Latest news with #EdinburghFestivalFringeSociety
The Herald Scotland
2 days ago
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
The Future of Edinburgh – Find all articles in the series here
Follow along with all articles here. Day One Edinburgh is a growing city, drawing millions of tourists, and facing multiple challenges from housing to transport. Our series looks at its future The so-called jewel in the capital's crown is awash with scaffolding for major redevelopments. Does this mean it's 'fixed' as some suggest? To show what's happening with Princes Street – and what's coming next – The Herald has built an interactive map highlighting the big changes. Edinburgh's population is growing three times faster than any other Scottish city – but can the capital's crumbling infrastructure cope? The Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society's new chief executive has pledged to rebuild the relationship with venues as he admitted there had been a breakdown of trust in recent years. The new figurehead for Edinburgh's festivals has warned they are at risk of 'stagnation' unless they can attract new investment. The Edinburgh International Festival has called for a major rethink over its future funding as it revealed a multi-million pound gap in its spending plans. Best-selling author Alexander McCall Smith on why Edinburgh – and the other large Scottish cities – remain good places to live. Trouble has been brewing around Edinburgh's next tramline since a new north-south plan was announced.
The Herald Scotland
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Fringe boss vows to rebuild trust after 'sabre-rattling' row
He said the relationship with venues appeared to have "lost its way" and suggested "entrenched" positions were to blame for behind-the-scenes tensions. Read more: Support for the Fringe Society is said to have dwindled away from many of the key players in the festival in recent years as it has stepped up lobbying for more public funding. Mr Lankeser suggested there had been 'sabre-rattling' against the Fringe Society, which has overseen the festival since the 1950s. Tony Lankester is chief executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society. (Image: Gordon Terris) Mr Lankester denied claims that the charity had been competing for public funding with venues staging shows at the 78-year-old event, which will return with 3352 shows in its line-up in August. Mr Lankester was speaking after venue operators warned that the financial model behind the event was on the brink of 'collapse' due to the impact of soaring costs in recent years. He urged the venues to ask 'existential questions' about their scale and running costs, and suggested they should not be using the same business model as they were operating under five or 10 years ago. The Fringe Society has faced growing hostility from the Fringe Alliance, an independent collective of venue operators and promoters involved in the festival every year. When the Fringe Alliance was launched in 2023 it pledged to 'work with and support' the Fringe Society, as well as 'raise financial support for the Fringe community and ensure that appropriate support reaches all parts of the Fringe ecology". However a leaked dossier from the Fringe Alliance revealed concerns it has raised privately with politicians and funding bodies about the Fringe Society's growth, budget, influence and funding priorities. The Fringe Society has secured new funding deals with the UK Government to help open a new "Fringe Central" headquarters building and support a 'Keep It Fringe Fund' for UK-based artists. The Scottish Government confirmed £300,000 of new support for the Fringe Society shortly before previous chief executive Shona McCarthy left her role in the spring. The Fringe Alliance has accused the Fringe Society of 'competing with artists and venues for funding rather than facilitating their success' and suggested that its operating model had 'distorted the festival's financial ecosystem' and directed resources aware from the Fringe's 'core creative contributors". Mr Lankester, who was appointed in January, said he started meeting venue representatives in his first week in the job in April and had since met operators of every size. He told The Herald: 'I think the relationship between the Fringe Society and the venues has lost its way a bit. 'I don't want to speculate about why that has happened. I think everyone was talking across each other, and there was no real common understanding or meeting of minds. 'I think we just need to get those conversations back into a sensible space. 'I don't think there is anyone in the Fringe eco-system, including the Fringe Alliance, who wakes up in the morning thinking: 'How can we make things worse today?' 'The Fringe Society is completely focused on making sure that we can deliver the best possible experience for artists. If they are looked after, audiences will have a good time and the venues will do well. We exist to serve the artists. 'I think the venues have perhaps felt left out of conversations. They do view the Fringe Society as being in competition with them to some degree. When I interrogated that with them I couldn't see any clear examples. 