruby In The Smoke

Philip Pullman's The Ruby In The Smoke

Working in collaboration with Philip Pullman (creator of His Dark Materials), the bestselling novel comes to life on stage for the first time. After her father's mysterious death, Sally Lockhart is thrown into the heart of Victorian London, battling unseen forces to uncover the secrets he left behind... 

The Grimmest of Grimm Tales

The Grimmest of Grimm Tales

Did you know the Brothers Grimm collected together over 200 different stories? Why do we only ever hear about Cinders and Snow White? Were the others too scary? Too gruesome? Or a bit rubbish? In this brand new family comedy with music and comedy for ages 5+, The Story Squad introduce a whole new cast of weird and wonderful characters... 

Lulu

Lulu

Scott Roberts’ adaptation of Wedekind’s Pandora’s Box and Earth Spirit has resulted in Lulu. The title character is a woman controlled and manipulated by the men she encounters throughout her life who ultimately destroy her... 

Sleeping Beauty & The Ewe's Duty

Sleeping Beauty & The Ewe's Duty

The Super Sheep are back in a new adventure! Shadwell must help three friends (a brave fairy, a reluctant sheep and a bonkers pig) save a Sleeping Beauty. Time travel, show-stopping songs, and a host of crazy characters mark a welcome return for Brighton Fringe favourites, Ripley Theatre... 

Agamemnon

Agamemnon

To start with the positives, this was a very enthusiastic show. Lines had been learned, movements had been strictly choreographed but this was almost part of the problem. It was clear that a lot of hard work had gone into it by all those involved... 

Richard III (a one-woman show)

Richard III (a one-woman show)

Richard III. An audience. Anything can happen. All the world is a stage. What part will you play? Pushing the boundaries of Shakespearean Performance, Brite Theater have re-imagined Richard III as a bold and engaging one-woman show... 

Trainspotting

Trainspotting

This acclaimed production recaptures the passion and controversy of the famous novel and hit film, repackaging it into an immersive show. The audience is literally part of the show, including the notorious 'Worst Toilet in Scotland' scene... 

A Fool and Three Courses

A Fool and Three Courses

A short adaptation of Shakespeare's 'King Lear'. A feminist perspective on the problems Lear's daughters face as siblings and royalty, and their relationship with their father. Part narrated through the eyes of the Fool. 

The Last Honeypot

The Last Honeypot

The bizarre tale of the boy Eli Hum, born with a baffling condition: his tummy can only digest honey. But the world has been growing colder, the flowers are wilting, and the bees..... 

Dracula

Dracula

Bram Stoker’s classic Gothic tale of the infamous Count Dracula is one that has been retold countless times, but don’t be fooled - this high-octane production by Let Them Call It Mischief is far from the chilling horror story you might expect... 

The Picture of Dorian Gray

The Picture of Dorian Gray

“What does it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul?” Dorian Gray, young and beautiful, sinks deep into a frivolous lifestyle of selfish abandon, seemingly unchanged by corruption and untouched by age... 

Shell Shock

Shell Shock

One soldier's story of coping with PTSD. After serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, Tommy's observations on civvy life are comic and moving. His emotional responses to Post Office queues, a trip to Ikea and his relationships and family lead to alienation and anger... 

Once Upon a Time There Were Four Little Rabbits

Once Upon a Time There Were Four Little Rabbits

Peter Rabbit knows very well that he is not to go into Mr McGregor's garden, especially as it was there that his father met his untimely end! But he cannot resist, and after several nasty scrapes Peter finally escapes Mr McGregor's clutches... 

A Tale of Two Cities: Blood for Blood

A Tale of Two Cities: Blood for Blood

A Tale of Two Cities: Blood for Blood is neither the best of times, nor the worst of times, but over a ninety-minute running time it is a something of an odd construction. There is no extra blood (in fact, much less than the book) and even the two cities themselves seem reduced in status... 

Hunchback

Hunchback

Hunchback is an English language adaptation of the French novel, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, with a stark contrast between strong and weak elements. The impulse to fall back on a Tale of Two Cities comparison is immense... 

