We were asked by our lovely partners over at Fringe Days Out earlier in the year if we’d suggest some shows for their Communities and Schools Guide, which is compiled with the help of a few community groups, teachers, festivals and creative industry professionals. “No problem!” we said, and asked the hive mind that is Team YTAS to take some time out from their regular work to have a leisurely look through this year’s Fringe programme.
While our list grew arms and legs from the one we sent many months ago (it all sounds so good!), we have decided to keep the Fringe Days Out categories for our own Pick of the Fringe list this year as we liked them so much. So here goes… the YTAS Pick of the Fringe (2024 edition). Enjoy!
Reliable Fringe Favourites
(a crowdpleaser, a guaranteed good time, something returning, or a company/performer we rate)
Dear Billy: A Love Letter to the Big Yin from The People of Scotland Gary McNair is a brilliant storyteller and we know this will be a heartwarming and hilarious tribute to Billy – what a great combo!
Bee Story A uniquely Australian physical theatre show for families incorporating circus, acrobatics, dance and live music to tell the story of Queen Bee and Worker Bee who must work together to rebuild their hive after it is destroyed by a bushfire. Highly recommended by Emma and her niece (who has now seen it twice, in both Edinburgh and Australia!)
Humans 2.0 The “next level” second chapter of Circa’s internationally acclaimed Humans is a symphony of acrobatics, sound and light as bodies leap and are caught, and physical limits are pushed to their extreme. Say no more, we’re sold.
Afrique en Cirque Inspired by daily life in Guinea, acrobats execute gravity-defying moves to the contemporary sounds of afro-jazz and percussion. A big acrobatics show is always such a great hit for a day out at the Fringe, and this sounds like it will be a crowd-pleasing spectacle!
June Carter Cash: The Woman, Her Music and Me The story of one of country music’s most iconic voices, but more than a simple biography… An NTS collaboration as part of MadeInScotlandShowcase.com.
Weather Girl Anything with the line “a dizzying rampage into the soul of American strangeness” in its promo copy definitely gets our attention. From the producers of Fleabag and Baby Reindeer, so sure to be another hit.
Bi-Curious George A look though a queer lens on the natural world as award-winning drag king and London’s loveable nature boy, Bi-Curious George, invites you into a raucous celebration of queerness and the animal kingdom which aims to shatter the heteronormative binaries through which we view the natural world.
Common Is As Common Does: A Memoir 21Common’s shows always have a fantastic soundtrack and this Western sounds epic, mashing karaoke carnage and feats of physical endurance with chucking-out time at the Grand Ole Oprey. Using tropes of Western movies, it explores how poverty and violence shape a man. It’s part of MadeInScotlandShowcase.com, and it’s only on for the first half of the festival so you don’t want to discover it too late!
An Unexpected Hiccup Caught in a storm and looking for help, Murdo knocks on a door to find the family inside seems to be expecting him. A chilling tale of comic misunderstandings and dangerous eccentricities, presented by Lung Ha Theatre Company and Plutôt la Vie. Joyce McMillan called it “full of wit, wisdom, and bold, boundary-busting theatrical energy”, so we’ll be making a trip to join Murdo in the creepy house for sure.
My Son’s a Queer (But What Can You Do?) This is the joyous, chaotic, Olivier-nominated autobiographical story of actor and writer Rob Madge, who attempted a full-blown Disney parade in their house for their Grandma at age 12. Here, they set out to recreate that parade – and this time, nobody, no, nobody is gonna rain on it.
Hidden Gems
(shows that sound so amazing that we’re genuinely a bit worried they might get overlooked!)
Taiwan Season: I Am The BOSS We always want to make sure we see lots of international work at the Fringe, and this Taiwanese performance telling the story of three competitive siblings left home alone looks like a super fun, family-friendly show.
Nation It’s the story of a nation. It’s the story of a theatre. It’s the story of an audience. Outside there are people trying to get in. And in the middle of the room… apparently a show is taking place. Well, colour us intrigued…
The Sound Inside An Ivy League professor is captivated by a brilliant, rebellious freshman student, and so begins the story of two outsiders on the threshold of breaking an indelible taboo. Nominated for six Tony Awards… no further sales pitch needed.
How I Learned to Swim Jamie can’t swim. Bit awkward when you’re 30. Fuelled by guilt and a need to mend her broken family, Jamie is taking on her biggest fear: the ocean. This play explores what lies beneath the surface of Black people’s relationship to water, and sounds like a must for those looking to understand the diasporic trauma that can surround this.