'The Fringe Society has been acting in good faith. If you look at the example of the Keep It Fringe Fund, we have become a conduit to pass that money directly to artists. 'The funding that we secured for the Fringe Central building project wasn't up for grabs by other entities. It's not like anyone else lost out. 'I think it all comes down to a common understanding of what our strategy needs to be and what the role of the Fringe Society is.' Mr Lankester admitted there mixed views among venue operators about the future role of the Fringe Society. He said: 'Everyone has their own unique issues. Opinions vary quite a lot. 'Some people say: 'We only want you to run a box office and print a programme and it should be hands-off everything else.' 'Other people say: 'We really need you to raise funds for things and build a way of filtering money back into the ecosystem. 'There has been a certain tone and a sabre-rattling kind of environment about some of the things I have read. "Yet when I sit around the table with people there is a genuine desire to be constructive and move things forward. Whether that is lip service or not I don't know, but I'm taking it at face value. 'For me, the underlying thing is the relationship between the Fringe Society and all the components of the wider ecosystem, improving communication, which we may not have always got it right in the past, and rebuilding trust where it has broken down. 'We have a business relationship with every single venue. Many millions of pounds move around the ecosystem. If there was genuinely zero trust no-one would be trusting us to sell their tickets. 'There might be some suspicions, a slight circling of each other and a wariness. I think it's just about bringing alignment now. 'Everyone in the ecosystem has their own agenda. That's how it should be. They want to see the Fringe Society supporting their agenda. The reality is there are some things we can support them on, but there are others that are not our business. We rely on them to run their businesses as best they can.' Edinburgh's popularity as a tourism destination, new city council restrictions on the short-term letting of properties and the impact of concerts at Murrayfield Stadium clashing with the Fringe for the first time have all been blamed for the crisis. It is said to have forced many artists and performers to limit the runs of their shows, and for venue operators to take an increasing financial risk on their programmes. The number of shows in the printed programme has increased slightly from 3317 in 2024 to 3351 this year. However the number of performances has dropped from 51,446 to 49,521 in the space of 12 months. Mr Lankester said: 'We are not privy to the individuals deals that venues are doing with artists. 'But the landscape has changed. Businesses need to evolve and respond to that. You see that in every industry and every sector around the world. 'If venues are not constantly looking at their business model, looking at the pressures of a changing landscape and still trying to do the same things they did five or 10 years ago the results are going to be pretty sore for them. 'There are existential questions everyone should be asking about size, scale and costs. That kind of business model stuff should be as real for the venues as it is for the Fringe Society or anyone else.' Lyndsey Jackon, deputy chief executive of the Fringe Society, said: 'It has been worrying some people for a while that artists are coming to the Fringe for shorter periods of time. 'But artists have always done a variety of runs. We did do a trend analysis last year and it wasn't particularly stark in any shift. 'We've always said that one of the benefits of doing a full run for three weeks is that you just don't get that level of professional development and immersion in a festival experience anywhere else. 'A shorter run is still a really valuable thing to do, but we always encourage people to do the full three-week run if they can. 'The question we always ask artists is what their objective is. If it's about professional development, building audiences, testing your work and seeing as much as possible then three weeks is probably necessary. 'Each artist will have their own set of objectives, budget and capacity. Artists have obviously got physical, time and financial restraints. Many of them aren't able to take the whole week off 'It doesn't worry me that people are doing different runs as that model as always existed. It would be more worrying if we were seeing three one-week festivals, but I don't think that's true. An enormous number of shows in this programme are doing the full run of the Fringe.' This year's Fringe programme will feature work from 58 countries around the world, including 923 Scottish productions and 1392 drawn from the rest of the UK. Mr Lankester said: 'I think the size of this year's programme demonstrates the resilience of artists. 'I don't think we can pretend that everything is rosy in the garden. We know there are issues, pressures and things we need to respond to. 'But the programme is evidence of what we know about artists, which is how much artists value the Fringe and see it as an important thing to be part of."
