The Pleasance Theatre Trust Present Giant Programme of Theatre and Comedy For Second Fringe On-Sale

The second Edinburgh Fringe announcement for the Pleasance Theatre Trust is a whopper with returning award-winning acts, amazing newcomers, European sensations, shows with fun for all the family and political chatterings. Keep your eyes peeled soon for more announcements about the Charlie Hartill Fund winners and the Edinburgh National Partnership shows demonstrating the Pleasance's support for amazing new artists.

Theatre

World premieres and returning Fringe Favourites headline Pleasance's Theatre programme. Utterly beguiling theatrical joy comes from the creators of festival sensation Fishbowl who now return with The Ice Hole: A Cardboard Comedy; a great actor recounts a journey from the fjords of Iceland to the dust of the Spanish desert using a thousand pieces of cardboard. Conceived by Levi Roots, the man who brought us Reggae Reggae Sauce, comes Sound Clash: Death In The Arena - a dystopian world of dancehall and reggae, played at maximum volume! Beautiful Evil Things is a new, high-energy, one woman show from Ad Infinitum combining physical storytelling with cut-throat wit in a fierce, funny, bloody take on some of the oldest stories known to woman. Liv Ello and Frankie Thompson present an electric, eclectic love story about the meeting of dysmorphia, dysphoria, and dystopia in Body Show, as well as post popular prodigy Lucy McCormick presents her most ambitious medium-concept catastrophic show yet in Lucy & Friends.

Many shows are autobiographical, using real lived experiences as the basis for exciting new work. How To Bury A Dead Mule tells the compelling and evocative story of a Royal Irish Fusilier, following his time on the front line during WW2; written and performed by his grandson, this is a beautifully imaginative journey into the heart of a man trying to regain a foothold in society. Hospitality agency work is never as stunning as we want it to be but sometimes it can be particularly deranged as we see in Chatham House Rules with secret cults, Brexit revenge, dark web, Birkin handbag prices and the trial of David Cameron. In his hilariously honest solo show, Tom Moran is a Big Fat Filthy Disgusting Liar, Tom asks us if I never told another lie and was just myself, would anyone be able to love me? Actress-comedian Lubna Kerr explores her family's journey sharing the challenges encountered with humour and emotion in Tickbox 2, raising issues about race, perception and identity.

All Aboard! At Termination Station is the Edinburgh Fringe debut from performer, writer, and creative activist Lilly Burton that's her bracing, booming and brash autobiographical tale about abortion. A meditation on motherhood, feminism and fame, two-time Emmy® award-winner Dorothy Lyman premiers her story, Violet and Me, placing a microscope on the progression of gender equality since the 50s, questioning how far we've come. Award-winning poet Luke Wright tries to celebrate his 25 years of service on the literary frontline but ends up taking a deep dive into himself and the England that raised him in Luke Wright's Silver Jubilee. After playing Chrissie White in Emmerdale for four years, Louise Marwood swanned off into a junkie sunset of her own making and went completely off the rails; Rita Lynn is a universal story told through her personal story.

While not an exploration of their own lives, performers also use their Fringe platforms to bring to life lesser-known historical and true stories. Bulgaria just told Hitler to f*ck off, saved nearly 50,000 Jewish lives... and lost a King; in The Brief Life & Mysterious Death of Boris III, King of Bulgaria meet the men who could've done more, the women who did the most, and the reasons the world forgot them. Pleading Stupidity tells a true story about a bank robbery with high-energy, physical comedy, frenetic action and verbatim speech. Filled with hope, humanity and humour, Wiesenthal is the true story of an ordinary man who did extraordinary things, having survived the Holocaust and devoted the rest of his life to bringing Nazi war criminals to justice.

Many of these stories connect with grief and the struggles we all go through. Winner of the 2021 Platform Presents Playwright's Prize, Nuclear Children is a dark comedy about mental health, a submarine accident and a melon as we follow the central character struggling to cope after the death of her father. I Love You, Now What? is a brilliantly funny, heart-warming and raw debut play by actor and comedian, Sophie Craig, examining grief and love's place within it. Four Felons and a Funeral tells the story of four (dysfunctional) friends on a road trip to scatter their mate's ashes in this feel-good show about letting go of the people we've lost. Time to sweat out the sadness, Spin Cycles gives a cathartic look into why we search for something deeper when the inconceivable happens to us. From Untapped winner Izzy Tennyson, The Great Ruckus is a farcical tragi-comedy about two sisters navigating their way through their mother's funeral exploring grief, class and family dynamics.

