Fringe Festivals
Through a series of lessons taught by a professional curmudgeon with high expectations, students will be challenged on their unspoken assumptions about condoning and perpetuating harmful social norms. In this 55-minute class, they will reckon with their complicity in humanity’s current demise. Examples of learning outcomes include: how math can prove anything, preservatives are better […]
“blue monkey love cuts – Is love over? What about sex? Are we done? An exploration of now. And then. A bag of hearts, minds, souls, and genitals. Opened. Comedy? Tragedy? Yes.”
“Storytellers from a range of backgrounds, ages and cultures share stories of LGBTQ+ lives past, present and future. With a different line-up at every show featuring household names alongside upcoming storytellers and the occasional audience micro-story. Sometimes hilarious, often moving, occasionally shocking and always queer. Hosted year-round by Turan Ali (Producer of BBC comedy/drama), this […]
More Information about Steve Budd: www.stevebudd.com
Hey there, fellow Fringe-curious! You may or may not know me as the anything-but-typical hypnotist behind Hypnotist Matt Hale – Top Fun: 80s Hypnosis Spectacular. I’ve been performing at Fringe fests for years … but not Edinburgh. If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably heard all the wild tales about taking part in the Edinburgh Fringe Festival […]
“A native son of SF confronts his colonized father, American history, and his Filipinoness.Solo performance; standup Dramedy by Emil Amok Guillermo of San Francisco, produced by Amok Productions.”
“A standup comedy show that’s a mix of personal stories, social commentary and uncomfortable truths. It features character voices and physical comedy too! Let’s share a laugh together while we await the failure of our meat suit! Comedy, Solo performance by Barb of San Francisco, produced by Janette French. WARNINGS: not for children.”
Playing the final week of Edfringe 2023, White Butterfly is a new theatre piece from Heather Tiernan.” “Grief isn’t a straight line, it’s a never-ending rollercoaster you find yourself on one day. White Butterfly explores grief and how it affects different people through a series of vignettes. From wakes, to therapy, to several years later, […]
Box Tale Soup’s Noel Byrne tells the tale of getting sell-out houses without the need to fell trees… Is a paperless Fringe really possible, or necessary? If you’re a new company bringing work to the Festival for the first time, of course you want to do everything you can to promote your show, and the […]
Bipolar Badass is a one-woman show by New York City artist Mari Crawford. It is a dark comedy about her experience getting diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder. I didn’t know how my piece would be received by the Fringe audience. Late nights at rehearsal studios in Manhattan and sleep deprived work days filled my time, in […]
“This play comes from a fresh writer who is so fresh, he’s writing jokes that most writers would think were TOO silly. [INSERT PLAY] is about two actors who get trapped in their own play as it falls apart around them. Sam and Joe don’t know their lines, the stage door has disappeared, and the […]
“A Ukrainian ballet director and an aging dancerconfront frustration and disappointment in a true story that involves the KGB and murder.“
The memory of President Lincoln is widely revered – there is even statue of him in Edinburgh – but the First Lady who supported him through the Civil War is forgotten in Scotland and reviled in America. Mary Lincoln was a woman who suffered repeated personal losses and tragedy and betrayal. And all this was […]
2023 photographs – More Galleries Show Pictures Clearing the Backlog I can’t really believe how quickly the last couple of weeks have gone by as I sit at my computer updating picture galleries, reviewing and sorting photographs to upload. As you may suspect I’m drawn to visually interesting shows and I feel lucky to have […]
“Celebrating the strength of mature bodies and challenging the cult of youth, the show is a reclaiming of the ageing body created by dance-theatre innovators Junk Ensemble. Performed by acclaimed actor Mikel Murfi and leading dance artist Finola Cronin (formerly of Pina Bausch’s Tanztheater Wuppertal), the performers are heroic, vulnerable, comedic and completely themselves in […]
Vagabond Productions are back with what they describe as a perfect lockdown party, their own translation of The Chairs by Eugène Ionesco (originally in French). Picture an ancient couple, beached in life and marooned in some isolated spot, inviting many imaginary guests. The result – lots of chairs and characters but no inconvenient social distancing. […]
Adrian Minkowicz Instagram: adriannminkowicz