Edinburgh Reporter
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Edinburgh Reporter
Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2025
Later today the full Fringe 2025 programme will be published in print and online. The online version offers searchable database of the 3,352 shows which will be performed at 26 venues. Themes range across some of the most topical to Shakespeare and everything in between. Tony Lankester, Chief Executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, said: 'Programme launch is such an exciting moment for everyone involved making the Fringe happen. Thank you to all the Fringe-makers – the artists, venues, workers, producers, technicians, promoters, support staff and audiences that bring their un-matched, exceptional energy to Edinburgh in August. 'This year's Fringe programme is filled with every kind of performance, so whether you're excited for theatre or circus, or the best of comedy, music, dance, children's shows, magic or cabaret; get ready to dare to discover this August. Jump right in, book your favourites, shows that intrigue you and take a chance on something new.' The Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society is the charity that underpins the world-renowned Edinburgh Fringe. It was established in 1958 by a group of artists to provide central services for the festival and ensure that it stays true to its founding purpose of inclusion and welcome to all. We exist to support and encourage everyone who wants to participate in the Fringe; to provide information and assistance to audiences; and to celebrate the Fringe and what it stands for all over the world. Based on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, the Society has a small team of staff who work year-round to assist all the artists and audiences who make the festival one of the best loved performing arts events on the planet. In 2022, as part of the Fringe's 75th anniversary, the Fringe Society launched a new collaborative vision and set of values, and made a series of commitments to become more inclusive, fair and sustainable. The vision is 'to give anyone a stage and everyone a seat'. The Fringe Society was awarded funding of £7 million by the UK Government and has entered a long lease of the premises at the former South Bridge Resource Centre which will become the Fringe Hub after considerable work has been carried out. Like this: Like Related
The Herald Scotland
6 days ago
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
So the Edinburgh Festival's future is under threat. Really?
Money is usually at the heart of it, in two areas specifically. First, funding and support for the arts at governmental and council level. Second the costs associated with coming to Edinburgh in August either as performer or punter. The major complaint on that front is the soaring price of accommodation, the result in part of an ugly tendency among private landlords in the capital for (let's call it what it is) naked profiteering. The pernicious effect of American online rental behemoth Airbnb and other companies like it doesn't help either. In Edinburgh, their presence has helped industrialize the hollowing out of the city centre, a process which has paved the way for sky-high August prices. At the same time, the council now requires those who may only let out a room or sub-let while on holiday to apply for a licence (and possibly also planning permission). This has taken some accommodation out of the market, which affects supply. Airbnb says it hasn't prevented rising costs, nevertheless the company is among those lobbying hard for its repeal. There may be a shortage of money for the Arts but there is always plenty of 'street theatre' (Image: free) Meanwhile a year-round 5% visitor levy, or tourist tax, is due to be introduced in time for the 2026 Edinburgh Festival, though it remains to be seen how much (if any) of the mooted £50 million windfall will be sent in the direction of the August festivals, or used to address their various infrastructure needs. The most vocal complainant and advocate for change and improvement tends to be the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, which runs the Fringe, the biggest player in Edinburgh's portfolio of summer festivals. In April newly-appointed chief executive Tony Lankester told The Herald: 'When discussions are happening on the visitor levy, the Fringe's voice is really important. We are not looking to the visitor levy as a way of feathering our nest or benefiting hugely financially from it. We might make an ask for certain projects, such as around our street events, but by and large our seat at the table will be to lobby for investment in the kind.' Ahead of the launch of the 2025 Fringe programme, others have voiced similar concerns about the pressures facing the Edinburgh Festival and the Fringe in particular – and in more strident terms. 