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Thomas Hardy's Tess of the D'Urbervilles

Thomas Hardy's Tess of the D'Urbervilles

A glorious May morning in Thomas Hardy’s Wessex. 

Love and Information

Love and Information

Known for their exciting ensemble and physical theatre work, students from North London Collegiate School are delighted to return to the Fringe to perform Caryl Churchill’s 2012 ka… 

Dog/Actor

Dog/Actor

As part of their 2020 UK tour, Threedumb Theatre presents two explosive and comedic short plays written by Steven Berkoff, performed back-to-back by the same one actor. 

Somebody's Daughter

Somebody's Daughter

A bone-jarring, soulful look at the backwards puzzle pieces of the life of a trafficked woman, based on survivor accounts. 

Knots

Knots

An experimental physical staging of Scottish psychiatrist RD Laing’s book of poetry Knots. 

3333

3333

A gripping, raw, intense exploration of what it means to be human. 

Small Histories

Small Histories

Six generations of women, their lives spanning 100 years from the final months of World War One to the present. 

Awakening

Awakening

Set in 1950s England and based on the controversial 19th-century play Spring Awakening; A Children’s Tragedy by Franz Wedekind, Awakening is a story about the struggles of the t… 

Spring

Spring

Based on the 19th-century German play Spring Awakening; A Children’s Tragedy by Franz Wedekind, Spring explores the lives of a group of teenagers growing up in a rural Christian … 

Yellow Bird Chase

Yellow Bird Chase

A clownish maintenance crew finds a magical bird and the mad chase begins. 

Attenborough and His Animals

Attenborough and His Animals

The magic of David Attenborough live! A blue whale swims through the depths. 

Anna KareniNa Na Na

Anna KareniNa Na Na

A hilarious and ludicrous take on the masterpiece by Leo Tolstoy. 

The War of the Worlds

The War of the Worlds

If you saw a live news report of an alien invasion on a network you trusted, would you believe it? Rhum & Clay’s production of The War of the Worlds poses that exact question… 

MARA

MARA

Taking on the voices of a group of monumental and important women throughout history, MARA embodies them physically and vocally with stunningly committed and skillful character wor… 

Un Poyo Rojo

Un Poyo Rojo

Argentinian dance music greets us as we enter the space for two-man physical theatre experience Un Poyo Rojo, but the vast majority of the show takes place in silence. 

Juliet & Romeo

Juliet & Romeo

Both humourous and sad, Juliet and Romeo by Lost Dog company, presented by The Place, written with sensitive forensic analysis and directed by Ben Duke, is a subversion of Shakespe… 

The Hospital

The Hospital

A brilliant Scandi noir of the psyche, spoken in gibberish in a surreal world, Norwegian Jo Strømgren Kompani’s The Hospital, is gripping; moving from bizarre, black humour to d… 

The Words Are There

The Words Are There

The Words Are There is a moving and innovative piece of physical theatre that appeals both for its approach to male domestic abuse, and for its style of performance. 

Miss AmeriKa

Miss AmeriKa

If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere. 

Pick Up

Pick Up

Pick Up. An intimate piece inspired by the collective truth of living with addiction. The Uninvited Party excavate through the Dirty laundry of both the direct and indirect victims of dependency… 

Bubble Show for Adults Only

Bubble Show for Adults Only

Mix one-part physical theatre, one-part bubble artistry and one-part neo-burlesque and you get a soapy concoction of kinky, in-your-face theatrics. A raucous and raunchy affair with a surprising story arc full of abstractness and the slightly grotesque, a surreal performative experience that wonderfully showcases the technical prowess of bubble art on a first-class level… 

Mastication

Mastication

Drawing on Bullen’s experience of post-traumatic stress disorder, this confessional and multidisciplinary work will transport you through an autobiographical experience. A range of behavioural tendencies are explored through a grotesque, expressive movement language… 

Julius Caesar

Julius Caesar

Intense and irreverent, this production strips Julius Caesar to its bare bones to explore the selfish workings of professional politics. Live drumming, choral singing and movement are woven into the narrative to represent the people who are ignored in political battles and who suffer the consequences of failed revolutions… 

The Apology

The Apology

The last days of the the founding father of philosophy, Socrates. This physical theatre adaptation of the historical events not only shines a light on the origins of Western thought, but inventively takes the concepts into the 21st century… 

111

111

A powerful duet between two exceptional dancers – Joel Brown (Candoco Dance Company) and Eve Mutso (former principal dancer of Scottish Ballet) – as they explore their different strengths and vulnerabilities… 

Milkshake

Milkshake

Amber. Silver. Freya. Scarlet. Four young lives. Some very big problems. Like dope smoking parents. Promiscuous partners. Psychotic friends. Sexting fails. Pregnancy. And blackmail… 

Souvenirs

Souvenirs

Souvenirs presents the real stories of four young people in London who have been involved in cases of harassment and stalking. When does passion become obsession and what is the mental toll on those involved? 

She Shall Not Be Moved

She Shall Not Be Moved

This fresh, original piece of writing, set in a modern day witch trial, is a meditation on what it means to be a woman; the challenges we face, and how they break us, bind us and shape us into the women we become. 

35,000

35,000

You make 35,000 decisions a day. Each of them could change your life, but which do you remember? Which matter? A group of young adults stumble through the everyday choices that could reshape their lives… 

Nightshifter

Nightshifter

Flo and Kai are family; siblings raised together who find themselves living in very different worlds… Inspired by conversations with junior nurses and paramedics, Nightshifter reflects on our epic capacity to care… 

Only Bones 1.0 – Thom Monckton

Only Bones 1.0 – Thom Monckton

The show is called Only Bones, which is confusing given that its performer, Thomas Monckton, doesn’t seem to have any. 

Not Quite

Not Quite

It’s a secret epidemic, one that affects every new generation of young people. 

Last Life: A Shakespeare Play

Last Life: A Shakespeare Play

Last Life feels like a social experiment. 

Largest Square Without Corners

Largest Square Without Corners

This dancing poetry is inspired by Tao Te Ching, which says that the largest square has no corners. Lao Tzu put forward this kind of aesthetic concept in ancient Chinese literary theory, intending to praise natural, rather than artificial, beauty… 

beep boop

beep boop

Most of you are probably reading this review on a portable device right now. 

Heroin(e) for Breakfast

Heroin(e) for Breakfast

A high energy, jovial start introduces us to a young couple getting down to some sexy time. 

Bear Pit

Bear Pit

What is choice? Is your life predetermined? What is the effect of one bad decision? Elvin Acting Theatre Company’s latest creation explores the complexities of life and its daily twists and turns – the consequences of the decisions we make and the notions of chance and fortune… 

Shadow

Shadow

Blindfolded and restrained behind a wall of screens, a journey through podcasts, audio porn and physical exhaustion awaits. A powerful exposure of the dance young men have with mental illness – the barriers we create using our eyes, fingers, gestures, speeches and silences… 

Franz and Marie: Woyzeck Retold

Franz and Marie: Woyzeck Retold

For an incomplete play, Georg Büchner’s Woyzeck has nevertheless managed to secure enduring interest. 

Conversations With Myself

Conversations With Myself

It’s fifty years since the Stonewall riots sparked off the movement that became known as gay liberation. 

Birth

Birth

Life and death, love and loss, birth and miscarriage are all explored in this visual cycle of life. 

Nights at the Circus

Nights at the Circus

In a circus after the lights have been turned off, four characters emerge in the darkness slowly revealing their desires, hunger and inner conflicts. Part mythical, part real, they define their own sense of sexuality and identity… 

For now we see through a mirror, darkly

For now we see through a mirror, darkly

This mystical dance performance is about the connection between what we see and what we believe. It includes an evocative voice-over, which describes and interprets that which is present but cannot be seen… 

HoneyBee

HoneyBee

I wasn’t really sure what this show was supposed to be going into it, and now that I’ve seen it, I’m not sure if I have any better an idea. 

Triple Buse

Triple Buse

Triple Buse is slapstick, light-hearted and bracing in equal measure. From the youngest to the oldest, it invites each member of the audience to question their notions of the obligation to work and make money… 

Solitary Journey of Guan Yu

Solitary Journey of Guan Yu

Guan Yu’s patriotism to his country, benevolence to people, wisdom in life, loyalty to friends and bravery in war represent the perfect traditional Chinese virtues of mankind. His great deeds have been praised even until recently, but we can’t help wonder, was Guan Yu’s failure caused by arrogance due to his invincibility or because of his perseverance in Confucianism’s beliefs? All these years, we’ve believed that loyalty and righteousness are impeccable… 

Downton Shabby

Downton Shabby

Big Spirit Theatre Company brings you, Downtown Shabby. Join Lord Crawley and his family as they move from their country estate to a council estate. How will they survive? Comedy at its finest… 

We Want You to Watch

We Want You to Watch

‘Can we just say we’re completely pro sex’ – Pig. Pornography is taking over the world. Pig and Sissy want its plug pulled, and they’ll do anything to make it happen. Following four-star reviews in 2018, the Bathway Theatre Company return with Alice Birch and RashDash’s We Want You to Watch – an unsettling piece of theatre that confronts the audience with surreal situations and energetic physical movement… 

Painted Corners

Painted Corners

Nobody has seen Jorja since her party almost a month ago. When Billie, Jan and Kirsty show up on her doorstep uninvited, Jorja storms off, leaving the other three to work out what’s going on… 

Bubble Show for Adults Only

Bubble Show for Adults Only

Mix one-part physical theatre, one-part bubble artistry and one-part neo-burlesque and you get a soapy concoction of kinky, in-your-face theatrics. A raucous and raunchy affair with a surprising story arc full of abstractness and the slightly grotesque, a surreal performative experience that wonderfully showcases the technical prowess of bubble art on a first-class level… 

Spray

Spray

We find ourselves between a neighbourly feud in a block of flats in Seoul. 

Identity Crisis

Identity Crisis

This comic tale examines Phina’s observations on what others have made of her black identity as a model, actress, radio presenter and writer in the fickle media world. Nine characters: black, white, old, young, male, female… 

Don’t Sit Under the Apple Tree

Don’t Sit Under the Apple Tree

In near-future England, two girls are thrilled to be accepted into the playground, the final stage of their education, but all is not as it seems. As their world crumbles, they cling to a story from the past: two friends in 1930s Germany attend riotous swing dances in defiance of authority… 

Sound Cistem

Sound Cistem

Two transgender performers say ‘up yours!’ to the gender binary and invite you to their radical dance party! Under disco lights, over pulsing music, a queer celebration takes place… 

Vigil

Vigil

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature has, for many years, produced and maintained a “Red List” of species which are either already extinct or in danger of bei… 

The Afflicted

The Afflicted

The Afflicted, a startling theatre-dance piece produced by Groupwork and performed at the Summerhall Demonstration Room, is a brilliant re-definition of the docu-drama format. 

Deficit

Deficit

Deficit, the debut work of new collective Deficit Theatre, is an incredible new piece of devised theatre that exposes the magical realism of our everyday lives. We follow five vibrant characters, Selkie, Kelpie, Wulver, Beira and Poltergeist, as they explore the many facets of the human condition… 

Peking Opera: Farewell My Concubine

Peking Opera: Farewell My Concubine

A historical tragedy, a hero failed in battle, his beautiful lover and the handsome warhorse accompanying him towards the end of the inevitable fall of the kingdom, a heartbroken farewell between the lovers via a stunning sword dance… 

Transfigured – The Pack

Transfigured – The Pack

Transfigured is a sounding together of all things, a diapason, a cacophony of understanding. Performers and audience step across the threshold of knowledge, out into the world together… 

The Chosen

The Chosen

How do we face dying if we know we have a terminal illness? And also how do we live in the face of death, imminent or not? Losing several friends in the same year, Kally Lloyd-Jo… 

The Burning

The Burning

Witch is an old word. 

Murder on the Dancefloor

Murder on the Dancefloor

Death on the depressing dancefloor that is the job and house hunting game – certainly not the most ideal outcome for a 21 year old just trying to live. 

Bubble Show for Adults Only

Bubble Show for Adults Only

The Bubble Show For Adults Only starts innocently enough. 

From the Top

From the Top

A delight, witty but profound exploration of the power relationship between choreographer and dancers, From the Top, choreographed by Hong Kong-based Victor Fung, is a send-up of a… 

Basque Showcase

Basque Showcase

The beautiful eclecticism of the Basque Country is showcased in this bill of dazzling hip hop and witty, lyrical contemporary dance. Wonderful, fresh talents will reflect the openness and warmth of this highly creative region of Europe… 

My Love Lies Frozen in the Ice

My Love Lies Frozen in the Ice

A tale of love, loss and exploration, this is an intrepid exploration of physical theatre and storytelling. 

Ariadna

Ariadna

Alyona Ageeva’s Physical Theatre PosleSlov return to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe for the third year with a piece that feels very much like a direct sequel to last year’s Sky … 

Sir David and His Animals

Sir David and His Animals

The magic of David Attenborough live on stage! A blue whale swims through the ocean depths. Racer snakes pursue a young iguana across the desert. Watch as two hapless but enthusiastic clowns recreate extraordinary scenes of the natural world – a world teetering on the brink of disaster… 

She Sells Sea Shells

She Sells Sea Shells

Searching through the Fringe guide for a show worth seeing is a job that could perhaps be likened to archaeology – you spend hours carefully probing, sorting the dross from the d… 

Fishbowl

Fishbowl

Hootingly funny and devilishly clever, Fishbowl is a masterpiece of physical comedy. 

Don't Do It, Don't Do It, Do It!

Don't Do It, Don't Do It, Do It!

Zuma Puma is an accomplished clown, who uses her skill to draw an audience in to a compelling narrative about what it is to experience shame as a woman. 

3·1

3·1

An unstable space without an exit. Three female prisoners, bound by their own original sins, yearn to be redeemed. K, with her chastity and faith; S, with her childhood father’s shadow; M, with her unacknowledged love… 

The Unreturn of Lydia Osborn

The Unreturn of Lydia Osborn

White Crane Productions are the international graduate acting ensemble of Rose Bruford College. 

Feast

Feast

A show about food. From primitive struggle, through the baroque excess to technological perversion, how has our relationship with nourishment changed throughout history? This one-woman show employs physical theatre, clowning and multimedia to delve into consumerism’s excesses and extremes… 

The Desk

The Desk

A dimly lit stage, five women and their leader, to whom they will give everything until there is nothing left to give: this is the basic set-up for Reetta Honkakoski Company’s ca… 

M.E.H

M.E.H

As recently as the early 20th century it was not uncommon for women to be medically diagnosed with “hysteria”. 

Garry Starr Conquers Troy

Garry Starr Conquers Troy

Selfless to a fault, Garry Starr is ready to share the lessons he’s learned about the actors’ craft, the art of pretending. 

Dog in the Manger

Dog in the Manger

Betty is a bit of a dog in the manger. She really enjoys controlling others and they don’t like it one bit. She doesn’t dare live life to the full herself and she always enjoys trying to dampen the enthusiasm of anyone else with a real zest for life… 

Fifty Shades of Shakespeare

Fifty Shades of Shakespeare

Shakespeare at his most sexy and salacious! A physically dynamic ensemble perform a musical, lyrical mash-up that explores love, sex and relationships in some of the Bard’s most famous scenes… 

Moby Dick

Moby Dick

The extraordinary story of Captain Ahab’s obsessive vengeance against the mighty leviathan, the great white whale who rid him of his leg. Will Ahab’s violent and blasphemous mission cost him and the crew of the Pequod everything? Through a new contemporary and strikingly physical interpretation, an all-male cast of young performers will explore the visceral internal and external submarine voyage into the philosophical heart of Herman Melville’s great American novel through the eyes of Ishmael, its one sole survivor. 

Post-Mortem

Post-Mortem

Nancy and Alex fell in love when they were teenagers. It is wholehearted, obsessive, knotted-together love. An exploding pig heart leads to a first kiss, shared secrets, comic books and Dido classics… 

Chasing Aces

Chasing Aces

Does the past dictate your future? Trapped in memories of childhood trauma, a group of people are desperately trying to break the cycle and take control of their lives. But can the hand they’ve been dealt change at any time?… 

Death by Shakespeare

Death by Shakespeare

A chorus of bawdy spirits lead you through this physically dynamic amalgamation of Shakespeare’s finest death scenes. Witness the madness of Ophelia, the conniving Lady Macbeth, the hilarious Pyramus and the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, amongst others… 

The Wizard of Winterbourne

The Wizard of Winterbourne

Open lock to the Dead Man’s knock! Fly, bolt and bar and band! Nor move, nor swerve, joint, muscle, or nerve at the spell of the Dead Man’s hand! Newbury Youth Theatre present the tall tale of Wizard John Palmer, who exorcised a Boxford cottage, silenced the bells of Welford and stopped the curse of a dead man’s hand in Winterbourne… 

Knock Knock

Knock Knock

Once upon a time, deep in the heart of the forest, a woodcutter goes about life in a world of woodland magic. One day a stranger knocks at his door bringing with her a most unexpected of spells… 

Raiders of the Grey Gold

Raiders of the Grey Gold

The dream of old age and the fear of reaching it! In a battle against time, the Danish theatre company Don Gnu throw themselves into a physical and blazing acrobatic quest for the grey gold and to find the beauty in the decay of time… 

Antigone

Antigone

It’s party time in Thebes! The war is over, the city has a new leader… what could possibly go wrong? Enter Antigone - devoted daughter and passionate extremist – set to spoil her uncle, the new King Creon’s party… 

Order from Chaos

Order from Chaos

‘She can remember the voices, the melodies, the harmonies – but it’s not the same. She’s remembering, not hearing it.’ Jay grew up on music. Underground dance, classical, everything in between: she was obsessed, lost in a world of rhythms and melodies alongside her brother Riley… 

Manifesting Mrs Marx

Manifesting Mrs Marx

‘Thrilling’ **** (Herald-Tribune). ‘Brilliant!’ (Sarasota 98.9FM). Journey into the soul of a woman betrayed by her famed philosopher-husband Karl Marx. A biographical non-biography… 

Medea

Medea

Immortalised as a monster of Ancient Greece, Medea, who helped Jason steal the Golden Fleece from her father, and murdered her own children, finally gives her defence. The Morton Players perform Splendid’s condensed adaptation of Euripides’ play which puts the audience at the heart of an exhilarating performance, while poking fun at its extreme tragedy… 

ANTics

ANTics

Take a peek into the amusing world of ants. This show breaks the ant farm out of the jar and brings you face-to-face with the hubbub and humour of these capricious critters. Experience their silly escapades in a series of original vignettes presented through pantomime and music… 

50 Shades of Greyhound

50 Shades of Greyhound

Who’s holding the leash now!? In this four-legged frolic inspired by the steamy best-seller, we follow demure Dachsund Anastasia as she falls for the dominant and powerful ex-race champion Christian Greyhound… 

Peer Gynt

Peer Gynt

Henrik Ibsen’s classic tale of Peer Gynt and his journey through life as he struggles and experiences everything to find himself: trolls, power, love, death and a bargain with a Button Molder… 

Void

Void

What happens after you die? Angels? A black hole? Perhaps… but what if you choose to die? Enter Grim. They’ve seen and heard it all. Shoved on suicide duty – will this shift ever end? Grim meets a variety of men who took the final leap… 

Cry of the Gull

Cry of the Gull

Six lives uprooted by war. Displaced to Europe while desperately trying to protect a sense of family. Based on true stories and verbatim accounts, this play uses poetic structures and physical theatre to explore the emotional experience of becoming a refugee… 

Painted Corners

Painted Corners

Nobody has seen Jorja since her party almost a month ago. When Billie, Jan and Kirsty show up on her doorstep uninvited, Jorja storms off, leaving the other three to work out what’s going on… 

There's Something Missing

There's Something Missing

There’s Something Missing, is a two-person physical (and sometimes funny) contemporary piece of confessional theatre that discusses identity. Through the use of absurdism and autobiographical experience, the show explores our current relevance and asks, are we playing at being gods? What have we got left to offer? Is it time for us to sit down and shut up? 

The Sensemaker

The Sensemaker

Hilarious yet uncomfortable, The Sensemaker shows a woman battling with an answering machine. Smartly dressed, standing behind a phone, she tries to meet the impossible expectations of an artificial voice… 

Unknown

Unknown

The true story of a 21-year-old girl in an Australian plane crash during her study abroad year. She starts as an Unknown patient in a critical condition, half a world away from home… 

Metamorphosis

Metamorphosis

'One morning as Greta Samsa was waking from anxious dreams she discovered that in bed she had changed.' A female take on Kafka’s Metamorphosis, this one-woman show explores Greta’s navigation of family dynamics, and her transformation into a woman… 

Chaos

Chaos

If you were born to be different, how do you identify yourself in this world? Chaos, with no facial features, struggles to answer these questions through the wavering, the uncertai… 

The Beautiful Game

The Beautiful Game

Some love it, others loathe it, but we can’t avoid it – it’s everywhere! A laugh-out-loud look at our undying obsession with football, celebrating everything from weird match day rituals to ridiculous armchair punditry… 

Best of the Fest Daytime

Best of the Fest Daytime

Bite-size tasters of the best comedy, music and circus, all prepared for you in our glorious Spiegeltent. With line-ups changing daily, we have something for everyone, so let us bring you the Best of the Fest! See assemblyfestival… 

Bedlam

Bedlam

‘This place is a human rat trap. It is easy to get in, but once in, it is impossible to get out’. Immerse yourself in the infamous Victorian asylum, where identity becomes a distant memory in cycles of routine and human cruelty… 

Zeroko's Teatime

Zeroko's Teatime

The teatime show by mime and clowning comedy duo Zeroko from Tokyo. The heart-warming performance represents the breathing sigh of after-teatime relief.  

