Edinburgh Festival listings

The Trench

Les Enfants Terribles Theatre Company. 2012's 5-star, award-winning, sell out show The Trench returns to edfringe following its nationwide tour. Inspired by the story of a miner entombed in a tunnel during WW1. As the horror engulfs him, not everything in the darkness is what it seems and he discovers a strange world…

I Am Breathing

• 
• 2012
• Denmark/UK
• 72 min

• Directed by: Emma Davie/Morag McKinnon
• UK release: 21 June 2013

Documentary about a man facing the onset of Motor Neurone Disease.

Dummy Jim

• 
• 2013
• UK
• 90 min

• Directed by: Matt Hulse
• Written by: Matt Hulse
• Cast: Marie Denarnaud, Samuel Dore, Nille Hannes

He cycled to the Arctic Circle. In May 1951, deaf James Duthie cycled alone from his Scottish fishing village to the Arctic Circle. He published his account of his three-month journey in the book I Cycled into the Arctic Circle, which became the inspiration for this totally unique mixture of documentary, fiction, and…

La Clique

La Clique / The Famous Spiegeltent. The outrageous, unforgettable, five-star La Clique returns to Edinburgh for the world premiere of its new show. A magical cabaret like no other, La Clique was born in 2003 and went on to scoop a whole host of awards, including an Olivier, before travelling the world playing to…

Stories We Tell

• 
• 2012
• Canada
• 108 min
• 12A

• Directed by: Sarah Polley
• UK release: 28 June 2013

Polley's first documentary looks inwardly at her family life, particularly at her mother who died when she was aged 11.

Jonny & the Baptists: Bigger Than Judas

Supporting Wall. The UK's hottest musical comedy group returns with a brand new show. Expect riotous rock'n'roll, satirical soul, anthemic absurdity and more! From the New Act of the Year 2013 and Musical Comedy Award 2013 finalists, as featured on The Now Show (Radio 4), The Gadget Show (Channel 5), The Infinite…

Peter Straker's Brel

Hailed as one of the great singers on the British stage, a man who has recorded with Freddie Mercury and starred in the British production of Hair could only deliver a barnstorming performance of the songs and life of Brel. Straker is in full blown theatrical mode; in Amsterdam, embodying the darkness and menace in Brel's…

Shit-faced Shakespeare

Magnificent Bastard Productions. An entirely serious Shakespeare play - with an entirely shit-faced actor… Back for yet another year, the legendary Magnificent Bastard Productions stagger up to Edinburgh with the most raucous Shakespearian performance you'll ever see! Grab your mates, get your round sorted, and sit…

BEASTS

DAA Management. Immerse yourself in a world of shadowy secrets, mystical dynasties and political intrigue. Or come to this sketch show. Critically acclaimed and impeccably-dressed, BEASTS return to Edinburgh with another hour of inspired silliness. 'Staggeringly brilliant… Slick, surreal and wonderfully unique' ★★★…

The Boy With Tape On His Face: More Tape

Lee Martin for Gag Reflex Management. The boy is back by popular demand! Your last chance to see the multi award-winning, sell-out show that wowed the West End. 2010 - sold out. 2011 - sold out. 2012 - sold out. 2013 - don't miss out! As seen on The Royal Variety Performance, BBC2's Comedy Prom, ITV1's Comedy Rocks and…

Desperately Seeking the Exit / Free Festival

Peter Michael Marino. American writer/performer Marino triumphantly returns with the crazy true tale of the making and unmaking of notorious West End Blondie musical disaster, Desperately Seeking Susan. This high-octane comedy offers a tell-all, behind-the-scenes peek at how this £4 million musical flopped: hatching…

Eleanor Conway's Comedy Rumble

Oxygen Entertainment & The Comedy Lounge. Comedy Rumble: where the audience and comedy contenders unite either in the red or the blue corner and, round by round, battle it out for points. There are two teams, red and blue, comprising of audience and comic acts on each team. Each round, both teams will be called…