'We have to do something to bring the cost of accommodation down,' says Anthony Alderson, director of the Pleasance Theatre Trust. 'By having made it so expensive to be here during August, for visitors and performers alike, we are slowly killing the Fringe.' On the other hand, the Fringe has now moved into a new home, something it has long campaigned for. It has seen its funding boosted. And earlier this month it announced that this year's event was on track to be the third largest in history. Meanwhile the Edinburgh International Book Festival is settling into its new home in the über-swanky Futures Institute, and the Edinburgh International Film Festival goes from strength to strength (though admittedly it started from a pretty low base). So are things as black as they are painted? Yes and no, which is another Edinburgh Festival tradition – everything's terrible until August rolls around, at which point everything's brilliant. Read more Birthday presence Everywhere you turn these days somebody, somewhere is celebrating the anniversary of something or other. Big or small, niche or mainstream, well-planned or half-arsed, it's coming at you. Last year we had Edinburgh 900, a rather lacklustre effort to commemorate 900 years since King David I created the royal burgh in which the capital sits. In January, Glasgow 850 launched, a rather more muscular and imaginative affair aimed at celebrating 850 years of the Dear Green Place. One of its key events, the three-day music festival Clyde Chorus, kicks off on Thursday. Back in the capital, 2026 will see the 200th anniversary of the Royal Scottish Academy (RSA), which is both building and organisation. It's also, some might argue, something close to a state of mind for its members, the Academicians. The Royal Scottish Academy will be 200 years old next year (Image: Gordon Terris) As befits an august institution which continues to move with the times, the anniversary celebrations unveiled this week are ambitious and, importantly, take the RSA out of its gilded stone palace on the Mound and into venues across Scotland, such as Shetland, Skye, Aberdeen and Berwick-upon-Tweed – a cheeky act of cultural colonisation given that it's actually in England. But if none of that grabs you, I'm sure there will be another anniversary along behind it. Orkney's St Magnus Festival turns 50 next year and Glasgow's Kelvin Hall notches up its centenary in 2027. You can bet that somebody, somewhere already has a spreadsheet open – or a pencil over the back of a fag packet. Read more And finally The Herald's dance critic Mary Brennan continues her trawl through the best of the Dance International Glasgow mini-festival at Tramway with reviews of The Violet Hour, and Dance Is Not For Us and Bottoms, a double bill. The first is a new work by Scottish dancer and choreographer Colette Sadler, a multi-media piece built around three dancers and nodding to Greek myth. Dance Is Not For Us is solo show by Lebanese dancer Omar Rajeh while Bottoms, by migrant and disabled-led performance company Two Destination Language, brings five dancers to the stage – and a little mooning, which is what gives the piece its title. Elsewhere theatre critic Neil Cooper was at the King's Theatre in Glasgow for a touring production of satirical musical The Book Of Mormon and at the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh for something completely different – Sylvia Dow's Blinded By The Light, which tells (and reflects upon) the story of the 1982 sit-in at Kinneil Colliery in Bo'ness. Finally music critic Keith Bruce was at St John's Kirk in Perth for a Perth Festival of the Arts performance by the 18-strong Ora Singers of unaccompanied vocals works ranging from Renaissance polyphony to Sir James MacMillan's Misere. Read our reviews
Edinburgh Reporter
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Edinburgh Reporter