Odyseaa / Scene Solo / The Sylph, the Vixen and the Bombshell

Odyseaa / Scene Solo / The Sylph, the Vixen and the Bombshell

A triple bill of Scotland’s most exciting choreographers, designed to unravel expectations. Claricia Parinussa’s Odyseaa: an immersive performance ritual. ‘And these souls / matter / or the knowing that’s felt / passing dust bone unrest materialise across between despite time space… 

Before

Before

Triple Fringe First, Olivier, and Herald Angel award winners Fishamble and Pat Kinevane present Before, a new play with much music, set in Clery’s of Dublin on the very day this iconic department store shuts – for good… 

Puppet King Richard II

Puppet King Richard II

Two used actors, recycled utensils, hand-carved Czech puppets, live music and you, the court, bring Shakespeare’s poetic drama of power and abdication to life. Richard falls from power, exchanging his gorgeous palace for a prison cell… 

There She Is

There She Is

A journey to get there – but if there is a whale blocking the way, the path must change. When a whale beaches on the London Underground, all hell breaks loose and communication abruptly ceases… 

Intolerable Side Effects

Intolerable Side Effects

Millennial-female-clown rabbit Diane wants to find love but she’s having some serious problems with her contraception. She finds herself in the GUM clinic being advised to take celery as a form of “vegetation separation”… 

Romeo and Juliet

Romeo and Juliet

Romeo and Juliet is an LGBTQ+ all-male production. This bold re-imagining of William Shakespeare’s classic love story uses physical theatre to portray two opposing rugby teams, grounding the piece in the 21st century… 

The Long Pigs

The Long Pigs

Horror meets hilarity! Spine-tingling original theatre that is hilariously dark and frighteningly funny. Join this underground clown cult that audiences have been raving about. Set in a rickety abattoir-shack, the Pigs are working hard on their latest obsession, rid the world of every last red-nose clown… 

(Some)Body

(Some)Body

Does a body make us human? Does it have a soul? What hides beneath nudity? What is nudity itself? Nudity is extreme openness and vulnerability and, at the same time, an incomprehensible power connected not only with sexuality… 

Laser Kiwi

Laser Kiwi

New Zealand’s favourite surreal sketch circus troupe bring their smash hit to Edinburgh. A wonderfully bizarre and thoroughly entertaining masterpiece, you will never predict what’s coming next! After sell-out shows across Australia and Canada, this unique style of comedy is set to shake up the UK… 

Solitary

Solitary

Right now, there are between 60,000 and 80,000 people held in solitary confinement within United States prisons – many of whom have served months or even years in extreme isolation… 

The Late Bloomers: Scotland!

The Late Bloomers: Scotland!

Join us for a wild ride, with rhythm, body percussion, singing, stomping, clowning and the spirit of Scotland! A hilarious, high-energy, three-man physical comedy. ***** (InDaily.com… 

Viggo the Viking

Viggo the Viking

Best Comedy winner, Brighton Fringe 2016 (Zach & Viggo). Best Comedy nominee, Fringe World 2018 (Pepito). From the deep forests and tall mountains of Norway comes Viggo the Viking, the dumbest viking in the world… 

Macbeth

Macbeth

In this uniquely Korean retelling of Shakespeare’s story, an ambitious actor dreaming of greatness is captivated by the role of Macbeth. Using puppets, music and dance, he embodies Macbeth’s story in a chameleonic, humorous, high-octane physical performance… 

Mugenkyo Taiko Drummers: Beat Grrrls

Mugenkyo Taiko Drummers: Beat Grrrls

The high-voltage rhythm sisters of Mugenkyo rock the Bijou, flexing their muscles on huge taiko drums, with stamina, skill and precision. This brand new show is presented by the girls from Mugenkyo, the UK’s most successful touring taiko organisation, celebrating 25 years at the forefront of the art form, with groundbreaking performances, collaborations across genres, TV appearances, album releases and international touring… 

Lucille and Cecilia

Lucille and Cecilia

Two circus sea lions: one is desperate to escape, the other gets off on her daily rub downs from Trevor the trainer. A moving black comedy about two performing pinnipeds who only have each other, which is a pity as they’re both idiots… 

Comrade Egg and the Chicken of Tomorrow

Comrade Egg and the Chicken of Tomorrow

‘We are going to liberate the hell out of 20,000 chickens.’ Welcome to The Chicken Appreciation Society and welcome to the mind of former meat processor, Comrade Egg. She wants to change our future and she needs your help… 

The De Nova Super

The De Nova Super

Physical theatre. If Buster Keaton had made a punk album. In space. Winner of the award for Outstanding New Work at last year’s VAULT Festival. The De Nova Super is floating in space… 

Inflatable Space

Inflatable Space

A visually stunning theatrical odyssey exploring space, time and our human condition, from internationally acclaimed theatre artist, Thaddeus Phillips. In 1977, the Golden Record was launched on the Voyager probe in the hope of being discovered by alien life and showing them a visual and audible glimpse into life on Earth… 

Assembly Gala Launch

Assembly Gala Launch

Assembly’s Gala celebrates the opening of our 2019 programme of over 200 shows. It highlights some of the biggest and best productions. A must-see for anyone that wants to get a flavour of what’s to come… 

Taiwan Season: Bout

Taiwan Season: Bout

Taiwan’s Chang brothers (co-creators of Bon 4 Bon, a five-star hit at the 2018 Fringe) bounce back with a dance that reveals fresh facets of their fraternal relationships and the rich possibilities – and inherent conflicts – of male bonding… 

Claire Dowie's When I Fall If I Fall

Claire Dowie's When I Fall If I Fall

Leaping barriers of age, sexuality and gender, Gloria prepares to dance the can-can one last time. When I Fall If I Fall tells Gloria’s story about growing up feeling different and not fitting in… 

8:8

8:8

Eight ordinary people stand before eight spectators. But how ordinary are they really? Can you trust how people look and what they say? What makes someone a suspect? With a diverse cast of eight accomplices drawn from the Edinburgh community, this intimate play of truth and deception challenges the judgements we make about the people we pass every day… 

GEORGE

GEORGE

George receives a life-changing opportunity to meet the mysterious J. He leaves his old life behind and sets on a course to find himself. This pitch-black physical theatre is an insight into the madness of modern living… 

Contra

Contra

Drawing from circus, stand-up and live art, Contra is a solo-cabaret of contradictions. Fierce, witty and uncompromising, this highly physical show interrogates personal, social and historical occupations of the female body and explores, literally, where such bodies are positioned and how we are meant to look at them… 

Tobacco Road

Tobacco Road

Tobacco Road is, more than anything, a lot of fun to watch and a strong example of the power of devised theatre and the ensemble. Incognito Theatre, the creators of the sell-out All Quiet On The Western Front, return to the Fringe with the story of a group of young Londoners seeking to climb to the top of their city's underworld in the 1920s... 

Our Man in Havana

Our Man in Havana

The widely acclaimed ex-Young Pleasance physical theatre ensemble Spies Like Us returned to the Festival Fringe this year with not only one show but two brilliant shows in an adaptation of Büchner’s Woyzeck and the return of their award winning debut Our Man in Havana, based on Graham Greene’s iconic novel... 

Paradiso

Paradiso

Our Theatre’s Paradiso is ostensibly a puppetry show about three men of different nationalities, reflecting on the last days of their lives before moving onto paradise. Unfortunately, in actuality it is a difficult to understand play about two old men leering at a woman, trying to intimidate a new arrival they see as a threat, and then being waved through to paradise by an angel who takes their vices off them first... 

A Hero of Our Time

A Hero of Our Time

Pechorin is a superfluous man. He has it all, yet seemingly has nothing. He's witty, smart and sensitive, yet also utterly manipulative and verging on sociopathic. He's the selfish, bored protagonist of Mikhail Lermontov's Russian classic A Hero Of Our Time, played with ferocity and bravery by the endlessly watchable Oliver Bennett... 

Body Shop

Body Shop

Body Shop is a multiplayer, multi-layered human body action game, a future-forward competition where women are assembled according to the stories of their bodies. The stories focus on five main body sections: the hair, eyes, breasts, womb and vagina... 

Confessions of a Cockney Temple Dancer

Confessions of a Cockney Temple Dancer

In Confessions of a Cockney Temple Dancer, Shane Shambhu (Complicité Associate) offers a funny, honest and engaging bilingual solo with an acclaimed team of collaborators. Reflecting on his personal journey of growing up in East London and learning and performing Indian dance in the UK, Shane plays with the ways in which race, language, identity and culture have defined him... 

The Whole of Shakespeare

The Whole of Shakespeare

Artists of pantomime and clownery Mikhail Kukota and Igor Chekhov are graduates of the Russian State Institute of Performing Arts. They present a completely new vision and new form of William Shakespeare's famous drama plays through ironic consciousness... 

Sunshine Boy

Sunshine Boy

Leigh Bowery was born in Sunshine, Australia (west of Melbourne) in March 1961. In the early 80s, he moved to London and became a performance artist, club promoter and designer, as well as dancing with the Michael Clark Company, being painted by Lucien Freud, and setting up Taboo Night Club... 

The Squirrel Plays

The Squirrel Plays

Many productions at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this year discuss female freedom of choice, but few do so as creatively as The Squirrel Plays. In this show from Part of the Main, Tom and Sarah are young professionals thrilled to be buying a new home... 

Stardust

Stardust

Let’s talk about drugs. Let’s talk about the way we talk about drugs. Most importantly, let’s talk about the drugs industry itself, and the effects that the production and export of cocaine has had on the livelihood of Latin America... 

3am Waitress

3am Waitress

3am Waitress by UK company Rogueplay is billed as "merging physical theatre with dance and aerial circus", but may be better described as a duo acro-dance piece since there is little physical theatre or circus to be found... 

Freak

Freak

'Raw. Sexy. Salacious' ***** (Epigram.org.uk). Freak explores female sexuality, self-image, and sexual exploitation. It follows the sex lives of two women of different ages, embarking on very different experiences, as the same societal ideals influence their decisions... 

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... 

Reigen

Reigen

A new translation of the scandalous Austrian play from 1903 unveils intimate conversations between people before and after they have sex. A prostitute meets a soldier on the street, the soldier seduces a housemaid and so on, until in the final scene a noble Count meets with the prostitute and everything goes full circle... 

A Life on the Silk Road

A Life on the Silk Road

The National Theatre of China have brought their visually stunning production of Life On The Silk Road to Zoo Southside. It is a physical theatre feast, beautifully performed with mesmerising choreography and it is worth making the time for its slightly longer run time of 80 minutes... 

The First Love Project

The First Love Project

Whoever you are, you’ll only know first love once. Maybe it will be your greatest love, never to be eclipsed. It could lead to eternal passion or to bewilderment, to a peck on the cheek or a polite ‘no thank you’, to tragic heartache or a quiet fizzling out... 

There She Is

There She Is

A humorous one-woman show, a journey to get there: to a better place, a better word, anything better. However, a whale has jumped in front of a train in central London and all paths must change... 

Just One Wise Life

Just One Wise Life

To be well or not to be well, that is the question. Physical theatre exploring the many peoples of Korea. A story of lecturers, mothers, part-timers, artists and heroes. 

Let's Talk About Porn

Let's Talk About Porn

Is porn misogynistic or female empowerment in action? Why don’t we talk about porn? What impact does porn have on teenagers, adults and children? Is porn ultimately a good thing or a bad thing? Using original verbatim testimony from porn stars and members of the public, we present a non-judgmental, open-minded production exploring the world of porn fully, with no questions left unanswered... 

Cepacia – Love Takes His Breath Away

Cepacia – Love Takes His Breath Away

The story of Romeo and Juliet receives medical treatment in Cepacia from Durham School and Shadow Dreams. A boarding school and a foster home constitute the houses of Montague and Capulet, though in this case they are hardly ‘alike in dignity... 

Slipstick

Slipstick

A man enters and, La Cage Aux Folles style, he sits at a mirror that isn’t there and paints his face in lurid make-up. He then launches into an inventive and entertaining hour of drag slapstick impersonations and sketches that justify Martin Kent’s billing as ‘The Master of Mime’... 

Propeller

Propeller

Propeller is a play which relates a small town’s struggle to reinstate a railway line, in order to make a much wider statement on the merits and masquerade of social action. A story delivered by the Network Ensemble, it feels local, but sits on your wider political reasoning long after you have seen it... 

Plucked

Plucked

Plucked is a barnyard fable declaring the high ground on animal cruelty, a sermon on cycles of violence from bird to child to wife. However, like PETA’s performative little cousin, this show lacks nuance... 

Chase Scenes

Chase Scenes

Chase Scenes is exactly what it says it is: 60 scenes in which performers create a variety of famous and original chase scenes, filmed lived onstage and projected onto screens at the back wall... 

Stick by Me

Stick by Me

We all remember the feeling of temptation to open the box that we’re not supposed to open as a small child. Judging by his excellent performance in Stick By Me, Andy Manley does too... 

Reigen

Reigen

Some plays lend themselves to radical reinterpretations and stagings while others need handling with more care. Arthur Schnitzler’s critique of Viennese society from 1903 probably falls into the latter category... 

Woyzeck

Woyzeck

George Buchner’s great working class tragedy Woyzeck has long cast a shadow over European theatre. The author’s death before having actually finished the play, along with it’s surrealist and oftentime acid trip-like imagery, have led to many debates over the correct interpretation of it’s dark and disturbing subject material... 

Seven Ways to Calm the F**k Down

Seven Ways to Calm the F**k Down

University is the best time of your life, isn’t it? So what do you do when every day is a struggle? In Seven Ways to Calm the Fuck Down, directed by Ruth Berry, 3BUGS Fringe Theatre from Birmingham University tell the tale of one student’s battle with anxiety... 

Wonder

Wonder

Wonder: a feeling of surprise mingled with admiration, caused by something beautiful, unexpected, unfamiliar or inexplicable. Experience Lewis Carroll's classic tale, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, like never before... 

The Bacchae

The Bacchae

You may think you’ve seen The Bacchae – but have you seen Dionysius wreaking havoc upon his namesake play in an attempt to modernise it? This is the premise of Mermaids: The University of St Andrews Performing Arts Fund’s performance of this iconic Euripides play... 

Achilles

Achilles

With roots in Grotowski’s theatrical style and the laboratory theatre of 1970s Poland, Company of Wolves are known for their striking, collaborative work that fuses dance, physical and experimental theatre... 

The Time Machine

The Time Machine

The Time Traveller dedicates his life to creating a time machine in an attempt to alter the moment of his greatest loss. Transported to a future abandoned to creatures of beauty and terror, he discovers time cannot be so easily meddled with... 

Body Shop

Body Shop

The body is a unique object in human experience; both object and objectified, yet the body is also subject. A skeleton of monologues fleshed out with spoken word and physical theatre, Body Shop travels head to toe exploring varied aspects of British womanhood, starting with the environmental universe of the body... 

Community

Community

Set in a not-so-distant world where individuality is condemned and where life is constantly broadcast, this new play will explore our strange desire to constantly display ourselves and where success is measured through our perpetual presence on social media... 

The Penniless Optimist

The Penniless Optimist

Trapped in a TV box world, Po is on a quest to retrieve his one and only worldly possession, his optimistic hat. But, mislead by the noise and temptations of modern life, can he break free from the soundtrack society has written for his life and hear the music once more? This show is for everyone! It’s loud, energetic and packed full of music, dancing, juggling, mayhem and meaning... 

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... 

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When was the last time you messaged a friend, updated your story or video called family? We live in a world of instant communication but how often do we assess the presence of technology in our relationships? This new verbatim play brings to life the power of social media, exploring everything from the humorous pitfalls of online dating to the need to create the perfect selfie... 

Lu-ting the Merman

Lu-ting the Merman

A mythical merman tribe in ancient Hong Kong, the Lu-tings, is oppressed by another dominant culture. They learn the language of this culture and end up revolting against them. This is a touching story told in a theatre style encompassing dance, mask, live music and poetry... 

Vox: A Fairy Tale for a New Age

Vox: A Fairy Tale for a New Age

Vox: A Fairy Tale for a New Age is a new work inspired by real-life occurrences in the life of Rowlett High School students. Our website has more information about our journey creating the show and the events inspiring its creation. 

Button, Buckle and Bow

Button, Buckle and Bow

Three colourful clowns discover the beauty and joy found in the changing of the seasons. Join Button, Buckle and Bow on their wonderful adventure. 

The Accordion Shop

The Accordion Shop

Mister Ellody has quietly kept his accordion shop going on the High Street for generations. One day, he steps out of his front door and witnesses and extraordinary incident: hundreds of young people are surging into the street, and they've all received the same text message on their phones which simply says 'Riot... 

Evros

Evros

Follow Doaa who dreams of a better life amongst a backdrop of war, terror and enduring love. The boy from the local garden centre, whose tranquil existence amongst the flowers is torn apart... 

The Jungle Book

The Jungle Book

Join us in the depths of the Indian Jungle for an imaginative adventure, with a family-friendly adaptation of Rudyard Kipling’s classic story The Jungle Book. When Mowgli strays from his village, he finds himself in the jungle being reared by a family of wolves... 

Doors Opening

Doors Opening

A vicar, a business man and an actress go into a lift... When six strangers get stuck in a lift together they must stay cool, calm and composed. If only that were possible! Doors Opening is an imaginative piece of new theatre that explores both the existential and mundane aspects of our world. 

Sky Labyrinths

Sky Labyrinths

Having absolutely loved Posolev’s other work at the 2018 Fringe, (Some)Body, I’m a little nervous at the start that this may not be of equal standard. On stage are two performers, cocooned in huge brown paper bags, as an apple hangs in mid air... 

Gamarjobat

Gamarjobat

Gamarjobat shows that comedy is truly without language barriers. Using nothing but gibberish exclamations, whistles, a case full of props and their own bodies, Ketch! and HIRO-PON unleash chaos for an hour before a delighted, baffled and enthusiastic audience... 

WireDo

WireDo

Many people firmly believe that the circus discipline of Tightwire must in fact be an illusion or a magic trick. They are convinced that it must be done with “magnets or pulleys or grooves in the shoes” because they are adamant that no human can balance on or traverse such a thin line... 

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… 

Nigel Slater’s Toast

Nigel Slater’s Toast

One of the hardest calls for a reviewer to make is where to draw the line between production and play. Can a problematic text be completely redeemed if the production is good or, for new pieces where the audience may not know what to expect, do we have a duty to comment on the work, script and all, so everyone goes in with their eyes open?It’s a quandary I find myself in after stepping out of Nigel Slater’s Toast at the Traverse theatre... 

Broken Romantics: A Unicorn's Quest for Love

Broken Romantics: A Unicorn's Quest for Love

This is one woman’s tale of the many heartbreaks in her life and the lessons she learned from each that allowed her to be able to love herself instead of seeking it in others. It’s a well-worn subject for cabaret and will very likely continue to be so as long as the human race has to deal with all those messy emotions... 

Aphrodite and the Invisible Consumer Gods

Aphrodite and the Invisible Consumer Gods

This award-winning show combines humour, audience interaction and dance to highlight the objectification of women in the media. The Goddess Aphrodite travels to the 21st century. Tempted by the allure of advertising, she wholeheartedly enters into our modern world... 

The Merry Wives of Seoul

The Merry Wives of Seoul

Koreanised adaptation of Shakespeare’s classic. Falstaff, a fat and debauched knight, tries to tempt two married women in Seoul and steal their wealth. But these two clever women see through his plan and set out to deceive him... 

Heather and Harry

Heather and Harry

Heather and Harry is a romantic yarn detailing the story of Heather, an angel cast out of heaven by her misogynist rapping boyfriend Zeus, of Greek mythology fame. Your opinion of this show will likely depend on your tolerance for the phrase "misogynist rapping boyfriend Zeus" – but if that sounds to you like the richly enjoyable fun that it is, then Stumble Trip Theatre have plenty more for you with their hour of clowning in Heather and Harry... 

Taiwan Season: Once Upon a Daydream

Taiwan Season: Once Upon a Daydream

Once Upon a Daydream, produced by Sun Son Theatre, bursts with life and colour. A show which will appeal to adults and children alike (four upwards). Live actors and musicians on stage interact and slide in and out of the fantasy world of a lonely young girl in pursuit of love... 

Mistero Buffo

Mistero Buffo

Go and see this show right now. I just wanted to get that out before wasting any more time. Now to the review.As we walked up the winding staircase to Underbelly's Big Belly space the walls were dripping with what felt like the sweat of a thousand performers and audience members... 

Feed

Feed

Feed is a thought-provoking and memorable piece by Theatre Témoin that explores the insidious relationship between the Internet and capitalism. Focusing on the notion of the attention economy – the profitable importance of standing out amidst the endless stream of stimuli and the profit it reaps – the play makes a timely response to clickbait culture and the recent Cambridge Analytica data scandal; which serves to remind us only how contemporary and truthful its terrifying themes are... 

Backup

Backup

Backup, a mix of puppetry and gestural object theatre, is a half hour of pure delight. Performers Julie Tenret, Sandrine Heyraud, and Sicaire Durieux are joined onstage by an absolutely stunning miniature set by Zoé Tenret and beautiful puppets by Waw Studios and Joachim Janin... 

Mirage

Mirage

Combining dance, text and improvisation, Mirage is a kinaesthetic exploration of reality and empathy. What does a person have to do to move you? A solo performance by Steven Zilinskas... 

The Artist

The Artist

Thom Monckton of Finland’s Circo Aereo returns to Edinburgh with a hugely entertaining hour of silliness. The Artist is full of delightful visual gags, some wonderfully slapstick circus skills and all the hijinks you’d expect from the man behind the smash hit show, The Pianist... 

When You Fall Down: The Buster Keaton Story

When You Fall Down: The Buster Keaton Story

If silent Hollywood star Buster Keaton is remembered for anything, it's his emotionless, mask-like expression; so the initial shock here is that this Buster speaks and smiles. "Yes, I have a voice... 

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... 

Single Life

Single Life

Every now and then a sparkling gem comes bubbling to the surface of the Fringe. The energy in this effervescent dance and story-telling show, Single Life is sheer delight. Pirita Tuisku the choreographer, based in both Finland and Edinburgh, and Christine Liddell, Scotland-based, are a well-balanced duo, giving us a glimpse into the world of internet dating... 

Zugunruhe

Zugunruhe

Zugunruhe (zoo-gun-rue): an ornithology term for ‘migratory restlessness in birds’. This show explores the incredible flight of a marsh warbler, the world’s only bird whose song echoes its migration route... 

Ur – Medëa

Ur – Medëa

Desire is the place of not yet having. Choose a literary figure as the body. Merge your identity with this character. Create an autonomous being. Live fully, personally, passionately, without personal agenda... 

Freeman

Freeman

Theatre is often defined as a means of offering a voice to those who cannot speak for themselves. With a powerful narrative and dynamic performance, Freeman by Strictly Arts Theatre does exactly that... 

(Some)Body

(Some)Body

Last year, I was lucky enough to catch Alyona Ageeva’s Physical Theatre PosleSlov perform to a small audience and immediately became a fan. This Russian company tours outside their homeland in order to express the freedoms inherent in art... 

And Then There's Me...

And Then There's Me...

The world is full of wonderfully different people – dramatic, dreamy, daring and disturbing! Join our medley of characters on an energetic journey through their dreams, hopes and fears as they each discover what makes them different and exciting... 

Individual Medley

Individual Medley

Q: What happens when you move a 12-year-old from Basingstoke to Zambia? A: She swims. Katrina weaves together poetry, swimming lessons and some 00’s RnB in a mesmerising coming-of-age memoir about crossing borders... 

It’s Not Over Yet... and How to Survive the Future

It’s Not Over Yet... and How to Survive the Future

It’s Not Over Yet… choreographed and performed by Emma Jayne Park (aka Cultured Mongrel) is a heart-stopping autobiographical show about cancer. A brave subject for a cancer survivor to perform but also a show which will take some bravery to watch if you have experienced cancer or know someone undergoing treatment, or who may have lost the battle... 