The Picture of Dorian Gray

The Picture of Dorian Gray

Oscar Wilde’s stunning way with words in his classic novel, The Picture of Dorian Gray, makes it a challenging piece to bring to the stage. Unfortunately, in their own musical rendition, Pregnant Fish Theatre fails to capture the elegance of this book... 

1984

1984

War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength. In a world of technological sovereignty, Orwell's harrowing dystopian vision seems more prescient than ever. Close Up Theatre presents a gripping, visceral abridgement of the classic novel... 

Who's the Umpire

Who's the Umpire

After a sold out run in London, Who’s the Umpire is the Edinburgh debut of London based Theatre company, Omnifolk. Who's the Umpire is a humorous journey through the lives of three historic Londoners, some you may know of, others you may meet for the first time... 

Little Wolfie

Little Wolfie

Do people change? What if they lose something important to them? A new translation and adaptation of Henrik Ibsen's Lille Eyolf, a hard-hitting play about many kinds of loss – featuring a puppet as Wolfie himself... 

A Streetcar Named Desire

A Streetcar Named Desire

Having previously seen an outstanding Georgian language version of George Orwell’s Animal Farm by the Tumanisvili Film Actors Theatre at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2014, in which the revolutionary themes were imbued with new significance, the company’s take on Tennessee Williams’ masterpiece, A Streetcar Named Desire, promises much... 

Alice

Alice

Fresh out of a critically-acclaimed run in Cambridge, a highly talented troupe of student dancers and performers bring you a contemporary circus interpretation of the family classic Alice in Wonderland... 

The Lake of Dead Languages

The Lake of Dead Languages

Murderous intentions corrupt adolescent dreams in the chilling story of six teenagers living 20 years apart in an isolated girls' school. Jealousy, lust and suspicion feed on the naivety of youth in this tense, atmospheric adaptation of Carol Goodman’s acclaimed thriller... 

The Country Wife

The Country Wife

The newly divorced Harry Horner has spread a rumour of his own impotence around the country club. The reason? To seduce his way across the affluent, leafy town of Blandford, New England come hell, high water or jealous husband... 

Frankenstein: A New Play

Frankenstein: A New Play

An expedition to the North Pole. Already in jeopardy. They pick up a man. Unconscious, on a sheet of floating ice. A man that seems eerily familiar. Viktor Frankenstein. A man haunted by his past... 

Northanger Abbey

Northanger Abbey

Jane Austen’s satirical novel, itself a pastiche of recognisable and well-worn tropes of the Gothic literary genre, is here given new life by company Box Tale Soup, consisting of performers Antonia Christophers and Noel Byrne... 

The Trial

The Trial

An expansive stage space is dominated by assorted wooden furniture, with some pieces decked out in opulent reds and golds. The contrast between the dilapidated scenery and the luxurious colours in which they are bathed confirms this adaptation of Franz Kafka’s The Trial as maintaining a relevance for rich and poor, young and old... 

Arthur Conan Doyle – Man of Mystery

Arthur Conan Doyle – Man of Mystery

There's something wonderfully uncluttered and unpretentious about this particular wander down literary lane from the Mercators, one of Edinburgh’s oldest amateur drama clubs. Six performers, dressed up in an approximation of late Victorian/Edwardian dress, take it in turns to tell the biography of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, with some quotes from the man’s work to provide a little more ‘colour’... 

Alice and the Dream Child

Alice and the Dream Child

Transforum Theatre’s adaptation of Alice in Wonderland sets the Lewis Carroll classic in a mental hospital. This is an intriguing choice from the outset, not least because of Carroll’s widely known drug addiction... 

Little Dorrit

Little Dorrit

Considering the length of most Charles Dickens novels, it’s remarkable that we’ve found ways to abridge them into three hour plays and films. The University of Gloucestershire’s adaptation of Dickens’ classic Little Dorrit takes this one step further by managing to abridge the entire novel’s story to within an hour and five minutes... 

The Enchanted

The Enchanted

The Enchanted is a show all about disconnection, both in its subject matter and the way that it’s performed. It is also a hard-hitting and a compassionate look at prisoners on Death Row, based on a novel by Rene Denfeld... 

