Returning with another year of Scottish, UK, and World premieres, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe continues to be at the forefront of the world’s home of art and culture. Here we take a look at some of the theatrical highlights of this August’s season. Featuring big budgets and familiar names, debut writing pieces, and a few curveballs which might just push past the bluster and over-priced baked tatties and make a stamp on the festival.
From now until August kicks off, we’ll be releasing our recommendations of the top theatre, comedy, spoken word, film, music, children’s theatre, dance, and visual arts available to audiences across all the city’s festivals. However, this time, rather than focusing solely on genre or performance method, we’ll be examining some of the terrific emerging topics, including Climate Crisis and Sport, Food, and Contemporary Myths. Come along with us and Have a Gander.
If you have a show coming and would like to chat with us about a Q&A or a review, please do get in touch through the ‘contact’ page where one of the team will get back to you!
Prepare for lift-off—and heartbreak—in FLOAT, the autobiographical solo debut from queer theatre-maker Indra Wilson. Framed as a nine-month lunar mission gone awry, the show charts Wilson’s personal experience of pregnancy loss with poetic vulnerability and cosmic metaphor. As Astronaut Indra drifts through grief, memory, and identity, the audience is immersed in a galaxy of sound design, archival space audio, and dynamic projections that echo the vast silence of loss. A black hole forms when a star dies—and FLOAT dares to ask what remains when something vanishes before it ever fully existed.
Presented by award-winning feminist company F-Bomb Theatre (Fringe First, Sit-Up Award) and part of the prestigious Made in Scotland Showcase, FLOAT has already made waves at Tron Theatre’s Outside Eyes and earned praise for its tender, glittery honesty. Wilson’s writing—born from Notes app poetry and coffee shop journaling—offers a rare glimpse into queer longing, medical neglect, and the quiet ache of unspoken grief. Playing at Gilded Balloon Patter House from 30 July to 25 August, this 60-minute solo voyage is not just a story—it’s a space for anyone who’s ever felt untethered.
Venue 24 – Gilded Balloon Patter Hoose
July 30th – August 25th (18:00)
Step behind the curtain and into the glitter-strewn chaos of She’s Behind You, a dazzling new solo show from Scotland’s pantomime royalty Johnny McKnight, directed by the internationally acclaimed John Tiffany (Black Watch, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child). Commissioned by the National Theatre of Scotland and Traverse Theatre, this riotous production dives deep into the sequinned soul of the panto dame, blending outrageous comedy with poignant reflection. McKnight—who’s penned over 30 pantos and starred in 18—takes audiences on a whirlwind journey through two decades in the “pantosphere,” exploring identity, tradition, and the joyful anarchy of theatre’s most misunderstood genre.
Originally conceived as part of the Cameron Lecture Series in honour of theatre scholar Dr. Alasdair Cameron, She’s Behind You is more than a backstage exposé—it’s a love letter to transformation, resilience, and the power of performance. With design by Kenny Miller, lighting by Grant Anderson, and sound by Ross Brown, the show is a sensory feast that celebrates the dame’s evolution from comic relief to cultural icon. Whether you’re a lifelong panto fan or a curious newcomer, this 75-minute masterclass in storytelling promises laughter, tears, and a few well-placed “Oh no it isn’ts’
Venue 15 – Traverse Theatre
August 1st-24th (various times)
The sun is blazing over Edinburgh’s Meadows, and something sinister is stirring. In Alright Sunshine, Isla Cowan’s taut and electrifying monologue, PC Nicky McCreadie responds to a mass brawl only to find herself confronting ghosts she thought she’d buried. What begins as a routine call spirals into a reckoning with gender, authority, and the fragile illusion of safety in public space. Cowan’s writing simmers with heat and rage, peeling back the layers of policing and power to expose the personal beneath the procedural.
Produced by Wonder Fools and supported by Tron Theatre, Alright Sunshine has earned critical acclaim for its feminist bite and emotional intensity. Originally commissioned by A Play, A Pie and A Pint at Òran Mór, the show now storms the Pleasance Dome for Fringe 2025. This one-woman thriller is a scorching portrait of a city in flux—where sunlight doesn’t soothe, it exposes
Venue 23 – Pleasance Dome
July 30th – August 24th (16:20)
The women of Happy Ending Street are done waiting to be saved. In this blistering debut from DollsnRags Productions, Bonnie, Pearl, and Frances—three sex workers trapped in a crumbling corner of 1890s Edinburgh—plot their escape from a world that’s stacked against them. With stolen cash, a violent stalker on the loose, and a system that refuses to protect them, their only weapon is each other. Written by Jenna Stones and devised collaboratively by the cast, this dark comedy is a fierce portrait of survival, sisterhood, and the rage that bubbles beneath forced silence.