Kaput

Kaput

For anyone who thinks they don't make physical comedians like Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton any more, here's a word from the wise—which, in this context, essentially means anyone who has just come out of Kaput... 

Bubble Show for Adults Only

Bubble Show for Adults Only

This is one of two offerings at the Fringe this year from Iulia Benze and Kurt Murray, featuring high energy physical movement, bubble art and audience interaction. In this production, Benze whips the audience into a frenzy as she rouses us into a state of exuberant clapping, chanting and an atmosphere where anything could happen, as Murray dazzles us with rotating, steam filled bubbles cascading across the room... 

Me Talking, Mostly

Me Talking, Mostly

Mick dives into the absurdity of being an onstage performer and gives the audience a chance to sit in the director's seat. Be prepared to laugh, cry and experience unbridled joy! 

Loneliness and Other Adventures

Loneliness and Other Adventures

The portrayal of a young woman’s search for love and her sometimes crippling fear of being alone. Anna is only 21 but she’s still single after a series of heartbreaks and rejections... 

The Odyssey of Homer

The Odyssey of Homer

A new adaptation of Homer's classic presented in iambic pentameter using physical theatre and shadowplay. A predominantly female cast highlights the story's themes of the toxicity of violence and the generational impact of masculine warrior cultures. 

Prune

Prune

Prune the bouffon is the shrivelled and bitter product of a break-up, birthed from the pain of Serena Flynn’s ex cheating on her with webcam girls. Anarchic, grotesque and a bit nuts; this oversexed, outspoken bouffon playfully parodies gender performance and ridicules her own heartbreak... 

The Servant of Two Masters

The Servant of Two Masters

Goldoni’s boisterous 18th-century Italian comedy collides with 21st-century American pop culture. Rollicking farce, pratfalls, and pies in the face meet comic sword fights, rock’n’roll – and food! 

A Wrinkle in Time

A Wrinkle in Time

Join Meg and her band of misfits on a voyage through time and space. Strange creatures and magical lands unfold as our heroes bravely battle evil forces. Can they save the universe from darkness? The New Players Company from Ridgewood, NJ is back with a theatrical version of the classic novel (and blockbuster movie) A Wrinkle in Time... 

Action Man

Action Man

Upon retirement, Corporal Liam Drury returns to be confronted with sudden and debilitating flashbacks to his time in combat. His marriage disintegrating, he is now being shunted from sofa to sofa... 

Starting Now: Youth Showcase 2018

Starting Now: Youth Showcase 2018

Celebrating the enthusiasm and fresh talent of new dancers from across Scotland. In Starting Now, young people express themselves through dance, choreographed by leading makers. Four groups give us styles such as hip hop, contemporary dance, physical theatre and more, in a great show designed to light up The Year of Young People... 

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... 

The Woman and the Canvas

The Woman and the Canvas

Following multiple sell-out shows for both companies at the Fringe, Theatre Re and Fourth Monkey are joining forces for 2018 and return to the festival with an exciting, ensemble-led co-production, The Woman and the Canvas... 

App and Down

App and Down

Popular or unknown, apps are part of our daily lives. Some drive people to madness, others to unexpected popularity… but all apps have a possible downside. Four stories to leave you self-conscious and scared of your mobile... 

Four Go Wild in Wellies

Four Go Wild in Wellies

Four Go Wild in Wellies is a playful look at how friendships are built, broken and mended – a whimsical adventure featuring tents that have a life of their own, bobble hats and of course, lots of fun in wellies! A show for audiences aged three to five years from Indepen-dance 4, Scotland’s inclusive professional dance company... 

Metamorphosis

Metamorphosis

As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect. Franz Kafka's powerful absurdist tale is both hilarious and horrific in this thrilling retelling by an extraordinary cast... 

Two Faced Bitchin'

Two Faced Bitchin'

Live from the home counties, 90s kids Hunt and Murphy bicker their way through a collection of bitchin’ sketches. Two friends who have known each other for too long. Expect silliness, seduction and synthesised beats. 

The Antiscians

The Antiscians

Inspired by the George MacDonald fairy tale, The Day Boy And The Night Girl. A warlock named Watho, seized by the madness of grief, raises two girls in isolation. When the girls meet for the first time, they're challenged by their differences and strengthened by their decisions to overcome them... 

Definition of Man

Definition of Man

A sexier, more violent Waiting for Godot, Definition of Man is a physicalised post-apocalyptic decreation myth that won Best in Dance and Physical Theatre and Ripest Show at the 2017 Hollywood Fringe... 

Anchor

Anchor

In a light and playful form, the duet Anchor depicts the dilemma between love and desire. Can we want what we already have, can we love what we are addicted to? Travelling through conflict, joy and heartbreak, can we find a way to keep hold of our individual paths, all while walking on one unified path? In Anchor, choreographers Elsa Couvreur and Mehdi Duman sing a love song we all know the lyrics to. 

Mission: Her

Mission: Her

Have you ever felt that life was more a grocery list than a box of chocolates? Social media feeds are filled with people ticking events off the list, yet you feel you that you’ve not even made it to the shops! Her is twentysomething, she has a five-year plan in place but life events put a spanner in the works... 

Off-Kilter

Off-Kilter

Internationally renowned visual theatre artist returns with a dark, comedic, highly physical production incorporating illusions and masterful non-verbal storytelling. Joe Kilter has his own daily rituals – some even call it obsessive... 

Come to Daddy

Come to Daddy

'The children grabbed him (the father) and put him on the table. And he became the food. They took him apart, dismembered him. Ate him up. And so he was liquidated... the same way he liquidated his children... 

Metamorphoses

Metamorphoses

Metamorphoses is a lyrical journey through Ovid’s classic tales, told through the fresh eyes of Mary Zimmerman. Using elements of physical theatre, the actors are able to transform the practical into the extraordinary... 

The Sensemaker and Drop the Gogo

The Sensemaker and Drop the Gogo

Accessible yet still in-depth, funny and disturbingly ironic. Two short pieces of physical theatre examining the labour market in our interconnected world. The Sensemaker shows the inner turmoil of a woman as she struggles to meet the impossible expectations of a synthetic voice... 

Best of the Fest Daytime

Best of the Fest Daytime

Bite-size tasters of the best comedy, music and circus, all prepared for you in our glorious Spiegeltent. With line-ups changing daily, we have something for everyone, so let us bring you the best of the fest! See assemblyfestival... 

It's Not a Sprint

It's Not a Sprint

‘Today is the day I make a decision. Today is the day I run. And you. You shut up!' Meet Maddy, a typical millennial, celebrating her 30th birthday running a marathon - tied to a balloon... 

Coccinellidae

Coccinellidae

A six-foot woman and a sex doll take on femininity. In a world where femininity obsesses over smallness in size, voice, opinion and ambition, one six-foot woman and a sex doll smash through walls and ceilings to explore how women can embrace bigness in a big physical romp... 

Ouroboros

Ouroboros

Narcissism. Ego. Superficiality. Social media. Obsession. Viciously funny and darkly comic. Fox portrays a conveyer belt of hyper-functional characters, combining music, physical theatre, dance and bouffon in a dynamic, confrontational piece that will lead you down a rabbit hole of delicious chaos... 

California Backstage

California Backstage

Long-form improv comedy all the way from California. Watch improvisers build worlds and play characters that have never been seen before and never will be seen again. See the world through the lense of Californian sunshine and laugh along to a show that changes every night! 

Loop

Loop

A dynamic new play combining new writing and physical theatre, Loop is a journey through 50 years of life, love and music, a story of people evolving with the music they listen to. 'The combination of writing and movement makes this a physical piece of theatre which flows with a fascinating urgency' ***** (TheatreWeekly... 

Operation EVAsion

Operation EVAsion

A fusion of narrative, aerial arts, multimedia and live accordion music. Based on the bizarre but factual account of the multiple disappearances of the corpse of Eva Peron. Upon her untimely death at age 33, her body was embalmed to the point of immortalisation... 

Synchronised Swimming – The Dry Version

Synchronised Swimming – The Dry Version

Infamous comedy duo Ursus and Nadeschkin have been dubbed the 'Swiss-German Marx Brothers' by Village Voice NYC. The pair fuses physical and verbal acrobatics at the speed of light... 

Wolf

Wolf

A one-man medley of action, comedy, characters and a car chase: Lewis Doherty presents Wolf. Welcome to Shadow City – a hellhole of a city, but a city nonetheless. Detective Jay Walker is dead... 

Mugenkyo Taiko Drummers: Tribe

Mugenkyo Taiko Drummers: Tribe

UK’s original touring Taiko Tribe returns to the Fringe with a brand-new show of skill, stamina and red-hot rhythms to stir your soul! As Mugenkyo approach their 25th year as Europe’s longest established taiko organisation, they celebrate the growth of their tribe of performers from across the globe, with a captivating performance of sharp synchronisation, mysterious masked movement and sumptuous soundscapes, wrapped up in a breath-taking display of high energy, elegant choreography and powerful earth-shaking rhythms on huge taiko drums... 

30 Days of Blood

30 Days of Blood

Blood, sweat, and... tampons? Sara's period just won't stop – she is covered in it – or is it the blood of her last victim that still sticks warm on her limbs? Watch her fight a storm of tampons and confront her ridiculously handsome vegan housemate before breaking out into song while ripping apart raw meat... 

Flattered

Flattered

Flattered addresses, honestly and frankly, the issue of public harassment towards women. Using people’s real experiences as stimuli for the creation of the work, the show strives to tell unrecounted stories that occur on a daily basis... 

The Kinkens

The Kinkens

Kinkens is old Scots for the evasive answers to the questions of overly curious children. A one-woman tragicomedy inviting you to ponder who we are, where we are and how we are regarding all things mind, body and soul... 

In Addition

In Addition

Set in a near-future Britain where healthcare is privatised, a young couple's relationship is quietly pulled apart by an aggressive lack of sleep. A piece of physical theatre with score by YouTuber Christopher 'Bing' Bingham, In Addition realises the spiralling of minute problems in a life without the NHS... 

Grail Project

Grail Project

Multi award-winning creators of Anton’s Uncles, Track 3, Big Shot and Hot Cat, Theatre Movement Bazaar assembles its ultra-modern troubadours for the company's latest adventure, the Grail Project, unraveling the Arthur Legend and Grail Myth... 

Urban Death

Urban Death

'There may be many spooky stage productions around... but few will approach the level of this one' (New York Times). Urban Death presents vignettes of brutal horror mixed with gallows humour designed to shock, delight, and frighten... 

About Lady White Fox With Nine Tales...

About Lady White Fox With Nine Tales...

What if Lady Macbeth was the reincarnation of the mysterious White Fox? YVUA Arts present their award-winning About Lady White Fox with the Nine Tales... Excellent Domestic Performing Arts Production by Korean Cultural and Arts Centres Association, 2017... 

Dream Logos

Dream Logos

Dream Logos is the divine logic of dreams in the backdrop of the known universe in projected image, dance, aerial, and theatre. Juxtaposition of image and performer will lead the audience through the beautiful, contradictory, and sometimes disturbing narrative of dreams as they relate to human history and knowledge... 

Captain Cauliflower and Marvin the Mischievous Moose

Captain Cauliflower and Marvin the Mischievous Moose

Join the invincible Captain Cauliflower and his faithful companion Marvin on an unforgettable adventure, filled with extreme silliness and unquestionable danger. He flies into outer space and swims deep under the ocean, saving those in peril, but can he beat his arch-nemesis, the evil and odorous Onion Man? Dan Lees and Neil Frost are simply two of the best clowns around, children and adults love them... 

How to Be Amazingly Happy!

How to Be Amazingly Happy!

How do you find a new ‘once upon a time’ after the ‘happy ever after’ never turned up? Victoria is on a quest to discover how you make a new life when you can’t have the one you imagined... 

The Sauna

The Sauna

The Sauna is a story of an old woman. Her intention to die is distracted by irritating spirit of sauna. This mythical creature, also known as the elf of sauna, evokes the corporal memories of the lady and takes her through the chapters of her womanhood... 

The Gate

The Gate

2017 hit returns! A magical rollercoaster noir mystery tour through Japanese children's folklore. Acclaimed for her work in Japan, USA, Canada at the Fringe, Saori Aoki started the Kaso Jogi (Virtual Ruler) company to spread her unique physical theatre take on musicals around the world... 

Offstage

Offstage

What appears to be light and entertaining, can be dark and lonely behind the curtains. On stage a mask, offstage the truth. In a universe, where theatre is life and life is a dream we find Harley and Pedro... 

Bubble Show: Milkshake and the Bubble Flower

Bubble Show: Milkshake and the Bubble Flower

Every child goes inside their own bubble! Milkshake’s bubble flower cannot survive a cold winter without bubbles so she must get help from Dr Bubble – and quick! Smoke bubbles, giant bubbles, carousels, light tables, square bubbles, hand bubbles and the dodecahedron... 

Assembly Gala Launch

Assembly Gala Launch

Kickstart your festival with Assembly's renowned opening night gala. Join us as we celebrate and launch our biggest programme yet, bringing you highlights from across our 200+ strong season, all rolled into one spectacular package... 

A Clown Show About Rain

A Clown Show About Rain

Following the ‘audacious’ (**** (Scotsman)) and critically acclaimed Follow Suit, Silent Faces return to the Fringe with more physical political fooling in the heart-warming A Clown Show About Rain... 

Bruford Warm-Up Mornings

Bruford Warm-Up Mornings

Start each day with a warm-up! Professional practitioners will lead morning movement warm-ups in the Upper Church space at Summerhall for Fringe performers from all venues. An opportunity to have some time and space for yourself and to prepare, recoup your energy and maximise your time at the Fringe with other artists... 

Our Country

Our Country

'A striking dream world... one of the most ambitious pieces we have ever presented' (Anna Woo, The Getty Villa). California’s marijuana country: the still-Wild West. Annie conducts a forensic exploration of 'the facts' about her outlaw weed farmer brother as this genre-bending work slips into disputed territory: childhood memories... 

Here Comes Trouble

Here Comes Trouble

Keira Martin’s Here Comes Trouble contains some impressively executed Irish dancing to music which is a meld of Irish melodies and Jamaican beats in a memorable piece about identity... 

Lunacy

Lunacy

Lunacy. Rosenhan’s study. How do you show you’re sane in an insane situation? Do you like babies? Do you like broccoli? Can you photosynthesise? What is 10 and 10 and 10 and 10 and 10? Free Show... 

A Matter of Race

A Matter of Race

Two young women, living similar lives, doing similar things: applying for jobs at cafes, buying alcohol, going to parties. Yet one is black, and one is white, and this means their similar actions yield widely different results... 

Certain Young Men

Certain Young Men

Peter Gill”s Certain Young Men was first performed at the Almeida Theatre in 1999. According to Cambridge University Queer Players this is its first revival. Seemingly it did not occur to them that there might be very good reason why the play has languished for eighteen years without seeing the lights of another theatre... 

Behind the Mirror

Behind the Mirror

There’s something charming about a fairy tale told in a fundamentally unique manner. Behind the Mirror is functionally just that: A retelling of a Korean fairy tale in its original language through the medium of acappella music and dance... 

The Gate

The Gate

A magical rollercoaster noir mystery tour through Japanese children's folklore. Acclaimed for her work in Japan, USA, Canada at the Fringe, Saori Aoki started the Kaso Jogi (Virtual Ruler) company to spread her unique physical theatre take on musicals around the world... 

Sad Little Man

Sad Little Man

'Stop me if you've heard this one before.' Written by Josh Overton, winner of The Times Playwriting Award 2015 and created by the Pub Corner Poets, Total Theatre's Emerging company 2015 award nominees... 

Mouthpiece

Mouthpiece

Mouthpiece is one of the shows at CanadaHub at King’s Hall, a venue in association with Summerhall. It is a piece of theatre by Quote Unquote Collective and Why Not Theatre. It is also one of the most informed, empathetic, complex articulations of female selfhood and female voices that I have ever seen, and my review will, as such, never do it justice... 

Happy Birthday Mia

Happy Birthday Mia

It’s Mia’s birthday! How exciting! She will be surrounded by friends and will play all day long. There’s no birthday party without presents and Mia is going to receive some very special ones... 

Dark Matter

Dark Matter

People say your whole life flashes in front of your eyes before you die but what happens when you have dementia? Where does the brain go before we die? Dark Matter is a devised and puppetry performance... 

Bottles

Bottles

‘Bottles’ is a stirring piece of theatre exploring the ups and downs of a night on the town through the eyes of a group of young women. It’s inspired by experiences of everyone who has ventured out and returned home with tales to make your skin crawl, stories that have your friends in hysterics or experiences you just can't talk about... 

War Pig

War Pig

French theatre group Le Festin de Saturne deliver a wild and engaging clown show, War Pig, following the adventures of young Private Juan and Captain Fidel Castra off to war. This mad show starts hilariously and grotesquely as we watch the very tall and lean Juan happily masturbate to the captain's private magazines while looking up to clock the audience... 

Death in Venice

Death in Venice

As the Sirocco winds bring cholera to the Lido and alleyways of Venice, Dr Aschenbach watches Tadzio swimming in the lagoon... An adaptation of Thomas Mann's novella with strawberries, umbrellas and moments of great beauty. 

Two Man Show

Two Man Show

Men have all the power. John and Dan keep hearing people say that men have all the power, but it doesn’t feel like that to them. Abbi and Helen are making a show about man and men, because we all have to pull together now... 

Slap and Tickle

Slap and Tickle

Slap and Tickle, 'a machine gun of visual joy' (WritingAboutDance.com) is a dark, ribald physical commentary featuring Liz Aggiss: a maverick, anarchic, indomitable and fearless performance artist, who, with 'refreshing irreverence' (TheatreBubble... 

The Trial

The Trial

The students of Wellington College are performing the renowned adaptation of Franz Kafka by Steven Berkoff, The Trial. This dynamic, invigorating performance of The Trial promises to offer its audiences a nonstop audiovisual feast as the young performers bring you an innovative style of performance... 

A Clockwork Orange

A Clockwork Orange

‘What’s it going to be then, eh?’ Little Alex is charming, clever and sophisticated. She’s also a callous thug with a thing for amphetamine-laced milk and lashings of the old ultra-violence... 

Hope Hunt and the Ascension into Lazarus

Hope Hunt and the Ascension into Lazarus

A double-bill of extraordinary power and originality, Hope Hunt & The Ascension into Lazarus performed by Belfast-based Oona Doherty, gets beneath the hard exterior of disaffected youths to the humanity beneath in a show which achieves the hard act of being visceral and in-yer-face but also tender... 

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... 

A Snowball’s Chance in Hell

A Snowball’s Chance in Hell

Travel back to the 1920s to examine the beautiful art of failing. Don and Gnu throw themselves into the iconic universe of silent films from a time with specks of white dust on the screen and Charlie Chaplin on the loose – but can they manage to stay within the frame? An intimate, entertaining and expressive performance, where dance, video, music and audience interaction come together... 

Choir of Man

Choir of Man

There is something remarkably welcoming about being handed a free pint with a smile as you walk into a show. The Assembly Rooms have been converted into The Jungle – your friendly local for the night - and your hosts are ready with a drink in one hand and open arms... 

What Lies Beneath

What Lies Beneath

What Lies Beneath is a semi-absurdist exploration into male grief, observing how it plays out in our minds and affects those close to us. Paired with Scandinavian folk music and portrayed through increasingly surrealist movement, we learn about the protagonist through his largely abstract flashbacks... 

Follow Suit

Follow Suit

Set in a stark environment of desks and bare lightbulbs, Silent Faces’ Follow Suit is a cutting parody of life in the corporate sector. Through clowning and physical theatre, the four actors portray the mind-numbing drudgery of stocks, shares and portfolios... 

The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk

The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk

A show about the evocative powers of art must be particularly effective in practicing what it preaches. Emma Rice’s final production with Kneehigh succeeds in being a delight for all the senses... 

Cherry

Cherry

“None of these words are our own. They have been taken, word for word, from over 300 interviews and anonymous online submissions.” That’s what the background reads, projected behind a bed where the actors are already sitting, ready and waiting, as the audience first walks in... 

On This Side of Time

On This Side of Time

Alyona Ageeva’s PosleSlov Physical Theatre Company presents the UK premier of this contemporary physical theatre performance. A member of the team takes to the stage to inform us that the piece is presented as a philosophical reflection on the relationship between humanity and time; a movement fable about life, death, love and love’s demise... 

Oyster Boy

Oyster Boy

Oyster Boy is a comic telling of the fictional relationship between two young lovers on Coney Island and their subsequent journey into marriage. As newlyweds on a trip to Paris they are treated to fresh oysters, and soon the aphrodisiac starts to kick in… Fast forward nine months to the birth of their first child - Sam - and we learn that perhaps the seafood has had more of a lasting effect than just a salty aftertaste... 

Wrong Tree Adventures

Wrong Tree Adventures

A stunning amalgamation of Wrong Tree’s work to date: the Professor’s grandfather is missing – working in his old greenhouse, her quest takes her to explore South America. A prop-driven adventure piece, incorporating Inca mythology and a talking cat... 

Sandman

Sandman

When Nathaniel, a student, is visited by a mysterious dread figure from the past and falls in love with a woman who isn't all she seems, nobody can prevent his life from spiralling out of control... 

Bacchae

Bacchae

Both faithful and frantic, young company Flying Pig Theatre have produced a very satisfying version of Euripides’ Bacchae with a deft touch.It is worth noting that, despite being advertised as being transported to a crumbling Victorian mansion, this doesn’t really appear to be the case in any form or fashion... 

Slipstick

Slipstick

A spectacular show featuring one of the best mime and impersonator artistes in Europe! Be prepared to be stunned by the quickest change artist and mime comedy entertainer Martin Kent, in one hour of pure adrenaline! ‘A great impersonator’ (Lanacion... 

#JeSuis

#JeSuis

#JeSuis is an edgy new choreographic work by renowned British dancer Aakash Odedra. With dancers from Turkey, Aakash explores the strangulation of freedom of speech, the rise of xenophobic attitudes and the displacement of people through conflict... 

Christina Rossetti's Goblin Market

Christina Rossetti's Goblin Market

Adapted and performed by Jennifer Jewell, Goblin Market is a solo performance, with Jewell taking on the roles of two young sisters and the goblins they encounter. It’s a sharp, solid hour of the poem simply told, with no bells and whistles... 

The North

The North

The North is as hostile, unforgiving and beautiful as the land to which it dedicates its hour-long runtime. As an audience member unfamiliar with the tenets of physical theatre, one should not expect The North to go easy on the uninitiated... 

Cognitions

Cognitions

Cognitions was confessional, poetic physical theatre. I was gripped enough to only write one page in my notebook, because I didn’t want to miss any of the fantastically choreographed movements that the ‘Cogs’ were performing, with such energy and enthusiasm that it lit the stage... 

