Edinburgh Fringe Round Up
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Edinburgh Reporter
8 hours ago
- Edinburgh Reporter
Fringe 2025 – Celebrating the Edinburgh National Partnerships programme
The Pleasance teams up with theatres from all over the UK to support artists bringing their work to the Fringe. This is about more than money – it involves practical support to ensure the success of those shows which the various theatres would like to promote. The 2025 shows which have benefited include those by theatre companies and playwrights which explore complex themes – everything from surviving a natural disaster, to creating your identity, finding a place to belong, when making a baby takes a miracle, and facing your long-forgotten past. Alright Sunshine looks at the underside of Edinburgh and the safety of women in public spaces through the eyes of a police woman with a dark history. Our review is here. this is a Wonder Fools production. Wonder Fools are a deeply passionate and creatively restless young theatre company. They are based in Glasgow, but their impact extends across Scotland, the UK, and around the world. Wonder Fool's work spans various communities in Scotland with strategic focus in areas including East Lothian, Dumfries & Galloway, Ayrshire, Perthshire and the Highlands. Down to Chance from Maybe You Like It, Theatre Royal Plymouth and Pleasance, follows the efforts of a part-time radio reporter and full-time mum to unite a community devastated by one of the strongest earthquakes to hit the US. Meanwhile, LEI – LDN from Na-keisha Pebody, Mya Onwugbonu,Leicester Curve & Pleasance explores identity through the eyes of a 17-year-old girl starting a new life in London. The joy and adventure of creating your own family on your own terms (with help from your best mate's sperm) forms the basis of Relay from Leila Navabi, Sherman Theatre, Pleasance and TEAMCollective Cymru. And, Rose + Bud from Commedia of Errors in Partnership with Lyric Belfast and Pleasance is a hilarious coming-of-age story about transitioning, tequila and tiaras. Actors from all five companies met up at Middle Meadow Walk on Monday morning to celebrate the opportunity they have had. Plymouth Belfast Cardiff Pitlochry Leicester All five companies involved in the Edinburgh Partnership Like this: Like Related
Scotsman
12 hours ago
- Scotsman
Prize aiming to 'rewrite rules of breaking into theatre' to see winner's play performed at next year's Fringe
The winner will have their play produced for next year's Fringe Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... An aspiring writer will win the chance to have their play produced and performed at next year's Edinburgh Festival Fringe in a new prize launched today which aims to 'rewrite the rules of breaking into the theatre world'. The winner of the Leodis Prize, who will see their play performed at Pleasance next year, will be selected by a panel of judges including actor Tamzin Outhwaite. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The winning writer, who must not have previously published a play or be represented by an agent, will also have their work published by a leading drama publisher and receive a £2,000 cash award. Daniel Hinchliffe, managing director of Leodis Talent and founder of the award, said he hoped the prize would 'champion unrepresented and previously unrecognised talent'. He said: 'I wanted to create a writing prize to find a new voice in theatre that is open to anyone, especially without age restraints. Pleasance Courtyard. | Pleasance Courtyard, where The Green is situated. 'I don't think our industry does enough to support new theatre writing and I wanted to ensure we created a pathway to the Fringe that is fully funded for our winning playwright to allow them to concentrate on the play and not the process of producing.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The winner will see their debut play fully produced by talent agency Leodis in association with Pleasance Theatre Trust, premiering at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2026. In addition to a full production, the winning writer will be offered representation by Leodis and the winning play will be published by Methuen Drama, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing. He added: 'I am delighted to be launching this new prize with Pleasance and Bloomsbury Publishing, companies that I admire greatly for their support of new writing.' Alongside Ms Outhwaite, the panel of judges will also include writer Jenna Fincken, whose play Ruckus was a standout at the Fringe, and understands how to navigate the Fringe path to success and director Sam Yates, acclaimed for his work on the West End and internationally. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Leodis prize founder Daniel Hinchcliffe | Leodis prize founder Daniel Hinchcliffe Anthony Alderson, director of the Pleasance Theatre Trust, said: 'The Fringe has always been about discovery and it remains the launchpad for some of the most exciting new works. It is a place to find and platform new voices. 'The Leodis Prize is the kind of initiative that keeps the spirit of the Fringe alive and urgent and we are proud to be partnering with the award to stage the winning play and help to uncover new artists.' The prize is open exclusively to writers, of any age, who have never had their plays performed, are not published and do not have professional representation.