This summer is the year to bring more music to the Fringe and a number of shows on the programme incorporate music in innovative ways. Chriskirkpatrickmas: A Boy Band Christmas Musical is A Christmas Carol meets It's A Wonderful Life meets NSYNC in this parody musical featuring 12 original songs and plenty of 90s nostalgia! Weaving together an original folk score and tales from a romance best forgotten, Sing, River invites us into the mystical world of pagan festivals.

HoneyBEE is a festival-driven show with a banging soundtrack, a marathon feat of gig theatre with a heady mix of music, stand-up and spoken word.

There's not only music but also rave vibes that you only normally find on a good night out. Winner of the 'Pleasance Pick of VAULT Festival' Award, A Manchester Anthem follows Tommy on his last big night out in Manchester before he goes to study at Oxford; expect humour, heart and a night out to remember. Bampots is an immersive piece of in-yer-face theatre that takes the audience on a tour around Scotland from the Highlands to the Royal Mile with an authentic ceilidh thrown in the mix.

Physical comedy brings us laughs, light and an abundance of fun with a plethora of exciting European companies coming to Edinburgh this summer. Internationally renowned Släpstick presents Schërzo, a performance of classical music as you've never experienced it before; gasp in amazement as the ghost of George Gershwin accompanies a symphony orchestra played by only five musicians and led by an inflatable conductor! Back by popular demand is award-winning The Man Who Thought He Knew Too Much from Voloz Collective; Wes Anderson meets Hitchcock meets Spaghetti Western in this multi-award-winning caper of accusations, accidents and accents. From the same company comes an explosive new show, The Life Sporadic of Jess Wildgoose; with virtuosic acrobatics and live music, this unexpected hero's journey unnerves and astounds in a genre-defying cinematic adventure.

Back by popular demand are some much-loved Fringe favourites. ...and this is my friend Mr Laurel is the sell-out one-man show about friendship, memories and a couple of remarkable lives. An award-winning evening of queer chaos brought to you by the team from Diana: The Untold and Untrue Story is How To Live A Jellicle Life: Life Lessons from the 2019 Hit Musical Cats - expect jellicle laughs, jellicle dance and a very jellicle PowerPoint presentation. Trainspotting Live is an acclaimed immersive adaptation of Irvine Welsh's classic, staged in celebration of the book's 30th anniversary in a bespoke venue. A classic murder mystery is created on-the-spot from audience suggestions in this ingenious and hilarious show from Fringe favourites, Degrees of Error, in Murder, She Didn't Write. Watch the entire 144 episodes of cult 90s TV show, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, as told through the eyes of Spike, the one character who knows it inside out; Buffy Revamped is the perfect parody for Buffy aficionados and those who never enrolled at Sunnydale High alike.

We all fall in and out of love and navigate the minefield of relationships. Break Up With Your Boyfriend is an upbeat, queer and honest exploration of consent, self-love and healing with raging reflections, cathartic cooking shows and treadmill therapy. A darkly comic drama about ambition, love and overwhelming failure told by two not-very-super-heroes, SUPER follows a group of actors on Hollywood Boulevard.

The Edinburgh Fringe has always been about pushing limits, blurring boundaries and defying the norm and these genre blending productions do just that. MEAT is an electrifying roar of fury and a rallying cry of protest packed with heroism and heart in a theatrical hybrid of poetry, clowning, cabaret and dance featuring original music. A debate of self-expression, communication, humour, action and reaction through open and honest storytelling, Dirty Words explores the filth, fun and aftertaste of our everyday interactions. Please Love Me is a one-woman spectacle featuring pole dancing and original music from the creators of the sell-out show SKANK. Watch a chilling new adaptation of M.R. James' classic ghost stories featuring remarkable puppetry and a haunting original soundtrack in Casting the Runes. Join magician and mind reader Tom Brace for a trip down memory lane that you simply won't forget in A Trick Down Memory Lane.

