It’s that time of year again! The YTAS staff have been briefly distracted from our usual jobs while we made our way through the Fringe programme to select our top theatrical tips.
Of course, we couldn’t just pick a few each, so here’s a fairly lengthy list of performances and events from each member of the YTAS team that we thought sounded interesting… Let us know if you go to any of our choices using #YTASpickofthefringe on social media, and give us your thoughts!
We’ll keep adding to it as we see and hear about other performances, so if you have any shows that you would like to recommend to the sector, or that you are involved in and would like to showcase, get in touch!
| Show | Company or Artist | Venue | Suggested by… | Suggested for… |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40/40 | Two Destinaton Language | Assembly @ DanceBase | Christabel | Female-led migrant story and dance, part of Made in Scotland. |
| A Microscopic Odyssey | Mycelium Theatre Company | Pleasance Courtyard | Andy | Sounds like a lo-fi visual adventure, perfect for curious makers. Good London reviews. |
| After Party | Traverse Theatre Company, Paines Plough and Belgrade Theatre | Traverse | Hollie and Carla | New writing, dark comedy. |
| An Island of Bad Ideas: The Tempest | Edinburgh Youth Theatre | theSpace @ Niddry St | Carla | Young people on stage! |
| Arcade | Darkfield | Potterrow Plaza – Container 1 at Pleasance Dome | Jo | Immersive and sensory experiences, technical deliciousness. |
| As Far As We Know | YESNOYESNO | Summerhall | Christabel | Apocalyptic storytellying, company has a good track record. |
| BiCurious George: Snail Trail | Bi-Curious George | Pleasance Courtyard | Emma | Trans inclusion and excellent scientific drag. Saw George a few years ago and LOVED it. |
| Bigfoot Ripped My Dog In Half I Saw It | Xhloe and Natasha | Summerhall | Emma | Brechtian puppet show, suggested by the Wonder Fools team as a brilliant young duo! |
| Bog Witch | Bryony Kimmings | Traverse | Christabel and Jo | She is always brilliant, a great example of performance art, social activism, and candid storytelling. |
| Box (M) | Flying Rabbit Circus | Big at theSpaceTriplex | Jo | Visual storytelling and dance! |
| Brrr | Hayley Earlam | Nicholson Square Venues | Emma | An immersive, sensory dance show for young people with complex needs. |
| Bull/Fight | Mythography Collective and Macrobert Arts Centre | Former Women’s Locker Room at Summerhall | Hollie | Devised theatre set at the beginning of the Spanish Civil War as political violence sweeps the country. |
| Cathy | Traverse Theatre Company | Traverse | Hollie | New writing looking at unique ways to deal with grief. |
| Coma | Darkfield | Assembly George Square | Jo | Immersive and sensory experiences, technical deliciousness. |
| Dragon | Yehyo Dance Company | main house at C ARTS | Jo | Dance, technology |
| Evita Too | Sh!t Theatre | ZOO Southside | Andy | Previous shows have been brilliant and this got great reviews at its Southbank premiere in 2025. |
| FLIGHT | Darkfield | Assembly George Square | Hollie | Immersive audio experience. |
| Forgotten | National Theatre | Sprout Studio at Greenside @ George Street | Hollie | One-act play from first-time writer and director Richard Wright. |
| Maiden | Mother | Whore | Theiya Arts | Assembly @ Dance Base | Jo | Interdisciplinary work, intersectional feminism. |
| Mayflies | Grid Iron | Rear Warehouse – Brown’s Leith | Christabel and Hollie | Site-specific piece from an iconic theatre company, part of Made in Scotland. |
| Tether | Wonder Fools | Summerhall | Christabel | International collaboration, part-ceilidh! |
| The King of All Birds | Martha Knight | Summerhall | Andy | Sound artist Martha Knight’s love letter to the history of flight, supported by Culture Ireland who have good track record at the Fringe. |
| The Singer | Dundee Rep, Solar Bear and Aberdeen Performing Arts | Traverse | Christabel | Gig theatre and integrated access. |
| The Trials of Magnus Coffinkey | Give or Take Productions | Red Lecture Theatre at Summerhall | Zoë | International new writing. |
| Tongue Twister | Greg Sinclair | Pleasance at EICC | Emma | Tongue Twisters and amazing costume design. Saw a preview at Fringe Days Out launch and it was very funny! |
| What’s Next | Various | ZOO Southside | Jo | Perfect for those with an interest in new, emerging ideas, and for theatre-makers. |
Top Tips for More Tickets
We know attending the Edinburgh festivals can be expensive, so here are some ways to help you access quality performance at a more affordable price…
With hundreds of half-price tickets available every day, the Half Price Hut is the place to grab a bargain. It opens from the first Wednesday of the Fringe (12 August) and tickets must be purchased in person for participating shows taking place the same day.
Keep an eye out for the Give It A Go tickets for the Edinburgh International Festival. There are also hefty discounts for arts workers, under 18s, under 30s, and disabled and neurodivergent people.
If you’re under 25, or receiving any low-income benefits, you can access the Traverse Theatre’s £1 Ticket Project for selected shows. These are available year round including during the festival, so keep an eye out on their website and sign up for notifications.
If you work with a group in Edinburgh or the Lothians, find out if you might be eligible for the fringe’s Community Ticketing Initiative which provides free tickets for those who might not be otherwise able to attend.
And finally, YTAS Members can join us for one of our Fringe Days Out Artist Trips for a free ticket to a festival show and a post-show drink to discuss what we watched.