Greg Proops

Talented Artists Ltd. Part improv, part drug-ridden anecdotes Greg Proops is back on the Fringe for his 39th award-seeking year. Each show is different as Greg cannot remember his act from night to night. Mr. Proops played in a tent last year. He is grateful to be back in a real building and promises mirth and…

I Hate Children Children's Show

Unusual Productions. Magic for teens, tweens and hot soccer moms. 'Best Children's Show' (ThreeWeeks). For parents who love kids but hate bad magic. Bad Magician, Paul Nathan (HBO, MTV, Star Trek Voyager) lost a bet and had to do a children's show. Surprisingly it was a hit. So now Paul's back to ride that…

Ilana Halperin: The Library

New work by New York-born artist Halperin, who is interested in the relationship between geological time and human experience. She's the first contemporary artist to receive an Artist's Fellowship at the NMS, and this exhibition features found objects, minerals, artworks created by natural processes and a 1.3-ton…

Knee Deep

Casus, Assembly and Marshall Cordell. Casus return with their smash hit, Knee Deep. Four performers explore the boundaries of strength and tenderness. Bodies are pushed and pulled, weighed and tested, probing the limits of both physicality and feeling. Using traditional and contemporary circus techniques, Knee Deep…

Lady Rizo

Assembly. NYC cabaret superstar and winner 2012 Edinburgh TOAST Award returns after smash debut. Combining vintage arrangements and theatrical explorations of pop tunes with anthemic original songs, Rizo reinvents the genre. Revel in the luscious Grammy-winning vocals as she emanates glamour, wit and insane charm. This…

Out of the Blue

Oxford's all-male, all-vocal sensation and stars of Britain's Got Talent return to the Fringe with their unique blend of dazzling harmonies, comical choreography and boyish charm. With an eclectic mix of songs ranging from foot-tapping pop, through jazzy R&B and rock, to sentimental ballads, these boys demonstrate the…

The Pin

Pleasance. The Pin return to the Fringe, following last year's total sell-out run, with their best sketches yet. This is going to be big. As seen on BBC3 and ITV. Book now. 'Heavily tipped for future stardom' (Guardian). ★★★★★ (Skinny, ThreeWeeks). ★★★★ (List, BroadwayBaby.com, Scotsgay.co.uk). Ages 14+.

Shooting Bigfoot

• 
• 2013
• UK
• 90 min

• Directed by: Morgan Matthews

Bizarre documentary about a filmmaker who hooks up with various Bigfoot trackers in the US.

The East

• 
• 2013
• US/UK
• 116 min
• 15

• Directed by: Zal Batmanglij
• Cast: Brit Marling, Alexander Skarsgård, Ellen Page
• UK release: 28 June 2013

A spy is sent in to infiltrate a group of eco-terrorists. However, when she falls for the group's charismatic leader she finds her loyalties tested.

The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs Revisited

Gilded Balloon. Daisey's play about America's mysterious technology icon is revisited for 2013. This is a hilarious and sometimes harrowing tale of Steve Jobs and the Chinese workers toiling to make your beloved iPhones. Explore the legality and morality of electronic sweatshops in China, complete with armed guards…

Tiddler and Other Terrific Tales

Brand new show from award-winning Scamp Theatre (Stick Man). Adapted from the bestselling books written by Children’s Laureate Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler (creators of The Gruffalo). A magical collection of Julia Donaldson’s most popular titles including Tiddler, The Smartest Giant in Town and A…

The Fantasist

Theatre Temoin. In the mind of the fantasist, the real and the fanciful become dangerously blurred. Objects move, time changes … and a seductive stranger opens up a world of exhilaration and magic. Following an acclaimed international tour and five star sell-out success at EdFringe 2012, The Fantasist returns, spinning…

The Golden Cowpat

Tucked In Productions and Greenwich Theatre. Plop! Wow! Another golden cowpat! Something is shimmering and shining in the far corner of the cow field on Hector's run-down farm. Something that leads Hector and his naughty cow, Betty, on an adventure to find their fortune. Start your day with a fantastical journey from…