Three tough woman shows at the Edinburgh Festival 2025…

Lady Macbeth Played Wing Defence | Assembly George Square | 31 Jul-25 Aug (pictured)
I like to do a set of tips focused on shows that highlight women, or issues pertaining to women, probably because I’m a woman. And the secondary theme here is ‘tough’. Either because tough things are happening to women or because the women in question are tough. First up, an award winning Australian Shakespeary musical set in a cut throat world of unchecked ambition. Info and tickets here.

Alright Sunshine | Pleasance Dome | 31 Jul-24 Aug
“It’s like the sun casts a spell: some hypnotic solar stuff and suddenly ordinary people dae terrible things… When PC Nicky McCreadie responds to a mass brawl on Edinburgh’s Meadows, she finds herself face-to-face with a past she’d rather forget”. A critically acclaimed piece exploring gender, power and who owns public space. Info and tickets here.  

I See You Watching | Gilded Balloon Patter House | 31 Jul-24 Aug
This sounds a bit intimidating to be honest, but it’s clearly got some interesting ideas to explore about what limits women in the contemporary world. A woman fights for survival on a bare stage, subject to the demands of a master of ceremonies and forced to perform while trapped in the male gaze. Can she find a way to escape or stage a revolt? Info and tickets here.