This Really Is Too Much

This Really Is Too Much

Gracefool Collective’s This Really Is Too Much blends dance, spoken word and physical comedy in a devised expressionistic theatre piece; revealing the absurd realities of life from the female perspective as a product of modern consumerist, hyper-sexualised society... 

Odyssey

Odyssey

The idea is a brilliant one: reducing an epic to the size of a man. However, it faces a set of challenges: can an epic be so reduced without losing everything that made it epic in the first place? In Nir Paldi and George Mann’s Odyssey, the answer is no, and the result is a solo show of Homer’s great classic that is truly spell-binding... 

All Genius All Idiot

All Genius All Idiot

All Genius All Idiot is a quirky and outrageous piece that explores the animalistic side of human nature using contemporary circus, performance art and live music. This show is brought to us by Svalbard a company made up of four acrobats from Spain, England, Germany and Sweden who all met at the world’s leading circus school DOCH in Sweden... 

A Little Blue Birdy Told Me

A Little Blue Birdy Told Me

Have you ever been shat on by the blue bird? The great rebirth of public shaming continues to evolve. Tearing people up, facelessly and mercilessly. A Little Blue Birdy Told Me is a brand new intimate production that unpicks pointing the finger in the Twittersphere and the terrifying role we collectively play in passing judgement in 140 characters or less... 

Two Little Boxes

Two Little Boxes

A wordless blend of mime, clowning, dance and acrobatics, Two Little Boxes is a brand-new piece by Reallynice, exploring the construction of masculinities in young men. Suitable for the hearing-impaired. 

Shakespeare's Big Brother

Shakespeare's Big Brother

Can Hamlet please come into the diary room? You've had regular Big Brother. You've had Celebrity Big Brother. Now, we would like to invite you to Shakespeare's Big Brother. With the finals looming and a huge prize at the end, who will win the public vote and be crowned this year's winner? See all your favorite Shakespeare characters take on the tasks, trials, interviews and the diary room... 

Bare Threads

Bare Threads

We are often barely conscious of dressing and undressing in our daily routine. Yet, the very same actions have the potential to make us feel exposed, uncomfortable, wild, daring and sensual... 

Woyzeck

Woyzeck

Woyzeck ekes out a living on a meagre wage, earning pennies by eating peas for a dodgy clinical trial, while his wife cheats on him and everyone finds him pathetic. It’s enough to drive a person mad! FramBag is fizzingly back on top form for the festival this year with another twist on a classic... 

Busu and the Damask Drum

Busu and the Damask Drum

Inspired on Zeami's Aya No Tsuzumi, Busu and the Damask Drum was originally adapted by Yukio Mishima for the modern stage. Hailed as a double bill of miniature Japanese gems, Busu is a classic Kyogen farce and the Damask Drum is a tragic ghost story... 

Reeling

Reeling

Reeling follows our plucky protagonist, Little Fellow, as he heads to the big city to make something of himself, and winds up in a motion picture studio where he is mistaken for the big-shot director... 

Seagulls

Seagulls

In Seagulls, visuals are everything. And the visuals are absolutely breathtaking. Combined with the text, it raises the question, ‘is the look and the feel more important than the content within a piece of theatre?’ No firm conclusions are reached but with this production I suspect what the majority of audiences leave talking about is not what they have heard, but what they have seen... 

Robin’s Hood

Robin’s Hood

C Theatre's production of Robin’s Hood is a silly pantomime style show featuring the classic characters. The show is earnestly, if not skilfully, performed with fun fight scenes, but even for a children's show, the plot is on the wildly convoluted side... 

Me, Myself and I

Me, Myself and I

Me, Myself and I' is a fun, high energy, physical theatre piece containing small nuggets of inspiration relating to how we find, and nurture our confidence. Nunah has a good old probe at the human psyche, yet sometimes, being far too confident doesn't work so well for us either! Due to Nunah’s innovative style, which does not contain any dialogue, our stories can be interpreted in the most amazing of ways... 

Wanna Dance With Somebody! Or, A Guide To Managing Social Anxiety Using Theoretical Physics

Wanna Dance With Somebody! Or, A Guide To Managing Social Anxiety Using Theoretical Physics

With one of the longest titles you’ll come across it feels as though this show will have a lot to unpack. But at its heart this is a very simple show, sweet and lovingly made, it's an exploration of one man going through a hard time and how he tries to handle that... 

A Hunger Artist (Kafka Adaptation)

A Hunger Artist (Kafka Adaptation)

Inspired by a Kafka story, writer Josh Luxenberg and Brooklyn-based Sinking Ship have created a weird and wonderful piece of theatre in A Hunger Artist (Kafka Adaptation). A grotesque, grumbling impresario laments the decline in fashion of hunger artists, artists who would sit in cages and starve for your entertainment, which he assures the audience were once sell-out productions in the very best European theatres... 

Bone Woman

Bone Woman

Bone Woman is a quiet, strange and beautiful production. Shuffling alone through the desert, American storyteller Imani G Alexander assumes the guise of a mysterious figure who tracks wolf bones in the sand... 

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... 

Origins

Origins

Animikii Theatre’s Origins is an intriguing piece of physical theatre that isn’t afraid to be subtle with it’s plot. Had I gone into the venue unaware of the themes of the piece, I suspect that I may have come away with my own, very different interpretation of what the performance was about... 

Kokdu: The Soul Mate

Kokdu: The Soul Mate

Kokdu: Soul Mate is physical theatre with charm, humour and a supernatural frisson inspired by Korean shamanistic rites and belief in the Kokdu, a spirit guide who accompanies the deceased to the afterlife... 

One Hundred Miles

One Hundred Miles

One Hundred Miles is a physical theatre performance structured around the experiences of a woman traveling through India in a bid to discover a different culture and way of life. Taking influence from their rich and vibrant lifestyle, we capture this complex world and bring it to life... 

MakeyUppers' Bedtime Stories

MakeyUppers' Bedtime Stories

Once upon a time, two fair maidens dragged fairy tales kicking and screaming into the 21st century in this sharp and original review of all things “happily ever after”. Follow the trail of breadcrumbs to see your favourite bedtime stories poked with a big stick before being tossed into a cauldron with physical comedy and biting wit... 

Testosterone

Testosterone

Testosterone is a touching, funny and incredibly brave piece of theatre from Rhum and Clay Company and Kit Redstone. It chronicles his experience of physically transitioning from female to male and the social minefield of modern masculinity that he’s had to navigate... 

Wrong Tree Adventures

Wrong Tree Adventures

This August, Durham-based Wrong Tree Theatre are bringing three shows to Edinburgh; currently on offer is Souvenirs, a light-hearted adventure that draws on the heavy use of props, puppetry, physical comedy and traditional storytelling techniques to advance its narrative... 

Last Clown on Earth

Last Clown on Earth

Derevo are a legend. This is not clowning Coco-style, but dark, surreal and dreamlike with an apocalyptic vision tempered by absurd humour and heart-wringing moments of pathos. The company have been coming to the Edinburgh Fringe for 20 years and their latest show, Last Clown On Earth is as weird and magical as word of mouth promised... 

China Goes Pop!

China Goes Pop!

China Goes Pop is an action-packed hour for all the family to enjoy; full of acrobatics held together by a simple love story between two of the performers.This performance opens with dancers jumping through hoops of various heights and sizes... 

Monkey Dance: The Rockappella Musical!

Monkey Dance: The Rockappella Musical!

Korean performance company GGIRIPROJECT aims to create the perfect collaboration between music and martial arts, a pursuit that has resulted in the catchily-titled Monkey Dance: The Rockapella Musical! Featuring live music, countless backflips, sizzling dance pieces and more, this production is undoubtedly on the right track... 

Slut

Slut

Slut tells a story which is sadly the experience of many women; girls who have the benefit of naivety during their younger years, which is then destroyed when they face the reality of a misogynistic culture that prevents them from exploring their true identity... 

Things We Find in the Dark

Things We Find in the Dark

Sam is scared of the dark. One day, a shadowy figure steals away his only bedtime comfort, starting a quest through the lands that lie below the bed and beyond. This charming production by The Lincoln Company fuses shadow puppetry with physical theatre to tell the quaint tale of a young boy who wants his nightlight back – and it’s shaping up to be a lovely piece of theatre... 

Tobacco

Tobacco

If you are looking for a show that demonstrates exceptional acting and physical theatre skills Tobacco is where you will find it. South African company Baxter Theatre presents this dark comedy as part of the Baxter Theatre Season at Assembly... 

Un Poyo Rojo

Un Poyo Rojo

If you want a bit of light relief from Fringe shows taking themselves too seriously, come to this hilarious, technically mind-blowing piece which calls itself physical theatre but defies genre... 

Hyperthymesia

Hyperthymesia

Hyperthymesia is a mixture of physical theatre and emotional monologues that certainly wasn’t a show that had the audience jumping onto their feet in appreciation. Admittedly a difficult subject to bring to the stage, Cece Otto’s attempt to connect the wider world to a mostly unknown condition did little to entice the audience... 

Peer Gynt

Peer Gynt

With humble beginnings as an idle farm lad, the eponymous hero of Henrik Ibsen’s Peer Gynt is chastised by his mother for wasting his time on earth dreaming of greatness - to which, without further ado, he rectifies by stirring up trouble amongst the local town and disappearing to the mountains with a newly-wed bride (no, not his)... 

Alpha

Alpha

There’s certainly a lot going on in Alpha: physical theatre, beat poetry and live music combine as the company confides their desires and secrets with their audience. In this case, however, the sum of the parts is not yet greater than the whole... 

Translunar Paradise

Translunar Paradise

Theatre Ad Infinitum have been a Fringe favourite for years; creating thought provoking and beautiful shows to touch both your heart and your mind. Translunar Paradise premiered here in 2011 and the show presented here is near enough the same... 

Tribe

Tribe

Temper Theatre once again return to Edinburgh to gift audiences with a performance well worth three times the ticket price. Gripping the question of human origins, not a single second is wasted in this fast-paced, breathtaking exploration of genesis... 

Taiwan Season: 038

Taiwan Season: 038

038 is the telephone code for Hualien, a small city on the east coast of Taiwan and it is the first few numbers the many emigrants to the bigger cities must dial to phone home. What is home if you have to leave and what is home when your return is no less fraught? This is the question posed by this group of ten young girls, who have trained together for ten years since the age of ten with Kuo-Shin Chuang and his Pangcah Dance Theatre... 

Fauna

Fauna

Fauna is a bold, mesmerising exploration of primal behaviour brought to us by the wonderful Fauna Circus. This company is made up of five highly skilled acrobats who met at the world leading circus school DOCH in Sweden and one multi-talented live musician... 

The Crossing Place – Romantika

The Crossing Place – Romantika

The Crossing Place – Romantika has an absurdly joyous opening, which is unexpected considering that the show is marketed as a study of loneliness, anxiety and desire. But the course of the performance proves this to be the perfect tone-setter; dark and vicious yet fun and playful, The Crossing Place is just that – absurd... 

Knock Knock

Knock Knock

It’s 54 years since the last conscripted British citizens returned to civilian life after completing their National Service. If a generation is 25 years, then that’s at more than two generations who have never faced the prospect of having to—between the ages of 17 and 21—serve in the British Armed Forces for two years... 

Our Man in Havana

Our Man in Havana

Spies Like Us Theatre’s adaptation of Graham Greene’s classic novel is, quite simply, a joy. I’ve rarely seen physical theatre done this seamlessly, and I’ve rarely laughed so consistently for an hour-long show... 

The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood

The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood

Atwood’s retelling of The Odyssey from Penelope’s perspective is a totally appropriate text for this energetic and innovative all-female cast. In true Fringe style, this playful dramatisation affords plenty of opportunity for creative vitality as Penelope and the ghosts of her wronged maids (all cruelly hanged after Odysseus’s return) multi-role and employ a range of dynamic strategies, in words, movement and song, to tell of Penelope’s birth in Sparta, her relationship with Helen, her arranged marriage and her long wait for Odysseus' return from the Trojan Wars... 

Dead People Don't Have Secrets

Dead People Don't Have Secrets

Everyone has secrets. Even the dead. So when a group of strangers suddenly end their lives, grief turns to anger and shame as secrets of loved ones come to light. Inspired by unexplained suicide clusters that have hit the headlines in recent years, this piece asks what would drive a group of strangers to such extremes... 

Did I Choose These Shoes?

Did I Choose These Shoes?

Thought-provoking but with a humorous tone, this spoken word and physical theatre piece explores what it means to be a girl growing up today and the choices offered to young women. Delving into topics such as body dysmorphia, dodgy periods and the incessant need for self validation... 

My Mind is Free

My Mind is Free

Nominated for best play by the Anti-Trafficking Foundation in 2016. A powerful interpretation of the degradation of human slavery in the UK today, this is a hard-hitting piece of theatre that moves, challenges and informs the audience... 

You Forgot the Mince

You Forgot the Mince

‘And in the end, we were all just humans, drunk on the idea that love, only love, could heal our brokenness’. Rosa lives with her grandma Lily. She’s just finished college and can’t wait to leave Yorkshire… until she meets Niko... 

The Nature of Forgetting

The Nature of Forgetting

What’s more important when telling a compelling story of human emotion, feeling or narrative? The answer to this is largely dependent on the viewer’s personal preferences as to how an emotional response is best brought up in them... 

Staging Wittgenstein

Staging Wittgenstein

Staging Wittgenstein is a difficult production to categorise. Part physical theatre, part academic discourse, part comedy and perhaps even part sculpture; this innovative work of art by Blair Simmons is a truly remarkable creative feat... 

100

100

Imagine that you have only one hour to choose one single memory from your life – and everything else will be erased forever. What would you choose? 100 follows four individuals being guided through the void, as they struggle to decide: What is enough? What really matters? And what does it all mean…? Journeys of self-discovery, spiritual revelation and compassion are played out as the world of the afterlife is woven together from the threads of what used to be their lives. 

Roaming Collisions – Free

Roaming Collisions – Free

Noun. 1. A chance encounter. 2. A walking disaster. 3. An exploration of collisions, connections and communication. A show filled with clowning, movement and a realisation of how complicated relationships can become... 

She Kills Monsters

She Kills Monsters

Agnes's life is turned upside down when she stumbles upon her late sister’s Dungeons and Dragons notebook. As she embarks on an action-packed quest to save her sister's soul, Agnes comes face-to-face with homicidal fairies, raunchy ogres and bloodthirsty cheerleaders, discovering a side of herself she never knew existed... 

Medea on Media

Medea on Media

Medea on Media is not your average spin on an Ancient Greek classic; Seongbukdong Beedoolkee’s production is fearless, irreverent, unsettling and, most surprisingly, a lot of fun... 

In Pieces

In Pieces

Harry awakes one morning in the worst possible way – with a head-shattering hangover. With no memory whatsoever of the night before, he sets out on a mission to piece together how he got into such a sorry state... 

La Maladie de la Mort d’Après Marguerite Duras

La Maladie de la Mort d’Après Marguerite Duras

Every day the same ceremony is held: a hotel room, a man, a woman. A sea between them. He pays her, she gives in. Multimedia show between electro-theatrical performance and choreography under video surveillance... 

Fancy Glitter Fanciulla on Tour Without the Band

Fancy Glitter Fanciulla on Tour Without the Band

Rock'n'roll in all its facets. Fancy Glitter Fanciulla can perform all by her self for the first time ever! Her biggest dream comes true! She rocks the stage with everything she has: movement, words, singing, all with the help of her little partner in crime: a mandolin-banjo called Mandy... 

Hyperion

Hyperion

'Being called a Greek feels like being bound with a dog collar.' In a bunker on a Greek island, a conscript keeps watch. Alone. His mission: to guard the border for 72 hours. Three days later, no one shows up: no replacement, no pick-up, no one... 

Death City

Death City

This is a collaboration of stunt and colour: the first of its kind in the world. See the colourful splashes from the spectacular stunt actions. The wild action meets beautiful art. Installation art, martial arts tricks and street dance add more fun in every single scene... 

Mirror, Mirror, Off the Wall

Mirror, Mirror, Off the Wall

‘Mirror, mirror, on the wall – does this selfie make my nose look big?’ Your favourite fairy tales in disguise, this once upon a time is happening now. Pretty can be ugly; can evil be good? Don’t count on Prince Charming to whisk you away on his gallant steed; these princesses aren’t all white as snow and rosy-lipped, and they don’t always care about being the fairest... 

Gossip

Gossip

Gossip, blather, misinformation and rumours are a cross-cultural phenomenon of humanity. The power and punch sound of the word uttered in the form of slander is often more powerful than the gun... 

Curse of Cranholme Abbey

Curse of Cranholme Abbey

Doors creak and dust falls; the Curse of Cranholme Abbey has awoken once more. The 'superbly talented' (List) Young Pleasance presents a tale of intrigue and horror as the past and present collide... 

Best of The Fest Daytime

Best of The Fest Daytime

Bite-size tasters of the best comedy, music and circus, all prepared for you in our glorious Spiegeltent. With line-ups changing daily, we have something for everyone, so let us bring you the best of the fest! See assemblyfestival... 

Why Stop There?

Why Stop There?

Rebellious, experienced, lyrical and courageous – this amazing multi-generational programme celebrates dancers from 12-85 years of life, dreams, hopes and fears featuring new work from acclaimed Scottish choreographers, performed by more than 30 dancers, all unmissable and all unstoppable... 

Death by Shakespeare

Death by Shakespeare

A chorus of bawdy spirits lead you through this physically dynamic amalgamation of Shakespeare's finest death scenes, which fuse together familiar characters and scenes to create a fresh look at the Bard's beautiful words... 

The Room at the Top of the House

The Room at the Top of the House

Josh finds the outside world a fascinating and frightening place. At a time when he is most vulnerable, a room of forgotten things quickly becomes the perfect place for him to escape reality... 

The Drive

The Drive

Two women. A fractured friendship. A car full of boxes and a message from a dead friend. An unexpected Nordic road trip sees two estranged friends thrown together on a tense journey from London to Oslo... 

Beam

Beam

This is one of Granny's stories. A true story of 10 pairs of knickers, a leap, a waft of lavender, a blue suit, and true love. True love? Does that even exist anymore? Times are hard, put on your slipper socks and join Granny – she has something sweet to share... 

Wiley and the Hairy Man

Wiley and the Hairy Man

Stampin', stompen' coming through the trees, shuffling through the swamp grass, blowing in the breeze. Bounding, pounding, fast as he can, What did Wiley see? Come join the Chaparral Theatre Company as they cast shadows, stomp rhythms, and chant rhymes, as Wiley, a young fatherless boy, must stop depending on his Mammy, learning to rely on his own resources... 

Taiwan Season: Heart of Darkness

Taiwan Season: Heart of Darkness

A psychic journey, through physical theatre and music, Sun Son Theatre’s Heart of Darkness explores the damage inflicted on a woman by arranged marriage. Inspired by the choreographer and dancer, Low Pei-Fen’s grandmother – who the males in the family called crazy – this show is a little gem... 

Luocha Land

Luocha Land

Told through contemporary and ancient physical storytelling techniques, the National Theatre of China’s Luocha Land is a visual treat. Plane-wreck survivor Maji, confused and gasping for air, finds himself stranded on the island of Luocha... 

The Long, Miserable Journey to Happiness

The Long, Miserable Journey to Happiness

Fringe 2011's Best Newcomer nominee Paul Valenti is back, this time on a semi-silent casual quest for universal truth. Put yourself in Paul's possibly capable hands, while he clowns, cajoles, charms, flips, falls and flops his way to discovering what exactly (if anything) makes us truly happy... 

At a Stretch

At a Stretch

In a big, busy city there’s loads of space. You can jump across rooftops and meet new people every day. But it can be lonely in the big city too. When Mel and Emma meet, something is different and they find themselves on a neon adventure they never expected... 

Cockadoodlemoo

Cockadoodlemoo

Cockadoodlemoo is a brand new moo-sical for all the family! Join a prize-winning cow, sassy fox, playful dog and forgetful sheep who each have a lot to learn about friendship, loneliness and not judging a book by its cover, before they can bring out the best in each other... 

Helga - Life of Diva Extraordinaire

Helga - Life of Diva Extraordinaire

Meet Helga, cabaret diva extraordinaire! At least, she used to be… Through mime, clowning and circus, this poignant physical comedy reflects on how it feels when our bodies don’t do what they used to... 

Cacophony

Cacophony

Hear me roar! In a world full of sound and fury, and bells and whistles, one woman is ready to listen. Cutting through the confusion and finding meaning in the madness, this vital and dynamic show proves that we can say exactly what we want when we simply shut the hell up... 

The Korean Tale of Princess Bari

The Korean Tale of Princess Bari

The traditional Korean tale of Princess Bari comes to life in this touching and inspiring production. Princess Bari is a mortal whose destiny is to save the world. Fighting her own fear, she chooses to sacrifice herself to save others, even journeying to the other world to give her name, knowing it means her certain death... 

The Missing Girl of Grigglewood

The Missing Girl of Grigglewood

The show tells the tale of a young girl named Rose who mysteriously goes missing in the tiny town of Grigglewood. That leaves her father and brother Peter on a wild goose chase to find her... 

Toasty’s Day-Dreaming

Toasty’s Day-Dreaming

Family physical theatre. Compared to her classmates' unlimited imagination, Toasty has no ideas for her composition assignment, titled: My Dream. What will she do? The show will bring kids and parents along to enjoy Toasty’s colourful and funny adventure chasing dreams... 

Peacocks, Lobsters and Us

Peacocks, Lobsters and Us

Lobsters love large claws and peacocks prefer big tails – but what sets our hearts racing? An enticing piece of dance theatre that puts love under the microscope, challenging our preconceptions of dating and exploring the reasons we fall for each other... 

One With Everything

One With Everything

Strange physical theatre with soul-lined theatrics and odd feats. Awkward stories and acrobatics with heart. Observe the vulnerable gold. Have no fear. One With Everything is a hybrid of physical theatre, dance, comedy, music and storytelling that dives into an altered-state universe while frolicking in themes of love, desire, masculinity and whales... 

The Cricket

The Cricket

The Cricket is an original story inspired by Pusongling’s famous work, Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio. In the Ming dynasty’s Xuande period, an emperor is obsessed with cricket fighting and taxes his people heavily... 

An Unexpected Electric Nativity

An Unexpected Electric Nativity

A short play for two humans and two robots. Late at night in a laboratory, the night before testing day. Two humanoid robots accidentally come to life. As they explore their new-found faculties, discovering their limbs and their surroundings, they learn more and more how to be human... 

La Vie Dans Une Marionette

La Vie Dans Une Marionette

A whimsical story of a pianist and his puppet, it'll have you falling off your seat in laughter! Packed full of gags, hilarious moments and surprises, the White Face Crew combine physical theatre, dance, clown and mischief in this award-winning show from New Zealand... 

