EdFringe 2024: Youth & student theatre
Edinburgh-made youth and student theatre at #EdFringe 2024
There’s a big upswing in theatre from Edinburgh’s student and youth companies this year; the core remains the eight co-productions from the New Celts – a welcome initiative from Napier University to give their students a professional platform on the Fringe.
This allows the companies to explore some interesting ideas and gives audiences the opportunity to spot the stars of the future. Other of the student and university productions are no less interesting and keen to go into places that more conventional companies might not feel able.
A scene from Eleanor originally stage by Theatre Paradok in November 2023. Pic: Paradok
There are also Edinburgh’s young companies. And, on the Musicals listings page, a plethora of shows put on by young people and students.
There are 184 shows Made in Edinburgh at #EdFringe this year. In order to make things clearer, we have divided the listing up into seven parts. On this page you can find an alphabetical listing of all the theatre by Edinburgh’s youth and student companies.
Here are the links to the other six listings pages:
Theatre by Edinburgh’s Amateur companies.
Theatre by Edinburgh’s Grassroots companies.
Theatre by Edinburgh’s Professional & Funded companies.
Theatre for children and young people.
Edinburgh-made Musical Theatre & Opera.
Edinburgh-made Music, Cabaret & Dance.
We are also proud to work with EPAD to produce and publish their annual listing of shows “created, performed or produced by Edinburgh’s theatre professionals” which is here.
This page has been updated to include links to reviews. Click on a show’s star rating to go to its review.
Youth & student theatre listings
Badger
Burning Ember Theatre and New Celts Productions
theSpace on the Mile (Venue 39)
3 – 23 Aug (odd dates only): 15:10 (1 hr 10 mins)
Æ Review: ★★★☆☆ Overworked
Trying to get through the many challenges of their day, a team of young co-workers in a broken system begin to have their limits pushed to the extreme. How much pressure can one person take? There’s a wedding on the lawn, a promotion on the line and a badger on the grounds. How will they put out all those fires? And is there really a badger causing havoc on the estate? Further details.
Di(n)e
Invisible Strings Theatre Co and New Celts Productions
theSpace on the Mile (Venue 39)
4 – 24 Aug (even dates only): 15:15 (1 hr 10 mins)
Æ Review: ★★☆☆☆ Lacking life
A man has decided to take his own life and finds himself in a state of limbo between life and death. Here he meets dead family, loved ones and a former enemy, each with something to say about his choice. With only an hour before his body dies, his soul must decide between life and death. Further details.
Eleanor
Ganymede Theatre Company
theSpace @ Niddry St (Venue 9)
2 – 17 Aug (not 11): 13:20 (50 mins)
Æ Review: ★★★★★ Historical insight
A life lived in the shadows of her father, of her lover and of her own sadness, Eleanor Marx’s light shone fiercely upon fin-de-siècle England, until its untimely extinction. Revolution, passion and the long-lasting nature of female friendship are explored in this tragedy of a woman scorned. Further details.
The Gradient
Performing Arts Studio Scotland- PASS, Students of York St John
PASS Theatre – PASS Theatre (Venue 446)
19 – 24 Aug: 14:30 (2 hrs).
In the not so-distant future, men accused of sexual misdemeanours are sent to The Gradient to reckon with their mistakes and get rehabilitated. New employee Tess is eager to hold men accountable and enact change – but it might not be as simple as it seems. Steph Del Rosso’s fresh, stinging satire is prescient, provocative and often very funny. York St John University students share the stage with the cast of The Gradient on some nights. Further details.
Loose Ends
1TWO1 Productions
theSpace on the Mile (Venue 39)
5 – 10 Aug: 10:05 (45 mins)
Æ Review: ★★★☆☆ Melancholy anger
A street trader from Glasgow and a runaway from Skye meet in unusual circumstances! Through miscommunication and comic interaction their relationship is formed. A bittersweet, poignant play about the urban/rural divide and loneliness. Further details.
Malvolio’s Fantasy
Zuzabella Productions
theSpace @ Surgeons’ Hall (Venue 53)
12 – 17 Aug: 22:05; 19 – 24: 22:35 (50 mins)
Æ Review: ★★★☆☆ Tentative
A Twelfth Night retelling to satisfy your wildest Shakespearian fantasy.. Servant Malvolio, a bright and zesty fool, is trying to manifest his rise to Dukedom, to no avail. Until a dark and stormy night brings ashore a wimpy “lad” adorned with a glorious moustache. What will come of this gender-bending mess? Further details.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Kind Of…!