The second annual Edinburgh Deaf Festival – part of the Fringe – is underway with more than 60 events for anyone and everyone. The 2023 line-up features drama, comedy, film, exhibitions, entertainment for children and young people plus workshops and other activities. Running until 20 August it’s designed to appeal to hearing as well as deaf audiences. Among those taking […]
A subversive satirical musical comedy about the infamous Ted Kaczynski arrives from the USA Set at a parole board hearing, Ted Kaczynski (aka The Unabomber) recounts his life through song in the hope of proving that he never wanted to be a monster, he only wanted to be a star. While he may have spent […]
Lucy Stevens talks to Kate Saffin about creating A Lovely Way To Spend An Evening’, the story of Gertrude Lawrence using Lawrences own words. She then goes on to talk about the process of researching the lives of other women whose stories she has told through performance, or whom she came across and who drifted […]
Alison Skillbeck is no stranger to the Edinburgh Fringe. She is a writer and actor with several critically acclaimed plays under her belt Are There More of You?, The Power Behind The Crone and Mrs Roosevelt Flies to London. In this interview she talks to Kate Saffin about the isolation of lockdown, how important the […]
“The Baxter (two-time Scotsman Fringe First winners) in collaboration with Tony Award-winning Handspring Puppet Company (of War Horse and Little Amal fame) are at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe at the Assembly Hall! The UK premiere of JM Coetzee’s Life and Times of Michael K, adapted for the stage by Lara Foot. A Düsseldorfer Schauspielhaus (Germany) […]
“A deliciously Dahl-esque treat from madcap duo Fladam (Flo Poskitt and Adam Sowter), about a boy born with gunky, green fingers! Is he really rotten, or just misunderstood? Maybe the answers lie in the mysterious school garden… Featuring live music, puppetry and plenty of humour.”
“South African comedian, Ambrose Uren, shares his unique story in this stand-up comedy show filled with unexpected twists. His off-grid lifestyle, deep connection to the struggle of goldfish in aquariums and admiration for indigenous fashion choices have him constantly trying to figure out how to navigate his own existence. Come and bare witness to the […]
Gail is an award winning playwright who has her plays performed throughout the world. Gail Louw, an award winning playwright and writer of The Mitfords, talks to Kate Saffin about how she came to playwriting, some of the subjects and topics her work has covered and the work and process of researching and developing The […]
Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the school gates? Why do people become teachers and then leave so soon? With schools being asked to become multi-academy trusts, the school working world is becoming very different. Come and see the hilarious, unbelievable and simply sublime situations this group of teachers get themselves into in […]
Science fiction is usually broadly defined in fringe festivals including spectulative fiction and fantasy often in the form of alternative worlds and alternative versions of the future, often in which one form of technology (such as artificial intelligence) has come to dominate our world. For kids shows it is usually about robots and space ships, […]
Here are five more recommendations for Camden Fringe 2023. This time we are spanning the genres, breaking out of theatre and offering just a tempting taste to a fringe brimming to overflowing with creativity and experimentation. These are either last chance to see at this year’s Fringe shows or they are coming up very soon. […]
There’s a first time for every Fringe writer, performer, director, producer… and sometimes they are they are all the same person! Those pre Fringe nerves will all be tingling as they get ready for their first show. Will the set/costumes/props last the month? Should we have made more cuts? And the big one, will anyone […]
Théâtre de la Feuille is a physical theatre company based in Hong Kong created and led by Artistic DIrector Ata Wong Chun Tat. Ata trained internationally in physical theatre, martial arts, and Beijing Opera to name a few genres. He talks with Jo Tomalin about how he trains his company in physical theatre before creating […]
The free fringe at the Edinburgh Fringe takes two forms. PBH’s (named after founder Peter Buckley-Hill)Free Fringe and The Free Edinburgh Fringe Festival headline offer pay what you can shows across all the main genres. There is history between these two festivals within the Festival which we won’t go into. Suffice to say that they […]