The View from Castle Rock by Alice Munro

The View from Castle Rock by Alice Munro

World premiere: a theatrical adaptation of Canadian Nobel Prize winner Alice Munro’s moving and enigmatic short stories of her Scottish ancestors’ emigration. Adapted by award-winning playwright Linda McLean... 

Sherlock

Sherlock

Bablake Theatre’s take on the character of Sherlock delivers a few laughs, though it offers nothing new to the already long list of pastiches and homages the detective has received over the many years... 

The Murderer

The Murderer

Through innovative movement and a thought-provoking script, Clown Funeral’s dark yet comedic The Murderer comments intelligently on society's inability to forgive and forget, by documenting the ‘progress’ of a murderer undergoing a rehabilitation programme... 

Philip Pullman's The Ruby in the Smoke

Philip Pullman's The Ruby in the Smoke

Reprint Productions present The Ruby in the Smoke, a detective story that delights in its Victorian setting, following the adventures of resourceful Sally Lockhart. Much like the novel by Philip Pullman that it is based on, it appeals to both young and old... 

Timon of Athens

Timon of Athens

Timon of Athens – an adaptation of Shakespeare's Timon of Athens where the whole show comes out of a box: props, costume and musical instruments. Is one of Shakespeare's least talked about plays a comedy? Or is it a tragedy? Well that is what we are here to find out, and we will do just that by performing both genres! See the play go from comedy, to tragedy and back to comedy, with original songs to boot! Join us for an experience you will never forget! 

Dreaming Under the Southern Bough

Dreaming Under the Southern Bough

stage@leedscompany mount an original adaptation of Tang Xianzu’s A Dream Under the Southern Bough. Xianzu was a playwright and he died 400 years ago, like our dear Bard. But he’s obscure and Chinese; therefore he’s the kind of under-appreciated source ripe for a Edinburgh Fringe performance... 

Jules Verne’s Extraordinary Voyages: Journey to the Centre of the Earth

Jules Verne’s Extraordinary Voyages: Journey to the Centre of the Earth

To start with – a confession. I have never read any of Jules Verne’s trilogy of voyages extraordinairies novels, nor have I seen any film versions of it before watching this competent adaptation by Not Cricket Productions; a theatre performance scripted with admirable economy and rendered with an entertaining liveliness that is sustained throughout the play... 

The Country Wife

The Country Wife

The Cambridge University Amateur Dramatic Club’s adaptation of the restoration era comedy The Country Wife moves the action to modern American suburbia, but keeps the period’s signature blend of complicated character relationships and bawdy humour, along with the era’s sensibilities... 

Splendid's Jason and the Argonauts

Splendid's Jason and the Argonauts

Jason and the Argonauts is a no-scenery, no-prop, chorus driven piece of singing and silliness that charts the rise and history of the most famous group of strapping young men to travel the Aegean Sea... 

The Trial

The Trial

Josef K wakes up one morning, hungry and disconcerted, only to find himself arrested. He is not told why, nor by whom. He does not get to eat his breakfast. And so begins The Trial... 

A Midsummer Night's Dreaming

A Midsummer Night's Dreaming

Celebrating 400 years of William Shakespeare, the award-winning ST@UIBE company from Beijing presents Shakespeare’s classic tale of love and misunderstanding in a refreshing new light... 

Alice: A Looking Glass Wonderland

Alice: A Looking Glass Wonderland

Your manic tour through the zany zone of Lewis Carroll’s Wonderland and Looking Glass novels is led by a cadre of crazy characters performed by a troupe from an independent high school in Birmingham, Alabama... 

The Enchanted

The Enchanted

Are monsters born or are they created? A mute prisoner sits on death row in a maximum security prison. He watches and he listens. And he wonders – how do we stop men like me from happening? An investigator unravels unspeakable crimes – she does not let men go to their deaths without a fight... 

Carmen High

Carmen High

Carmen High is a powerful story about a popular mean girl who jokingly dates a high school outcast. It’s a story about fitting in and not fitting in, being popular and being bullied, suicide, peer pressure, pop culture, friendship, isolation, and rape... 

