Instead, anyone with a story to tell and a venue willing to host can take part. We love the whole Festival but, in the current cultural context – namely that writers/performers/artists must almost invariably first make it past a series of non-artist gatekeepers invested in the business of creativity – the egalitarian nature of the Fringe, of being able to tell a story with only an audience to judge its merits is wildly revolutionary and wholly necessary.
Fringe Society President Phoebe Waller-Bridge, whose Fringe show Fleabag debuted in 2013 said: ‘I am so proud to continue to be a part of this phenomenal event, 10 years after Fleabag premiered there. This programme will hit the Fringe with the creative wildness, political provocation and huge cultural impact that the festival delivers year after year, at a time when we need it most.’
These are just a few of the highlights to look out for this year as the city comes alive between 4 – 28 August. For all shows, check dates and purchase tickets here.
Call Me Elizabeth
The Space @ Surgeon’s Hall, Haldane Theatre
Set in 1961, we meet Elizabeth Taylor fresh from her triumph at the Oscars and a recent brush with death. Here we join her as she her grapples with nailing her most important role yet: herself. The Chicago Theatre Review called it, ‘A shattering, exquisite performance that should not be missed'.
Grace Campbell: A Show About More Me(n)
Gilded Balloon Teviot – Debating Hall
Last year, Grace Campbell – daughter of spin doctor and podcast king Alistair – had a stellar sold-out run at Edinburgh. This year she’s back – and we recommend you get a ticket if you can. She’s billed as a star in the making, with Metro calling her a ‘bullish, complicated firecracker.’
After The Act
Traverse Theatre
Breach Theatre brings us After The Act, a fascinating piece of documentary musical that looks at life after Margaret Thatcher’s anti-gay Section 28.
Bodies
Theatre doesn’t get more immersive than this: Ray Young is bringing a swimming pool-based performance to Edinburgh for just two days, exploring what it is to be submerged in water. Don’t forget your bathers!
Hello Kitty Must Die
Pleasance Courtyard
If you thought your life hitherto was complete without having seen a musical version of Angela S Choi’s hit satirical novel about an Asian killer, this piece from Alchematio will surely make you think again. From the Tony-winning producer of Six comes ‘an outrageously irreverent world premiere musical mash-up of Asian feminism with a killer score.’
The Lost Lending Library
Church Hill Theatre Studio
Punchdrunk is a stalwart in the world of immersive theatre, their shows wildly ambitious and always thought-provoking. Now they are coming to Edinburgh with a piece for kids aged six to eleven, all set in a huge travelling library. We’re in.
The Talent
Summerhall
A woman sits alone inside a sound booth. From off-stage, two disembodied voices give increasingly absurd direction to their voice-over artist for a range of pieces, from commercials to self-help audiobooks to meditation tapes to computer games to robo-calls. The big question? ‘Is she the powerful protagonist in her own narrative? A puppet for capitalism? Or something else entirely...?’
By Nancy Alsop
July 2023