Assembly Gala Launch

Assembly Gala Launch

Assembly’s renowned opening night gala returns to launch our biggest programme yet, with highlights from across our 200 strong season, all rolled into one spectacular package. Book early – always a sell-out!  

Whalebone

Whalebone

Whalebone is about bodies: who takes up space, how much, and why. Three puppeteers stand awkwardly in corsets. A woman decides to take control of her body – deleting it, piece by piece... 

Josh Glanc: Manfül

Josh Glanc: Manfül

Winner: Best Comedy Perth Fringe World 2017. Winner: Best Comedy Adelaide Fringe Weekly Award 2017. Fresh from a sell-out season at Melbourne Comedy Festival, do not miss Glanc's completely exhilarating, unique and 'superb character comedy' (TheAustraliaTimes... 

Ingo's War

Ingo's War

The heart-warming tale of Ingo the dog and his journey of bravery, hope and finding courage where you thought you had none. A unique amalgamation of storytelling, puppetry and movement that combines historical truth with imaginative new writing. 

A Strange New Space

A Strange New Space

Amira is obsessed with space and dreams of becoming an astronaut. One night, the bangs, whooshes and fizzes of her imagination explode out of her dreams, becoming a deafening reality... 

The Stroop Effect

The Stroop Effect

The disparity between the promotional material put out by theatre groups and the reality of what they present to audiences is often quite staggering. The Stroop Effect is an excellent example of this phenomenon... 

She Denied Nothing

She Denied Nothing

Inspired by the events of Sophocles’ Antigone, Greek theatre veterans Actors of Dionysus chose to examine the actions of two women who are unable to explain the whereabouts of traitor Polynices rather than the story of Antigone herself, which made for a refreshingly intelligent angle on a brilliant story... 

Wake Up Alice!

Wake Up Alice!

Award-winning and inclusive Youth Theatre Company Brightonshed in collaboration with Theatreshed bring their interpretation of 'Alice in Wonderland' to Brighton Fringe. Expect an interactive leap down the rabbit hole, where we can explore "who we are" and question how we shake off our labels to make our dreams a reality... 

purged

purged

Deeply meaningful and uncomfortably honest at times, purged presents Alex (Orla Sanders) and his desire and failure to verbally explain his mental health problems to the audience... 

Enter The Dragons
BOBBY WINNER

Enter The Dragons

On an epic adventure to halt ageing in its tracks, writers and performers Abigail Dooley and Emma Edwards swim the sea of apology, march the bridge of tears and conquer the dark depths of the underworld on a fruitful journey of discovery... 

BARRERA

BARRERA

Barrera is what a clown AA meeting would look like. Two heartbroken clowns have lost their best friend – a red balloon – in a bang. Being a clown is not easy. Even when grieving, you are expected to be funny... 

The Woman Who Shed Her Skin

The Woman Who Shed Her Skin

A woman single-mindedly pursues her physical image at the expense of her inner self. When that self desperately rises up to take control, no quarter will be given. In an age of seemingly endless cosmetic obsession, ‘The Woman Who Shed Her Skin’ reveals a story of the obsessive pursuit of the unattainable: female perfection... 

Dark Matter & Angeleta and Etelvina

Dark Matter & Angeleta and Etelvina

Two striking and contrasting puppetry shows form a double bill that explores the journey of dementia patients at the end of their life. 'Dark Matter' dives into the hallucinatory mind of an elderly astrophysicist, who is trying to make sense of his scattered life... 

Sink

Sink

'Sink' is based on the human need for control. We constantly find ourselves trying to control and perfect things that we may or may not be able to. The story follows the struggle of one man's life with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)... 

The Forecast

The Forecast

The Forecast is an engaging and informative piece of political theatre. Four women from different parts of the world are employed as “human garden ornaments.” They hang from a tree in an upper middle class suburban back garden... 

Terror Australis

Terror Australis

I love edgy cabaret - give me songs about Chemsex (thanks Bourgeois and Maurice), or anti-drag (thanks David Hoyle) or blood, sweat and other bodily fluids (thanks Christeene) and I will be a very happy person... 

Ingo's War

Ingo's War

This cosy story follows the adventures of Ingo, a dog on a mission to make his owners proud. Lost and alone, Ingo is found as a pup by Bryony (played by Sophie Hatton), who cares for him until their chaotic separation in the war... 

I AM BEAST

I AM BEAST

In this exhilarating, disturbing exploration of the human mind, there is a cornucopia of theatrical styles, from the visually spectacular, breathtaking use of puppetry, to the slick, well-rehearsed stage combat and physical theatre... 

Dangled

Dangled

This fast-paced, sharp writing from Louis Viljoen focuses on a man’s (Rob Van Vuuren) rapid descent into madness. His feelings of belittlement and disapproval are at the forefront of his mind as he longs to be noticed by a beautiful girl, Sophie... 

The Beauty of a Failing Body

The Beauty of a Failing Body

Starting from a physical quest, we will search for intentions and ways to communicate with your audience non-verbally. The goal is to research and find the failing human body on stage... 

Creating a Believable Character Without the Use of Text

Creating a Believable Character Without the Use of Text

Award-winning Dutch performer Hiske Eriks presents a physical workshop in which we will search for a believable character by making small transformations. The focus will be on timing, physical transformation, and use of space... 

GIANT

GIANT

GIANT follows the never-ending, whirlwind of generations in protagonist, Tommy’s family. This quirky depiction of the hustle and bustle of family life is jam packed with puppetry, poetry, brash clown make up and copious amounts of cardboard boxes... 

Candid

Candid

To tell stories in unexpected ways; that is the promise that Wildkind Theatre makes in their tagline. It’s a promise that they certainly deliver, but only because the blurb in the program and what I saw appeared to be two completely different shows, leaving me feeling a little perplexed... 

Late To The Party

Late To The Party

'Late to the Party' is an autobiographical romp on a mid-life diagnosis of ADHD and Dyslexia in two women. The new knowledge forces a journalist for the Times (ADHD-er) and a Contemporary Dancer (Dyslexic) to rewrite their history, review some of the mayhem in their lives, and face themselves... 

Circus Abyssinia

Circus Abyssinia

Starring Ethiopian jugglers Bibi and Bichu, the inimitable Konjowoch Troupe, 'Circus Abyssinia' is circus at its most enchanting and surreal: as seen through the eyes of a child. The show tells the tale of two little Ethiopian brothers, whose dream of joining the circus is dismayed by the absence of circus in Africa... 

The Presence of The Heap and The Happy Way to Go?

The Presence of The Heap and The Happy Way to Go?

Theatre Inc. and IntAct Theatre Co. at Chichester College, Fan Dance Theatre Co. and The Magic Chocolate Show bring you this exciting double-bill of physical theatre led by artists with disabilities... 

Mano a Mano

Mano a Mano

A story about a meeting between two hobos. One has lived on the streets for ages - a wise man who has lost connection with reality. The other "a suited business guy" who has just hit rock bottom... 

Tap Into Health (TIH): Movin’ With Melvin!

Tap Into Health (TIH): Movin’ With Melvin!

Tap into health! A rare, unmissable opportunity to dance with one of the world’s most engaging performers. Dubbed one of the last great song and dance men of American tradition, it’s impossible not to shake your hips when in the presence of Movin’ Melvin Brown... 

Check Out My Shirt

Check Out My Shirt

We wear the consequences of our decisions like a bad shirt. Join two performers on a journey through an unfamiliar world as they navigate what it means to be faced with life defining decisions... 

One in Four

One in Four

A newly-devised piece exploring issues of mental health. A sympathetic yet playful look at three different stories and perspectives currently affecting an ever-growing number of sufferers around the world... 

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... 

Don Quixote

Don Quixote

"But... your grace?" said Sancho, "What you see over there aren't giants, but windmills." "Obviously," replied Don Quixote, "you don't know much about adventures.” The self-styled knight errant may be mad, but the maddest thing of all is to see life as it is and not as it should be... 

Generation Why

Generation Why

Three performers from the UK, Italy and Spain that belong to the so called Generation Y, are confronted onstage with a simple but controversial question: what do you want for your future? This game turns into a dare, an invocation or an exorcism and a contemporary ritual where the expectations and fears of a generation are unveiled... 

The Life & Death of Puppet King Richard II

The Life & Death of Puppet King Richard II

This is Richard II as you’ve never seen him before, in a purple shell-suit wielding power over his puppet kingdom with subjects that range from beautiful two foot high hand carved rod puppets to kitchen spoons, shoe trees and gloves with balls of wool for heads... 

Great Train Robbery

Great Train Robbery

Apparently, one of the men involved in the Great Train Robbery of 1963 resides in Hove - but this story isn’t about him, instead it’s about the women behind the heist, the ones that got away... 

Borderline

Borderline

A comedy about a tragedy. PSYCHEdelight presents a satire of the Calais Jungle, devised by an ensemble of refugee and European performers. After two sold-out runs in London, Borderline goes on tour to meet the UK... 

Dead Puppet Society

Dead Puppet Society

The award-winning team that brought you 'A Puppet Named Desire' and 'Puppetgeist' return with mayhem, masks, and sock monsters. Witty, weird, Wordsworth? "Beguilingly bizarre" (The Stage), "Seriously funny" ***** (Broadway Baby). 

Strode's College Evening of New Performance

Strode's College Evening of New Performance

An evening of new and exciting work from students nearing the end of their acting training at Strode's College. Inspired by leading contemporary theatre practitioners, these aspiring performers from Surrey have devised a series of plays that aim to provoke, stimulate and entertain modern audiences especially for Brighton Fringe 2017. 

Die Die Die Old People Die

Die Die Die Old People Die

Indie theatre legends David Woods and Jon Haynes of 'Ridiculusmus' as two crustaceous elders putting off death in a snail paced farce. Bring a picnic. Touch tour available. Please ask upon arrival. 

The Girl Who Fell in Love With The Moon

The Girl Who Fell in Love With The Moon

“It wasn’t a particularly spectacular night, as she sat stargazing in her room ... ” Join this tattered troupe as Luna’s tragic tale unravels for the first time. But why tonight? A Tim Burton-esque patchwork of puppetry, poetry, movement and live music stitched together with The Human Zoo’s explosive visual imagination... 

Oyster Boy

Oyster Boy

Inspired by Tim Burton’s poem, The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy, Haste Theatre transport us to Coney Island where Mr Gelati (Valeria Compagnoni) and the future Mrs Gelati (Lexie McDougall) are in a whirlwind romance that takes a macabre turn... 

Open Sky present Scorched

Open Sky present Scorched

“There’s some pain you can’t grit your teeth through”, is something said by the sole performer in Scorched as he reflects on his time during WWII. Certainly, this is a line that you are frequently reminded of as you continue to watch the show... 

LAID

LAID

A woman lays an egg a day and faces a tumultuous decision: will she raise her egg, or eat it? In this hysterical (in every sense of that word) show, Natalie Palamides takes a relatively simple (if decidedly offbeat) concept and relentlessly whisks it into a story where you’re left battered, shattered, and shell-shocked... 

Cheekykita: Somewhere in the Ether

Cheekykita: Somewhere in the Ether

Cheekykita's dream... where anything can happen. A surreal absurd place that's a little bit upside down. One of the strangest acts you're ever likely to see, this one-woman character comedian has drawn similarities to 'The Mighty Boosh' and Spike Milligan... 

Mozzz!

Mozzz!

Mozzz! A week in the life of an undercover mosquito. A highly topical, witty, sexy monodrama from festival award-winners, director/designer Faynia Williams and actor/playwright Richard Crane... 

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..... 

... Yes?

... Yes?

... Yes is a comedy show about LOVE (not the sappy kind) It's a bit mad, but a GOOD mad- think a mixture of Monty Python and Blind Date... for adults. ... Yes answers questions that you never knew you needed answered such as; Can you play Guess Who Live onstage? Do penguins have knees? Are you better off marrying a shell shocked WW2 veteran or tempt your fate with the flock of seagulls, snapchat fanatic you just met online? ... 

Terabac

Terabac

If you’re a budding ecologist who also has a love of physical theatre, Terabac is the show for you.We are guests at the wake of a dead mouse whose carcass, we are told, will be used by an array of insects... 

Cabaret From The Shadows

Cabaret From The Shadows

Amid the abundance of hard hitting and harrowing new work presented at the Fringe, one could be forgiven for wondering why we’re all taking ourselves so seriously. Where is the fun? Do we have to sacrifice entertainment values if we’re dealing with topical or sensitive issues? Teatro Pomodoro’s Cabaret from the Shadows tackles an overwhelming array of themes, but it is always joyous and fabulously tongue in cheek... 

A Way of Seeing

A Way of Seeing

A double-bill of intimately presented contemporary dance, story and film, exploring the perception and experience of shared memory. Weaving live dance and projected film, live installation 'Memory Box' contemplates the shifting layers, changing perspectives and emotional tones of memory... 

Balancing Acts

Balancing Acts

'Balancing Acts' invites you to share in intimate stories of struggle, strength and resistance. This solo-performance incorporates audio interviews, film, verbatim, and physical theatre to open up and respond to the honest and hopeful accounts of six individuals dealing with depression, who find different and diverse ways to cope - from diving and sex, to song... 

Moribund - And the Meaning of Death

Moribund - And the Meaning of Death

Brighton Death Forum present Gimcrack Productions' 'Moribund', a piece of contemporary performance addressing our relationship with death, both light-hearted and poignant. Written, devised and performed by Rosie Kohl and George Collie... 

Spark Factory

Spark Factory

Seven brave and bold artists constructing the next big thing in theatre. Discover a multitude of ground-breaking theatre stunts and delve into the forefront of theatre experimentation... 

The Tempest

The Tempest

Three groups of shipwreck survivors venture into unknown territory and find themselves being closely monitored, manipulated and enchanted by a wizard and his sidekick. Puppetry, dance and live music support this pacey, entertaining and engaging adaptation performed by a talented young ensemble cast... 

The Establishment: Eton Mess

The Establishment: Eton Mess

Dan Lees and Neil Frost as two quintessentially English gentlemen from a bygone era, struggling to hold onto their whimsical world of cricket, tea and secret arms deals. “Another much-needed chapter in our national legacy of lampooning the powers that be, building on Peter Cook, the Pythons and The Fast Show ... 

Spin: A Skatepark Adventure

Spin: A Skatepark Adventure

A new inclusive urban sports show including parkour runners, skateboarders, BMX riders, acrobats and dancers. Featuring Rick Rodgers, the disabled stuntman from the Paralympic 'Yes I can' advert... 

What is Normal?

What is Normal?

Powerful tragicomic drama with masks. Are you feeling stressed? It’s a disease! Are you sad? It’s a disease! Paranoid? Schizophrenic? Who invented those words? Could we just be more... 

The Writers' Bloc

The Writers' Bloc

Soviet Russia, 1937. Deflecting public attention away from his deadly purges, Joseph Stalin commissions a great book to be written. Five great writers are placed in a room with an infinite supply of vodka, cigarettes and fear... 

Odjo: King of the Ocean

Odjo: King of the Ocean

Odjo. A beautiful idiot – raised by performing elephants. Our reporter spent three months living at sea with an idiot fisherman named Odjo. He witnessed bizarre martial arts practices, unruly animal impressions and unhealthy absurdities that reduced him to tears of laughter... 

Zach & Viggo: Thunderflop

Zach & Viggo: Thunderflop

Winner: Best Comedy, Brighton Fringe 2016. Award-winning Norwegian-American comedy duo Zach & Viggo return to Brighton a year after taking home the Best Comedy Award! Through a series of surreal and free-flowing vignettes, Zach Zucker and Viggo Venn take the audience on an absurd trip through their wild imagination into the deepest, darkest depths of stupidity! “This was a true fringe highlight” ***** (The Latest)... 

The Idiot's Guide to the World

The Idiot's Guide to the World

‘The Idiot’s Guide to the World’ is a clown show that explores a variety of physical comedy genres. Using puppetry, mime, multi-roling, bouffon and live music, we tell original stories, with humour, irony and fun... 

Discretion Guaranteed

Discretion Guaranteed

There’s a lot going on in Discretion Guaranteed at Paradise in the Vault. An infinitely able cast runs us through a myriad of concerns for modern women. While at times too many ideas are only touched on without being explored sufficiently, the effect of the production is undeniable... 

A Plague of Idiots

A Plague of Idiots

Utterly stupid and equally brilliant, A Plague of Idiots is the ultimate feast of physical comedy for your inner child. The cast (Damien Warren-Smith, Laurent Mallet, Fanny Duret, Giorgio Vierda and Mark Winstanley) have so much energy it’s as if they are going to explode off the stage... 

We Paved the Streets With People

We Paved the Streets With People

The culmination of a week-long workshop, EurekaEnsemble, to challenge and develop performers interested in more physical ways of working. The performances are an opportunity for the participants to fully explore their new skills... 

The Silence at the Song's End

The Silence at the Song's End

Beautiful, funny and completely moving, Really Good Stories’ production of The Silence at the Song’s End is one of the best pieces of theatre you’ll see this Fringe. After the death of her son Nicholas Heiney in 2006, Radio 4 Broadcaster Libby Purves came across poems, journals and diaries from his time at sea in his room... 

Pss Pss

Pss Pss

This show is unlike much else at Fringe this year. Put on by the company Compagnia Baccalà, this show received huge acclaim when it was at the Fringe in 2014. Since then it has won 15 international prizes, and has toured all over Europe... 

Macbeth: Without Words

Macbeth: Without Words

Macbeth: Without Words is an abstract and aesthetically pleasing piece, rich in tension. In this production Edinburgh-based company Ludens Ensemble stage an interpretation ‘the Scottish play’ through a dynamic mixture of sound, lighting, projection and physical theatre... 

Card Ninja

Card Ninja

Warning: This show contains ninjas, not magic. After a standing room only season in 2015, Javier Jarquin returns with award-winning show Card Ninja. Watch, as he turns ordinary playing cards into weapons, as he battles through tests of unfathomable precision, speed and power, in a unique, unforgettable and hilarious performance... 

L'Heure Fugitive

L'Heure Fugitive

A woman comes face to face with her overwhelming need for revolution. Does she long for a rendezvous? Her fantasies become action as she is carried through a series of metamorphoses, incarnating the voices of French poetesses anchored in history... 

Red and The Wolf

Red and The Wolf

Prospero Theatre have decided it’s their turn to roll out a dark retelling of a well-known fairy tale, showcasing a unique-ish take on Little Red Riding Hood, with their production Red and the Wolf... 

The Berkovian Medea

The Berkovian Medea

Euripides’ classical tragedy, of one woman’s quest for revenge and the terrible lengths she is willing to go to inflict pain on her wayward husband, has been performed thousands of times since its original conception... 

Everyman

Everyman

Everyman recounts the story of its eponymous hero as she is told, as punishment for her hedonistic and selfish lifestyle, that she is going to die. Realising how much she regrets, Everyman sets out on a quest for forgiveness... 

Dear Home Office

Dear Home Office

An appeal to those in power, uniquely created and performed by a group of unaccompanied, young refugee men from Eritrea, Afghanistan, Somalia and Albania. Playing versions of themselves on stage, they show the challenges they are facing now – navigating immigration interviews, age assessments, the first day at college, buying winter coats and learning to live alongside each other in Local Authority Care... 

Nightmare

Nightmare

Join us for Nightmare, a piece of new writing by Sophie Paterson where the boundaries between subconscious and reality have been destroyed. Leaving you alone, covered in your sister's blood and dying to know who is in the next room... 

The Mystery at Ginger Creek: An Interactive Adventure

The Mystery at Ginger Creek: An Interactive Adventure

Welcome to Ginger Creek, where curious characters and perplexing events are the norm. Join Hank O’Hara and Sally Silver Gunz as they run from the law, stumble over clues and suffer from amnesia... 

A Working Title

A Working Title

A Working Title is about the belated coming-of-age and struggles of millennials as they confront a world of expectations and disappointments. They make it up as they go along, hence the title of this production... 

All Might Seem Good

All Might Seem Good

Drawing from the likes of renowned theatre company DV8, All Might Seem Good mixes verbatim accounts of fate with physical theatre: mixing the highly natural with the highly stylised... 

I Love Ursula Hamdress

I Love Ursula Hamdress

Theatre and physical theatre about the contemporary condition of women and farmed animals, created following Carol Adams' lecture The sexual Politics of Meat. On the stage an aspiring showgirl talks about herself... 

Steam

Steam

Steam lives up to its name, delivering a staggeringly intense hour of physical theatre. It’s original student writing that’s brimming with ideas and brilliantly executed.Set to an addictive electronic soundtrack from Alexander McNally, the cast launch into some slick choreography, telling the story of Eve’s (Rosa Cains) relationship with two men (Jim Murrell and Joseph Gabriel Vogarty-Graveson) and the scars they leave behind... 

Fire Burn: The Tragedy of Macbeth

Fire Burn: The Tragedy of Macbeth

ImmerCity’s stripped back and stylised telling of the ever popular Scottish play is an at times disorienting, nightmarish and incredibly compelling piece of theatre that will give you shivers as you leave the auditorium... 

Dreaming of Leaves

Dreaming of Leaves

Quirky, vibrant and oozing with dark imagination, Dreaming of Leaves is a daring and thought-provoking piece of theatre. Set in a dystopian future in which the earth has been flooded, the play tells the story of four people who have stayed behind on the ruined remains of Earth... 

Camille

Camille

Most Fringe shows think they can squeeze two hours into fifty minutes. Not Camille: it’s focused and the pace of it is of a kind gallingly absent from Edinburgh.Musing, Camille takes the stage quietly, though don’t assume this means she’s content... 

Spool

Spool

Suppose, just suppose, that your mind and body lived separately from each other. That having started out life together they went through a divorce in which the marital estate was divided up... 

Luna Park

Luna Park

When reading the marketing blurb for Luna Park, I must confess I wasn't entirely sure what to expect. Billed as “a coming of age reverie presented in the style of magical realism through physical theatre”, I was intrigued (... 

The Living Room

The Living Room

The Living Room takes us home, to a place in which we welcome another. By starting from this fundamental action that can take place in a living room, we enter an investigation into how the potentialities of performance craft can both enrich and be enriched by daily interpersonal relations and realities... 

The Living Room

The Living Room

The Living Room takes us home, to a place in which we welcome another. By starting from this fundamental action that can take place in a living room, we enter an investigation into how the potentialities of performance craft can both enrich and be enriched by daily interpersonal relations and realities... 

The Six-Sided Man

The Six-Sided Man

The Six-Sided Man is a tense and funny drama, based on Luke Rhinehart’s cult novel The Dice Man, which has toured the world for the last 30 years. It delves into the human psyche and the darker urges it suppresses in a performance that is convincing, if sometimes a little kitsch... 

Fourth Monkey's Genesis and Revelation: Sodom

Fourth Monkey's Genesis and Revelation: Sodom

Of all the forms of theatre regularly utilised in our part of the world, physical theatre remains the most beleaguered. At its best, it can be the emotive, striking way of delivering information beyond words, like its practitioners want it to be... 