Bridging the gap between comedy and theatre are more alternative works challenging style and form. Join Dave in MUSIC as he accidentally swallows the Stripefy algorithm and becomes a global mega-star, temporarily. Featuring original songs, Thirst is both a love letter to sobriety and a celebration of all things alcoholic from Callum Hughes.

Children's shows

The Fringe is the perfect place for that first introduction into theatre with magic, education and downright silliness too. Take a chance, believe in the magic (and yourself)! as Magic Gareth returns with LEVEL UP! - a magical family extravaganza for ages 5+ including games, tomfoolery and trickery.

Rubbish Shakespeare Company are back with an anarchic and joyous family-friendly event, featuring clowning, slapstick and clever, mischievous storytelling as they perform Rubbish Romeo and Juliet. With your help, the same hilarious, madcap troupe must also complete William's new masterpiece in Improvised Rubbish Shakespeare - The Incomplete Works.

Experience opera's greatest hits, and learn about the characters, in this interactive introduction with Madame Chandelier's Opera Party for Kids. A deliciously Dahl-esq treat from madcap musical duo Fladam, Green Fingers is about a boy born with hands that turn all he touches to a shocking shade of green!

Blue Badge Bunch: ReRamped is a hilarious, interactive game show hosted by Benny Shakes and a panel of comedians where each game represents a different disability, giving kids and grown-ups the chance to learn about Autism and Cerebral Palsy among others. Join comedian and children's author Olaf Falafel for an hour of kids' comedy in Olaf Falafel's Super Stupid Show (20% More Stupider) with truth-telling cheese, fishing, ducks, bumbags, sausages and maybe some drawing. Shelf: The Kids' Show is a kids' comedy show that's fun for all the family; expect sketches, songs, pranks, and SILLINESS.

Theatre can be a great way to learn and science on stage produces some brilliant moments of fun. Doktor Kaboom and the Wheel of Even More Science! is a fun-filled interactive science extravaganza with giant chemical reactions, homemade hovercrafts, flying ping pong balls and more. Head to the bottom of the sea for a dramatic aquatic adventure; join Professor Flotsam and Dr Wright in their brand new submarine as they look for the strangest creatures in the deep, learn about looking after the oceans and hear some of their favourite sea stories in Science Adventures: Deep Sea.

From the creators of Moon Dragon, Sea Dragon Babies is the most perfect experience for babies under 1. The show also exists as Sea Dragon For Under 5s. At both shows each child attending is given a props bag full of age-appropriate percussion, dressing up, lights, puppets and so much more. Sea Dragon tells the story of a magical coral reef that has lost its colour and how Sea Dragon's friends help out in the ocean.

Political In Conversations

Award-winning LBC presenter Iain Dale returns to the Fringe with a series of in-depth interviews featuring his acclaimed, incisive insight on current affairs and audience questions. Guests include: Penny Mordaunt, the MP for Portsmouth North and Leader of the House of Commons; election guru John Curtice and former BBC Scotland political editor Brian Taylor; and Wes Streeting MP, the Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care.

Join LBC legend Iain Dale and his partner in crime, former Home Secretary Jacqui Smith for one of five unique live versions of their smash-hit political podcast For The Many. Expect the usual cocktail of political analysis, unfiltered opinion and outrageous smut. One star guest will be Ian Blackford, MP for Ross, Skye and Lochaber and former SNP Westminster leader.

Galas

Galas are a great way to see the very best of the very best. Come and celebrate Merv's 30th Anniversary in Mervyn Stutter's Pick of the Fringe 30th Anniversary Charity Gala. Expect songs, performances, and extra special guests in this celebration of the 'Royal Variety Show of the Fringe'. The Tartan Ribbon Comedy Benefit is a night of raucous laughter, raising much-needed funds for Waverley Care, Scotland's HIV and Hepatitis C charity. For the past 38 years, the Pleasance has been the home of new comedy talent in Edinburgh and the Pleasance Newcomer Comedy Gala is one-off comedy extravaganza to check out some of the most exciting new comedians at the Fringe.

Comedy

The Pleasance has always been known as the home of comedy - the place to see all the incredible big names as well as exciting newcomers making their debuts. And this year is no exception!