Made in Scotland 2025
The Made in Scotland Showcase will again form an integral part of the Fringe this year with sixteen shows backed by The Scottish Government's Festivals Expo Fund. The initiative was set up in 2009 and has supported 299 shows to date with an onward touring fund supporting more than 130 productions to visit 50 countries on six continents. Musician Karine Polwart is pictured in the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh with a sabal palm seedling, a 'child' of the original two centuries old sabal tree. Ms Polwart makes her Edinburgh Fringe debut with 'Windblown', a poignant and tender theatrical tribute to plants, gardeners and grieving. Too old and unsteady to move, too vulnerable to survive on its own, the lofty Sabal palm of Edinburgh's Royal Botanic Garden reflects on two hundred years of containment, dislocation and human care, as it outgrows its 19th century glasshouse home and approaches its chainsaw demise, making way for a new conservation research facility. Award-winning writer-musician Karine Polwart imagines the poetic and musical voice of the old Sabal itself, in an exploration of historical legacies, ecological loss, collective ritual and the multi-generational promise of gardens. The show is at The Queen's Hall from 9-13 August. The partners in the government funded collaboration include Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, Federation of Scottish Theatre, Scottish Music Centre and Creative Scotland. Tony Lankester, Chief Executive, Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society said:'The support we receive from the Scottish Government's EXPO Fund is truly transformative for Scottish artists. It gives them the opportunity to showcase their extraordinary work on an unparalleled platform at the Edinburgh Fringe, and then to take those shows to audiences around the world. The EXPO Fund's commitment to nurturing Scotland's cultural talent ensures that artists have the space to do what they do best, and to thrive on the world stage. The Fringe Society is privileged to help deliver this opportunity and we look forward to celebrating their success with them.' Laura Mackenzie-Stuart, Head of Theatre at Creative Scotland said: 'Once again, the Made in Scotland Showcase serves up a dizzying array of Scottish talent. This August, audiences in Edinburgh will get advance sight of work which we are confident will be gracing international stages for years to come, following in the footsteps of the exceptional and select 299 shows which have been worthy recipients of Made in Scotland funding since 2009. We wish everyone enormous success this Fringe!' Alex McGowan, Interim CEO of Federation of Scottish Theatre said: 'The Federation of Scottish Theatre is delighted to continue its association with the Made in Scotland showcase. Thanks to the continuing funding support of the Scottish Government, it's fantastic to see such a diverse range of work being given this vital platform for connecting Scotland's artists with the world.' Gill Maxwell, Executive Director, Scottish Music Centre said:'We are thrilled to be part of the Made in Scotland Showcase 2025, presenting world-class music shows that celebrate the rich talent, creativity, and aspirations of composers, songwriters, musicians, and artists working in Scotland today. Made in Scotland at The Fringe is not just a celebration of creativity; it's a stepping stone—an extraordinary opportunity to share Scotland's music with the world. This year's showcase offers an incredible selection of work from across the country, full of invention, fresh ideas, multidisciplinary performances and striking visuals.' 2025 Made in Scotland Programme CHILDREN'S SHOWS PEKKU Red Bridge Arts Recommended Age Guidance: 3+ Venue: ZOO Southside, Main House (82) Time: 11:00 (45 mins) Dates: 1st – 9th Aug Category: Theatre Shh… What's that noise? A squeak? A squeal? A bird? It's getting louder. Oh dear… Pekku takes a playful look at what happens when you want to be left alone and others have a different idea. A new show for 3 to 6-year-olds by the creators of White and Stick by Me. Co-commissioned by Red Bridge Arts, ROHM Theatre and Ricca Ricca Festival. Produced by Red Bridge Arts. First performed at ROHM Theatre, Kyoto on 15 July 2023. THE UNLIKELY FRIENDSHIP OF FEATHER BOY AND TENTACLE GIRL Vee Smith and Sadiq Ali. Produced by Catherine