Premiering at Leith Arches as part of Edinburgh Fringe 2025, Happy Ending Street is the first production from DollsnRags, a feminist theatre company founded by Stones and Lucia Ireland to amplify women’s voices in Scottish theatre. Inspired by real historical accounts of sex workers during the Reformation and shaped by the creators’ own experiences, the play blends biting humour with emotional honesty, rejecting shame and reclaiming power. With no single director and movement support from Stephanie Arsoska, the ensemble-driven process prioritises authenticity and connection. This is theatre that doesn’t ask for permission—it demands to be heard.
Venue 324 – Leith Arches
August 1st – 9th (various times)
The table is set, the cake is iced—and no one wants to be there. In Consumed, Karis Kelly’s searing new play, four generations of Northern Irish women gather for a 90th birthday party that quickly curdles into a claustrophobic reckoning. Secrets simmer beneath the surface, ghosts linger in the hallway, and the family’s tangled history spills out between courses. Winner of the Women’s Prize for Playwriting 2022 from over 850 submissions, Kelly’s script is a masterclass in dark comedy and emotional excavation, confronting generational trauma, national identity, and the brittle bonds of kinship.
Produced by Paines Plough in association with Lyric Theatre Belfast, and directed by Katie Posner, Consumed features a powerhouse creative team including designer Lily Arnold and composer Beth Duke. With a UK tour spanning Traverse Theatre, Leeds Playhouse, and Sheffield Theatres, the production has been praised for its razor-sharp dialogue and haunting atmosphere. Kelly, a former literary associate at Theatre503 and Bush Theatre, brings her signature blend of wit and danger to this twisted family portrait—a play that asks what happens when you finally stop pretending everything’s fine, and start passing the potatoes
Venue 15 – Traverse Theatre
July 31st – August 24th (Various times)
The library is open—and it’s about to get gloriously chaotic. In KINDER, Australian drag-clown Goody Prostate (Ryan Stewart) arrives to headline what they believe is a raucous roast-style gig, only to discover they’ve been booked for a children’s storytime reading hour. With minutes to spare and a room full of confused parents and unruly kids, Goody scrambles to reinvent their act, plunging into a whirlwind of childhood memories, queer identity, and the stories we tell to survive. What begins as a campy meltdown evolves into a poignant interrogation of growing up, censorship, and the fragile fabric of societal norms.
Fresh from award-winning runs at Melbourne and Adelaide Fringes, KINDER makes its UK debut at Underbelly Cowgate with a riotous blend of drag, theatre, and storytelling. Directed by Tiah Bullock and featuring design by Asha Barr, the show is a cathartic window into Stewart’s own upbringing as a neurodivergent, queer bookworm. With five-star reviews across the board and a finale costume that must be seen to be believed, KINDER is a defiant celebration of queer joy and literary rebellion. Sit down, be quiet, and listen—because sometimes, reading is fundamentalist.
Venue 61 – Underbelly, Cowgate – Iron Belly
July 31st – August 24th (18.40)
Prepare to be shaken and stirred by The Bacchae, a visceral solo retelling of Euripides’ myth, brought to life by Glasgow’s acclaimed Company of Wolves. Written and performed by Ewan Downie, this haunting production follows Dionysos—the god of transformation—as he returns to Thebes, the city of his birth, only to be rejected by his own kin. What unfolds is a brutal reckoning: a powerless king, a mother driven to madness, and a divine vengeance that tears through the fabric of family and society. Through ancient song, physical theatre, and ritualistic storytelling, Downie conjures a world where repression breeds chaos and denial demands sacrifice.
Directed by Ian Spink and supported by Creative Scotland, The Bacchae premiered in Aberdeenshire and St Andrews, now returning for a full run at Assembly Roxy during the Edinburgh Fringe 2025. This 55-minute solo epic blurs the boundaries between human and animal, male and female, victim and perpetrator. With original music by Downie and Anna Porubcansky, and lighting design by Katharine Williams, the show is a hymn of rebirth for our fractured selves—a daring invocation that asks what happens when we finally let go
Venue 139 – Assembly Roxy – Upstairs
July 13th – August 24th (12:00)
Jayde Adams: How to Lose and Not Cry
Jayde Adams returns to the Fringe with How to Lose and Not Cry, a raw and glittering new solo show that blends grief, sequins, and the legacy of freestyle disco. At its heart is Dawn, a woman quietly burdened by years of loss, now tasked with crafting a funeral wreath for someone she’d rather not name. As the petals fall into place, so too does her emotional guard—what begins as a moment of reluctant reflection soon unravels into a deeply personal reckoning. Through Dawn’s story, Adams explores the resilience it takes to keep dancing when life knocks you down, and the unspoken strength behind the mantra: lose, but don’t cry.
