Pleasance Theatre Trust Reveals 2024 Edinburgh National Partnerships Programme

The Pleasance Theatre Trust plays their own blinder with a line-up of seven outstanding new British productions for EdFringe 24.

Hot on the heels of the award winning success of last year’s roster of shows, the Pleasance Theatre Trust’s Edinburgh National Partnerships programme for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2024 has been announced. This year’s selection sees a variety of work from across the UK offering audiences a broad palette of performative practice exploring the world we live in and how we live in it now. 

The range of work will take audiences on a geographic and psychological tour of the UK with insights, understanding, warnings and laughter on the way. Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2024 will give audiences the opportunity to feast on this curated selection of some of the UK’s finest performance work. 

The Daughters Of Róisín explores how Ireland’s church and state let its women down. Òran is the thrilling retelling of the Orpheus myth where Òran journeys to rescue his best friend from the Deep Downstairs. In The Lady Garden is a rip-roaring feminist comedy in which Alice shakes off her patriarchal shackles at 69. This Town comes to the fringe ready to remind you of your first teenage love and how full the pubs used to be. Reeling from the closure of her beloved church, in Scaffolding, Sheridan climbs the steeple scaffolding to share her dark plans for the fightback with You-Know-Who. Polly & Esther is a high camp chaotic drag cabaret, written and performed by iconic Welsh mother and daughter drag duo Polly Amorous & Esther Parade. The hair pulingly, face scratchingly brutal reality of being a Girl Boss™ is hilariously laid out in I Really Do Think This Will Change Your Life.

The Pleasance Theatre Trust is working with partner theatres across the UK to identify and support exceptional local artists and companies who want to take work to the Fringe. Each partner is a leading national producing house, with a commitment to supporting and developing new artists. This programme recognises the extraordinary work being created throughout the UK, and hopes to provide tangible support for these companies to present at the Fringe.

For the 2024 season work from Lyric Belfast, Pitlochry Festival Theatre, Theatre Royal Plymouth, Leicester Curve, Bristol Old Vic, Sherman Theatre and, for the first time as part of the Edinburgh National Partnership programme, Mercury Theatre will be presented at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

The aim of the Edinburgh National Partnerships is to make a substantial contribution to develop the next generation of leading theatre-makers by uncovering and supporting the best companies and artists from across the UK to present work at the Fringe. The Pleasance Theatre Trust works with its partner theatres to identify dynamic artists at different stages in their careers.

Shows from the Pleasance Theatre Trust’s Edinburgh National Partnerships 2023 included the BBC Writers Room and Popcorn Writing Award longlisted Bitter Lemons as well as The Scotsman Fringe First and Mental Health Foundation Fringe Award Winner, Choo Choo! (Or... Have You Ever Thought About ****** **** *****? (Cos I Have)) by Stammermouth.

Anthony Alderson Director of the Pleasance Theatre Trust said: “In our 40th year at the Fringe, the Edinburgh National Partnership programme returns to build on the critical and awards successes of 2023 with an increased package of support - doubling down in light of the rising costs of presenting at the festival. We also welcome the Mercury Theatre Colchester into the partnership which will provide a vital pathway to the festival for artists from the East of England. Through continuing to link up venues from across the UK and Northern Ireland to support artists' journeys to the festival and beyond, we aim to provide a launchpad for these shows as well as a more assured exit strategy from the festival. In the face of a decline in touring budgets, we hope this makes a meaningful and long-lasting impact in recharging our national theatre landscape.”

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