This August the Edinburgh Festival celebrates its 70th anniversary. To mark the occasion, we have asked a plethora of performers about their personal Fringe experiences.
To kick us off, the cast of the iconic improv show 'Whose Line Is It Anyway?' get all nostalgic as they return to the Edinburgh stage once again. Today, Josie Lawrence.
CLICK HERE to read Josie Lawrence's answers to the Quick Quiz.
'Whose Line Is It Anyway? - Live At The Fringe' is on at Assembly Rooms from 3-27 Aug.
The TW:TALKS podcast returns for Edinburgh Festival 2017. In this first edition we TW:TALK with Phil Wang as he gets ready to perform his new stand-up show 'Kinabalu'. We discuss Wang's first Edinburgh show, winning Chortle awards, his Footlights stint, the sketch shows as part of Daphne, and his upcoming first UK tour.
CLICK HERE to tune in and sign up for the TW:TALKS podcast.
Phil Wang performs 'Kinabalu' at Edinburgh Festival 2017 at the Pleasance Courtyard from 2-27 Aug.
THREE DANCE AND PHYSICAL THEATRE SHOWS >>
Djuki Mala | Assembly George Square Theatre | 3-28 Aug (pictured)
Award winning Aboriginal dance and YouTube sensations Djuki Mala make their UK debut with this showcase of their unique and high energy fusion of traditional Yolngu and contemporary pop culture, dance and storytelling. Expect a brilliantly entertaining physical show with a healthy helping of comedy and clowning, which I suspect will be genuinely exhilarating.
Yo, Carmen | Edinburgh Playhouse | 12-13 Aug
Spanish dancer, choreographer and pioneer of contemporary flamenco Maria Pagés brings together eight dancers and seven musicians to create a radical re-imagining of Bizet's classic opera heroine. The result promises to be visionary and flamboyant, a beautiful blend of dance, music, poetry and theatre, and will of course appeal to anyone who, like me, is kind of in love with flamenco.
Skin | Pleasance Courtyard | 2-28 Aug
If you attended the festival in 2016 0r 2015, you may have seen 201 Dance Company's highly regarded 'Smother', an emotionally charged piece about relationships, addiction and commitment. This year the contemporary hip hop dance ensemble are back with a new show about a a boy's journey through gender transition. The show fuses urban and contemporary styles with an original score, and, like smother, is choreographed by the talented Andrea Walker.
THREE COMEDY FOR KIDS >>
The Dark Room For Kids | Just The Tonic At The Community Project | 4-27 Aug (pictured)
In the MacBeth section we talked about kids who like creepy and kids who like funny, and of course, kids who like both. If yours fall into that last camp, and are a bit older, then choosing TW favourite John Robertson's special children's version of his cult Fringe show for one of your festival outings is what they call a no-brainer. Fun, yet fear-filled, an interactive adventure, and one that the whole family will enjoy. Or will they? "If you win, there are terrible prizes! But if you lose, 'The Dark Room' keeps whichever of your parents you like less". Eeek.
Kidocracy | The Stand Comedy Club 3&4 | 3-20 Aug
Here's another interactive experience from another TW favourite, Keith Farnon, and it's got a really interesting aim in that it aspires to show children the importance of participation in a democracy, and introduces them to concepts relating to politics, governing and leadership, through fun stuff. Farnon takes on the alter-ego of Brehon, an ancient Irish know-it-all, and involves as many kids as possible. Brilliant for anyone over the age of 6.
This Is Your Trial (PG) | Heroes @ Monkey Barrel | 31 Jul-27 Aug
Another family version of a tried and tested favourite, the courtroom based improv comedy in which guest comedians act as lawyers, prosecuting and defending charges set against members of the audience. Lots and lots of great acts have appeared at the shows in the past, and it's a great concept, so I pretty much guarantee you lots and lots of laughs.
THREE SOLO SHOWS >>
Pike St | Roundabout @ Summerhall | 4-27 Aug
Award winning New York based performer Nilaja Sun is the creative force behind 'Pike St', a solo show featuring a number of different characters from the Lower East Side, primarily Evelyn, who is welcoming her Navy SEAL brother home, keeping her eccentric father out of trouble and providing electricity for her daughter on life-support. Don't miss this chance to see this accomplished performer in action.
Venus And Adonis | C primo | 2-28 Aug
Shakespeare's narrative poem, the bard's best selling first published work, tells the story of the attempts of Venus, goddess of love, to seduce the young and beautiful Adonis who, frankly, would rather go hunting. Here it's been reimagined by Christopher Hunter as a one man play that explores "what lies behind a tale of rejected lust played out against the highest stakes". Sounds very promising.
The Shape Of The Pain | Summerhall | 2-26 Aug (pictured)
The team behind this have won much acclaim and a Fringe First, so the probability of this being utterly brilliant is obviously very high. It's about a woman who suffers from chronic pain, her attempts to articulate her experiences, and her attempts to proceed with a normal life. Don't expect it to be depressing, there's hope on the horizon, and it's tackling an issue that actually affects an awful lot of people, so it will be interesting to observe this company's insights.
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