Puddles and Amazons A queer coming-of-age story of grief, male tenderness, and fluids. Featuring live audio mixing, mild audience interaction, and water. Also part of the MadeInScotlandShowcase.com.
A Brief Case of Crazy Another physical theatre piece that sounds heart-warming and joyful. The story of a regular yet remarkable man looking for love, as told through physical comedy, dance numbers and ludicrous characters.
Ironing Board Man One man. Eight ironing boards. One epic soundtrack. The premise sounded just mad enough to catch our attention – an action-packed Hollywood movie created only with ironing boards… what more could you want?!
FAMEHUNGRY A helter-skelter nose-dive into the TikTok universe, the attention economy, and what it means to be an artist now.
So Young From the celebrated writer of Decky Does a Bronco, So Young sees an innocuous evening slide into ruin as old friends face the challenges of middle age, growing apart, and losing those close to them, whether that’s to the grave, or to London. A story about coming back together after time apart.
A Giant on the Bridge Every year in Scotland, thousands of people return home from prison to an uncertain future. Identity, family, community, restoration and injustice are explored through original songwriting, hip-hop and immersive storytelling by five of Scotland’s leading musicians. Developed with people from across the criminal justice system and part of MadeInScotlandShowcase.com.
Through the Mud The story of two generations of women activists in the struggle for black liberation in America. Against a stunning soundtrack of gospel and blues sung live, the show explores what it takes to become a revolutionary, from the creator of the hit show Black is the Colour of My Voice. Also part of MadeInScotlandShowcase.com.
A Knock on the Roof Mariam knows that the army often drops small warning bombs on residential buildings in Gaza, giving tenants 5-15 minutes warning of an incoming rocket. She decides to train for the possibility of this “Knock on the Roof”, frantically (and often humorously) practicing how far she can run in five minutes, and what she can carry to safety.
Wildcards
(Anything else that caught our eyes)
Playfight Playfight is a searing probe of three friends’ inner lives as they hunt for love, shining a vivid light on adolescent desire in a landscape of rising sexual violence. Sounds like essential viewing for practitioners working with the young people of today.
Or What’s Left of Us Sh!t Theatre take their audience on a swift 60-minute tour of classic folk followed by a sing-around in the Summerhall bar. Everyone loves a wee sing-song, after all.
Gracie and the Start of the End of the World (Again) An extinction-level story about heartbreak, revolution and surviving the apocalypse, as told by an “immortal, nerdy, very horny jellyfish”. And no, we’re not joking. Obviously, this is near the top of our wildcard list because who doesn’t love the idea of a nerdy jellyfish?!
Show Pony Do you know what happens to acrobats when they hit middle age? Packed full of love, laughter and lunacy, Show Pony screams in the face of the patriarchy that challenges us to question our prejudices towards age and femininity, on stage and off.
ARCADE Using the nostalgic aesthetic of 1980s video games, ARCADE’s interactive narrative explores the evolving relationship between players and avatars. Over 30 minutes in a completely dark shipping container (not for the claustrophobic!), this choose-your-own-path experience will fully immerse the players and ask existential questions about free will and consciousness.
I Am a Walking Universe Neither musical nor drama, but a new kind of storytelling interweaving language, customs and music, and incorporating the themes of Afro-futurism, climate, women’s bodies, and race.
Cyrano A joyous, gender-flipped retelling of Cyrano de Bergerac, packed with music, wit, and romance. Sign us up!
My English Persian Kitchen What would you take if you were forced to leave home with no hope of returning? Remembering the tastes and aromas of her mother’s kitchen with live cooking on stage, one woman who has lost everything recreates the dishes of her childhood and homeland, building a new life and community around food.
Bark Bark Using cameras, puppets, and diorama sets, five performers weave together a live animation told from the perspective of a dog with a bird-killing problem. A delicate, eerie, and amusing look at three lives, human and non-human. The show takes place in the Anatomy Lecture Theatre at Summerhall, which seems apt for a show with a content warning about taxidermy.
The Show for Young Men What does it mean to be a man today? Robbie (44) and Alfie (10) meet on an extraordinary building site at dawn. Together they dance and play, trying to make sense of it all. A funny and tender new contemporary dance performance that considers familiar and unexpected ideas about masculinity and friendship. Part of MadeInScotlandShowcase.com.
Please keep coming back to this list as we’ll probably add to it (especially if we find any other shows about jellyfish or puppet dogs), and if you have any shows that you would like to recommend for the sector to see, or that you are involved in and would like us to showcase, get in touch with us. Merry Fringing!