Jules Verne’s Extraordinary Voyages: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

Jules Verne’s Extraordinary Voyages: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

We know more about the Moon than we do about the ocean floor. Dr. Arronax, scientist and pioneer of underwater exploration, is determined to discover what secrets may be hidden beneath the waves... 

Jules Verne’s Extraordinary Voyages: The Lighthouse at the End of the World

Jules Verne’s Extraordinary Voyages: The Lighthouse at the End of the World

When a remote lighthouse is attacked by a dangerous band of wreckers and vagabonds only one of the keepers escapes alive Joining forces with the sole survivor of a shipwreck, the pair must use all of their courage and resourcefulness to elude capture as they race against time to restart the light and bring the pirates to justice A compelling and action-packed tale of passion and perseverance... 

Something Rotten

Something Rotten

Something Rotten, not to be confused with the 2015 Broadway musical of the same name, is this time Hamlet’s villainous uncle, Claudius’s version of events, told as if he were briefing the audience- his newly formed privy council... 

Knightmare Live

Knightmare Live

Enter, stranger! Knightmare Live is back with a brand new concept and offers YOU the chance to wear the iconic helmet of justice and play the dungeon. For 2016 the game has changed... 

The Merchant of New York

The Merchant of New York

"In christening shalt thou have two godfathers... " (Act IV, Scene I). Shakespeare meets the Mafia in this clever, iambic mashup, with a definite twist! When the characters go off-script, and the writer stops playing God, where is the mercy? Winner of the Rialto's 2016 'Scratch' New Writing award. 

Blood Will Have Blood

Blood Will Have Blood

After Banquo’s murder, his son Fleance is adrift in Macbeth’s brutal new Scotland. An intense audio-immersive experience of a tyrant’s world through a child’s eyes. 12 audience members only! ImmerCity's companion piece to 'Fire Burn'... 

Shit-faced Shakespeare: The Merchant of Venice

Shit-faced Shakespeare: The Merchant of Venice

For those of you who have yet to encounter the fringe phenomenon that is Shit-Faced Shakespeare, this is a show that does exactly what it says on the tin. The current production showing at The Warren (although they have now branched out internationally) is a trimmed, hour long version of The Merchant of Venice in which one of the performers drinks an unreasonable amount of alcohol before, during and quite possibly after the performance... 

Fire Burn: The Tragedy of Macbeth

Fire Burn: The Tragedy of Macbeth

The story of Macbeth's tragic demise has been told many times by hundreds, if not thousands, of theatre makers. His sharp rise and subsequent fall from power always comes as a surprise to the titular Macbeth, despite a warning from three witches who try to impart their wisdom; cryptically warning him of upcoming troubles... 

The Marlowe Papers

The Marlowe Papers

Christopher Marlowe’s alleged blasphemy makes it necessary for him to make a hasty retreat in the form of a fake death. Doomed to exile he takes on a new life as a secret agent, a James Bond of the 16th Century, and his adventures enthrall us from beginning to end... 

Tales of Mystery and Imagination

Tales of Mystery and Imagination

Actor/singer/storyteller Richard Spaul tells stories from Edgar Allan Poe’s macabre masterpiece. A man is haunted by fear of premature burial. A murder victim returns from the dead to expose his killer... 

Birthday in Suburbia

Birthday in Suburbia

A kaleidoscope of mundanity and the surreal, 'Birthday in Suburbia' invites its audience to follow the descent of an average man into an extraordinary, ridiculous personal crisis. Inspired by the film, 'It’s a Wonderful Life', Birthday in Suburbia combines a rich mixture of clown and dark comedy. 

Mocketh The Weak

Mocketh The Weak

Curious Cloud presents ‘Mocketh The Weak’, the gameshow that pits wicked wits against hapless saps. Who wins? You choose. Join us for our comedy Shakespeare contest, as ‘Argumental’ meets 'Jeremy Kyle'... 