Set against the backdrop of 90s freestyle dance culture and the fierce world of competitive dance mums, the show pays tribute to a generation of working-class girls who learned to thrive in sequins and setbacks. Directed by Kirstin McLean and longlisted for the Sir Billy Connolly Spirit of Glasgow Award 2025, this theatrical return marks a bold shift for Adams—known for her BAFTA-winning work in Alma’s Not Normal and ITV’s Ruby Speaking. With her signature wit and emotional depth, Adams crafts a story that’s as funny as it is ferocious, proving that sometimes the most powerful performances begin with a wreath.
Venue 571 – Shedinburgh
August 2nd (18:00)
Brace yourself for Scatter, a chilling new horror play from Patrick McPherson, the award-winning writer-performer behind the Fringe sensations The Man and Colossal. This time, McPherson swaps spoken word and gig theatre for pure dread, plunging audiences into the eerie tale of a man who travels to a remote Welsh village to scatter his father’s ashes—only to uncover a horrifying family legacy that refuses to stay buried. Directed by Jonny Harvey and presented by Indigo Productions, Scatter promises a visceral theatrical experience packed with jump scares, strobe lighting, and psychological unease.
Scatter is set to be one of the most talked-about shows of the season. If you’re brave enough to enter the Iron Belly at Underbelly Cowgate, prepare for sixty minutes of dread, memory loss, and corporate legacy gone grotesquely wrong. Not for the faint-hearted—or the well-adjusted.
Venue 60 – Underbelly, Cowgate – Iron Belly
July 31st – August 24th (15:40)
Legendary comedian Billy Connolly and visionary writer Alasdair Gray come vividly to life in Alan Bissett’s bold new imagining of an extraordinary moment in Scottish cultural history. With electrifying wit and theatrical flair, Bissett speculates on what might’ve happened when Connolly showed up for the launch of Gray’s seminal 1981 novel Lanark, plunging audiences into a rich dialogue between two titans of Glasgow’s creative soul.
Award-winning creator of The Moira Monologues, Bissett inhabits both roles with uncanny precision, weaving together origin stories, artistic defiance, and flashes of working-class resilience. Directed by Kirstin McLean and longlisted for the Sir Billy Connolly Spirit of Glasgow Award 2025, this one-man triumph is an ode to artistic grit—funny, heartfelt, and ferociously Glaswegian.
Venue 30 – The Scottish Storytelling Centre
July 31st – August 23rd (20:30)
The Unstoppable Rise of Ben Manager
Ben arrives at his job interview with nerves jangling and ambition burning bright. But when he unwittingly stumbles across a sudden and unexplained death, his impulsive decision to pocket the victim’s lanyard sets off a bizarre and spiralling journey through the corporate labyrinth. With each promotion more baffling than the last, Ben’s career ascends rapidly – though what he does for a living remains tantalisingly unclear.
This is a wickedly sharp satire for anyone who’s ever endured the madness of middle management or the cheerful tyranny of team-building days. Packed with absurd office rituals, mind-melting buzzwords, and “core values” that crumble under scrutiny, the show tilts reality on its axis and drags bureaucracy into the surreal. If you’ve ever wondered what “gaining traction” really means, this twisted tale has some deeply unhelpful answers.
Blending physical comedy that borders on the otherworldly with live music and a dazzling parade of corporate nonsense, the production delivers laughs with a Lynchian edge. Imagine The Office reimagined by David Lynch after too many cold brews — it’s eerie, hilarious, and uncannily familiar. Winner of the Pleasance’s Charlie Hartill Fund, this theatrical fever dream promises a rollercoaster ride through the strangest onboarding process you’ve never asked for.
Venue 33 – Pleasance Courtyard – Above
July 30th – August 25th (17:20)
Interested in being featured? With many previews and Q&As lined up, we’re always happy to chat about including your show in future articles. Please do get in touch through the contact page to feature in an upcoming ‘Have A Gander’