Double Emmy Award winner and star of Smack The Pony, Fiona Allen is doing her first ever show - On The Run - about family, marriage, and things that truly annoy her. The BAFTA-nominated comedian, host of Late Night Mash (Dave), star of Live at the Apollo (BBC) and viral sensation Rachel Parris presents a work-in-progress hour of stand-up and songs. Best Newcomer nominee Ivo Graham (Taskmaster) ropes his audience into more chaos against the clock in Organised Fun. Double Edinburgh Award Nominee Darren Harriott, recently seen on Dancing on Ice, holds many accolades but his new show draws from his upbringing. Kieran Hodgson (Two Doors Down), the three-time Edinburgh Comedy Award nominee, commutes from his new home of Glasgow every day for a month, in Big in Scotland. I Can't Believe You've Done This is a show about the worst haircut of Ania Magliano's life. Are you ready to receive Myra Dubois's call-out - are the disadvantaged, downtrodden, and tyrannised of the world ready for her manifesto for mental health: AdMyrism!

The Pleasance is the place to see the very best of comedians make their debuts. Join Nabil Abdulrashid (Britain's Got Talent) for The Purple Pill, an exploration of empathy, morality and political contradiction. Welsh, Brown, Gay, Gen-Z comedian Leila Navabi (BBC New Comedy Awards) presents Composition, an audacious punk musical comedy show. Fresh from SIX the Musical, join Annabel Marlow as she presents Is This Okay??. Funny Women Finalist Bronwyn Sweeney teaches audiences how to build their own personal brand in Off-Brand. TikTok starlet Daniel Foxx delivers his stand-up hour debut Villain about childhood, Tilda Swinton, and bullying. Breakthrough Comedian of the Year Dan Jones attempts to prove that love exists. Darran Griffiths, the BBC New Comedy shortlisted and two-time British Comedian of the Year semi-finalist brings his debut hour, Inconceivable, tackling infertility and IVF. Directed by Adam Brace, join John Tothill for The Last Living Libertine, an evening of exaggeration, emancipation and dense theoretical speculation. Viral sensation Horatio Gould brings his hotly anticipated debut hour to Pleasance, as he explores if it's no longer okay to be okay.

More newcomers joining the Pleasance family are Lindsey Santoro (2021 Finalist at the British Comedian of the Year), one of the most exciting voices to come out of Brum in recent years who brings Pink Tinge. Skin Pigeon is an hour of characters, comedy, content and costumes from Chortle's Best Newcomer 2023 Lorna Rose Treen. Geordie rising star Louise Young brings Feral, a show all about class, chaos and coming out. Comedian and failed child actor Lulu Popplewell explores the links between Love Actually, smoking crack, the Daily Mail and sunburn in Actually, Actually. Money Princess is the hotly anticipated debut show from the blunt and disturbed perspective of Mary O'Connell. Leicester Square New Comedian and Musical Comedy Awards finalist, Matty Hutson bares his sensitive soul in Don't Hold Back. Join Northern powerhouse Paddy Young, one of comedy's fastest rising stars for Hungry, Horny, Scared. As seen on BBC1 and Comedy Central, Tadiwa Mahlunge brings this exciting debut hour, Inhibition/Exhibition. NHS psychiatrist, award-winning comedian and Penguin-published author Benji Waterstones presents You Don't Have to Be Mad to Work Here.

And there's more! Much-discussed rising star Mamoun Elagab shares his unfiltered, idiosyncratic and unorthodox world view in Why I Love White People. William Thompson (BBC New Comedy Awards Finalist 2021) grew up disabled on a Northern Irish council estate, where people aren't known to be sympathetic; here he talks about The Hand You're Dealt. Nothing in life is black and white and Alexandra Haddow says the grey part is a LOT more fun in Not My Finest Hour. Dropped by Universal Records, Age Against Machine is the story of Josh Weller's failed music career and a love letter to music. Come and join Freya Parker (Lazy Susan) as she navigates the struggles of trying to remain cheeky when it's raining trauma in It Ain't Easy Being Cheeky. From Portugal's biggest young comedy star, What If? is André de Freitas's show about pursuing your dreams with an unwavering spirit of optimism. Join Adrian Bliss on a wild ride through history in Inside Everyone. Award winning Ikechukwu Ufomadu is going to wow us in his new show Amusements. Queer, non-binary class-straddler Jodie Mitchell is John Travulva in Cis Male Comedian. Inspired by YouTube relaxation playlists, William Stone asks you to put your feet up in Lofi Jokes to Study/Relax to.