The Secret Garden

The Secret Garden

A vibrant re-imagining of Burnett’s classic story with an inclusive cast of young actors, bringing the garden to life through music, dance and umbrellas. Weaving a tale of isolation and the healing power of nature and family, a truly unique show in Brighton's newest theatre (N... 

Northanger Abbey

Northanger Abbey

Box Tale Soup’s award-winning adaptation will transport you into a world of beautiful paper puppets and gothic romance. With just two performers and seven puppets, this unique version of ‘Northanger Abbey’ brings out every drop of Austen’s wit, playfulness and humour... 

Father Christmas Needs a Wee!

Father Christmas Needs a Wee!

An entertaining pantomime-esque show that is great fun for both adults and children. The show is based on a book of the same name by Nicholas Allan, designed to help children learn to count... 

Brief Interviews with Hideous Men

Brief Interviews with Hideous Men

Brief Interviews with Hideous Men could be seen as a dark comedy or as just dark. This is not a laugh-a-minute show, despite the hype; more a meander through murky minds that provides the occasional amusing moment... 

The Tales of Peter Rabbit and Benjamin Bunny

The Tales of Peter Rabbit and Benjamin Bunny

Peter Rabbit knows very well he’s not to go into Mr McGregor’s garden, especially as it was there his father met his untimely end! But he can’t resist … and soon he and his cousin Benjamin find themselves in a whole lot of trouble! Follow all the scrapes and escapades of Peter and his naughty cousin Benjamin in Quantum Theatre’s delightful production... 

The Last of the Dragons

The Last of the Dragons

Like all good pieces of children’s theatre, The Last of the Dragons does not talk down to children. This brilliant adaptation of E. Nesbit’s short story of the same name captivates its young and adult audience alike by virtue of a tight, fast-paced and funny storyline, as well as strong acting from all members of the cast... 

Beatrix Potter's Peter Rabbit and Other Tales

Beatrix Potter's Peter Rabbit and Other Tales

Lancaster Offshoots have created an enjoyable and surprisingly funny offering with their take on Beatrix Potter's Peter Rabbit and Other Tales.We are presented with shortened versions of several classic tales, including those of Squirrel Nutkin and Jemima Puddleduck, in addition to the title character Peter... 

The Pilgrim's Progress

The Pilgrim's Progress

John Bunyan’s 1678 text The Pilgrim’s Progress is regarded as one of the most significant works of literature in the English Language. This allegorical text has never been out of print and has been translated into more than 200 languages... 

Hamlet (A One Man Play)

Hamlet (A One Man Play)

Even the most seasoned audience member has to concentrate to grasp every line of a Shakespeare play. It is easy to lag behind the complex language, gleaning a basic idea of what’s going on from a lazy memory of a past BBC adaptation... 

Blood Wedding

Blood Wedding

Duende – the shiver of response produced against the constant awareness of death’s inevitability. Drawing on this power, the all-female Minerva Company breathes new life into Lorca's Bodas de Sangre... 

Romeo and Juliet

Romeo and Juliet

A Daily Mirror awaits us on our seats announcing the death of a 'pair of "star-crossed" lovers … in the wake of increasingly violent clashes in the streets'. It serves as background and gives context to this 1960s mods-and-rockers swinging version of Romeo & Juliet... 

Of Mice and Men

Of Mice and Men

John Steinbeck’s classic novella Of Mice and Men chronicles the unlikely and touching friendship between two ranch workers in pursuit of the American Dream during the Great Depression... 

The Alice Effect

The Alice Effect

Instead of falling down a rabbit hole, Alice has been forcibly committed into a mental institution. This darker take on Carroll’s children’s book is not entirely original but it is different in that it fully commits to the concept that Alice is mentally ill, and has never actually ventured into Wonderland... 

What a Grimm Tale!

What a Grimm Tale!

With loose and dishevelled hair, streaks of cat-like make-up and bulging veins, the chorus prowls across the stage, furiously chanting lines adapted from fairy tales. The effect is nothing short of menacing... 

Faust

Faust

In sixteenth-century Germany it was not regarded as irreverant to perform comic puppet shows featuring characters and scenes from the legend of Faust. The post-A-level students from Tiffin School, under the guise of Triple Fish Theatre, have not gone that far, but they certainly generate more humour than is found in traditional performances of this otherwise weighty work... 

