Edinburgh Festival Guide

Listings: Evening events, Theatre

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Leaving Planet Earth

World Premiere: Old Earth has nothing left for us, and so it is time for a new beginning. Cross galaxies, traverse light years and find yourself in a world where you can be the centre of your own universe. Welcome to New Earth. Never look back. Vela, the revered and celebrated architect of this new society, has recently…

EICC, Edinburgh

Sat 10 Aug

£12.50–£25 / 0131 473 2000

Sun 11 Aug

£12.50–£25 / 0131 473 2000

Mon 12 Aug

£12.50–£25 / 0131 473 2000

…and 10 more dates

Madame Freedom

European Premiere: A two-dimensional, cinematic black-and-white woman of yesteryear struggles to break free of the social, economic and political straitjacket of the time, while a three-dimensional woman of here and now struggles to what … ? Break free … ? Of what … ? When the unfulfilled soul of a fictional woman surges…

King's Theatre, Edinburgh

Tue 20 Aug

£12–£30 / 0131 473 2000

Wed 21 Aug

£12–£30 / 0131 473 2000

Metamorphosis

World Premiere: Travelling salesman and sole breadwinner for his family, Gregor Samsa awakes one day to discover that he has been transformed into a giant insect. Unable to communicate and shocking to anyone who sees him, he is forced into a solitary existence confined to his room. As he becomes insufferable to himself…

King's Theatre, Edinburgh

Sat 10 Aug

£12–£30 / 0131 473 2000

Sun 11 Aug

£12–£30 / 0131 473 2000

New Voices

World premieres: California’s Helen Pickett – a former dancer for William Forsythe and now Resident Choreographer at Atlanta Ballet – is renowned for energetic yet poetic creations. James Cousins’s contemplative and gripping style has won him the inaugural New Adventures Choreographer Award. Martin Lawrance shares the…

Edinburgh Festival Theatre

Sun 18 Aug

£12 / 0131 473 2000

Part of Dance Odysseys.

Mon 19 Aug

£12 / 0131 473 2000

Part of Dance Odysseys.

Ohio Impromptu/Rough for Theatre I/Not I

Beckett on Film: Ohio Impromptu: Directed by Charles Sturridge and starring Jeremy Irons. Rough for Theatre I: Directed by Kieron J Walsh and starring David Kelly and Milo O’Shea. Not I: Directed by Neil Jordan and starring Julianne Moore.

The Hub, Edinburgh

Sat 31 Aug

£4 / 0131 473 2000

Part of Beckett on Film.

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On Behalf of Nature

European Premiere: After receiving a 2010 Herald Angel Award for Songs of Ascension, US composer, singer, filmmaker and theatre artist Meredith Monk returns to the Festival with her latest music-theatre work, On Behalf of Nature. A poetic meditation on the environment, On Behalf of Nature evokes the Buddhist notion of…

Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh

Fri 16 Aug

£10–£30 / 0131 473 2000

Sat 17 Aug

£10–£30 / 0131 473 2000

Phone Whore

This solo show from artist, activist and phone sex operator Cameryn Moore explores the taboo world of phone sex calls, and the taboo, fantasy and deviant desires that permeate society.

Laughing Horse @ The Phoenix, Edinburgh

Thu 1 Aug

Free / 0131 557 0234

  • 19:30

Fri 2 Aug

Free / 0131 557 0234

  • 19:30

Sat 3 Aug

Free / 0131 557 0234

  • 19:30
…and 22 more dates

Physical Thinking: A movement course

After the crowds have gone home, let yourself be ‘moved’ by Leonardo’s drawings. This gallery-based course is led by Suzy Willson, Artistic Director of acclaimed performance company Clod Ensemble.

The Queen's Gallery, Edinburgh

Mon 26 Aug

£30 (£20) / 0131 473 2000

Tue 27 Aug

£30 (£20) / 0131 473 2000

Pierrot Lunaire (1962)

This seminal work from American dancer and choreographer Glen Tetley was also the starting point of his now iconic choreographic style – combining modern dance with the elongated line and aerial bravura of ballet. It is a style he perfected through his professional career performing leading roles in the Martha Graham…

Edinburgh Festival Theatre

Sat 17 Aug

£10–£18 / 0131 473 2000

Part of Dance Odysseys.

The Radicalisation of Bradley Manning

National Theatre Wales' award-winning multimedia production is the true story of a US soldier accused of spying. The play examines his background and explores how he became radicalised.