Finders Keepers

Finders Keepers

Hot Coals Theatre have put together a slick physical comedy, full of beat-perfect gags leaving you laughing out loud at the flick of an eyebrow, whilst some of the more grotesque may make you gag... 

Ribbet Ribbet Croak

Ribbet Ribbet Croak

Ribbet Ribbet Croak is a gentle and successful piece of theatre for younger children, as well as being very suitable for PMLD and ASD family groups.The story is simple. Grandpa Frog and Grandma Frog leave the pond to plan a surprise for their little Grandfrogs... 

Go Go Power Rangeurs: The Movie, Live!

Go Go Power Rangeurs: The Movie, Live!

Everyone's favourite and most ethnically diverse supergroup return. Under the guidance of floating-head thing Zordon (Ewen Macintosh from The Office), this all-American force for justice must put aside their differences and save the day, whilst also setting a great example for the kids (not suitable for children)... 

The Taming of the Shrew

The Taming of the Shrew

It’s often hard to find anything particularly original about an original adaptation of any of Shakespeare's great plays these days, but The Taming of the Shrew done in traditional Korean style, plus an added bit of hip hop, is surely a first... 

Rumpelstiltskin

Rumpelstiltskin

Wrong Tree’s Rumpelstiltskin is a musical retelling of the classic fairy tale of the farmer’s daughter and the mysterious imp. As the daughter is ordered by the King to weave straw into gold, she makes a deal with Rumpelstiltskin to help her, not realising that this gold would one day come at a high price... 

The Invisible Man

The Invisible Man

It’s always disappointing to see an interesting concept marred by poor execution. The Invisible Man takes the central concept from the HG Wells novel, but transports it to a noir-style Chicago, filled with trench coats and jazz music... 

5 Out of 10 Men...

5 Out of 10 Men...

Top ratings aren’t always just about putting on a remarkable production, although 5 Out of 10 Men is that. Sometimes a play ventures into new territory, swims into unchartered waters or deals with a topic that has been been ignored, avoided or swept under the carpet in the belief that it might go away... 

Waltzing Matilda

Waltzing Matilda

The Australian outback, a French sheep and a lonely convict on the run. It may sound like all the ingredients for a very dubious sort of production, but throw in some Spanish guitar pop song covers, plenty of dressing (and undressing) and a healthy dash of clowning and you have the fantastically silly creation that is Plague of Idiots’ Waltzing Matilda... 

The Raunch

The Raunch

As Underbelly at George Square grows arms and legs, an expansion into the Meadows was inevitable. Still within walking distance of the major players, Underbelly Circus Hub is home to this year’s The Raunch... 

Teechers

Teechers

John Godber's great play about life in a rundown secondary school where both the teachers and the students have just about given up. Teechers is the students’ end of school production and they show the whole school what belief and encouragement can achieve... 

Help Me, I'm From Essex, Get Me Out of Here!

Help Me, I'm From Essex, Get Me Out of Here!

Hey! Ever wondered what happens to TV reality stars when they stop being famous? On the slippery slide from celebrity to no-mark they have some wonderful adventures. Join them and catch the all-singing, all-dancing tragedy that is Help, I'm From Essex, Get Me Out of Here! (PS It's a comedy for all the family!) 

Slaves of Sleep

Slaves of Sleep

Moody Old Man Theatre Company specialise in making theatre that is inspired by music. Using cult albums of the 80s as influence, we've devised a piece that questions what it means to dream... 

Savage / Love

Savage / Love

A fresh look at the love poems of Sam Shepard using dance, aerial, physical theatre and live video. ‘Real and imagined moments in the spell of love’ said Joseph Chaikin. Promises a fusion of desire, obsession, delusion, desperation, and exaltation... 

Scapegoat

Scapegoat

Texas, early evening, the 1980s. A man returns to his old town. But where has he been? And what is he hiding? Ghosts from his past return to haunt him with shattering consequences, shaking each character and changing their lives irreparably... 

Sonder

Sonder

A breathlessly physical exploration of how it feels to be alone. Drawing on the performers' own lives and experiences explored through an episodic structure, Broken Chair makes theatre with people, movement and chairs... 

Molière's The Hypochondriac

Molière's The Hypochondriac

Molière’s classic comedy is reinvented as a piece of high energy physical storytelling, in a new adaptation by Oliver Pengelly and Dawn Wylie. The miserly Argan has an ever-increasing list of ailments and a doctor’s bill to match but can he conjure up a dastardly plan that will secure him free prescriptions for whatever time he has left? This talented cast use choral work and finely crafted characterisation to bring this classic tale to life in a thrilling new production for all the family... 

Tandem

Tandem

Start a revolution, or head to the beach? A dilemma that arises for Frederica and Paola as they ride two bicycles welded to each other. On their tandem they can share their dreams and conflicts, adventures and dangers... 

Two Man Show

Two Man Show

In an explosion of energy, raw intensity and emotion, RashDash theatre company shatters preconceptions of the patriarchy. This theatre group dismantles traditional notions, with the actors taking on the roles of two women who are playing two men... 

The End

The End

Celebrated Scottish choreographer Jack Webb has brought his latest, typically idiosyncratic work, The End, for performance at this year’s Festival Fringe as part of the extensive programme at Dance Base... 

Entrails

Entrails

Entrails is a contemporary dance theatre piece that presents an urgent, dark and absurd look at our human bodies. Bodies that malfunction yet persist. Bodies that are denigrated and manipulated... 

Scorched

Scorched

The setting is intimate, and encroaching on the personal space of a frail man, in a battered armchair listening to the television (news of the Gulf War is on – the year is 1991) feels a little intrusive... 

Macbeth

Macbeth

Fortitude Dance company’s attempt to stage a ‘physical theatre’ version of Shakespeare’s bloody Scottish tragedy in the club scene of 1980’s Manchester is certainly a novel take on the classic tale, but one that falls well short of being an engaging or enjoyable piece of theatre... 

Fourth Monkey's Genesis and Revelation: Ascension Part 2

Fourth Monkey's Genesis and Revelation: Ascension Part 2

Here we go again. The other half of Fourth Monkey’s Ascension is here, though according to them the parts are “complementary, but independent”. And they are complementary, if by ‘complementary’ you mean utterly the same in tone, image and structure... 

Once...

Once...

Russian Company Derevo’s Once takes place early in the morning by Fringe standards and many of the audience members at the George Square Theatre might have been wondering whether they’d woken up yet... 

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... 

Fourth Monkey's Genesis and Revelation: The Ark

Fourth Monkey's Genesis and Revelation: The Ark

Drawing from Biblical allusions, Fourth Monkey’s The Ark, as part of their Genesis and Revelation programme, centres on people attempting to play God with the lives of modern-day refugees... 

The Lounge

The Lounge

There comes a time in most good plays when you realise you’ve become completely lost in a moment due to its sheer brilliance. The Lounge, performed by Inspector Sands and produced by China Plate, has a truckload of these moments... 

Scenes from an Urban Gothic

Scenes from an Urban Gothic

Scenes from an Urban Gothic by Theatre Imaginers will certainly appeal to those who have come to the Fringe in search of something different. Through no words or props, James Cross (with direction from Des Truscott) vividly depicts a man’s arrival in London from his countryside paradise... 

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... 

Generation Zero

Generation Zero

The difficult relationship between political and personal affairs are addressed in the devastating drama Generation Zero. Through an interesting balance between dialogue and narration, Becky Owen Fisher’s play tells the story of an unnamed man and woman living happily until her involvement in an environmental activist group puts an unbearable strain on their relationship... 

Fourth Monkey's Genesis and Revelation: Ascension Part 1

Fourth Monkey's Genesis and Revelation: Ascension Part 1

The Genesis + Revelation cycle by Fourth Monkey promises “traditional Bible stories with a contemporary twist”. I struggle to see what’s contemporary about Ascension Part 1; it’s a mishmash of apocalypse imagery and shouting, unfettered by sense... 

An Account of a Savage

An Account of a Savage

‘What does it mean to be a human?’Voiced explicitly at one moment during this equal parts captivating, inviting and horrifying production, the question of the very nature of humanity is wrestled with... 

At War With Love

At War With Love

Ambitious in its intentions, At War With Love uses a selection of thirty-two of William Shakespeare’s sonnets to form a narrative set against the backdrop of the First World War. What with the continuation of World War One commemorations taking place in this centenary anniversary year of the Battle of the Somme, tied to the events marking the four hundredth year since Shakespeare’s death, it would appear that the piece has chanced upon the perfect time to tie these two areas of literary and historical significance together... 

The Company of Wolves

The Company of Wolves

“Who’s afraid of the big, bad wolf?”Such is the musical refrain setting the playful, yet pervasively sinister, tone which permeates this piece from the outset. A devised adaptation of Angela Carter’s Gothic fairy-tale subversion, this reworking of The Company of Wolves skilfully negotiates a balance between retaining Carter’s own language, realising visually her symbolic use of colour, and introducing original set-pieces which delve deeper into the themes of transgression and predation established by the author... 

Made Up

Made Up

Using poetry, physical theatre, music and a limited amount of props, The Fast Food Collective’s new show is a thrilling romp through a night on the town. Made Up will have you laughing, crying and occasionally tapping your feet along with the music... 

The Mission

The Mission

Set in 2057, a time not too far away from our own, The Mission charts the selection and preparation for an unprecedented space exploration by an unremarkable and apparently run-of-the-mill protagonist – Jenny... 

Metamorphoses

Metamorphoses

Youth reigns in Mary Zimmerman's Metamorphoses, a lavish retelling of Ovid's tales, brought to stunning visual life. Set in and around a pool of water on stage, Metamorphoses juxtaposes the ancient and the contemporary in this 60-minute gem. 

Bucket List

Bucket List

What do you do when your mother is murdered for protesting corporate and governmental corruption? In the case of Milagros, you fight for the justice your mother was denied and seek revenge... 

The Curious Sole of Luna Cobbler

The Curious Sole of Luna Cobbler

Can the moon really mend a damaged sole? Is there a pair for everyone? Join Luna in this quirky visual piece, inspired by Tim Burton’s poetry, on a journey to find the perfect solemates one step at a time... 

Lightless

Lightless

When a child's choice is to be a suicide bomber or an invader's informant, his Afghan mother sends him away to save him. A child is a product to a smuggler, a migrant to a border guard, a refugee to an aid worker, and, with luck, an asylum seeker to a government... 

The Creeps

The Creeps

Catherine Waller's 'body morphs almost supernaturally into distinct personalities... pathetic, disturbed and disturbingly relatable.' (certified reviewer, Hollywood Fringe Festival 2014). 

The Therapist

The Therapist

The Therapist is about a woman called Michelle Dowell. She is 34 years of age. In the play she has a number of different mentally ill patients. Her patients suffer from depression, bipolar disorder, multiple personality disorder and schizophrenia... 

Just So?

Just So?

Did the world come about just so? Have forces of science and evolution been the only things at work? How did the world come to be filled with so many strange wonders? A new reworking of some of Rudyard Kipling's Just So Stories takes a fresh look at these questions – maybe, just maybe, there has been something or someone else at work, playing with the course of human and animal history and having great fun along the way. 

Le Bossu

Le Bossu

The scene is Notre Dame. A hunchback ‘hunches’ over in the bell-tower. A monolithic organ stretches up the back wall, standing guard over the proceedings. What follows is a thoughtful, if overly faithful take on Victor Hugo's novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame that never quite captures of the magic of the company’s past work... 

Stuff

Stuff

What is love? In an immersive clown show with an interesting lyrical vein, Sean Kempton (of Cirque du Soleil) attempts to find out.Kempton’s oddball sense of humour leads to a number of inventive sketches: he can be seen climbing out of the womb and inexpertly juggling with (thankfully imaginary) knives... 

Yuri

Yuri

Patrick and Adele dream of having children of their own, yet their biological clock is ticking and here comes her solution: she picks up a homeless boy in Lidl (of all places) and brings him home, to Patrick’s great dismay... 

Inferno

Inferno

Inferno is the first and, arguably, best part of Dante’s Divine Comedy. Sin manifests itself. We see the evidence of our transgressions, even when they exist in a nasty, draconian framework... 

Do Not Open

Do Not Open

Do Not Open explores the chaos from within Pandora's box and asks the question – was it really all that bad? Come on – wasn't some of it kind of fun? This devised piece plays fast and loose with the idea of knowledge as evil and reinterprets the stories from Pandora's box to modern day settings... 

Ken Do's Success for Losers

Ken Do's Success for Losers

You are the neander-fools and I am fire. Come out of your caves and discover me. I Ken Do! Join motivational maestro Ken Do for a whistle-stop tour of where it all went wrong. With stops for toilet at disappointment, envy, bitterness, and regret... 

The Twisted Fairytale

The Twisted Fairytale

Grapple Theatre have been inspired by Kneehigh; think Into the Woods meets Brothers Grimm, a combination of live music, physical theatre and puppetry. The Twisted Fairytale is a magical, comic show for all the family. 

Plain as Paper

Plain as Paper

Plain as Paper is an energetic physical theatre show centred around where our imaginations can take us using only paper—though what is going on there and why is not always plain.Trying to tell many stories through their actions and paper props, we are left with no consistent stories or characters to follow... 

Dracula

Dracula

Push to Shove Theatre Company have devised a simplified version of Dracula giving it the justice it deserves without taking anything away from Bram Stoker’s original concept. Through movement alone they have managed to breathe life into the timeless classic ready for a modern audience to explore its darker meaning of seductive possession... 

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... 

The Haberdasher

The Haberdasher

A sumptuous new show about one man's search for identity, belonging and soft furnishings. He meets a mysterious and mischievous Haberdasher, embarking on a mission to find the fabric best suited to his needs... 

Peter Pan

Peter Pan

Come and join us for a wonderful adventure in Neverland and see how Peter, Wendy, John and Michael battle the pirates, mermaids and native Indians with help from the Lost Boys and a sprinkle of fairy dust from a very feisty fairy... 

Bird

Bird

A vast and desolate world. One lone creature, starved of both food and friendship. With only a patch of soil to call her own, she must be ready to seize every small opportunity that might fly by… Created through inventive clowning, mime and visceral physicality, and enriched by a detailed and subtle soundscape which is performed live, Bird is a timeless tale of friendship, courage, magic and madness... 

Whiteout

Whiteout

‘Bringing a thrillingly muscular energy... this is a take on life with genuine strength of conviction in a natural, vivid style. We’re entranced’ **** (Guardian). A heartfelt dance theatre piece that gives resonance to the complexities of bi-racial relationships... 

5 Out of 10 Men...

5 Out of 10 Men...

On average, 12 men take their own life every single day. Rooted in true experience and inspired by a verbatim text, 5 Out of 10 Men invites men to be open – to journey unabashedly into themselves... 

Fourth Monkey's Genesis and Revelation: The Whale

Fourth Monkey's Genesis and Revelation: The Whale

**** (Stage). ***** (Independent). Fourth Monkey return to the Fringe with a season of work inspired by the books of Genesis and Revelation following last year's success of their Grimm season... 

#All of Us in Wonderland

#All of Us in Wonderland

The world of social media is beguiling, engrossing, enriching and deeply disturbing, as was Alice’s famous adventure. Are we expecting too much of social media (and of ourselves), or too little? Based on wide-ranging interviews and their own everyday experience, a gifted troupe of millennials has created an honest, highly engaging, movement-based show that explores many sides of this question... 

Hummingbird

Hummingbird

‘He had two things in life: a smile and a suit. And he was not afraid to use them.’ Edith Cole worked a dead-end job in a funeral parlour. Ralph Conti worked wealthy widows for a quick buck... 

Petrol

Petrol

Em and Um: a married couple losing their identity in a plastic, robotic, grotesque world. Two dark clowns share the same tragicomic, alienating existence as they work side by side. And then, something happens which shakes their souls... 

The Convolution of Pip and Twig

The Convolution of Pip and Twig

Epic adventure! Spills and thrills! Complicated love! Heart strings! Song and dance! Twin sisters’ world of safety and routine is blown open when one twin follows her heart into the unknown... 

The Snow Queen

The Snow Queen

Trundling into view as part of C Theatre’s 25th anniversary is The Snow Queen. A decent adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen’s classic story for the most part, it doesn’t quite seem to reach its full potential... 

Yokai

Yokai

In a desolate space, probably in the middle of nowhere, stands a group of curious looking people. With miniature trees and paper seagulls in their pockets, they begin to orchestrate the world as they see it... 

Bubble Show for Adults Only

Bubble Show for Adults Only

The Bubble Show your mother warned you about is here! Clothes and bubbles will fly in this cabaret styled story filled with beautiful bubble creations, stripping, slapping, stick fighting, foam burlesque, acrobatics, contact juggling and bubbles that are absolutely not for children... 

Banging Fun Stuff

Banging Fun Stuff

The Cutlery Crew wants everyone to have fun, feel uplifted and bang stuff joyfully. But a crime has been committed and all hope rests upon PC Pauline, a worrisome policewoman searching for suspects... 

The Dandelion’s Story

The Dandelion’s Story

A beautiful flower is born with the help of something dirty, trivial and unexpected. Everything has its purpose in the cycle of life. Korean tale for children young and old. Must-see children's show is back! Adapted by JungSuk Kim from JungSaeng Kwon’s bestselling children’s fairy tale, The Dandelion’s Story has been brought to the stage in this production by Modl theatre of Korea... 

The Establishment

The Establishment

Dan Lees, ‘comedy genius’ (FringeReview.co.uk), and Neil Frost (Prague Fringe Inspiration Award nominee) present a riotous, satirical parody of the English ruling classes. Two quintessentially English gentlemen struggling to hold on to their whimsical world of cricket, tea and secret arms deals... 

Squirrel Stole My Underpants

Squirrel Stole My Underpants

In this poignantly silly adventure tale for families, Sylvie is sent to the backyard to hang up the laundry. The moment her back is turned, a mischievous squirrel steals her favourite piece of clothing and runs off... 

Finding Joy

Finding Joy

The funny, fearless international sell-out mask production from the UK's leading full mask company, Vamos Theatre. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll find joy! Joy is 83 today: she's feisty, loves to dance and is losing her memory... 

Skin of the Teeth

Skin of the Teeth

Thriller meets fairy tale. Nineteen-year-old Nicholas finds a fistful of teeth and is propelled into a perilous world of manipulation, ritual and dangerous men. 'Startlingly innovative' (Fest) Fat Content return to the Fringe with award-winning poet and playwright Anna Beecher's searing retelling of The Boy Who Went Forth to Learn to Shudder... 

Alice

Alice

Follow Alice on an adventure into the magical world beyond the mirror. Meet talking flowers, kings, queens, Humpty Dumpty, Tweedledum, Tweedledee and hear the story of the Jabberwock... 

The Marked

The Marked

As a boy, Jack lived in a world of monsters and invisible guardians, as he fought to protect the people he loved. Now grown, his life on the streets of London is less fantastical. But when a ghost from his past turns up, Jack must harness the power of forgotten myths to defeat her... 

The Tiniest Frog Prince in the World

The Tiniest Frog Prince in the World

In the small world of 30 Inches Aquarium, simple but amazing things are happening. A classic fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm reimagined for today. Brush Theatre’s clever and humorous production tells the story of a handsome prince who is changed into a frog... 

D.R.E.A.M.

D.R.E.A.M.

Why do we forget our dreams? Why can't we control them? And how can dreams impact on our day-to-day lives? Touching Sky Young Company explore a society where dreams are an unprecedented concept and do not exist... 

We Are Brontë

We Are Brontë

A ludicrous and inventive interpretation of the Brontë myth, taking the real and imaginary worlds of the Yorkshire siblings as inspiration. With only a handful of props, two performers deconstruct not only Gothic themes of love, madness and revenge, but also themselves... 

Giant

Giant

Tommy, 22, lives with three generations of his family. They've learnt to ignore the strange things his nan says over dinner and the bizarre rumblings coming from the attic. Horribly honest clowns and questionable cabaret acts ignite the stage with Human Zoo's trademark live music, puppetry, poetry and movement... 

The Girl Who Fell In Love With The Moon

The Girl Who Fell In Love With The Moon

Puppetry, poetry, dance and live music are interwoven in this splendid succession of stories from five zany friends. When the car in which Jack, Clive, Selina, Scarlet and Luna are travelling in towards Komedia Studio breaks down, the eccentric quintet find themselves within a deep, dark forest... 

Melancholy

Melancholy

This show started beautifully and retained its magic right until the very end. It was an absolute joy to watch and there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. Everything worked and worked remarkably... 

How to be a Girl

How to be a Girl

Darkly comic, ensemble theatre at its finest. This startling, unstoppable comedy will leave you feeling raw. [newline] “This play provides a relentless examination of media pressure on young women... 

Here I Am

Here I Am

Actor Manuel Lavandera, Director Britt Forsberg. A comic tragedy without borders. Mix Charlie Chaplin, Jim Carey and Manuel and you have the expressive language of this part-improvised solo performance... 

Mr Jordan's Funeral: In Absence of his Memory

Mr Jordan's Funeral: In Absence of his Memory

In loving memory of Mr Jordan, a darling husband, brother, lover, dickhead, mumbler and ghost. A physical exploration that uses daring imagery, energetic performances and messy, yet vulnerable moments to turn the conventions of a funeral upside down... 

Storyteller, Storyteller

Storyteller, Storyteller

Clowning, slapstick and magical, non-verbal storytelling create a feast of laughter as two storytellers go head to head. From award-winning Story Pocket Theatre Company. "Quite simply the most brilliant piece of children’s theatre ... 

Cathedral

Cathedral

Cathedral is a midnight mass - an ode to memory and the sense of loss which carefully evokes a frozen, car-crash, state of mind. Two actualities run in tandem. A voice-over, male then female, piles up pieces of narrative that form imperfect recollections of a relationship into an overlapping collection... 

No More Miss America!

No More Miss America!

I originally held out much hope for this production from How to Deal with Rude and Unruly Women, however being there was like serving a prison sentence. Eerily dispersed amongst the pews, the cast wearing nothing but their underwear made me think this was going to be an in-yer-face piece of theatre... 

Tonight We Strut

Tonight We Strut

Tonight We Strut is a fantastical hour of slapstick mayhem in the guise of a TV chat show. Unpredictable, slightly offensive, and ruthlessly charming! Talented idiotic brothers, Sean and Seamus, take you on a thrilling soap opera into the absurd; a tornado of laughs, gags and audience participation. 

Onwards to Progress / Orpheus

Onwards to Progress / Orpheus

Two pieces of new British writing that have been produced by Bred in the Bone Theatre. Presented as a double bill, both pieces explore the relationship between text, movement and music, telling the stories of two men walking into the unknown. 

