YOUR GUIDE TO EDINBURGH'S FESTIVALS
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ED2022 Art & Events ED2022 Comedy ED2022 Preview Edition ED2022 Spoken Word ED2022 Three To See
Three Sporty Stories
By Caro Moses | Published on Wednesday 3 August 2022
Three sporty stories at Edinburgh Festival 2022…
Nic Sampson: Marathon, 1904 | Pleasance Courtyard | 3-28 Aug (pictured)
We start quite a few of these sections with a bit of commentary on how there are a plethora of shows at the Festival that fall under the chosen theme, but actually, when it comes to this topic, it’s not one that generally throws up a long list of shows. However, there are enough things featuring sporty themes this time to justify some focus and this comedy offering is one of them. It’s a really interesting show, this one, from Nic Sampson, because it focuses on a historical sporting event – the 1904 Olympic marathon in St Louis, Missouri, which only fourteen athletes out of 32 managed to finish, for a number of crazy reasons. It’s the “incredible true story of one of the dumbest sporting events of all time” and we are intrigued. Click here for info and tickets.
Newcastle United Ruined My Bloody Life | The Stand Comedy Club 2 | 4-28 Aug
Let’s stick with comedy for the moment, shall we, and head to The Stand to spend an hour with Gavin Webster, who tells the story of his somewhat intensive relationship with a particular football club. “When Gavin Webster was a kid, he liked kings and queens from history, space and the solar system, as well as singing, skipping and running. Then Newcastle United arrived and that was his life effectively over. Obsessed with the team, the players, the results and the club’s history, but also obsessed with the supporters, the rude terrace chanting and the moronic subculture that went with football at the time, it ruined his bloody life and still does to this day. This is his story”. And we want to hear all about it. Click here for info and tickets.
Ashley Hickson-Lovence & Benjamin Markovits: Staying Ahead Of The Game | Edinburgh Art College | 25 Aug
Now that we’ve seen two high quality comedy shows, let’s sprint over to Edinburgh Art College for another date with the lovely Edinburgh International Book Festival. We’re going to take in an event with two writers whose novels tackle the world of professional sport. First, Ashley Hickson-Lovence is the creative behind ‘Your Show’, a portrait of Uriah Rennie, the first (and so far only) black referee in English Premier League football, who comes up against prejudice and over-zealous scrutiny in his journey through the ranks. Hickson-Lovence appears alongside James Tait Black Prize winning novelist Benjamin Markovits, whose early post-graduate career in professional basketball informs his most recent work ‘The Sidekick’. Click here for info and tickets.
