'Bad Aunts' - a co-creation by Eloïse Poulton and Elinor Lipman, produced through their company Untoward Productions - sounds like a really interesting mixture of comedy, theatre, chat show and improv, and I am really keen to see it.
It's not just the fact that it sounds like such an interesting mash up that makes it enticing, it's also the fact that pair have chosen to create a show which is about - and performed by - a trio of women over fifty, which is a demographic that can end up unfairly marginalised when it comes to opportunities in the entertainment business.
To find out more about the show, the cast, and how it all came together, I spoke to company founder Eloïse.
CLICK HERE to read today's Caro Meets interview.
'Bad Aunts' is on at Gilded Balloon at Old Tolbooth Market from 1-25 Aug. Listing here.
Find out where to pick up a copy HERE or read it all online HERE.
This summer we are asking some of our favourite Fringe people to offer their advice - sometimes sensible, sometimes silly - for getting the most out of the Edinburgh Festival in eight steps, by answering our eight quick quiz questions. Today, it's writer, actor, and Artistic Director of Smoke & Oakum Theatre, Oliver Forsyth on hand with the tips.
CLICK HERE to read today's TW:DIY interview.
Oliver Forsyth is Artistic Director of Smoke & Oakum Theatre and writer of 'Such Filthy F*cks', on at Pleasance Dome from 31 Jul-26 Aug.
THREE SHOWS ABOUT MOTHERHOOD >>
With Child | Pleasance Courtyard | 31 Jul-25 Aug (pictured)
Yes, yes, more woman stuff, but it's not my fault, I didn't make it happen, it's all there in the programme. It's as though women have a lot of stuff to get off their chests lately, and if that's why I keep finding loads of female-focused themes at the Fringe, then I'm happy to talk about it. Anyway, there are lots of shows with a pregnancy connection this time and here's my first pick of them. In this solo show from Clare Pointing, inspired by society's pressure on women to be maternal, kind, considerate individuals, we meet six different women, all pregnant: do we judge them differently because of their condition? Listing here.
30 | theSpace @ Surgeon's Hall | 19-24 Aug
"One room, one baby, thirty days. Naomi's being tested for motherhood. If she passes, she can have a child, but her cousin failed six times and she's feeling nervous. The voices of her invigilators play over the tannoy while she stands alone with a cloth doll. Through simulations, the doll becomes a real baby, which can see, hear and feel everything except pain". This sounds rather dystopian, doesn't it? And yet, I can't help thinking I should have been forced to do this before I was allowed to reproduce. Just kidding, I'm a brilliant mother. A mother who's telling you to do as you're told, so go on, go see this show. Listing here.
Fox | Pleasance Courtyard | 31 Jul-26 Aug
This play by Katie Guicciardi, directed by Offie nominee Lisa Cagnacci, is about more than just motherhood, and is inspired by events in the life of the playwright. Contrasting the topic of post-partum depression with the subject of homelessness, 'Fox' explores how becoming a mother can change the way a woman perceives the world, and how the world perceives her. But it also explores issues surrounding class and gentrification, and seeing an area change around you. It sounds like a really poignant and insightful piece, addressing privilege and isolation in a contemporary, urban environment. Listing here.
THREE DANCE PICKS >>
For Now We See Through A Mirror, Darkly | Greenside @ Nicolson Square | 13-24 Aug
This is one from the Made In Scotland showcase, what's described as a "mystical, innovative dance performance about the connection between what we see and what we believe". Integral to the performance is a voice over describing and interpreting elements that can't be seen, which makes the show accessible to visually impaired audiences, but also facilitates understanding of the abstract content for all. "A visually striking and funny world, which can be placed under the slogan of its favourite motif - a smiling snake, a dying sun and the gentle droppings of unclean slime". Listing here.
The Forecast | Dance Base | 21-25 Aug (pictured)
Amy Bell blends dance, text, animation and a live digital soundscape to create this piece, which challenges conventional ideas of gender and movement, and was inspired by wondering quite where all the queer women in dance are. She's approached the topic through the lens of the weather (which is why it's called 'The Forecast', obviously) and attempts to challenge stereotypes with a "more radical notion of femininity", celebrating female queerness. I can't help thinking this might be the sort of dance piece that could hold the attention of those of you who don't think you like dance. So why not give it a whirl? Listing here.
(Some)Body | C Aquila | 1-26 Aug
I think this one speaks for itself: "Does a body make us human? Does it have a soul? What hides beneath nudity? What is nudity itself? Nudity is extreme openness and vulnerability and, at the same time, an incomprehensible power connected not only with sexuality. The magic of Eros, the compelling power of nudity, the way up and the way down, transcendence and co-creation, fragility and strength. Life, death, pain and love - all of this complex and unspeakable physical phenomenon is what we are researching in '(Some)Body'". Listing here.
THREE SHOWS ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH AND THE MIND >>
Yasmin Rahman: The Power Of Friendship | Charlotte Square Gardens | 10 Aug (pictured)
Back to the Edinburgh International Book Festival now for our final set of three, for a date with Yasmin Rahman, writer of 'All The Things We Never Said'. It's a debut novel that deals with suicide as well as the power of friendship. Her heroine Mehreen is going through the darkest of times and intends to end her life, but the process of finding new friends makes her realise it may not be the best way forward. This event explores the very pressing issue of mental health in a digital age, and how to find the happiness and strength to keep going. Listing here.
Passengers | Summerhall | 31 Jul-25 Aug
"Max wants to tell you a story. He's not entirely sure why or even who he is. Is he savage, peacekeeper or critic... or all of these? He's hoping you'll be able to help. Using the audience as judge, witness, confidante, the three versions of Max battle for supremacy over the self through storytelling, cabaret and operatic murder". This dark comedy is semi-autobiographical, drawing on creator Kit Redstone's mild Dissociative Identity Disorder to depict mental battles and the power of the mind to protect itself from pain. It invites audiences to see the self in a whole new way. Listing here.
Samantha Pressdee: Covered | PQA Venues @ Riddles Court | 2-26 Aug
For anyone not aware of her work, Samantha Pressdee is a comedian and activist who with her latest show focuses on mental health provision, the benefits system and social cleansing, and it's very much a call to action. The performer has herself been through the system: hospitalised after a mental breakdown following the death of her father, she found herself spending time in a police cell whilst waiting for NHS help, and subsequently struggled to get her mental health needs met whilst navigating the welfare system. She's a brilliant woman, and a funny one, and this show will be very much worth an hour of your time. Listing here.
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