Performance art, according to the Tate means “Artworks that are created through actions performed by the artist or other participants, which may be live or recorded, spontaneous or scripted.” Installation art, according to Wikipedia is “an artistic genre of three-dimensional works that are often site-specific and designed to transform the perception of a space.” This year’s Fringe offers several performance art and installation pieces of varying […]
Greg Byron, the legendary “Standup Poet”, offers his well considered choices for poetry and spoken word at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe. When I came to Spoken Word fairly late, and was at Assembly in 2018, I was heartened to have a couple of Loud Poets come see me and stay for a brief chat afterwards. […]
With Camden Fringe underway here are five shows we think you shouldn’t miss at Camden Fringe. Camden Fringe is brimming with new work, experiment and creativity and of course quality. So, there is too much to choose from in the best possible way. Here are five to keep you going… For “”Edgy, adventurous, exciting work.” […]
Clowns are playful, happy or sad, with or without a red nose, they may play an instrument, may speak or be silent – clowns have a naiveté about the world and always have quirky characters and individualistic costumes. Mime is traditionally a silent art form but mime characters may make sounds and usually use gestural language to […]
Here is my no-nonsense list of shows to see in the “comedy” category at Edfringe. As a judge for the Amused Moose Comedy Awards, I see quite a lot of comedy, so these are very much personal favourites mixed with a bit of research into the positive press these folk have garnered. Janey Godley, a […]
If you travelled back as far as Ancient Greece or even more recently to Shakespeare’s time, you could enjoy plays with songs and musical interludes. But you’d have to wait till the 1800s for musical comedies to flourish.To paraphrase theatrical legend Bob Fosse, ‘When the emotion becomes too strong for speech, you sing, when it […]
Puppets create imaginative and visual storytelling. Puppeteers bring inanimate objects to life with a variety of puppetry techniques and styles such as glove puppets, rod puppets, shadow puppets and object puppetry. While puppets are thought of as a children’s entertainment they appeal to adults, too. Here are some recommendations to start you on your journey… […]
Many shows at the Fringe are listed under “sketch shows”. Here we offer some early choices for classic sketch shows that are largely built on … er… sketches. And Now… features “songs, skits and nonsensical moments” and is billed as ” a must-see for anyone who enjoys dumb jokes and wants to experience true nonsense at […]
Solo performers probably outnumber every other group at the Fringe if you include theatre, comedy, spoken word and music. The 262 solo theatre shows listed this year offer diverse work across every genre and style, every venue and every imaginable topic (well, possibly not every one but certainly a great range!). Many are new writing, […]
Gamification is the buzz word of the new ’20s. You’ll find it in business speak, in coaching and education. But the compelling nature of interactive theatre and performances for audiences with a distate for the “fourth wall” means that there’s a ready marketing for the live gameshow format as well as shows based on games. […]
Free Events for Fringe Performers Use the form below to book Workshop 1 How to hit the ground running at the Edinburgh Fringe A gritty, hands-on session for ensuring you get the most out of every minute at this Fringe. What are the essentials of a successful and satisfying Fringe? What shoukd you do […]
Interactive theatre, comedy and some of the more uncategorisable shows on offer at the Fringe are to be found under the headings “interactive” and “experimental”. So, if you are looking for something a bit different, you might just find a few recommended below. In interactive theatre the fourth wall if often shown and the border […]
It’s just the voice – and there is the power! A cappella – singing without instruments – has been around for millennia. People sing to communicate, to express feelings of joy or sadness, to join in community, to pray, to entertain. Everyone has a voice. Singing is universal and transcends language, cultural traditions, and demographics. […]
This year there are 125 Children’s Shows at the Fringe and it’s a perfect opportunity to introduce children to the wonders of live performance. Stories, puppets, magic, music, and zany characters engage the imagination and there are shows for the very young to tweens and teens. Topics and styles vary so there’s something for everyone, […]
Gillian Lacey-Solymar is a first-time Fringer at this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Gillian is the Bookwriter and Lyricist of IrrePRESSible: The Musical and she talks to Jo Tomalin about how and why she is inspired to create the show. Gillian’s career includes working as a consumer affairs correspondent at the BBC and as a senior […]