LazyTown Live

LazyTown Live

A 60-minute, non-stop highly-interactive and energetic show, jam-packed with singing, dancing, spectacular acrobatics and music, featuring original tracks from the hit TV show. Featuring Sportacus, Stephanie, Ziggy, Robbie Rotten and... 

Gran Consiglio (Mussolini)

Gran Consiglio (Mussolini)

Opening in 1943 Rome, Gran Consiglio is set with The Grand Council of Fascism meeting to discuss the deposition of Benito Mussolini. As he waits within a small study-room of Palazzo Venezia, the overwhelmed and tired Duce reflects on his life prior to this moment... 

Poetic Ramblings of Existential Delight

Poetic Ramblings of Existential Delight

Choreographer Ellie Aldegheri presents Lunas Dance Project in 'Poetic Ramblings of Existential Delight', inspired by Carl Jung’s 'Memories, Dreams, Reflections' alongside feelings of change and rebirth... 

Ahmed and the Feather Girl

Ahmed and the Feather Girl

Ahmed, a poor orphan, escapes his war torn homeland and joins the circus. He meets a knife thrower, a one-eyed ballerina, a talking cat and a clown. Everything changes when he finds a friend born from a golden egg... 

Acting Funny: UoB's Short Course on Comic Theatre Practice

Acting Funny: UoB's Short Course on Comic Theatre Practice

Taught by established professional performers and University of Brighton staff, this five day course provides intensive training in physical skills and creative approaches for devising comic theatre... 

Seven

Seven

For a topic that has become slightly worn in recent years and can easily slip into cliché, this was a very commendable take, using the extremely difficult device of verbatim performance... 

Dead Man Presents: Tessa Waters: Over Promises

Dead Man Presents: Tessa Waters: Over Promises

Clown, dance and sketch collide as multi-award-winning Australian comedian, Tessa Waters, unleashes her new hour of stupidity. "Funny as Hell" ***** (The Age), [newline] "Funniest show I've ever seen... 

Puppet Performance and Workshops

Puppet Performance and Workshops

'Boipuso and the Grumpy Green Giant', a folk tale from Botswana and other stories with puppets and percussion. Also puppet-making and animation workshops for children and families in collaboration with Touched Theatre. 

Shrink Wrapped

Shrink Wrapped

Join Doris La Trine and Lotta Quizeen on their first day out of rehab. Doris (with golden, mobile toilet, Len) and Lotta (and her wheelie shopper) put the fun into dysfunction as they celebrate disordered eating, compulsive shopping and manic cleaning... 

Big Bobby, Little Bobby

Big Bobby, Little Bobby

If like me you find an Irish accent a wondrous tool capable, in a single crank, of spinning the very stars in the gutter, and if, like me also, you enjoy nothing better than a bit of virtuoso story-telling, then you’re going to love Big Bobby, Little Bobby... 

The Best Thing

The Best Thing

It’s 1966. The record player's on, her hair’s bobbed and eye-lashes curled: for 17-year-old Susan, life is an adventure waiting to begin. But what happens next turns everything upside down, and its repercussions will last for decades to come. 

Tatterdemalion

Tatterdemalion

From the creators of Boris & Sergey comes a one-man show featuring puppetry, physical comedy, and mime. Hilarious, absurd and often magical this show juxtaposes themes of loneliness and belonging with joy and exhilaration... 

Trygve Wakenshaw: Kraken

Trygve Wakenshaw: Kraken

The multi-award-winning, critically acclaimed total-sell-out returns. Gaulier-trained clown Trygve Wakenshaw’s beautifully strange stream-of-consciousness idiocy. Winner: Best Comedy (Adelaide Fringe 2015 AND Perth Fringe 2015); 2014 Edinburgh Underbelly Award... 

Gloriator

Gloriator

A riotously funny show revealing just what happens when a glamorous French actress and her hapless assistant stage their version of Hollywood blockbuster ‘Gladiator’. [newline] Winner - Critics Choice Award at Exeter Ignite... 

Did I Choose These Shoes?

Did I Choose These Shoes?

A thought-provoking, one-woman show exploring the themes of feminism, love, media, society and nature vs nurture. This spoken-word poetry performance focuses on the issues of growing up in the 21st century, incorporating elements of physical theatre, images, film and music. 

Bane

Bane

Bane tells the story of hitman Bruce Bane, ‘a hired hand who gets the job done’. In the first instalment of the story, Bane works back through a convoluted web of friends, foes, memories and chance encounters to find out who is after him... 

The Biggest Marionette Circus in the World Part II

The Biggest Marionette Circus in the World Part II

Life-sized animal puppets with fully articulated limbs come to life in front of your eyes in a cacophony of singing, dancing and plenty of audience participation. The Biggest Marionette Circus in the World: Part II is a family show like no other... 

Club Cairo

Club Cairo

Club Cairo offers an exotic array of entertainment from Arabia. Live music, dance and theatre combine to bring you a super-sensory experience steeped in tradition yet eager to branch out and explore new forms of expression. 

Confessions of a Redheaded Coffeeshop Girl

Confessions of a Redheaded Coffeeshop Girl

With a name like Confessions Of A Red-Headed Coffeeshop Girl you might expect a raw, bittersweet expose of the disappointments of a young dreamer, crushed by the tsunami of Post-Recession economics... 

Helen

Helen

Although you may well have some early misgivings, Helen is a show to persevere with. Re-imagining the myth of Helen of Troy as an ageing beauty during the fall of her dictator husband's regime, it could depict any modern day insurgency although inevitably it draws parallels with Syria... 

Briefs

Briefs

“Politics doesn’t have to be dull. Throw some glitter on it, people,’’ says Fez Fa’anana, the host/hostess of Briefs. There aren’t a whole heap of words in this shiny, funny, high-energy boylesque Aussie spectacular, but those ones made me think... 

The Other

The Other

Gaël Le Cornec (Argus Angel award-winner with Frida Kahlo) returns to Brighton with a new play on immigration based on refugees’ stories. Join young Mana from the war-torn Red-Yellow planet on a coming-of-age upside-down fairy-tale, full of poetry, humour and fantasy, where nothing is what it seems. 

Madame Señorita: ¿Who are Tú?

Madame Señorita: ¿Who are Tú?

Debuting in Brighton following a critically acclaimed run at the 2015 Edinburgh Fringe, 'Madame Señorita: ¿Who are Tú?' is a total riot of a show, lead by an idiot. If you enjoy Spanish drama, ghosts, sexy housewives and Rock 'n Roll, and you want to witness a surreal experience, this show is for you! 

Decameron

Decameron

A promenade performance by in situ: Following the sell-out success of Canterbury Tales in 2015, in situ:'s storytellers return with another medieval masterpiece – Boccaccio’s magnificent cycle of 100 tales, set against the macabre backdrop of the Black Death... 

Honey

Honey

‘Honey’ is an original piece of theatre with a set of three bee hives that transform to tell the story. Patchwork and folk music paint a landscape of the hills and those that live within them... 

Memories of a Lullaby

Memories of a Lullaby

A one-woman show questioning how socio-political conditions shape us as individuals, while attempting to give a perspective on how our realities differ greatly depending on where we are born and raised... 

Bane 2

Bane 2

'Bane 2' follows hitman Bruce Bane as he fends off toxic monsters, old foes and inner demons. Joe Bone tells the story like a movie, to Ben Roe’s live soundtrack. All the Bane shows are independent stories and can be seen in any order... 

The Moscow State Circus

The Moscow State Circus

The Moscow State Circus returns to the UK with its latest, greatest production 'The Flower with Seven Colours'. Seven wishes to fulfil, aided by circus clowns and a multitude of flying, back flipping, juggling, wire walking, roller skating acts... 

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... 

Hardly Still Walking, Not Yet Flying

Hardly Still Walking, Not Yet Flying

With elements that could have made it great, Hardly Still Walking, Not Yet Flying was sadly let down by others that weren’t quite up to par. Beginning on a positive, the singer had a beautifully delicate voice and their use of a loop pedal was impressive, framing the piece nicely... 

Save Me A Balloon

Save Me A Balloon

Michael and Maria are an elderly couple, who receive the news that one has a terminal illness. An uplifting love story of an unlikely couple, with a list of unconventional to-dos before they say their good-byes... 

Which is Witch?

Which is Witch?

As a follow-up to the highly successful 'I Love Luci', The Other Realm Theatre Company return with 'Which is Witch?'. Comedy and drama will take you through the history of this great nation's fascination with the dark side of femininity - Witches! Think 'Horrible Histories' in a pantomime style. 

Blooming Surprise

Blooming Surprise

If you’ve ever struggled to catch a flight while clumsily carrying too many suitcases and bags, there’s lots to smile at here. During this one-woman physical performance, we follow a solo traveller who encounters love, loss and friendship without even leaving the airport... 

The History of Everything in 60 Mins (more or less)

The History of Everything in 60 Mins (more or less)

Ben Watson's meet and greet as we entered the theatre made his audience immediately warm to him. It was personal touches like this that proved to be the most enjoyable part of his fact-driven foray into his more-or-less sixty minute history of everything... 

Swan Bake

Swan Bake

What do you get when an impressionable young writer moves into a London squat with a couple of crack addict ballerinas and a pack of rats? Swan Bake! This mash-up of song, dance, theatre and puppetry is definitely not a show for kids... 

It's Okay, I'm Dealing With It

It's Okay, I'm Dealing With It

The Hiccup Project were the darlings of the 2015 Brighton Fringe with their show May-We-Go-Round, winning awards and accolades in abundance and that holy grail of all Fringe artists - a fully booked tour... 

Mr Pineapple Head

Mr Pineapple Head

A family clown theatre show. Mr Pineapple Head works in the style of a silent clown, performing physical comedy and slapstick routines to music. Genuinely funny, professional silliness! It's a Brunswick Fringe tradition! 

Aqua TV

Aqua TV

Sit back, relax and enjoy Aqua TV, brought to you by the synchronised swimmers of Brighton. In their 8th annual Brighton Fringe show, the synchro swimmers of Brighton Swimming Club, Brighton Dolphin Synchro, and BSC's Horsham Flamingos will wow you with their synchronicity. 

The Establishment

The Establishment

Dan Lees, "Comedy genius" (Fringe Review) and Neil Frost (Prague Fringe award nominee) present two quintessentially English gentlemen from a bygone era, struggling to hold on to their whimsical world of cricket, tea and secret arms deals... 

Curses

Curses

A series of curses. But what does it mean to submit? What is gained, or lost, in resistance? And who is responsible for the infliction in the first place? A physical-visual-textual mashup, ‘Curses’ explores how we respond to the everyday and extraordinary burdens we find ourselves lumbered with. 

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. 

BackStories

BackStories

A bar stool. An office chair. An apartment. Muscle memory and tension, present and past. Physical theatre meets contemporary dance in a solo performance viewed from behind. “Fitfully mysterious magic” (Keith Watson, Resolution! 2015 review). 

Aphrodite in Flippers

Aphrodite in Flippers

Georgie’s 40th birthday, her friends spy something strange lodged in her ear. Its discovery propels three women on a surreal, darkly comic journey through their (extra)ordinary world... 

Worst Case Scenario

Worst Case Scenario

An expert juggler, an acrobat and dancer, a musician and inventor, and a brave warrioress present an archive of 23 thoughts about conflict, collected over a single year. Everything you see on stage is real... 

The Marked

The Marked

The Marked follows Jack's crusade against the haunting demons that follow his life living rough on the streets of London. Fuelled both by his own regrets and his mother’s history of alcohol abuse, Jack aims to survive his harsh environment and find something worth living for again... 

Follow Suit

Follow Suit

A madcap frenzy of physical comedy with a political bite. In this absurd office, nothing is more important than avoiding the skeletons in the stationery cupboard. Leap on the desks... 

Mute

Mute

Three people dead. Silence. You are your own worst enemy. But did you do anything wrong? The Northbrook company, directed by Claire Raftery, explore Dostoyevski’s ‘Crime and Punishment’ and sound and silence. 

Ghost Sex

Ghost Sex

I love ghost stories but I have never heard one quite like this. Ghost sex is a tragicomic story of love and loss and the thin line between what’s real and what’s imaginary... 

Moving Into Stillness: Workshop

Moving Into Stillness: Workshop

Join Sevanti for a 'Yogida' workshop, based on the choreography of her 'Moving Into Stillness' performance. Be guided through routines that include a fusion of yoga, partner yoga and meditative movement and dance... 

Extravaganza

Extravaganza

Join David, Keith, Hans and Romano on a quest to tell their individual stories and impose their so-called cultural offerings onto an audience. A madcap show full of acrobatics, improvisation, live music, audience participation and a unicycle on fire... 

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... 

Moving into Stillness

Moving into Stillness

Join Sevanti and the Unity team for the beautiful, meditative fusion of yoga and contemporary dance, including Unity Partner Yoga™. Live music, projections and lighting installation support this moving performance, which takes place in the inspiring Unity Studio, Brighton. 

Edit Profile

Edit Profile

Newly single and HIV positive Pete listens to the consolations of his best friend Vanessa on his voicemail. “Call me!” she almost begs. He flicks on to Grindr. - Ping - “What you into?” - Ping - “BB and chems” - Ping - “Sounds fun... 

LUNCH

LUNCH

The misery of two men working for the municipality, in a town that is still using the bucket toilet system. Their conversation is inspired by fear of the government’s initiative to end the system. 

Zach & Viggo: Thunderflop

Zach & Viggo: Thunderflop

Fresh off a sold-out tour between New York and Los Angeles and an extended run at the Edinburgh Fringe, these Gaulier-graduates bring their high energy and low intelligence to Brighton with Zach & Viggo: Thunderflop. 

The Late Show

The Late Show

Fancy more Fringe? Join us for the best in laid-back, late-night entertainment at The Warren. Every Tuesday, we host a Fringe pub quiz, and Wednesday to Sunday there’ll be all kinds of fun (planned and impromptu) in store, with comedy, cabaret, music and all manner of fabulous Fringe fare. 

Early Grave, Fashionably Late

Early Grave, Fashionably Late

Come and join Mr Cooper Sullivan as he tells the tale of how he became embroiled in a murder which takes him on a wild adventure that will have you giggling the whole way though. In this solo-performance Samuel Carroll recreates assassination attempts, cock-fighting, chases through the streets of Dublin onstage and plays a wide range of characters from seedy gamblers to the Queen of England (no not that one)... 

Beauty Of The Beast

Beauty Of The Beast

A slow burn performance, which builds to a surprisingly hard hitting climax, using a dance and self-aware comedy.Beauty of the Beast explores the complexities of male relationships; friendships, pack dynamics and teamwork, looking at the camaraderie, vulnerability and hostility produced by these interactions – an unlikely inspiration for a dance piece but made all the more interesting because of it... 

Cleansed

Cleansed

Cleansed is classic Sarah Kane: disturbing, difficult, packed with violence and potentially quite profound. Fear No Colours’ production makes a good effort to make sense of a play that seems to revel in hiding its purpose... 

Islands

Islands

Islands is a bit madcap. Caroline Horton's play, which she stars in, was commissioned by the Warwick Arts Centre and the Harlow Playhouse, and is a blatant, angry attack that explores the decadent, exploitative world of tax havens... 

Perceptual Landscape

Perceptual Landscape

A technical marvel, Perceptual Landscape is an alarming watch. We enter on unbearable supersonic screeches and earth-rocking bass. Crumpled paper adds unease to an already complex soundscape… 

64 Squares

64 Squares

'Welcome to my mind. Sorry about the mess.' Rhum and Clay Theatre Company have no need to apologise, as their new show 64 Squares is a joy to watch, starting with a bang and continuing with a frenetic energy that never drops... 

The Sea Child

The Sea Child

The Sea Child, adapted by Carolyn Sloan from her novel of the same name, is a tender and evocative play. It tells the story of Jessie, a young girl who lives alone with her father in The Sands, a place where houses (according to legend) disappeared under the sea thirty years ago... 

Dust Never Settles in Torchlight

Dust Never Settles in Torchlight

NakedFeet Theatre’s Dust Never Settles in Torchlight is a short and sweet reimagining of a selection of Greek myths. Whether or not you’re familiar with the myths of Echo, Narcissus and Pygmalion, the physical theatre involved is utterly captivating and the imaginative lighting design (the stage is almost entirely lit by hand-held torches) transports you to another world... 

Underneath

Underneath

From award-winning and internationally acclaimed Irish theatre company Fishamble: The New Play Company, comes this extravagant one-man show. In Underneath, an ash-covered figure talks to the audience from beyond the grave, reliving their experiences and recounting them to us in a mixture of haunting and often comical ways... 

I Am

I Am

I Am is the sequel to LCP Dance Theatre’s Am I. The first work is based on the story of Sophie Hayes, a victim of human trafficking and explores how the the victims of sexual exploitation were robbed of their identity... 

Sleeping Trees: Mafia?/Western?

Sleeping Trees: Mafia?/Western?

Western? is like watching your three little brothers playing Cowboys and Indians - with excellent band accompaniment, inventive slapstick and relentless wit. So not quite like watching your clumsy brothers, more like watching three men who have mastered the craft of genre-bending physical comedy... 

An Invitation...

An Invitation...

Bodies are awkward, difficult things. Even trained dancers struggle with the unpredictability of possessing a body — it can so easily betray us and make us laughable. Jo Fong takes on this most human of conditions in An Invitation, a smart, playful piece which regretfully never quite finds its balance... 

Boxed In

Boxed In

We’re all familiar with our society’s gender expectations – Barbie and Action Man, Yorkie Bars and Bic’s “for her” range. Theatre company Portmanteau addresses this subject in their new verbatim piece Boxed In... 

Butterfly

Butterfly

A haunting and powerful adaptation of Madame Butterfly, Ramesh Meyyappen’s silent movement piece about love, lust and loss is hauntingly powerful and will stay with you long after you’ve seen it... 

Pact With Pointlessness

Pact With Pointlessness

This is a show that asks big questions. A barrage of old time patter and online chatter fuel the slow, slow, quick, quick, slow cycles of coming and going, in an absurd piece triggered by life, death and what to do about it all... 

Flight

Flight

Flight is an incredibly impressive example of acrobatic theatre, if not a particularly interesting take on the story of The Little PrinceThe storyline follows the original as closely as you can without infringing on rights... 

Geometric City

Geometric City

Geometric City – The world sneezed and everything fell to pieces, revealing an exciting, mysterious and undiscovered landscape. Come and join Bridget and Cindy in this theatrical adventure, as they go exploring through locations they quickly discover are inhabited by a range of creatures, only some of whom are friendly! Featuring physical theatre, puppetry and vibrant characters, it's suitable for the whole family and fuel for the imagination. 

Farewell, My Concubine – The Movement of the Martyr

Farewell, My Concubine – The Movement of the Martyr

A breakthrough Chinese classic that combines the elements of sword-play, martial arts, opera and contemporary dance that tells of the undying love and devotion between Xiang Yu (King of Chu) and his concubine (Yu Ji), and his love for his land... 

East

East

Full of sex and fury, a funny, affectionate and sharp exposé of life in London's East End. With its uncompromising physical performance style and richly poetic to shatteringly profane language, East is a roller coaster of gripping theatricality... 

So It Goes

So It Goes

The wordless, 2014 sell-out hit returns for one week only. Hannah has always wanted to talk about her dad. But in the seven years since he died, she hasn't quite managed it. Not one to be defeated, she's enlisted her friend David to tell a frank, funny and endlessly inventive true story about love and loss... 

Dorian Gray

Dorian Gray

Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray is a tale ingrained in our cultural consciousness. It is 125 years since Wilde’s decadent satire was first published. In that time the story has been adapted into films, television dramas, plays, operas and musicals... 

The Hogwallops

The Hogwallops

The Hogwallops is a joyful show for all the family that combines astounding acrobatics, physical humour and a heartfelt story meaning there is something for everyone. The show follows the Hogwallops family on the father’s birthday as they go through an ordinary day with the most extraordinary circus skills... 

Ten Pound Tale

Ten Pound Tale

During its lifespan the average £10 note passes through 594 transactions. Follow a bank note as it twists and turns on its picaresque journey through a web of commerce and capitalism, from the gutter to the boardroom and through the best and worst of human life... 

Over There

Over There

Mark Ravenhill’s play uses the metaphor of two brothers – twins – to represent the former partitioning of Germany into East and West during the time of the Berlin wall. One brother, Karl, lives with their ailing mother in the West, while Franz is in the East with their father... 

Oog

Oog

A belated denouement to his lauded 2005 work The Factory, award-winning performer Al Seed returns to the subject of war with striking psychological rigour. Secluded in an underground bunker, the war outside may be over, but the war inside a lost soldier’s mind has just begun... 

Trygve Wakenshaw: KRAKEN

Trygve Wakenshaw: KRAKEN

Kraken, devised and performed by Trygve Wakenshaw, is a physically charged one man mime show. The ‘storyline’ – it is not so much a story as someone in a room – follows the quirky imagination of Wakenshaw while he endlessly tails off on barely relevant tangents... 

Today is My 100th Birthday or The Disappearance of Ubu Roi

Today is My 100th Birthday or The Disappearance of Ubu Roi

Monochrome make-up, over-sized cigars and manic choral singing are only a few features you’ll find in the stylised theatre of the Dead Iconics. The company tend to favour style over substance and the visual feast is worth a look... 

Corium

Corium

Corium, the new show from Accidentally On Purpose Productions, tries to be exciting and contemporary by stylistically borrowing from Frantic Assembly but sadly doesn’t find its own genuine voice... 

Something Between Nothing and Everything

Something Between Nothing and Everything

In our fast-paced and demanding consumer culture, a production that takes time to examine and appreciate the joys and sorrows found in everyday life can be a real gem. Using poetic prose, beautifully intricate dance and a striking soundscape, Comuna de Pedra have worked hard to achieve just that... 

Man to Man

Man to Man

Manfred Karge’s Man to Man is described as a modern fairy tale that follows the life of Ella, a woman who disguises herself as her dead husband in order to survive under Nazi and Communist rule... 

Tribe

Tribe

I was slightly apprehensive when going to review Tribe, having seen a lot of pretentious, uninspiring, or just simply bad physical theatre and dance pieces this Fringe. However Temper Theatre have produced a truly extraordinary show, which has been the highlight of this year’s festival for me so far... 

Plan B for Utopia

Plan B for Utopia

You have a plan, and then you don’t. You have a dream, then you wake up. You fall in love, and your heart gets broken. The question is: do you pick up the pieces and try again? Plan B for Utopia is a playful dance theatre work by Dundee-based company Joan Clevillé Dance... 

Follow the Faun

Follow the Faun

Step into a sensual, erotic world, with the Faun (Andy Black) and his glittered Nymph accomplice (Sarita Ryan) as your guides. Prepare to dance, hunt and fly through the skies - abandon your inhibitions and embrace your inner pagan with Follow The Faun, a hypnotic mix of trance, rave and bickram yoga that will have you moving like you have never moved beforeBlack completely lives and breathes the role, bedecked in tribal tattoos, well-placed false hair and of course the striking curved horns... 

