Edinburgh Festival Guide

Listings: Physical theatre

Sorted by popularity / rating / date.

Desdemona, a Play About a Handkerchief

4Theatre Productions. Desdemona, a Play About a Handkerchief is a contemporary twist on Shakespeare's Othello. This bawdy adaptation with tongue-in-cheek humour reinvents the stereotypical role of women and their ulterior motives. With stylised movement and aspects of mime, this piece of theatre pushes boundaries and…

Sweet Grassmarket, Edinburgh

Fri 2 Aug

International 4

£8 (£6) / 0131 226 0000

Part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Sat 3 Aug

International 4

£8 (£6) / 0131 226 0000

Part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Sun 4 Aug

International 4

£8 (£6) / 0131 226 0000

Part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

…and 7 more dates

Everyman

Splendid Productions. Splendid Productions present their creative reimagining of the 15th-century morality play, Everyman. Splendid take this medieval story of an ordinary man - randomly chosen to represent all humanity - as the starting point for a high energy, super-theatrical, surprisingly silly exploration of what…

Underbelly Bristo Square, Edinburgh

Wed 31 Jul

Clover

£6 / 0131 226 0000

Preview Part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Thu 1 Aug

Clover

£6 / 0131 226 0000

Preview Part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Fri 2 Aug

Clover

£6 / 0131 226 0000

Preview Part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

…and 22 more dates

Omega

blackSKYwhite Theatre / The Assembly Rooms. Omega. A hoochie-coochie carnival for the end of time. Out from the sideshow shadows creep an astounding array of mythical freaks, ageless hucksters, and mind-twisting curiosities. Raised from apocryphal texts, warped by black mirrors and prisms. Masters of the macabre…

Assembly Rooms, Edinburgh

Wed 31 Jul

The Music Hall

£14 (£11) / 0131 226 0000

Preview Part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Thu 1 Aug

The Music Hall

£14 (£11) / 0131 226 0000

Preview Part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Fri 2 Aug

The Music Hall

£15 (£12) / 0131 226 0000

Part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

…and 21 more dates

On the One Hand

Tales of biological clocks on snooze, lives packed in boxes and cities in bags; Six women of different ages and at different stages of their lives, explore what it means to age. Growing ambitions and shrinking pensions to career changes and dementia; Fringe First winners The Paper Birds present their visually stunning 10…

Northern Stage @ St Stephens, Edinburgh

Sat 3 Aug

Stage 1a

£11 / 0131 226 0000

Preview Part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Sun 4 Aug

Stage 1a

£11 / 0131 226 0000

Preview Part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Mon 5 Aug

Stage 1a

£14 (£11) / 0131 226 0000

2 for 1 Part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

…and 16 more dates

Overcoat

International Theater Ensemble (Taiwan and USA). Poetic expression of Nikolai Gogol's classic in the era of internet technology. Multimedia cross-border performance. Original combination of Chinese theatrical traditions and music with modern European physical theatre and contemporary projection technologies. Combines…

C, Edinburgh

Wed 31 Jul

+3

£9.50 (£7.50; Children £5.50; Seniors £7.50; Students £7.50) / 0131 226 0000

Part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Thu 1 Aug

+3

£9.50 (£7.50; Children £5.50; Seniors £7.50; Students £7.50) / 0131 226 0000

Part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Fri 2 Aug

+3

£9.50 (£7.50; Children £5.50; Seniors £7.50; Students £7.50) / 0131 226 0000

Part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

…and 14 more dates back to top

4.48 Psychosis

Sarah Kane's poetic masterpiece that sparked controversy and debate. Performed intimately, using physicality alongside the dialogue to question clinical depression and provide insight into the fragility of the human mind. Hard-hitting but beautiful.