St Thomas of Aquin's High School, Edinburgh

Tue 6 Aug

Prices to be confirmed / 0131 229 8734

  • 19:30

Wed 7 Aug

Prices to be confirmed / 0131 229 8734

  • 19:30

Thu 8 Aug

Prices to be confirmed / 0131 229 8734

  • 19:30
…and 17 more dates back to top

The Rite of Spring

Intense and visceral, Christopher Hampson’s vision of The Rite of Spring, created originally for Atlanta Ballet, is presented 100 years after the original production revolutionised the world of dance and music. Set to Stravinsky’s exhilaratingly influential score, Hampson uses three dancers – two men and a woman – to…

Edinburgh Festival Theatre

Sun 18 Aug

£10–£18 / 0131 473 2000

Part of Dance Odysseys.

The Rite of Spring Talk

The Rite of Spring Talk with choreographer Christopher Hampson.

Edinburgh Festival Theatre

Sun 18 Aug

Free / 0131 473 2000

Part of Dance Odysseys.

Romeo and Juliet

The Shakespearean tragedy of a young couple in love, amidst violence and hatred. This EGTG production is a classic interpretation of the renaissance story, performed at high speed, with huge energy and professionally choreographed fights.

The Royal Scots Club, Edinburgh

Mon 5 Aug

£10 / 0131 556 4270

Tue 6 Aug

£10 / 0131 556 4270

Wed 7 Aug

£10 / 0131 556 4270

…and 3 more dates

SingleMarriedGirl

Growing up can make you a little crazy! Just ask Laurel, a woman facing for the first time the world of dating, love, life and independence…which would be so much easier if she wasn’t still married! www.tastymonsterproductions.com.

theSpaces on North Bridge, Edinburgh

Fri 2 Aug

£6 / 0845 557 6308

Preview

Sat 3 Aug

£6 / 0845 557 6308

Preview

Mon 5 Aug

£8.50 (£6.50) / 0845 557 6308

2 for 1

…and 17 more dates

Titus Andronicus

This Is England meets Shakespeare in Hiraeth Artistic Productions’ gritty and aggressive take on one of his bloodiest plays. Shakespeare’s classic tale of war, revenge, honour and rivalry is transported into the underbelly of 1980s British skinhead culture.

theSpaces @ Surgeons Hall, Edinburgh

Fri 2 Aug

£12 (£10) / 0845 508 8515

Sat 3 Aug

£12 (£10) / 0845 508 8515

Mon 5 Aug

£12 (£10) / 0845 508 8515

2 for 1

…and 17 more dates back to top

The Tragedy of Coriolanus

European Premiere: Brilliant General Caius Martius returns to Rome a hero. Having conquered the city of Corioles he is named Coriolanus and persuaded to run for Consul. However, when he is rejected by the ‘common people’ Coriolanus vows to destroy Rome and joins forces with his enemy Aufidius to mount an attack. With live…

The Edinburgh Playhouse

Tue 20 Aug

£10–£30 / 0131 473 2000

Wed 21 Aug

£10–£30 / 0131 473 2000

Twonkeys Blue Cadabra - Free

One of The Scotsman’s Top Ten free shows of 2012. Bizarro! ★★★★ (TimeOut). ‘It's quite lovely’ ★★★★ (Skinny). ‘Hugely Entertaining’ ★★★★ (ExuentMagazine.com). ‘Twonkey is a true comic original' ★★★★ (Scotsman). ‘Silly and Enjoyable’ ★★★★ (BritishTheatreGuide.info).

Laughing Horse @ Espionage, Edinburgh

Thu 1 Aug

Free / 0131 477 7007

Fri 2 Aug

Free / 0131 477 7007

Sat 3 Aug

Free / 0131 477 7007

…and 21 more dates

Waiting for Godot

Beckett on Film: Waiting for Godot: Directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg and starring Stephen Brennan, Barry McGovern, Johnny Murphy, Alan Stanford and Sam McGovern as the boy.

The Hub, Edinburgh

Sat 31 Aug

£4 / 0131 473 2000

Part of Beckett on Film.

What Where/Footfalls/Come and Go

Beckett on Film: What Where: Directed by Damien O’Donnell and starring Sean McGinley and Gary.Lewis. Footfalls: Directed by Walter Asmus and starring Susan FitzGerald and Joan O’Hara. Come and Go: Directed by John Crowley and starring Paola Dionisotti, Anna Massey and Siân Phillips.

The Hub, Edinburgh

Sat 31 Aug

£4 / 0131 473 2000

Part of Beckett on Film.