We asked our staff to sift through the mighty tome that is the Edinburgh Festival Fringe programme and select their top picks. Over the coming weeks, each team member will select at least one show that they are interested in seeing but this list will keep growing as the summer progresses, so be sure to save the link!
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 to showcase, get in touch with us.
| Who? | Show | Category | Venue | Why? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Catherine | Salty Irina | Theatre | Roundabout, Summerhall | Excited to see this. The premise grabbed me and it’s a great company and venue – always try to see something in the Roundabout during the Fringe! |
| Emma | Bloody Elle | Theatre | Traverse Theatre | A show that I saw last year that made me messy cry! Simple story told very well and a brilliant performance. |
| Hollie | Julius Caesar: The Musical | Musicals and Opera | Paradise in Augustines | Any show whose sales copy includes the line ‘he was a traitor boy, he killed a dictator boy’ has my vote. I also want to know if I’m Team Brutus or Team Julius. |
| Andy | An Oak Tree | Theatre | Lyceum Studio | Been watching this since 2005 premiere and never fails to impress (uses a guest actor every performance so every performance changes). |
| Rachel | Hello Kitty Must Die | Musicals and Opera | Pleasance Courtyard | Intriguing to see how the source material translates to stage, especially as a musical. |
| Hollie | YUCK Circus | Dance, Physical Theatre and Circus | Assembly George Square Gardens | Daring stunts, hilarious confessions, a whole jar of Nutella, and some moustache shenanigans. One of the best things I’ve ever seen at the Fringe. |
| Andy | Bill’s 44th | Theatre | Underbelly Cowgate | A kind-hearted puppet / visual theatre treat on the lows and highs of celebrations, ageing and throwing a great party. |
| Kenny | No Love Songs | Gig-Theatre | Traverse | I’ve never actually seen a gig-theatre show but thought the idea and story behind this made a lot of sense and sounded really interesting. |
Our Long List (for Inspiration)
Of course, we couldn’t just pick a few each. We had a long list of other shows we thought sounded interesting… whether that be an interesting form, company, theme or topic. If you need help narrowing down the thousands of choices in this year’s programme, we’re happy to include our long list here too. Let us know if you go to any of our choices using #YTASpickofthefringe on social media, and give us your thoughts!
- Sean and Daro Flake it ‘Til They Make It, Traverse Theatre Company, Traverse Theatre
- Little Wimmin, Figs in Wigs, Zoo Southside
- No Love Songs, Dundee Rep & Traverse, Traverse Theatre
- Concerned Others, Tortoise in a Nutshell, Summerhall
- Adults, Traverse Theatre Company, Traverse Theatre
- A Crash Course in Cloud Spotting, Unchartered Collective, Institut Français d’Ecosse (Summerhall)
- After The Act, Breach Theatre, Traverse Theatre
- An Alternative Helpline for the End of the World, Katrine Turner, Summerhall
- The Art of Falling, National Youth Dance Company Scotland, Dance Base (Assembly)
- Party Scene: Chemsex. Community. Crisis., THISISPOPBABY, Summerhall
- God Catcher, Petrichor Productions and Prickly Pear Productions, Underbelly
- Stuntman, SUPERFAN, Summerhall
- Weathervanes, Jian Yi, Summerhall
- Self Raising, Graeae, Plesance Dome
- The Grand Old Opera House Hotel, Traverse Theatre & Dundee Rep, Traverse Theatre
- Sketches/Glisk, Katie Armstrong, Dance Base (Assembly)
- Lie Low, Primecut Productions, Traverse Theatre
- Horizon Showcase: FORGE, Rachel Mars, Lyceum Roseburn Workshop
- Funeral, Ontroerend Goed, Zoo Southside
- What Girls Are Made Of, Raw Material/Traverse, Assembly Rooms
- Bangers, Samal Arts, Summerhall Roundabout
- 1000 Miniature Meadows, Shanna May Breen and Luke Casserly, Pleasance Courtyard
- Arcade, DARKFIELD, Summerhall Terrace
- Lucy and Friends, Soho Theatre, Plesance Courtyard
- Blizzard, Emily Woof, Summerhall Anatomy Lecture Theatre
- Chicken, Sunday’s Child, Summerhall
- Walking Home, Prickly Pear, Gilded Balloon
- The Collie Shed, Island Life Productions, Gilded Balloon Patter Hoose
- Who Killed My Father, Surrogate Productions, Summerhall Old Lab
- Waiting For Champagne, Resilience Theatre Movement, The Laughing Horse @ The Three Sisters