Where do you start with impro at the Fringe? It’s been growing for years and now there are plenty of shows on offer. It claims to never require a script, but nearly all of then have an underpnning, more or less hidden, structure. There are a range of formats, some which grew out of competitive […]
Self-Help is a solo dark comedy billed as “theatre’s answer to doom-scrolling.” According to writer Gianluca Scatto, the piece is “inspired by the meteoric rise of the toxic masculinity influencers dominating platforms like TikTok” and “follows the story of the disillusioned and desperate John Scott. Flicking mindlessly through his phone, John is suddenly compelled to […]
Alex Gatstramb and Rita Sigmond bring absurdist two-hander comedy play Liselotte In May to Camden Fringe which is a piece written by Zsolt Pozsgai. Playing at The Cockpit Liselotte in May is “a bittersweet absurd two-hander comedy about a gentle, lonely heart.Love is blind…and in this case melodramatic, depressing, paranoid, clumsy, deranged and disturbed. Liselotte, […]
Physical theatre is an interesting and creative genre of theatre because most physical theatre shows result from developing a gestural language to express a story or topic. A physical theatre show is devised by a director only or by the director and the cast in collaboration. A piece can be based on a true story, […]
Shows based on dance range from pure technique of a single style, or a creative mix of more than one style, to those that integrate other skills such as physical theatre or spoken word in their visual storytelling. Topics and inspiration vary from personal experiences to research about important issues in the world. An empty […]
Tribute shows take different forms at the Edinburgh Fringe. Most prominent are the many musical tributes to those stars, legends and icons of stage and screen. There are also tributes to literary greats, film and theatre stars, artists, philosophers and politicians. There’s an onverlaps between tribute shows and biography shows but here we’ll stick to […]
There’s a rather large and promising selection of improv shows at this year’s Camden Fringe. Improv is usually edge-of-your seat comedy where those on stage play with different formats, usually taking audience suggestions, and cooking up a show that is different each performance. There are other formats for improv such as serious improvised drama, and […]
Here is some of the wisdom we have shared with fringe show and art makers over recent years in an easy, digestible, shareable form…
History, from recent to ancient, is explored each year at the Fringe across all the genres and in many different ways. Whether it is a standup comedian commenting on recent political events, or a theatre company recreating an episode from the middle ages, an inquiry into a trial in the 19th or 20th century, the […]
The UK comedy circuit’s only Orthodox Jewish Comedian returns to the Edinburgh Fringe with an original new lunchtime comedy show. Whether it’s a relationship problem, how to word a sensitive work email or the best way to cook a brisket, this Jewishmother has all the answers you’ll need. Award-winning comedian Rachel Creeger presents her brand-new […]
Storytelling can be a catch all term toi include a lot of stand up comedy shows listen in the Fringe programme. Storytelling is also a craft going back thousands of years and becomes a genre in its own right in August in Edinburgh. Traditional tales, fables, myths, legends, and histories form the backbone of storytelling […]
Site-specific theatre and performance has been just about everywhere in Edinburgh from down at the docks to a graveyard, from a real hotel room to the underground catacombs that honeycomb the city, from swimming pools to the register of births and deaths. Site-specific theatre takes you away from traditional performance spaces and the location becomes […]
Fringe Festivals, as they grow, tend to attract repeaters – people and companies bringing the same show back to the Fringe twice, thrice or even year after year after year. It smacks of opportunism, it reeks of laziness to me. Sometimes the show has truly developed or improved but many shows are just the same […]
Verbatim theatre is define as. “Verbatim theatre is a form of documentary theatre which is based on the spoken words of real people. Strictly, verbatim theatre-makers use real people’s words exclusively, and take this testimony from recorded interviews.” (Source). It can also involve using words from recorded video, from papers and documents, such as court […]
Fringe Review comedy editor, Joe, offers his pick of this year’s Camden Comedy Fringe.