theSpaces on the Mile, Edinburgh

Fri 2 Aug

Space 1

£7 (£5) / 0131 226 0000

Part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Sat 3 Aug

Space 1

£7 (£5) / 0131 226 0000

Part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Sun 4 Aug

Space 1

£7 (£5) / 0131 226 0000

Part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

…and 2 more dates

After What Comes Before

Manic Chord Theatre. Combining a raw, energised and wordy playfulness Manic Chord presents a darkly comic and physical tale. Hidden within a laboratory three scientists set out to create a machine which can extract thoughts. In the process these scientists become the subjects of their own experiment, unearthing the…

Greenside, Edinburgh

Fri 2 Aug

Greenside Studio One

£6 / 0131 226 0000

Preview Part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Sat 3 Aug

Greenside Studio One

£6 / 0131 226 0000

Preview Part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Sun 4 Aug

Greenside Studio One

£6 / 0131 226 0000

Preview Part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

…and 18 more dates

Afternoon of Playback Theatre

Random Acts Theatre Company. Acclaimed show where you, the audience, provide true stories for the performers. Interactive, reality theatre magically created instantly! 'Improvisational theatre of such high calibre that it is almost shocking to witness' (Stage). A must-see. Ages 12+.

Sweet Grassmarket, Edinburgh

Mon 12 Aug

International 4

£8 (£6) / 0131 226 0000

Part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Tue 13 Aug

International 4

£8 (£6) / 0131 226 0000

Part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Wed 14 Aug

International 4

£8 (£6) / 0131 226 0000

Part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

…and 3 more dates

Almond Roca: The Lost Cabaret

Adam Oliver and Zuma Puma are Almond Roca. Adam Oliver and Zuma Puma lead you on an epic journey. Witness sacred comedy of almonds unfolding in surreal, super-fun and insanely entertaining love festival. The Lost Cabaret. Find it. 'An absolute blast!' ★★★★ (ThreeWeeks). www.pay-what-you-want.info. Ages 18+.

Heroes @ The Hive, Edinburgh

Mon 12 Aug

The Big Cave

£5 / 0131 226 0000

Preview Part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Tue 13 Aug

The Big Cave

£5 / 0131 226 0000

Preview Part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Wed 14 Aug

The Big Cave

£5 / 0131 226 0000

Preview Part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

…and 11 more dates

Ants

The American High School Theatre Festival. Earth's seven billion people are outnumbered a hundred million to one. Funny, beautiful, intriguing, perplexing; bodies and language evoke the warlike, reproductive, political lives of ants. Foremost entomologists E.O. Wilson and Bert Hölldobler have created some of…

Pilrig Studio, Edinburgh

Mon 5 Aug

£5 / 0131 226 0000

Part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Tue 6 Aug

£5 / 0131 226 0000

Part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Wed 7 Aug

£5 / 0131 226 0000

Part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

…and 1 more date back to top

Artaud: a Trilogy

The Lincoln Company. Spurt of Blood, The Cenci and The Seashell and the Clergyman are drawn together to create an experimental event that layers French surrealism, physical theatre and contemporary farce, creating its very own Theatre of Cruelty. It explores the anguish sheathed within Artaud's mind, identifying…

C nova, Edinburgh

Wed 31 Jul

studio 1

£8.50 (£6.50; Seniors £6.50; Students £6.50) / 0131 226 0000

Part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Thu 1 Aug

studio 1

£8.50 (£6.50; Seniors £6.50; Students £6.50) / 0131 226 0000

Part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Fri 2 Aug

studio 1

£8.50 (£6.50; Seniors £6.50; Students £6.50) / 0131 226 0000

Part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

…and 23 more dates

BLAM!