Titus Andronicus

Titus Andronicus

Shakespeare's bloody and infamous tragedy is a popular choice for many companies, so that new and interesting interpretations are vital for a production to stand out. Tripped Theatre's vision of Titus Andronicus has tried just that with a stylised and edgy production, at the cost of sacrificing the power and story of the play... 

Austensibility

Austensibility

I shouldn’t have liked Austensibility. It’s a rehearsed reading, far from memorized, from a local amateur group, performing a show that is half history lesson, half reenactment... 

Paradise: Lost

Paradise: Lost

'Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.' 3Bugs returns with an original dark comedy: a tempestuous twist on Milton's account of the Fall of Man. Set in the bedroom of Adam and Evelyn, in the corner of a dark, dystopian world, the voice of temptation echoes from wall to wall... 

Fall

Fall

Flickering digits. Caffeine-fuelled brains. Fall reimagines Shakespeare’s Macbeth in the high-pressured world of day trading, where scorpion-filled minds do battle in a feeding frenzy of stocks and shares... 

Maiden: A Recycled Fairy Tale

Maiden: A Recycled Fairy Tale

‘Every now and then something happens. Something extraordinary that makes people put down their bottle of Madeira and truly think.’ Who is Maiden? Where did she come from? Where does she belong? Set in a cruel, dystopian society in rural Portugal, 3Bugs proudly presents a creative adaptation of a fairy tale... 

Paradise: Lost

Paradise: Lost

'Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.' 3Bugs returns with an original dark comedy: a tempestuous twist on Milton's account of the Fall of Man. Set in the bedroom of Adam and Evelyn, in the corner of a dark, dystopian world, the voice of temptation echoes from wall to wall... 

High Torches

High Torches

Six women await their fate in a prison, while their homes, lives and families burn to the ground. The Queen sees her devastated country through one tiny window, and around her, her world falls apart piece by piece... 

Lear Inc.

Lear Inc.

‘O, that way madness lies...' A media industry giant on the brink of retirement divides her empire between her daughters, with dire consequences. Meanwhile, a scheming son plots the downfall of his father and brother, stopping at nothing to quench his desires... 

Mabinogion

Mabinogion

Welcome to the Mabinogion, a tale of myth, magic and adventure! When Pwyll, Prince of Dyfed meets the mysterious Rhiannon, he must find a way to cheat Gwawl, her unwelcome suitor. Meanwhile, Branwen, princess of Wales is forced into a marriage with Matholwch, the king of Ireland... 

A Midsummer Night's Dream

A Midsummer Night's Dream

A solid and entertaining piece of Shakespeare that’s well handled by its young cast. In Flying High Theatre’s rendition of this classic comedy, the plot of the show is very quickly established: an exiled pair of lovers, Lysander and Hermia, attempt to escape the city, followed by a jilted suitor, Demetrius, and the friend of Hermia who also has an unhealthy love for Demetrius, Helena... 

A Divine Comedy

A Divine Comedy

Dante Alighieri. Lost love. A load of puppets. Whilst that might all seem an odd combination, Mike Maran brings it all together admirably in A Divine Comedy: a stand-up storytelling parody of the immortal works of Dante Alighieri... 

The Turn of the Screw

The Turn of the Screw

An adaptation of the classic gothic horror by Henry James, this show promises chills and thrills but didn’t send too many shivers up my spine. Perhaps my familiarity with the story had something to do with that or perhaps it was because I was at the end of a row, braced in expectation of a woman in black creeping alongside me in the audience... 

The Star Rover

The Star Rover

Despite being one of Jack London’s more obscure works, his 1915 novel The Star Rover or The Jacket is one that feels oddly contemporary. Already the inspiration behind a 2005 film, its story of one man’s torture and abuse by the state resonates with a post-Guantanamo Bay public consciousness and protagonist Darrell Standing’s journeys into his own psyche echo a very modern approach to the mind... 