A search of the Edfringe 2023 programme under the genre of “theatre” yields up 867 results (as we go to digital print). That’s heartening given the fact that many theatre shows have fled into the comedy section in the hope of bigger audiences. So here are some of our early picks for theatre this year. […]
Camden Fringe runs from 31st July to 27th AUgist 2023. “The Camden Fringe is a performing arts festival, established in 2006, which takes place in Camden during August. Anyone and everyone is welcome to apply. Previous fringe events have encompassed new writing, opera, musicals, stand-up, sketch comedy, dance, cabaret, poetry, opera, mentalism, improvisation and Q&As. […]
Boost your box office sales with an advert on Fringe Review, the guide to good Fringe and one of the world’s most respected theatre publications. Book a single advert for just £50. Advertising for the Edinburgh Fringe 2023 is now open. We have a limited number of discount advertising slots. First come, first served. Advertising on FringeReview […]
Caravanserai is the Fringe’s community hub, with theatre spaces, bars, eateries and places for families to safely hang out. There’s a stage called Fringe City for shows to showcase a flavour of their work. And it’s all (or mostly) built from bits of old caravans (and a lot more) into a living work of art […]
They’ve ignored my press release! Whether you are bringing a show to a Fringe festival or simply trying to get media coverage for a show at any time of the year, these tips are for you. There could be a number of reasons why your press has been not responded to by potential reviewing publications. […]
Sweet Venues at Brighton Fringe has become established at a true fringe venue year-round at the Poets in Hove. During the Fringe you can also find them at the truly intimate Sweet at the Welly. Offering some real variety covering theatre, comedy and a lot more, we offer some of our choices for you to […]
Our first must see cabaret theatre choice at the Latest Music Bar is Queen Mab: The Witching Hour. “Queen Mab is irreverent yet commanding, escapist, ethereal, alluring, slightly unhinged… Fun, but with an undeniable darker streak. She conjures a heady witches’ brew of wildly eclectic influences – a pinch of trip-hop here, a dash of […]
Formerly The Marlborough Theatre, The Actors is the new name for what is emerging as an important and exciting theatre and performance hub in Brighton. I say “hub” because they have developed more than just their original theatre space so you can enjoy the intimacy of the Back Bar and the Light Room and you […]
The Lantern Theatre is based at Brighton’s much valued Academy of Creative Training, a drama school founded by Daniel Finlay and Jeanette Eddisford. Recent developments at the space have resulted in an upgraded, intimate theatre space as well as the new Finlay Bar, named after patron Frank Finlay. We are delighted to see a diverse […]
Most “improv” is quintessentially fringe, WHy is that? Probably because unscripted live performance has always been a reaction to the mainstram of “scripted” performance. With no lines to learn we are already on (and even falling over) the edge. Some improv is right on that edge whilst some is a bit scripted, haging on formats […]
Mental Health has always been a critical issue that artists have explored at Fringe festivals. In the ’90s. theatre and movement based work examined issues that were being increaingly written about in the mainstram media such as suice and depression. In recent years the diversity of art and performance is rightly being centre-staged in Fringe […]
Local educational arts company Ensonglopedia will be launching their new show ‘The Puddle at the End of the World’ at this year’s Brighton Fringe. The story follows a 13-year-old girl and her Nanna as they escape their home after flooding; they need the audience’s help to find somewhere to sleep and figure out why the […]
The work of Shakespeare’s best-selling but now long forgotten contemporary John Lyly, will be brought vividly to life in a field on the South Coast this Spring in a radical revival of his early modern play Galatea, adapted by Emma Frankland and Subira Joy and edited by theatre historian Andy Kesson, in a production that fuses together […]
‘Would You Still Love Me if I was a Wiggly Worm?’ The Important Questions We WantAnswered in the New Feminist Comedy Musical. OnTheNose Productions presents their debut show 60 Minutes of Mood Swings atBrighton Fringe; “a hilarious yet harrowing feminist musical that explores the performers’insecurities, imperfections, and ’constructive feedback’ from men. As they comedically putthemselves […]
Fringe offers the perfect break from digital screen time and this year’s fringe, as ever, covers the age range from toddlers to teens. With plenty of coihce here are a few recommendations from your good fringe guide. Check dates as manyt only play for a few days and blink and you’ll miss them. I want […]
