EdFringe22 – Professional & Funded Theatre
Edinburgh-made Professional & Funded Theatre at EdFringe 2022
Edinburgh’s theatre companies have come back strong after the pandemic with 116 theatrical productions, including many new shows and a handful of returning favourites.
There are 77 pieces of Edinburgh-made theatre in the EdFringe programme, 15 of them made by funded or professional companies, listed on this page.
Amy Molloy in This is Paradise at the Traverse. Pic: Lottie Amor
In order to make things easier to navigate, we have divided the theatre listing up into four parts. On this page you can find an alphabetical listing of all the productions being staged by the city’s excellent Grassroots theatre companies.
The rest of the theatre productions are listed here (click on the link to go to the page):
Theatre by Edinburgh’s Amateur companies
Theatre by Edinburgh’s Grassroots companies
Theatre by Edinburgh’s Youth & Student companies.
These distinctions are sometimes slightly arbitrary, and professional companies also mentor youth companies so do look through the different sections. Also, don’t forget to look at what is on in the Musical Theatre & Opera, Children’s Theatre and Dance, Cabaret & Spoken Word sections.
Listings
Blood and Gold
Royal Lyceum Edinburgh Production, written and performed by Mara Menzies”
Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh (Venue 593)
11 – 28 Aug (not Mon Tue): 18:00 (1 hour)
Æ review here: ★★★★☆ Mythic
Ancient mythology and modern storytelling collide in a contemporary exploration of the legacy of colonialism and slavery. ‘A glittering, beautiful and disturbing one-hour monologue by one of Scotland’s leading theatre artists…’ ★★★★ (Scotsman). Further details.
Hamlet with Ian McKellen
Ian McKellen, Peter Schaufuss and Edinburgh Festival Ballet
Ashton Hall, Saint Stephens Stockbridge (Venue 166)
2 – 28 Aug (not Mon): 16:00, 19:00 (1 hour 15 minutes)
Æ review here: ★★★☆☆ Slightly underwhelming
Ian McKellen and Peter Schaufuss will collaborate and perform together at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in the world premiere of Hamlet with a whole new performance concept, adapted from William Shakespeare’s play. Further details.
Home is Not the Place
Annie George
Summerhall (Venue 26)
3 – 27 Aug, odd dates (not 15): 19:20 (1 hour 5 minutes)
Æ review here: ★★★☆☆ Enlightening
Powerful production about Indian writer PM John. A story about empire, migration, identity and belonging across three generations. ‘One of Scotland’s most powerful and interesting writer-performers’ ★★★★ (Scotsman). Supported by The Meadows Award. MadeInScotlandShowcase.com Further details.
Lots and Not Lots
Greg Sinclair and Scottish Theatre Producers
Summerhall (Venue 26)
16 – 21 Aug: 17:45 (1 hour)
A performance of thrilling extremes: lots of performers, lots of singing and lots of dancing. Exceptional young people question the universe and their place within it. Created by award-winning performance artist and composer Greg Sinclair. MadeInScotlandShowcase.com Further details.
Ode to Joy (How Gordon got to go to the nasty pig party)
Stories Untold Productions. Written by James Ley.
Summerhall (Venue 26)
3 – 28 Aug (not 15, 22): 18:20 (1 hour)
A sexually-repressed, Edinburgh-based government administrator loses himself in Europe’s biggest gay sex party and finds love, friendship and Schokoladenkuchen. Part of the Made in Scotland Showcase. MadeInScotlandShowcase.com Further details.
The Bush
Alice Mary Cooper
Summerhall (Venue 26)
16 – 28 Aug (not Mon): 15:00 (1 hour)
Æ review here: ★★★★☆ Inviting
Recalling the true story of 13 1970s “housewives” who battled for 10 years to save a bushland in their native Sydney, The Bush is a celebration of community action that will entertain and empower. MadeInScotlandShowcase.com Further details.
The Man Who Planted Trees
Puppet State Theatre Company
Scottish Storytelling Centre (Venue 30)
5 – 29 Aug, Odd dates.: 13:15 (1 hour 5 minutes)
Æ review here: ★★★★★ Simply beautiful
Back by popular demand! Internationally acclaimed adaptation of Giono’s classic environmental tale. ‘Laughs, heartbreak, war, regeneration, scented breezes, sparkling wit and the best dog puppet ever. Perfect for children and grown-ups. Terrific’ (Guardian). ★★★★★ (Scotsman). Further details.