Wheels, commissioned by Imaginate, created in association with National Theatre of Scotland and supported by Assembly. Supported by the Scottish Government's Festivals Expo Fund, development funded by Creative Scotland. Recommended Age Guidance: 8+ Venue: Assembly Roxy (139) Time: 11:25 (60 mins) Dates: 4th – 17th Aug Category: Interdisciplinary Two friends perform breathtaking aerial shows. They fly, spin, hang from the rooftops and fall out of the sky… But they weren't always so glorious. How did they transform from feeling like outsiders to the fantastical creatures they always knew they had inside them? A touching story of a girl who wants to be a monster and a boy who wants to fly. This dynamic and visually stunning aerial show for ages 8 plus explores the universal yearning to belong and the joy of friendship. DANCE PHYSICAL THEATRE AND CIRCUS BALFOUR REPARATIONS Farah Saleh Recommended Age Guidance: 12+ Venue: Summerhall, TechCube 0 (26) Dates: 13th – 25th Aug Time: 16:30 (60 mins) Category: Dance The Balfour Reparations is a performance lecture examines the UK's colonial legacy in Palestine, focusing on Arthur James Balfour, Prime Minister (1902-1905) and Foreign Secretary (1916-1919), and his role in denying Palestinian political rights. Utilising speculative choreography and Afrofuturism, Saleh intertwines history, fiction, and fantasy, drawing inspiration from archival materials. Set in 2045, the lecture reflects on a fictive apology letter issued by the UK in 2025, promising reparations to the Palestinian people. The audience become members of the reparations' evaluation committee created on the 20th anniversary of the apology and are invited to participate in the performance. through warm temperatures Mele Broomes Recommended Age Guidance: 3+ Venue: Assembly @ Dance Base, DB1 (22a) Dates: 12th – 24th Aug Time: 13:15 (60 mins) Category: Dance through warm temperatures affirms castor oil's legacy as a natural remedy, an elixir, and a historic source that transcends boundaries. This performance takes you on a journey of reconnection with nature and the body. Weaving vocals and dance, the work shifts from meditative gestures to unfiltered expression building towards self-acceptance. Mele Broomes' choreography and vocals, with Simone Seales' live cello and electronic soundscapes, merge as performers shift between solos, duos, and collective movement. Moving towards a place of warmth. Inviting release. This work is BSL integrated. STEPPING IN…SPILLING OUT Mark Bleakley Recommended Age Guidance: 12+ Venue: Assembly @ Dance Base, DB 3 (22a) Dates: 12th – 17th Aug Time: 19:50 (50 mins) Category: Dance Stepping in… Spilling out: across your parent's carpet, stepping into the cypher, stepping in solidarity, stepping with strangers in the club. Collaboration with French percussionist Rémy Gouffault, this work takes a walk along the personal history of Mark's dance practice through the foundational act of stepping; the different people, communities, histories and politics that collide with Mark's body through movement. Beginning on an oversized drawing of his family home carpet, using movement, conversations, participation and music, Mark and Rémy guide you through layers of landscapes stepping through; parties, protests, rituals, mosh pits and gas clouds. KATHRYN GORDON: A JOURNEY OF FLIGHT Kathryn Gordon Recommended Age Guidance: 8+ Venue: Assembly @ Dance Base, DB 3 (22a) Dates: 12th – 17th Aug Time: 14:30 (50 mins) Category: Interdisciplinary An immersive fifty-minute dance performance created in Shetland and inspired by the migration of birds. Mesmerising choreography, live music from Jenny Sturgeon and stunning projected visuals, A Journey of Flight creates a thought-provoking journey of arrivals, departures, the nostalgia of place and the notion of flight itself. Set against a backdrop of flowing white sheets, the dancers move through ever changing spaces, exploring new states of being and new homes. This visually stunning piece invites audiences to reflect on the delicate balance between nature, movement and our emotional ties to place. PICKLED REPUBLIC Ruxandra Cantir Recommended Age Guidance: 14+ Venue: Summerhall, Anatomy Lecture Theatre (26) Dates: 31st Jul – 25th Aug Time: 13:15 (60 mins) Category: Theatre Welcome to the jar. Here, tragedy floats and the wail of an abandoned tomato cuts through the salty atmosphere. Come