So yesterday the Fringe Programme was launched in the usual fashion, the ghost of the Queen Mother smashing a bottle of gin against the side of a three metre high stack of brochures whilst screaming “You really must see Russel Kane I think he’s marvellous” before disappearing off into the misty Edinburgh night.
This is also the point when we have to admit that there’s a whole world of theatre out there that’s going to be happening. So we thought we’d perhaps try and help steer you through some of it by offering up a few of the things that we’re excited about.
Blast Theory – A Machine to See With
St George’s West
24 – 28 August
Blast Theory are a truly remarkable and brilliant company, creating a range of projects that wrap themselves around and through the way that we perceive the world in ways that are daring, innovative and beautifully realised. I’ve been looking forward to seeing this piece since they started working on it. Definitely not one to be missed.
The TEAM – Mission Drift
Traverse Theatre
3 – 14 August
The TEAM are one of my favourite theatre companies in the world. Their work is thick with ideas and humour and moments of agonising beauty. This project has been years in the making and one of the very, very first experiments in preparation for it happened at Forest Fringe back in 2008. It’s still one of my favourite things that we’ve ever done.
Dance Marathon – Bluemouth Inc.
Traverse @ Lyceum Rehearsal Room
3 – 14 August
I know nothing about this other than what I’ve read on the Traverse’s website but it sounds beguilingly strange and kind of brilliant – a durational, participatory dance project with a striking political resonance. Plus Forest Fringe loves Toronto so it’s definitely worth a look.
Greg McLaren – Doris Day Can Fuck Off
Zoo Southside
5 – 29 August
They made Greg asterix out the fuck in the fringe programme. We never made Greg asterix out his fuck. We did a couple of nights of work-in-progress of this piece last year and I absolutely love it. Utterly heartbreaking, intensely intelligent and totally baffling. It’s truly unlike anything you’ll ever see.
Thom Tuck – Thom Tuck Goes Straight to DVD
Pleasance Dome
3 – 29 August
So you’re in Edinburgh, it’s almost obligatory that you go and see some comedy. If you’re going to do so you should go and see this. It’s about a man with not a lot more to his name than a disconcertingly large collection of straight to DVD Disney Films and a series of shattered relationships. It will be funny.
So that’s probably enough for now. There will be more recommendations as the festival gets closer and OBVIOUSLY YOU’LL ALL ALREADY BE BLOCKING OUT LARGE CHUNKS OF EVERY DAY TO BE AT FOREST FRINGE. More information on what you’ll be able to see there coming very soon indeed. Follow us on twitter to keep as up-to-date as you can.