The National
a day ago
- The National
Five of the best things I've seen at the Edinburgh Fringe so far
The Fringe is incredible for taking you on a journey through the full spectrum of the human experience, from cringe-inducing low to euphoric highs. These five picks can be placed in the latter category. Cat Cohen: Broad Strokes Catherine Cohen is performing at the Fringe (Image: Dev Bowman) Cat Cohen is an absolute whirlwind of a woman. She comes on stage in silhouette, before the lights reveal a fantastically glamorous sequinned get-up and she bursts into song. The diva energy is palpable from the outset. Cohen's hour-long show focuses on her experience of having a stroke in her early 30s – combining themes of self-doubt, millennial self-interest and showbiz ambitions with her health journey. Her ability to coin a phrase is incredible (I can't stop thinking about describing hospital lighting as "giving cellulite), and almost as impressive as her extremely catchy cabaret songs (which I hummed on the train all the way home). This is an incredibly tight hour of comedy and music from a young woman absolutely bursting with talent. The future is incredibly bright for Miss Cohen. Rating: 5/5 Find out more here Kieran Hodgson: Voice of America Kieran Hodgson is probably most recognisable to Scottish audiences from his role as Gordon in Two Doors Down. What you might not know is that Kieran had a minor role as "Sandwich Guy" in DC film The Flash. The team behind the film required that he perform with an American accent – prompting the English-born, Glasgow-based comedian to reckon with his understanding of what it really means to be American in 2025. This is a seriously smart hour of stand-up, which also manages to showcase Hodgson's exceptional impression skills. He is also just a seriously likeable guy. Note: I am slightly cheating here, as I saw a preview of this show in Glasgow rather than at its actual Edinburgh run. Rating: 4/5 Find out more here The Fit Prince (who gets switched on the square in the frosty castle the night before (insert public holiday here)) The Fit Prince has maybe the longest title of any Fringe show this year (Image: Awkward Productions) Having already seen Awkward Productions' brilliant Diana: The Untold and Untrue Story, this was one of my must-sees going into Fringe 2025. It more than lived up to expectation. The Fit Prince is an extremely funny, extremely silly take on the sorts of cookie-cutter Netflix Christmas films and Hallmark movies that get pumped out of the Content Factory every year and inexplicably make massive amounts of money. With low-budget props and clever use of pre-filmed segments from LGBT+ cult favourites, the talented team behind the show create a lot out of a little. The highlight is the mini-concert from Swedonian favourites BAAB (obviously a play on ABBA), with creators Linus Karp and Joseph Martin donning their sparkly dresses for renditions of everyone's favourite pop hits – including Movement King. As ever, the latest production from this team includes lots of hilarious audience interaction ... so be prepared to take to the stage and become a part of the cast if you head to this one. Rating: 4/5 Find out more here Mark Jennings: Bread and Circuses Marc Jennings is seriously funny. I first came across him years ago online as he was doing a pitch-perfect impression of former Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross. I've followed his career ever since. The stand-up comedian and podcaster is an underrated talent who deserves a lot more attention. Maybe this latest show will do the trick. Discussing everything from modern dating to the mess of UK and Scottish politics, Jennings darts easily from one topic to another with the ease of your mate at the pub. This one has some seriously quotable punchlines too. Rating: 4/5 Find out more here Body Count Issy Knowles is the writer and performer behind Body Count (Image: Body Count) Body Count, a new one-woman show from Issy Knowles, explores the horrifying world of competitive sex. Based loosely on the infamous escapades of women like Bonnie Blue and Lily Phillips, this show imagines the inner life of those who participate in increasingly extreme sexual activities. With only a smartphone, a bed and a whole lot of condoms, Knowles brings together a thought-provoking, well-structured performance. I would have liked more exploration of how social media led us here, rather than some of the more cliched and one-dimensional depictions of the men in the story, but overall this show is a real talker. Go with your friends, and discuss it over a pint afterwards. Is the line between empowerment and degradation really so thin? Rating: 3.5/5 Find out more here Let us know what your favourite shows have been in the comments.