Edinburgh Youth Theatre
theSpaceTriplex (Venue 38)
8 – 13 Aug: 11:20:00 (55 mins)
Æ Review: ★★★★☆ Clever fun
Edinburgh Youth Theatre’s version of Shakespeare’s most performed play is a unique take on a story you know well… or do you? Join the bold, mischievous fairies as they cause havoc among friends, strangers and each other on the way to a wedding in Athens. The strong cast of some of Edinburgh’s finest young actors will draw you in and whirl you around in the magical mirth of a midsummer night’s dream. Further details.
Modern Love Is Not a Dream
Looking Glass Theatre and New Celts Productions
theSpace on the Mile (Venue 39)
4 – 24 Aug (even dates only): 12:15 (1 hr 15 mins)
Æ Review: ★★★★☆ A Dream
Love is a complicated subject and Liv wants to set the record straight. Dive into the intricacies of love, modern dating, trauma and the patriarchy as we follow her and her many prospects as she tries to balance her relationships, her thesis and her past together. Further details.
Oedipus Doesn’t Live Here Anymore
Edinburgh University Theatre Company
Bedlam Theatre (Venue 49)
13 – 18: 16:55 (50 mins)
Æ Review: ★★★☆☆ Uncompromising
Muthaf**ka! Literally. This darkly funny piece guides us through classic mythology with a new lens. When the neighbours of sleepy Australian suburbia see Oedipus’ garage smeared with incriminating graffiti, we’re led on a tale of desperation, gossip, and reputation. Visceral, demanding, and delightfully devious, we’re sure to keep the whole town talking. Further details.
Paradok Platform: Daily Routine at the Farcical Castle
Paradok Platform
Just the Tonic at The Caves (Venue 88)
10 – 15 Aug (not 12): 19:30 (45 mins)
King Barnaby’s had enough. Duke Snortickle’s played one prank too far and it’s time for him to go! But what will the family think!? It’s a race against the show’s runtime to convince the King to change his mind. A new play by Theodore Chevis. Further details.
Paradok Platform: Lights Out
Theatre Paradok
Just the Tonic at The Caves (Venue 88)
1 – 4 Aug: 19:30 (45 mins)
An intimate, real-time conversation following two sisters, as they slowly move from playful banter, such as hypothetical debates over fruit salad, to conflicting memories which begin to uncover shared trauma. In a play filled with laughter and silence the bitterly nostalgic shift of perspectives enlightens our understanding of familial relationships. Further details.
Paradok Platform: Liminal
Paradok Platform
Just the Tonic at The Caves (Venue 88)
16 – 20 Aug: 19:30 (1 hr)
Ex-girlfriends Mar and Esme prepare for Mar’s imminent move from the country. Memories are shared and tensions rise as they try to reach an understanding again and again… and again… and again… something’s wrong. Haven’t we been here before? Trapped in time, the two are forced to contend with love, loss and ominous cosmic forces. Further details.
Paradok Platform: The Dink Rodgers Show
Paradok Platform
Just the Tonic at The Caves (Venue 88)
5 – 9 Aug: 19:30 (55 mins)
Dink Rodgers has won two Emmys, three Grammys and 84 Oscars. That’s right, he’s an actor with an EGO! Join us for an unforgettable evening traversing the length and breadth of his illustrious career… Further details.
Paradok Platform: This Natural Scene
Paradok Platform
Just the Tonic at The Caves (Venue 88)
21 – 25 Aug: 19:30 (1 hr)
How does it feel to watch yourself grow old? A woman returns home to find her childhood in boxes and her mother ready to move on. Her parents have sold the house, and things need sorting through… Further details.
Rat King Gospel
Cup of Teatre and New Celts Productions
theSpace on the Mile (Venue 39)
4 – 24 Aug (even dates only): 13:45 (1 hr 15 mins)
Æ Review: ★★★☆☆ Uneven
Three childhood friends reunite after one of them finds success in her children’s book series The Rat King Gospels. But whose idea was The Rat King? Is he merely a storybook hero? Secrets begin to unravel as they piece together the untold story of what really happened to the monstrously cruel headteacher, Mr Mackenzie. Further details.
Sammy Blew Up a Toilet
The Crunch Collective
theSpace @ Venue45 (Venue 45)
19 – 23 Aug: 21:50 (1 hr)
Æ Review: ★★★☆☆ Comical
A whimsical, heart-warming and partly autobiographical play set around the early years of school. Best friends Azza and Jake are forced to take in Sammy – a teacher’s pet, snitch and all-round strange person. Azza and Sammy become frenemies, kept together by unfortunate circumstances and peacemaker Jake. Further details.