Kristján Ingimarsson//Neander. Die-Hard meets The Office. To escape their painfully dull 9-to-5 jobs, four ingenious office workers invent BLAM! – an imaginary game where ordinary life is put through the shredder. In this hilarious and explosive show, the mundane workplace is transformed into a world populated by…

Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh

Wed 31 Jul

The Grand

£8 / 0131 226 0000

Preview Part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Thu 1 Aug

The Grand

£8 / 0131 226 0000

Preview Part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Fri 2 Aug

The Grand

£8 / 0131 226 0000

Preview Part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

…and 21 more dates

Bridge to an Island

Out of the Trunk Productions. 'When I was very young, I had a dream that I could step inside any book and become a part of the story. In that one night, I had amazing adventures. The next day, staring at the page of a book, I tried to force myself between the words…' Fresh new vignettes, monologue scenes and music will…

C nova, Edinburgh

Wed 31 Jul

studio 1

£7.50 (£5.50; Seniors £5.50; Students £5.50) / 0131 226 0000

Part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Thu 1 Aug

studio 1

£7.50 (£5.50; Seniors £5.50; Students £5.50) / 0131 226 0000

Part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Fri 2 Aug

studio 1

£7.50 (£5.50; Seniors £5.50; Students £5.50) / 0131 226 0000

Part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

…and 24 more dates

Caryatid Unplugged

Evi Stamatiou. The statue in crisis… In the June 2011 debate on whether to return the Ancient Parthenon marbles to Greece, David Cameron tells Parliament that 'Britain has no intention to lose its marbles'. In July 2012, he announces to the House of Commons Liaison Committee that contingency plans were being hatched to…

Hill Street Theatre, Edinburgh

Fri 2 Aug

Studio

£12 (£10; Children £10; Students £10) / 0131 226 0000

Part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Studio

£6 / 0131 226 0000

Preview Part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Sat 3 Aug

Studio

£12 (£10; Children £10; Students £10) / 0131 226 0000

Part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Studio

£6 / 0131 226 0000

Preview Part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Sun 4 Aug

Studio

£10 (£8; Children £8; Students £8) / 0131 226 0000

Part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

…and 20 more dates

Cinderella Lives!

Cinderella. Revolution. Who knew two ideas could be so compatible? A young woman breaks a mould she didn’t realise she was confined to and finds a new way to tell the world’s most famous fairy tale. Aisling Kiely presents a funny, thought-provoking, sexily-skewed retelling of Cinderella. Feminist burlesque, it’s a…

Venue 13, Edinburgh

Sat 3 Aug

£8 (£6) / 0131 226 0000

Part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Sun 4 Aug

£8 (£6) / 0131 226 0000

Part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Mon 5 Aug

£8 (£6) / 0131 226 0000

2 for 1 Part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

…and 18 more dates back to top

A Circus Affair

From the red centre of Australia comes a comedy of circus and romance, loved by children and adults alike. A quirky tale of Sarita and Mr Kiko and their love affair with circus, told through physical theatre, clowning, circus acts, strongwoman feats and film. ‘Cook and Mason both excel at physical theatre … funny…

The Zoo, Edinburgh

Fri 2 Aug

The Aviary

£5 / 0131 226 0000

Preview Part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Sat 3 Aug

The Aviary

£5 / 0131 226 0000

Preview Part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Sun 4 Aug

The Aviary

£9 (£7) / 0131 226 0000

Part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

…and 6 more dates

The Collision of Things

The lives of three friends collide in a foreign land where tragedy threatens their survival and pushes them to the limit.

Pleasance Courtyard, Edinburgh

Wed 31 Jul

Pleasance Two

£6.50 / 0131 226 0000

Preview Part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Thu 1 Aug

Pleasance Two

£6.50 / 0131 226 0000

Preview Part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Fri 2 Aug

Pleasance Two

£6.50 / 0131 226 0000

Preview Part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

…and 22 more dates

Conversations: Grid Iron

Members of Grid Iron talk about Leaving Planet Earth in the company of journalist and critic Robert Dawson Scott.

The Hub, Edinburgh

Wed 14 Aug

£6 / 0131 473 2000

Part of Conversations with Artists.