International comedy icons flock to Edinburgh from far away shores. Fresh off his HBO Max stand-up special Trash White produced by Conan O'Brien, Moses Storm makes his Edinburgh debut with Perfect Cult. LA clown Courtney Pauroso returns to the Fringe as sex robot Vanessa5000. The quick-witted New Yorker Janine Harouni is back with Man'oushe exploring her Arab roots, pregnancy, and what happens when your mail order DNA test does not go to plan. In her debut show, California native Liz Guterbock (2021 Leicester Mercury Comedian of the Year Nominee) explores belonging and whether it's possible to stay in love with life as we grow old(er). Cheat comes from rising stand up star and writer for The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Chloe Radcliffe. Martin Urbano is stepping back into the spotlight with his Apology Comeback Tour. Zach Zucker returns with another dazzling display of comedic firepower in Spectacular Industry Showcase.

Some of our most special Fringe favourites return to Edinburgh this year. Chortle Award 2023 finalists Flat & the Curves bring their self-penned songs celebrating sex and sisterhood in Divadom. The Taskmaster star and Fringe legend Mark Watson returns to consider the search for meaning that we're all on in Search. Britain's most viewed TikTok comedian, Simon Brodkin, is back with an outrageous new stand-up show about guns, God, Matt Hancock, Ayatollah Khamenei and a man called Xavier. Award-winning comedian and International Cheese Judge Marcus Brigstocke explains the joy of a fine whine in Cheese and Whine. Best Newcomer nominee in 2019, Huge Davies is back and he's doing a Whodunnit. Gobsmacked is the brand-new show from Edinburgh Comedy Award newcomer nominee Josh Jones. Star of Spitting Image (Britbox) and Steph's Packed Lunch (Channel 4) impressionist Luke Kempner brings GRITTY POLICE DRAMA: A One-Man Musical to Edinburgh. Edinburgh Comedy Award nominees Max & Ivan return with their final show, Life, Choices.

Matt Forde (Spitting Image, British Scandal, The Last Leg, The Royal Variety Performance) lashes out right, left and centre and chucks in some funny voices too in Inside No. 10. Rosie Holt returns to tight-rope the thin line between politics and entertainment with THAT'S POLITAINMENT!. Pole dancing comedian Siân Docksey sees if hanging off a stick can make you stop thinking about death in Pole Yourself Together! Crying in TK Maxx is a brutally honest, but fair appraisal of the men in her life, from Tamsyn Kelly. Aaron Simmonds brings us Baby Steps where he's going to attempt stand-up comedy, standing up. Crizards are back with a wonky war epic, This Means War, directed by Edinburgh Comedy Award winner, Jordan Brookes. As seen on Netflix, Amazon Prime, BBC iPlayer, Live At The Apollo and Mock The Week, Andy Parsons is back at the Fringe after 17 years with Bafflingly Optimistic. Jonny Pelham told the nation his biggest secret - he's pretty sure it was a mistake, find out why in this candid and bitingly funny new show. Sharp and charmingly surreal, Huge is a hilarious modern magic show from Pete Heat.

Join The Cambridge Footlights International Tour Show for an hour of brand-new sketch comedy written by five of the finest up-and-coming comedians in Cambridge. Go on an adventure through time and space with a live radiophonic workshop and a hilarious improv cast in this loving parody of the sci-fi classic Doctor Who - Any Suggestions, Doctor? The Improvised Doctor Who Parody.

Fast Fringe is an unmissable Fringe institution where 12 top comedy and variety acts perform ridiculously short sets in one furiously fast-paced showcase. A raunchy, chaotic and full-on fringe experience, Stamptown Comedy Night is a late-night variety show featuring the best alternative performance on the international scene.

With more shows to be announced over the coming months there will be comedy, theatre, circus, magic, dance, kids' shows and much more, alongside support for some of the most innovative newcomers through the Pleasance's artist development strands. There's nowhere quite like the Pleasance at Fringe!

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