Slash
The Edinburgh University Theatre Company
Bedlam Theatre (Venue 49)
31 July – 11 Aug: 16:55 (50 mins)
Æ Review: ★★★★☆ Witty and clever
When three friends and one mysterious stranger find themselves locked in the boys’ toilets at a school reunion with the murdered body of a former classmate, they are forced to dig up things that they had long since tried to bury. Further details.
Take Me to Your Leader
Headrush Theatre and New Celts Productions
theSpace on the Mile (Venue 39)
3 – 23 Aug (odd dates only): 13:40 (1 hr 15 mins)
Æ Review: ★★★★☆ Effervescent
Deep in the Scottish Highlands lies Nebula Inc, a private space research facility fronted by egomaniacal billionaire Amadeus Klein. Fed up with unfair treatment and exploitation, Nebula’s interns are going on strike. Simultaneously, Nebula has stumbled upon a groundbreaking discovery: a message, potentially from an extra-terrestrial source. Further details.
Thicker Than Water
Nae Drama Productions
PASS Theatre (Venue 446)
20, 22, 24 Aug: 20:00 (1 hr)
Michael ‘Mickey’ Conlon has just been released from prison, he’s always sworn his innocence and upon returning to his family home in Muirhouse, Edinburgh this is not the only challenge facing him. The family is broken and tensions are high, each dealing with their own trauma in the aftermath of Michael’s sentencing. Will the hunt for the truth heal this fractured family, or destroy it? Is blood truly thicker than water? Further details.
Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes
Folk’d Up Theatre and New Celts Productions
theSpace on the Mile (Venue 39)
3 – 23 Aug (odd dates only): 12:15 (1 hr 10 mins)
Æ Review: ★★★★☆ Timely
Six friends plan a night of folklore and song. With ancient tales of myth and magic brought to life with song and powerful storytelling, they hope to launch a business reflecting their love of Celtic and Gaelic mythologies. It’s the perfect plan. Perfect, that is, until some evangelical Christians get wind of their ideas… Further details.
We Used to be Girl Scouts
Hey Thanks! Theatre Collective and New Celts Productions
theSpace on the Mile (Venue 39)
4 – 24 Aug (even dates only): 16:40 (1 hr 5 mins)
Æ Review: ★★★★☆ Does Its Best
Drew thinks she’s pregnant. Sasha loves her female best friend. And Mary’s home life is a dark pit of despair. Finding themselves crushed under the unbearable weight that is teenagerdom, they take to the woods to clear their minds and make some tough decisions. But is it really within their grasp? A triptych of the pain, joy and big feelings that make up adolescent girlhood. Further details.
Well Played
Josie Rose Productions
theSpace @ Venue45 (Venue 45)
19 – 24 Aug: 10:15 (55 mins)
Æ Review: ★★★★☆ Snappy
Broadway, 1955. August and Harry struggle to keep their theatre (and marriage) alive. That is until one chance encounter. Through secrets, lies and deceit, everything changes. Caught in the crossfires of broken down relationships, many, many sins, pretences and promised dreams, will the Mentiri Company finally close its curtains? In the unruly game of show business, will their parts finally be Well Played? Further details.
What the F*ck Happened to Love and Hope
wtfhappenedto
theSpace on the Mile (Venue 39)
20 – 24 Aug: 10:00 (55 mins)
Æ Review: ★★★★☆ Devastating
Teenager Nina and best friend Faye are tangled in the terrifying culture of spiking and assault in this powerful new work by Olivia McGeachy. Nina is cheeky and bubbly, until a night out takes a horrific turn. Confident, outspoken, Faye’s okay. Definitely. Until Harry from school removes the condom midway through sex without her consent… Further details.
Why Do We Lie?
Napier University Drama Society
Greenside @ Riddles Court (Venue 16)
19 – 24 Aug: 18:30 (50 mins)
Æ Review: ★★★★☆ Fun
Why do we as humans lie? It’s in our nature, is it not? There’s a whole host of justifications, like not hurting someone’s feelings, protecting others, giving the illusion of hope, saving your own skin or just being someone you’re not (actors, am I right?). But is it always the right thing to do? Further details.
You Deserve It
Out of Order Productions and New Celts productions
theSpace on the Mile (Venue 39)
3 – 23 Aug (odd dates only): 16:35 (1 hr 10 mins)
Æ Review: ★★★★☆ Deserves praise
Six affluent socialites convene for a night of excess in a luxurious Edinburgh penthouse. They consider themselves the best of what the creative arts have to offer, the self-proclaimed future of their respective industries. As veiled threats begin to emerge, hidden agendas and fractured loyalties are exposed. This suspenseful exploration of privilege, wealth and status asks where the lines between innocence and complicity lie. Further details.
ENDS