hear the lament of lives not lived, watch the chaotic energy of the search for meaning and find connections between these decaying vegetables and your own existence. Be prepared, bring a hankie, will you laugh or cry? Who knows. You'll leave stirred up but none the wiser. A surreal theatrical cabaret for adults with puppetry, masks, and perhaps a poem that promises more vegetables per pound than any supermarket. Don't worry about inflation when there is disintegration. THESE MECHANISMS Christine Thynne & Robbie Synge Recommended Age Guidance: 8+ Venue: Assembly@Dance Base, DB 3 (22a) Dates: 1st – 20th Aug Time: 17:15 (60 mins) Category: Dance In her eightieth year, Christine wondered if she might create her first show. Who says an octogenarian shouldn't be working with stepladders, electronics… and water? A performance of persistence and joy, celebrating the beautiful functions and limits of a human body and the desire to make things happen. Assisted by her helper, Calum, Christine manipulates and raps her way along a precarious journey of movement and sound, taking us to surprising places. This is real, what happens along the way we can't be sure. Just got to keep going! Programmed by Dance Base in collaboration with Assembly. SMALL TOWN BOYS Shaper Caper Limited Recommended Age Guidance: 18+ Venue: ZOO Southside, Main House (82) Dates: 1st – 17th Aug (not 4th &11th), BSL dates (10th & 12th) Time: 19:15 (90 mins) Category: Dance A young man embarks on a thrilling journey from his small hometown to the big city, where he finds solace and joy in the vibrant LGBTQ+ scene. However, his adventure takes a dramatic turn as he confronts a terrifying health crisis, largely ignored by the government. Eight electrifying dancers bring the legendary Paradise Nightclub to life with a community cast, who blur the lines between performer and audience, infusing the show with the joy and chaos of the club scene. Winner of the Creative Arts Award at the 2024 Proud Scotland Awards. EXHIBITION MŮO Lomond Campbell Recommended Age Guidance: 12+ Venue: French Institute in Scotland, Salle Pierre Boulez (N/A) Dates: 8th – 25th Aug Time: 11:00 (360 mins) Category: Interdisciplinary MŮO is an immersive audiovisual installation by Lomond Campbell which makes use of muon detectors, sensing harmless radiation in the atmosphere. This radiation is created by cosmic rays, which in turn are the result of powerful nuclear events such as black holes, stars exploding and galaxies colliding. These intergalactic events will literally shape the soundscape, light and visuals in real time, inviting the audience to contemplate the invisible force of the surrounding cosmos and the fragility of our own existence here on Earth. This unique showcase is presented in partnership with Sonica and the University of Glasgow. MUSIC MŮO LIVE Lomond Campbell Recommended Age Guidance: 14+ Venue: French Institute in Scotland, Salle Emilienne Moreau-Evrard (168) Dates: 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th,7th, 14th, 19th, 23rd Aug Time: 18:00 (60 mins) Category: Interdisciplinary Join Scottish artist and musician Lomond Campbell for a unique live performance of MŮO, an audiovisual experience powered by the universe itself. Using muon detectors, MŮO captures cosmic radiation from deep space, transforming it into reactive sound and entrancing live visuals. Performing with his one-of-a-kind handmade instrument, the Můonophone, Lomond creates a constantly evolving sonic landscape, joined by special musical guests throughout the festival. Blending art, science and sound in a way you've never seen before, MŮO is a cosmic journey not to be missed. Presented in partnership with Sonica and the University of Glasgow. WAXEN FIGURES Muto Major Recommended Age Guidance: 12+ Venue: Summerhall, TechCube 0 (26) Dates: 31st Jul – 11th Aug Time: 16:30 (60 mins) & Venue: Summerhall, Dissection Room (26) Dates: 12th – 15th Aug Time: 17:30 (60 mins) Category: Interdisciplinary Waxen Figures is an immersive audiovisual experience – a supernatural fever dream, where live contemporary dance, Gaelic singing, and cutting-edge technology collide. This Cryptic Commission by audio-visual duo Muto Major plunges into Scotland's folklore, exploring the chasm between ancient rituals and modern lives. Clay, wax, and the human form intertwine, summoning the mythic and the mystical. Projection