Conversations Not Fit for the American Dinner Table

TongueTied Theatre. Welcome to the United States of America! The place where anything is possible! The land of the free and the home of opportunity, prosperity, guns, Jesus, the uninsured, guns, Elvis, more guns; where corporations are people, and every corporation has a right to the American f*cking dream! Yes…

Bedlam Theatre, Edinburgh

Mon 12 Aug

£9 (£7) / 0131 226 0000

Part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Tue 13 Aug

£9 (£7) / 0131 226 0000

Part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Wed 14 Aug

£9 (£7) / 0131 226 0000

Part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

…and 10 more dates

Conviction

Four prisoners have dreamt up their perfect escape and make a break for the seaside but it's not all sunshine… Inspired by the remarkable escape of the Texas Seven, Conviction is a dark yet humorous story about youth and making mistakes. This devised production is told playfully by an ensemble cast with inventive…

The Zoo, Edinburgh

Fri 2 Aug

The Monkey House

£8 / 0131 226 0000

Part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Sat 3 Aug

The Monkey House

£8 / 0131 226 0000

Part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Sun 4 Aug

The Monkey House

£8 / 0131 226 0000

Part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

…and 22 more dates back to top

Dark Side of the Sun

The Superhero Club provides an audience with humour, style and ease. A most enjoyable show mixes satire with surrealist material, whilst never confusing or ostracising anybody in particular. From family dinners to Harry Potter to an accidental admission of true love, our eccentric sketches are fast, humorous and…

theSpaces @ Surgeons Hall, Edinburgh

Mon 12 Aug

Theatre 2

£6 (£5) / 0131 226 0000

Part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Tue 13 Aug

Theatre 2

£6 (£5) / 0131 226 0000

Part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Wed 14 Aug

Theatre 2

£6 (£5) / 0131 226 0000

Part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

…and 9 more dates

Dear Friend,

Apt. 502. We are Apt. 502, a theatre company based out of New York City. We came together as friends and collaborators who shared a passion for experimental theatre. We are currently training at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. Dear Friend, is a play about a man who escapes his mundane life in order to discover what it…

Greenside, Edinburgh

Mon 19 Aug

Greenside Studio Two

£7 (Students £5) / 0131 226 0000

Part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Tue 20 Aug

Greenside Studio Two

£7 (Students £5) / 0131 226 0000

Part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Wed 21 Aug

Greenside Studio Two

£7 (Students £5) / 0131 226 0000

Part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

…and 3 more dates

Doctor Brown: Bexperiments

Soho Theatre & the Mason Sisters at PBJ. Eight shows back-to-back, starting the day from scratch, each show will be built from the best of the previous, taking shape through the day to form a completed eighth show. 'For those jaded by the pedestrian bilge that litters the comedy landscape, Doctor Brown is good for…

Underbelly, Edinburgh

Tue 13 Aug

Early Hours

Impington. 'You can censor me all day if you like. But at night…' Matthew's feelings for his teacher are shameless. Mary waits by the window for her lover, watching the stars fall from the sky. Patrick's lost on the dance-floor. But Chas doesn't like dancing; he's after something different, destructive, dangerous.

Paradise in Augustine's, Edinburgh

Tue 20 Aug

Sanctuary

£2 / 0131 226 0000

Preview Part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Wed 21 Aug

Sanctuary

£5 (£3) / 0131 226 0000

Part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Thu 22 Aug

Sanctuary

£5 (£3) / 0131 226 0000

Part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

…and 2 more dates

Earth Fire Water Air

With elements of Dance, Butoh, mime & physical theatre, Karavan & Khabarova share over 20 years of experience, reflecting on their unique and original style, they offer diverse and powerful exercises which move the participants in search of their own limits. The workshop aims to improve the participants…

Summerhall, Edinburgh

Tue 13 Aug

The Dissection Room

Free / 0131 226 0000

Part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

  • 13:30 – 16:30

Wed 14 Aug

The Dissection Room

Free / 0131 226 0000

Part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

  • 13:30 – 16:30

Thu 15 Aug

The Dissection Room

Free / 0131 226 0000

Part of Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

  • 13:30 – 16:30
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