Perhaps more than ever this year, the fringe venues on the true Fringe of Brighton Fringe beckon. With Caravanserai and the Brighton Spiegeltent offering to fill the central spaces of those larrger fringe hibs that form the default of Fringes as far afield as Edinburgh and Adelaide2, there have always been venues that could lay […]
Get the **** off stage! Here is a bit of as personal and despesarte plea to theatre makers at this year’s Brighton Fringe… So, the lights fade slowly and we are ready for a fairly silent, dare I suggest, stunned exit. Before even five seconds have elapsed since the final blackout, the lights shoot […]
I want to see… some history at Brighton Fringe 2023 Those of you interested in history, from most points on the timeline if posterity have plenty of choice at this year’s Fringe. History is often explored through theatre, musicals and comedy, as well as talks and a bit of film and cabaret. Here are a […]
When I began to work with Fringe Review, I opined that I hated the Edinburgh Fringe. Over the years I have softened and my old joke that people believe we have a cultural supermarket each August, and think it is Sainsbury’s when it is actually Aldi or Lidl has been used so often it is […]
Here are Fringe Review editor Paul Levy’s five early theatre show recommendations for Brighton Fringe 2023… First off is Anna & Marina from award-winning Brighton based theatre company Brighton Theatre. with a reputation as a company brimming with experimentation but with a solid history as assured theatre makers, Anna & Marina has to be on […]
Antonio Vega is artistic director of Por Piedad Teatro (Mexico | USA) and he is co-creator of DJANGO IN PAIN with Por Piedad Teatro founder and artistic producer, Ana Graham. Jo Tomalin talks to Antonio Vega about his background in theatre, and how he developed this show during the pandemic. DJANGO IN PAIN is digital […]
Erin B. Mee talks to Jo Tomalin about directing theatre in innovative spaces and her latest digital show, Tree Confessions, written by Jenny Lyn Bader. Tree Confessional is a digital audio play, site-specific and self-scheduled, presented on demand through the M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2023, January 4-15. “While it is obvious that we need to […]
http://www.cookingstageleft.com BriggsBreese Productions
Angry Black Woman 101 takes a introductory dive into the microaggressions,tropes and stereotypes Black women grapple with daily. Using slides, videos, music and history this storyteller deftly illustrates misogynoir and it’s effects. This show is couched in a truthful and hurtful work situation during her tenure at TechSoup, a nonprofit. Twitter @JuicyDLight Facebook
https://nakedempirebouffon.org/
Potato Topos by Andomifevin comprised of Andrew Rose, Dominique Nigro, Fenner Merlick, and Kat Countiss A poet, a dancer, a clown, and a clarinetist bring you their first collaboration, a multi-sensory poem-play about potatoes. An hour long show with themes of nostalgia, fantasy, and expansion. The modalities include performance, light, sound, textiles, and language. The […]
Instagram @bingewatchimprov
“I’m a San Francisco based solo performer. My shows are about my experiences with bipolar mood disorder, which I’ve managed to keep private the majority of my life. For the most part my mood swings have been mild enough to hide, but I’ve had a few full on manic episodes that have led to some […]
https://www.loreleizarifian.com/author/lorelei-zarifian https://www.eventbrite.com/e/a-scar-is-born-tickets-346834349877?aff=odcleoeventsincollection
Kazu Kusano (Producer, Writer, Performer) is a comedian, actress, and writer. She has a Japanese accent, crazy physicality, a dark sense of humor, and hot flashes. Kazu immigrated to America all alone in her thirties to do comedy. Kazu can be seen on Comedy Central UK’s Cannel Hopping as a Japanese correspondent. Also, she is the […]
Christina Augello’s Bio from The EXIT Theatre Website: Christina Augello is the founder and artistic director of EXIT Theatre and is an actress, arts activist and arts administrator. She has been involved with American theater for over 50 years, growing up in the 1950s as the daughter of the proprietor of a famous theater saloon and […]
When I’ve had the chance I’ve taken a few pictures around the fringe, late at night and during the day. Here are a few in a slideshow. Note to self: Must get out and about more!
Final few days Friday of the last week opened to a dreary Edinburgh with rain in the air. Fortunately the rain cleared as I made my way to the final ‘FringeReview’ gathering for this year. These are one of my favourite mornings of the fringe as I am guaranteed to have a good chinwag. Today […]