The Edge Effect

The Edge Effect

In ecology, an ‘edge effect’ is a contact point between two habitats, characterised by an increase in biodiversity. This concept is the inspiration behind Pentmond and Co.’s Fringe debut of the same name, where five actors from from Gordon College, U... 

Correction

Correction

This is a mesmerising, funny and well-crafted example of modern choreography, which explores what you can achieve when you are put under restrictions.The dancers are unable to move their feet; they are tied into one spot on the stage, and placed in a line... 

Detention

Detention

Hijinks and flying kicks abound in this piece of non-verbal physical comedy from the Hong Kong-based Tang Shu-wing Theatre Studio, last unleashed on an unsuspecting Fringe in 2012. The plot – if what happens can really be described as plot – revolves around three mischievous teenagers banished to the detention room for undisclosed reasons (probably involving farts), who find themselves forced to contend with their feisty, lovelorn teacher and a new challenge to their hormonal equilibrium... 

Americans in Breshkistan

Americans in Breshkistan

Ten high school seniors find themselves in a strange room, in the middle of nowhere, lit only by a dim overhead lamp. One by one, they wake up, and between them they must work out why they’ve been put there... 

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... 

The Tell-Tale Heart

The Tell-Tale Heart

Before the lights go down and the show begins, a voiceover warns us to expect ‘scenes of extreme horror’ as this retelling of Edgar Allan Poe's gothic tale begins. Combining physical theatre and gothic horror, Sherborne Young People's Theatre have constructed an interesting idea, but I dare say that fans of physical theatre and/or horror will be equally disappointed with this production... 

Future Honey

Future Honey

American company The Pack bring their space-age feminist performance piece to the Fringe, but it seemed like getting their heads around it was a little out of the audience’s grasp... 

The Emperor of America

The Emperor of America

This fast-paced piece of Wild West-inspired physical theatre is an innovative and extremely entertaining romp, including gorgeous girls in voluminous outfits and suave men with elaborate moustaches... 

The Temptation of St Anthony

The Temptation of St Anthony

Welcome to the Edinburgh Spiritual Emergency Support Group. The name of this particular organisation is emblazoned on a board at the back of the stage and we feel as though we have entered a meeting with a peculiar twist on the format of Alcoholics Anonymous... 

Stockholm

Stockholm

Todd and Kali are a young couple. They live in one of those all-white, open-plan apartments that only exist in interior design magazines. They are self-destructive. But that’s ok, because soon they are going to Stockholm and “everything will be better”... 

Around the World, My Journey Continued After You Left

Around the World, My Journey Continued After You Left

A new musical from award-winning director Zhao Miao. Lee is 88 and loves her husband very much. During 50 years of marriage, they regularly cruise the world, but then her husband unexpectedly dies... 

Parlour Games

Parlour Games

Parlour Games is a playful piece of physical theatre inspired by silent films and gothic novels. It follows four children at the turn of the 20th Century, dressed for bed and playing make-believe games while they hide from a storm... 

We Are the Monsters

We Are the Monsters

No two people – or monsters – are exactly the same! Come along and meet some scratchy, shimmering creatures and multi-coloured mini monsters, playing and interacting with one another, their arms and legs moving in strange and impossible ways... 

Eclectically. Arranged. Poe and The Tell-Tale In Part

Eclectically. Arranged. Poe and The Tell-Tale In Part

Fusion Theatre return to Greenside with a Poe-faced and incoherent piece of physical theatre that often makes even less sense than its overwrought title.Eclectically. Arranged. Poe and the Tell-Tale In Part is a devised piece that takes its cues from the Gothic stories of Edgar Allen Poe... 

Fourth Monkey's Grimm Tales: The Bloody Countess

Fourth Monkey's Grimm Tales: The Bloody Countess

Fourth Monkey are back with another stellar ensemble piece, providing late night gothic horror - even more frightening, as it is based on a real-life horror story.Countess Ezesbet Bathory was a Hungarian aristocrat who was the most prolific female serial killer in history... 

Wojtek: The Happy Warrior

Wojtek: The Happy Warrior

In 1942, a girl traded some food for a Persian bear cub. When the bear, whom she named Wojtek (Polish for ‘happy warrior’), became too big for her to look after, members of the 22nd Transport Company of the Polish army agreed to look after him... 

The Frantic Canticles of Little Brother Fish

The Frantic Canticles of Little Brother Fish

Babolin – 'breathtaking' (TotalTheatre.org.uk); ‘quite, quite brilliant’ ***** (BroadwayBaby.com) – welcome you to their monastery in deepest Depravia, where choristers chant and goose quills frantically scratch out the chronicle of an ancient quest... 

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... 

The Taming of the Shrew

The Taming of the Shrew

A stunningly original Korean update of the classic play. Confucius meets Shakespeare with a dash of hip hop thrown in for good measure. Petruchio, a patriarch of the Confucian dynasty, tries to tame hip hop Kate into a traditional obedient woman, but who will win in the end? This critically acclaimed worldwide tour comes to Edinburgh... 

Hey, I'm Alive!

Hey, I'm Alive!

A durational performance from the critically acclaimed, award-winning Creative Electric. Cystic fibrosis sufferers are discouraged from meeting one another as it increases the risk of infection... 

Dreaming in Code

Dreaming in Code

Award-winning choreographer Tamsin Fitzgerald and Eddie Kay for Frantic Assembly present Dreaming in Code, an explosive, visceral, brand new double bill performed by one of the UK’s most innovative male dance companies... 

CELL

CELL

There is something inherently heartbreaking about the small metal-framed chair standing centre-stage as the audience comes in, but no more so than when one of the show’s co-devisers, Matthew Lloyd, walks on stage carrying the bald, spectacle-wearing puppet that becomes the central focus of the show... 

Blind Man's Song

Blind Man's Song

Conceived and directed by Guillaume Pigé, Blind Man’s Song follows the imagination of a blind musician at the speed of thought. This beautifully choreographed piece of mime and physical theatre moves at a stunning pace with complex stage manoeuvres that keep us constantly engaged... 

The Dream Sequentialists

The Dream Sequentialists

The Dream Sequentialists is a show about dream goblins. Immediate thumbs-up. Not designated specifically for children, this show nevertheless is a wonderful experience for all the family... 

Fourth Monkey's Grimm Tales: Rapunzel

Fourth Monkey's Grimm Tales: Rapunzel

Rapunzel is part of Fourth Monkey's 2015 fairytale season and features their signature physical ensemble work. This large, youthful cast, directed by Angela Gasparetto, explores themes of abuse and entrapment through a twisted version of a familiar story... 

Stan

Stan

Hell is an office and the Devil wants out, but in order to get a job transfer he needs to find a suitable replacement: cue Georgina, young aspiring lawyer with a thirst for power. Hell's corporate office setting is created through macabre insight into the hellish nature of consumerism and monotony of a nine to five... 

Tales from Ovid

Tales from Ovid

Frantic passions are unleashed when divine and human worlds meet. Natural metamorphoses, extreme emotions and vibrant tales from a large ensemble, in Ted Hughes's classical adaptation... 

Da-Da-Darling

Da-Da-Darling

This evocative dance performance is as notable for the process by which it was made as it is for the quality of the final product. Bristol-based Impermanence Dance theatre has taken its inspiration for this performance from Max Ernst and his novel A Little Girl Dream of Taking the Veil, which was created as a collage from Victorian-era novels (presumably naughty, gothic ones) and medical textbooks... 

WOMANz: Jou're Welcome

WOMANz: Jou're Welcome

Everyone has that one persistently irritating friend. The sort of person who just won’t stop talking and who spews rubbish with such confidence that you just want to smack them. You’re not impressed, and this definitely isn’t funny... 

Secrets of Us

Secrets of Us

If ever there were a production which vociferously defends the ability of young people to make theatre with the impact of a professional standard (whatever that actually means) this is it... 

Writing

Writing

A charming, witty and engaging show, Writing is an exploration of just that - the process of writing, as seen from a child’s perspective. Emma Clarke and Olive Merrill take us through a creative five-year-old’s world; navigating lunch box surprises, cut-out paper dragons and simple but vital reading and writing lessons... 

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... 

Splitfoot

Splitfoot

Splitfoot by Piper Theatre tells the tale of the Fox sisters “Devil Daughters” who, in post-civil war New York, convinced the public that they could communicate with the dead. They became the founders of the Spiritualism movement and then publicly denounced it... 

Tumbling After

Tumbling After

"I don't fall in love, I tumble"Tumbling After is a modern day love story and commentary on the ways we stumble in and out of relationships. It is a very funny, scarily clever and piercingly accurate piece of physical theatre - enjoyable and performed by a flawlessly skilled cast... 

Death by Shakespeare

Death by Shakespeare

“My conscience hath a thousand several tongues, and every tongue brings in a several tale”. This quotation from Richard III encapsulates the nature of this aesthetically powerful performance; a chorus of spirits, bruised and bloodied, gather to re-enact their deaths and, while some stand out as characters, they work as an ensemble to do so, with every member of the group a part of every tale — a murderer, a victim, or standing by, observing and mocking the action... 

Invisible City

Invisible City

Marie moves from a little village to a big city and it isn’t how she expected. She’s a little ridiculous herself: painfully naive and awkward. The first ten minutes of the show are spent on her simply saying the words ‘yes’ and ‘no’ to us in various ways... 

Leper + Chip

Leper + Chip

Leper + Chip will hold you by the throat and squeeze the tears from your eyes. Conall Keating (Leper) and Amilia Clarke-Stewart (Chip) power their way through this high-octane story of young love and loss in Dublin and each is as mesmerising as the other... 

The Raven

The Raven

Edgar Allen Poe’s seminal poem, which charts the gradual descent into madness of a heartbroken lover compounded by the incessant repetitions of a talking bird, gives its name and themes to a newly devised piece by Bawsoot Theatre Company... 

Antiwords

Antiwords

Antiwords is a piece inspired by Václav Havel’s play Audience, featuring an awkward dialogue between a dissident playwright and a drunken brew master. Spitfire Company and Aurora Theatre’s reworking is amusing, if a little weary at times... 

The Hideout

The Hideout

Haste Theatre’s new take on the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur is one full of charm and humour. The narrative, however, gets a little bit lost in the Labyrinth.The adaptation is reset in a shady 1920s establishment where the gods Dionysus, Hades and Aphrodite decide to retell the story of the Minotaur in their own unique way... 

Eurydice

Eurydice

From Shakespeare to Sarah Kane, retellings of classical myths have proved ample sources for new, distinct creations. This is the thinking behind the latest offering from Outcast International: Eurydice, a retelling of the classical tale of Orpheus, from the perspective of his eponymous wife... 

Fourth Monkey's Grimm Tales: Little Red Cap

Fourth Monkey's Grimm Tales: Little Red Cap

A bare stage, obscured by low lighting and backed by an eerie sinister soundtrack set the tone for this gripping retelling of the classic children’s fairy-tale, but this telling is definitely not for children... 

A Brief History of Evil

A Brief History of Evil

Who knew that a Dusty Springfield favourite could provide such an effective description of man’s descent into unspeakable evil? Ewan Downie and Jonathan Peck from Company of Wolves apparently, as they croon their way through The Windmills of Your Mind with a hushed intensity that lulls you into a trance... 

To Kill a Machine

To Kill a Machine

Performed by a superb cast, this is a painful and tragic exploration of Alan Turing’s life and the many attempts to break him as a person. The piece explores less of Turing's codebreaking successes of World War Two, focusing instead on his much more pioneering work in computer science, like weather machines that can think... 

BLAM!

BLAM!

Go see BLAM! With your eyes. Buy a ticket. Now.Okay. That wasn’t the most well-reasoned argument. I’m a bit flustered. BLAM! is a flustering play. That’s a good thing. Most plays are draining, mentally and emotionally... 

Around the World in 80 Days

Around the World in 80 Days

Around the World in 80 Days is one of Jules Verne’s famous adventure novels. Reclusive gentleman Phileas Fogg gets sucked into an argument with a number of gentlemen over the possibility of traveling the world in 80 days... 

The Absence Of

The Absence Of

The relationship between parent and child is one of the most important in society and in the lives of most people. It defines, shapes us and can heavily determine the sort of people we become... 

The Cherry Orchard: Beyond the Truth

The Cherry Orchard: Beyond the Truth

I wasn’t supposed to be reviewing this show, but on a friend’s recommendation (“three Korean ladies doing Chekhov. It’s very postmodern”) I popped in, little knowing what to expect... 

The Girl Who Fell in Love With the Moon

The Girl Who Fell in Love With the Moon

A troupe of hopeful Fringe performers get lost in the woods, forced to deliver their starry-eyed show to the "nonexistent" audience. Blending with music, comedy, and physical theatre, this playful metatheatrical setup paves the way for a quirky exploration of storytelling that unfortunately falls victim to its own free spirit... 

Pussy

Pussy

Pussy is nothing if not provocative. Violent, angry, visceral and containing more energy than a bullet in a readied gun, the show goes out of its way to elicit a reaction from you. Blending a capella and physical theatre, Pussy explores the societal pressures placed on women, specifically focusing on the unreal expectations created in the modern music industry... 

Fourth Monkey's Grimm Tales: Hansel and Gretel

Fourth Monkey's Grimm Tales: Hansel and Gretel

You think you know the story of Hansel and Gretel, but can you fully comprehend the suffering that they endured? Poverty, starvation, abandonment, incarceration, murder and insanity? No, you don't think about that bit, do you?Look beyond the candy sticks and the crumb trail, and goose pimple your way into the demented abusive tale of Fourth Monkey's adaptation... 

Bruce

Bruce

Best word to describe Bruce, a show built entirely around a block of yellow sponge: Absorbing.Australian puppeteering mimes Tim Watts and Wyatt Nixon-Lloyd disappear against black backdrops in their black-on-black full body covers as they work in tandem center stage to make the big hunk of foam and two white-gloved hands come to life as the title character (plus dozens more)... 

Clown Macbeth

Clown Macbeth

Makoto Inoue’s non-verbal take on Shakespeare’s classic Macbeth is undoubtedly a feat. Inoue performs the piece alongside Riko Sugama, telling a condensed, 50 minute version of the tale... 

Institute

Institute

Artistic Director of Gecko, Amit Lahav, revealed in conversation after this dynamic, forceful and moving performance that the initial stimulus for Institute had been an exploration of what it is to care for others and to be cared for... 

Jurassic Park

Jurassic Park

The Park family screening of Jurassic Park goes awry due to a missing video tape. Not to fear, the three family members produce a rip-roaring, energetic recreation of the movie. Including all the iconic characters and beloved moments, with none of the budget and twice the innovation of the original... 

Poker Night Blues

Poker Night Blues

In Poker Night Blues, Williams’ masterpiece A Streetcar Named Desire is undone – dismantled and distilled to its essential elements. Heightened physicality, dance, humour, and an original text blend together to create this intense, touching and steamy fusion between East and West... 

Dream

Dream

Be transported by this enormously spirited and fast-moving production to the mischievous world of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. All the family will enjoy this highly visual interpretation from the team behind 2014’s These Fragments, ‘an excellent, moving show with the accomplished young company performing with passion and a total commitment’ (BritishTheatreGuide... 

All's Well That Ends Well

All's Well That Ends Well

This dark comedy uses physical theatre to modernise the themes and settings of this famous Shakespearean play. Watch as Helena tries to secure Bertram's love (he'd rather be at war than with her) and Parolles an untrustworthy, obsessive liar to see whether it really does all end well. 

Losing Grace

Losing Grace

One life. One box. No memories. Meet Grace, close to the end with nothing to take with her. Where have her memories gone? How will she find them? What legacy will she leave? Inspired by Andy Warhol's Time Capsules, Losing Grace is a life-affirming tale of rediscovery and the value of our memories... 

I Got Dressed in Front of My Nephew Today

I Got Dressed in Front of My Nephew Today

Don’t wear make up to this show. Absolutely, definitely not. Not only will you find yourself wondering why you spend so much money on something so pointless, but you will be brought to tears at least once – perhaps twice, if you count tears of laughter too... 

Crusoe

Crusoe

Robertson returns after last year’s solo hit, Bond! Following performances in the USA, Europe and Australia, this unique, darkly comic show creates an urban cinematic world where a hitman, a middle-aged white male and an Alzheimer’s sufferer share their stories, thoughts and mishaps about being alone, cunningly interwoven with an exploration of Big Bang theory! A tight blend of precise movement and bold images, supported by an original atmospheric soundtrack... 

Butoh Medea

Butoh Medea

Using the Japanese dance form butoh and an adapted text, Yokko brings the spirit of Medea alive. This fusion of eastern dance and western drama invites the audience inside Medea’s dark and desperate struggle... 

Mata Hari: Female Spy

Mata Hari: Female Spy

The Great War: while millions of men struggle and fight in the mud and hell of the trenches, one woman’s story begs to be told. Mata Hari, the most notorious female spy in history... 

The Suitcase Dreams

The Suitcase Dreams

Unpacking stories of great and small adventures, brave departures, wrenching farewells and the things that travelers choose to carry. Oconomowoc High School Players weave drama, comedy, absurdity and fantasy with a physical style of storytelling with live and recorded music... 

Tristissimo

Tristissimo

Nothing can take a turn for the worse as quickly as a perfect day. What’s the shape of the sadness left behind? What effect does it have on our bodies? Do we live in the land of perpetual Blue Mondays ? No real tragedy has a happy ending... 

Ockham's Razor: Arc and Every Action…

Ockham's Razor: Arc and Every Action…

Ockham's Razor present Arc and Every Action... Leading UK aerial theatre company Ockham's Razor bring their award-winning double bill to the Edinburgh Festival for the first time. They combine circus and theatre to make work that is arresting and entertaining... 

Card Ninja

Card Ninja

Back due to popular demand, multi award-winning comedian Javier Jarquin returns to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe with Card Ninja, a riotous and dazzling display of comedy and card stunts... 

Takeaway by Jackie Kay

Takeaway by Jackie Kay

‘You don’t need onions! Don’t be silly. How can somebody need an onion?’ A city descends into addiction and all must have them. When only a travelling poet can really see what is happening anarchy ensues. 

Pole

Pole

Three poles, three performers and a whole lot of juice. This verbatim piece challenges the preconceptions of femininity through pole dancing, physical theatre and words. Retelling the real life accounts of various women for whom pole dancing is a means of expression, fitness or forced entertainment... 

Skins for Sale

Skins for Sale

The door is locked. The other side is a mystery. It gnaws at your brain, driving you to insanity. What would you do? Negotiate? Manipulate? Misappropriate? Murder? Skins for Sale draws inspiration from Strindberg’s A Dream Play to show through physical expression just how far one man will go to achieve his fantasy... 

Perceptual Landscape

Perceptual Landscape

An unconventional experiment of light, sound and physical theatre. Inspired by autistic children, Jenny Mok, director of Galway Fringe Best International Performance Award 2014, explores the definition of reality in her breathtaking solo... 

Smoke and Mirrors

Smoke and Mirrors

Calculating the stocks of our emotional economy, Smoke and Mirrors weaves acrobatic exploitations and high flying distortions to examine the contorted state of America in the pursuit of happiness... 

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... 

Centred: A One Clown Comedy About Stuff

Centred: A One Clown Comedy About Stuff

Attention customers: the store will be closing in five minutes. Please collect your valuables and loved ones and make your way to the nearest exit. The store will not be held responsible for anyone left here overnight... 

Mimi Goes East

Mimi Goes East

One man’s struggles to come to terms with growing up, trying to get laid, and have a good night out in communist Hungary. A physical theatre based performance filled with ridiculous characters inspired by Soviet era Hungary and real life itself... 

The Agony and Ecstasy of Steve Jobs

The Agony and Ecstasy of Steve Jobs

A radical adaptation of Mike Daisey's true story of what happens when we look beyond the beautiful surface of our beloved smart phones and uncover the bloody mess beneath... Expect searing black comedy, an exceptional musical score and gut wrenching truths that will stop you in your tracks... 

Storm in a Teacup

Storm in a Teacup

Storm in a Teacup, devised by Hot Coals. BSL incorporated, deaf accessible performance. Three old sisters, one birthday cake, buckets of tea and good old anarchy! This darkly comic and cartoonish piece delves into the quirky and tender world of three sisters in their 80s, fighting the system to keep their independence... 

17 Border Crossings

17 Border Crossings

'Brilliant and evocative' (Westword.com). Award-winning director, actor and designer Thaddeus Phillips takes you to the frontiers of Brazil, Serbia, Cuba, Bali, Israel, Colombia, Jordan, and Mexico in a dramatic, visual and surreal examination of imaginary lines, arbitrary passports and curious customs... 

The Trepidation of the Tower Traipsing Troglodytes

The Trepidation of the Tower Traipsing Troglodytes

Two women live alone in an attic, never leaving the confines of those four walls. Living away from society the two have formed their own specific way of communicating, their own daily rituals, which though simple in task, are inexplicably unachievable... 

Hotel Paradiso

Hotel Paradiso

Berlin-based masters of mask theatre return to the Fringe with a hilarious tale of a family hotel set in an Alpine resort, where they are struggling to keep the business alive and the corpses hidden... 

The Overcoat

The Overcoat

Jenny's a mischievous little girl who loves playing with her Dad. But he has to put on his business suit, pick up his briefcase and go to work. When Jenny grabs hold of his overcoat to stop him leaving, a thread unravels, becoming the start of a magical world of adventure and discovery... 

Dark Side of the Mime

Dark Side of the Mime

An audacious, dark and dirty romp that will have Marcel Marceau turning in his grave. Its raunchy humour will take you by surprise. Actor and mime artist Marc Gassot is joined by his accompanist Karl Sinkkonen, to bring you this multi award-winning late night physical show... 

Something

Something

When hurdles try to stop us, when problems appear to be unsolvable, we seek something to help us carry on... This is Liberi Di...'s answer to the crisis. It's when we fall to the ground, that we discover just how strong we really are... 

War 100

War 100

A reflection of war through 100 years: from World War One through to the modern day. War 100 looks at how a family through the generations perseveres, survives and loses at the hands of war... 

Sonics in Toren

Sonics in Toren

Welcome to the world premiere of Toren, the amazing new show from Sonics. Witness a live show in which five performers twist, spin and fly through the air in gravity-defying acrobatics... 

Dan Lees: Brainchild

Dan Lees: Brainchild

Life's weightier questions are thoroughly demolished in Dan Lees' Brainchild, an award-winning physical comedy that veers from the profound to the ridiculous. A host of bizarre characters explore the futility of our existence, from a cheese-loving Pope to a lonely cowboy with only a goldfish for a friend... 

Femme

Femme

From the Paris catwalks, to the office boardroom, Australian choreographer/performer, Erin Fowler, brings Femme to the Edinburgh Fringe for the first time. 

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