Alice in Wonderland or Children Should Be Seen and Not Heard

Alice in Wonderland or Children Should Be Seen and Not Heard

You are cordially invited to take tea with the Mad Hatter and March Hare. Don't be fooled by the tedium of the Victorian classroom, just pick your seat by Alice and watch as the Chimney Sweep grins like a Cheshire Cat and the Dunce’s wink whisks you off to Wonderland for a curiously exciting lesson in morals... 

A Boy and a Bear in a Boat

A Boy and a Bear in a Boat

A boy and a bear go to sea, equipped with a suitcase, a comic book and a ukulele. They are only travelling a short distance and it really shouldn't take long. But then their boat encounters unforeseeable anomalies... 

Diary of a Madman

Diary of a Madman

Nikolai Gogol’s short story, formed of a series of diary entries, charts the descent into madness of an ordinary civil servant, whose observations on the power-holders within his experience appear to be the catalyst for his fall... 

Back to Blackbrick

Back to Blackbrick

Sarah Moore Fitzgerald’s much-loved Young Adult novel Back to Blackbrick is adapted in a technically ambitious production from Patch of Blue. This story of memory, history and coping with loss is a triumph in style and execution, though it lacks something in the substance of its narrative... 

Eat Me! Drink Me! Buy Me!

Eat Me! Drink Me! Buy Me!

"Did she fall or was she pushed?" posits the Mad Hatter (Annie Neat), as Three Mugs of Tea embark on their consumerist take on Alice in Wonderland. It's a question which could as easily apply to the audience as it does to Alice, as I can't help wondering how many people knew they were being pushed into a social commentary when entering the theatre... 

Cautionary Tales

Cautionary Tales

Widely regarded as one of the leading young companies in the UK, Newbury Youth Theatre have an unparalleled reputation at the Edinburgh Fringe. They have presented an original production here for sixteen consecutive years and have consistently garnered four- and five-star reviews... 

Father Time

Father Time

'He had fallen into the hands of death.' Death always finds a way to claim his victims. Father Time is a creative adaptation of the Grimms' Godfather Death and Gambling Hans. After debuting their thought-provoking production of Rosemary in 2013, The Seckford Theatre Company is delighted to return to this year's Festival Fringe... 

Antigone Now

Antigone Now

Part of the American High School Festival, Antigone Now is nothing if not endearing in its attempts to impress. Travelling all the way from Michigan to perform at their age is an achievement in itself... 

The Rocking Horse Winner

The Rocking Horse Winner

A stage and film mixed media adaptation of D.H. Lawrence’s short story. As a family faces financial ruin a ghostly presence is sensed in their house, leading the youngest child to gambling and a supernaturally lucky streak... 

The Room: The Musical

The Room: The Musical

Oh, hai audience! We’ve got something for youuu! An original parody musical of the funniest disaster in cinematic history, Tommy Wiseau’s The Room, adapted by a BBC-award nominated writer... 

Labyrinth

Labyrinth

You queue with the other girls outside, hoping for your big break. The sign above your head, Labyrinth Studios, glints in the LA sunshine. Join us as we take you into the depths of one of Hollywood's lesser-known film studios to reveal the secrets hiding within... 

Jane and Lizzy

Jane and Lizzy

Pride and Prejudice through the looking glass! In this offbeat interpretation, Jane Austen meets a Lizzy Bennet who flits between the character and the actress playing her. As Jane enlists Lizzy’s help to recall and reclaim her story, the familiar romantic fantasy of recent versions gives way to the sharp comic irony of the original novel... 

Virginia Woolf's Orlando

Virginia Woolf's Orlando

Join Orlando on his (or possibly her) time-traveling, gender-bending and occasionally cringe-inducing adventures as he (or she) woos a seductive Russian princess, an obsessed Romanian archduke, a Spanish gypsy, and Queen Elizabeth I amongst others... 

Peter/Wendy

Peter/Wendy

Peter/Wendy by Jeremy Bloom takes JM Barrie's text, Happy Thoughts, movement, instrumental music, striped pajamas, creating a performance where the entire cast dances, sings, sighs, to spin the endearing, achingly beautiful story of Peter Pan... 

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