The Not So Ugly Duckling: A Play for Grownups
Jo Clifford and Maria MacDonell
Scottish Storytelling Centre (Venue 30)
11, 13, 16, 17, 19, 21, 25, 27 Aug: 16:45 (1 hour)
Æ review here: ★★★★☆ Transformative
Two older women retell a familiar tale. Finding dark places and unanswered questions, they enter life’s gloriously chaotic duckpond to celebrate the pains and joys of lives well-lived. MadeInScotlandShowcase.com Further details.
The Return Of Sherlock Holmes
Fringe Management
theSpace @ Surgeons Hall (Venue 53)
5 – 27 Aug: 15:15 (1 hour)
Three years have passed since Sherlock Holmes and his nemesis Professor Moriarty vanished into the abyss of the Reichenbach Falls. A society murder shakes London. A triumphant return from the dead? Further details.
The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart
Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh and Double M Arts and Events
University of Edinburgh Playfair Library (Venue 311)
3 – 28 Aug (not Mons): 14:30, 19:30 (2 hours 25 minutes)
Æ review: ★★★★★ Celebratory
A wild session of anarchic theatre, haunting, authentic folk music and strange goings-on. David Greig and Wils Wilson, revisit their award-winning legendary original production. ‘You shouldn’t miss this for the world’ ★★★★★ (Herald). Further details.
This Is Memorial Device
Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh and Edinburgh International Book Festival
Wee Red Bar (Venue 506)
13 – 29 Aug (not Weds): 15:30, 20:30 (1 hour 30 minutes)
Æ review: ★★★★☆ Phantasmagoric realism
Graham Eatough’s adaptation of David Keenan’s cult novel, starring Paul Higgins, about Airdrie’s 80s post-punk legends, Memorial Device. A glorious, hallucinatory journey through early adulthood, featuring original music by Stephen McRobbie from The Pastels. Further details.
This is Paradise
Traverse Theatre Company
Traverse Theatre (Venue 15)
4 – 28 Aug (not Mons): 11:00, 13:00, 15:30, 16:00, 18:30 (1 hour 20 minutes)
Æ review: ★★★★☆ Heartbreakingly honest
Belfast, 1998. A river rises in Kate as she’s compelled to return to a relationship she left in another life, to rescue the man who promised to destroy her. A powerful, intimate, dream-like monologue. MadeInScotlandShowcase.com Further details.
Tim Crouch: Truth’s A Dog Must to Kennel
Royal Lyceum Edinburgh Production, written and performed by Tim Crouch”
Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh (Venue 593)
6 – 28 Aug (not 8, 15/16, 22/23): 20:00, 20:15 (1 hour 10 minutes)
Æ review: ★★★★★ Exit, mind blown
World premiere solo work. King Lear meets stand-up meets the metaverse. The Fool leaves King Lear before the killing starts. Now he returns to the wreckage of the world he left. Further details.
Twa
Annie George and Flore Gardner
Summerhall (Venue 26)
4 – 28 Aug , Even dates (not 22): 19:20 (1 hour 5 minutes)
Twisted, memoiristic fairytale, blending theatre and visual art, about silenced women finding their voice. ‘…Testimony to the creativity, strength and resilience of every woman’ (Skinny). Supported by: The Meadows Award, National Theatre of Scotland, Queen Margaret University Edinburgh. MadeInScotlandShowcase.com Further details.
Wilf
Traverse Theatre Company
Traverse Theatre (Venue 15)
5 – 28 Aug (not Mons): 10:30, 11:00, 12:00, 13:45, 15:00, 16:30, 18:00, 19:00, 19:30, 21:15 (1 hour 20 minutes)
Æ review: ★★★★☆ Rip-roaring
Calvin’s going to revolutionise his life. Escape his abusive boyfriend, detonate his inner sex bomb, see (and shag) the world! With partner in crime Wilf, a rusty Volkswagen Polo, he takes a truly wild ride, ending up somewhere unimaginable… Further details.
ENDS