mapping and augmented reality bring Pictish carvings to life, blurring the line between past and present. Waxen Figures invites you into a multisensory world, where innovation and tradition dance together, reawakening forgotten truths through a bold, poetic lens. AUD THE DEEP MINDED Joanna Nicholson Recommended Age Guidance: 12+ Venue: theSpaceTriplex (38) Dates:13th – 17th Aug Time: 11:15 (40 mins) Category: Music A groundbreaking music drama by Scottish New Music Awards shortlisted Joanna Nicholson combining projection art, voice, electronic soundscapes, clarinet and horn. Psychological time travel draws us into the inner world of Aud the Deep Minded, a real-life Christian Viking and conflicted yet brilliant leader in 9th century Scotland. Inspired by fragments of unreliably documented history, and reframed in the present, we explore Aud's transformatory journey from oppressed to oppressor to liberator. Contains swearing. Soprano – Clíona Cassidy, Horn – Andy Saunders, Clarinet – Joanna Nicholson, Electronics – Alistair MacDonald, Projection – Kirsty Anderson. #IamAud THEATRE BURST Creative Electric Recommended Age Guidance: All Ages Venue: Summerhall, Red Lecture Decking (26) Dates: 31st Jul – 25th Aug Time: 13:00, 13:30, 14:00, 15:00, 15:30, 16:00, 16:30, 17:00, 17:30, 18:00, 19:30, 20:00, 20:30 (25 mins) Category: Interdisciplinary An oasis of peace and calm in a sea of festival chaos. Burst is a sensory escape from the intensity of the Fringe. Designed with, and for, neurodivergent families and their friends, Burst aims to explore and soothe anxiety. Creative Electric's bubble doctors prescribe a short stay in one of their infamous bubble beds where you will listen to a track over wireless headphones… slowly throughout your experience bubbles will appear and you'll feel your anxiety float away. In collaboration with Refuweegee, Burst is available in Arabic, Farsi, Ukrainian and English KARINE POLWART: WINDBLOWN Raw Material Arts Recommended Age Guidance: 12+ Venue: The Queen's Hall (72) Dates: 9th – 13th Aug Time: 19:30 (60 mins) Category: Interdisciplinary Too old and unsteady to move, too vulnerable to survive on its own, the lofty Sabal palm of Edinburgh's Royal Botanic Garden reflects on two hundred years of containment, dislocation and human care, as it outgrows its 19th century glasshouse home and approaches its chainsaw demise, making way for a new conservation research facility. Award-winning writer-musician Karine Polwart imagines the poetic and musical voice of the old Sabal itself, in an exploration of historical legacies, ecological loss, collective ritual and the multi-generational promise of gardens. With acclaimed pianist Dave Milligan. FLOAT F-Bomb Theatre Recommended Age Guidance: 14+ Venue: Gilded Balloon Patter House, Other Yin (24) Dates: 30th Jul – 25th Aug Time: 18:00 (60 mins) Category: Theatre Join Astronaut Indra on a nine-month mission to the moon… but not all missions are successful. A new autobiographical solo show by Indra Wilson about the lonely, turbulent journey of experiencing pregnancy loss as a queer young person. A black hole forms when a star dies, explodes into tiny little pieces until it returns back to the dust it once was – as if it never even existed in the first place. With dynamic sound and projections, be immersed in this unique, heartfelt and hopeful debut. Produced by award-winning feminist company, F-Bomb Theatre (Fringe First, Sit-Up Award). CHUNKY JEWELLERY Barrowland Ballet Recommended Age Guidance: 14+ Venue: Assembly Rooms, Music Hall (20) Dates: 1st – 24th Aug Time: 13:30 (75 mins) Category: Theatre Two friends, one year, two births, a death, 18 bursts of laughter, 34,000 tears (each) and one piece of chunky jewellery. It was a year to forget but instead Natasha and Jude turned it into a show. This is a comedy that bites. An achingly joyous celebration of sisterhood, taking the audience on an emotional rollercoaster with open-hearted, brutal honesty. These uncompromising performers team up with Olivier Award-nominated Ben Duke of Lost Dog to create this unflinchingly honest, human and hilarious show. Multi-award winning musician Karine Polwart makes her Edinburgh fringe debut with 'Windblown', a poignant and tender theatrical tribute to plants, gardeners and grieving as part of the Made in Scotland Showcase 2025. PHOTO Colin Hattersley Photography Like this: Like Related
