In our latest look at what to watch out for at this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe, we take a look at 12 shows that are based on true life stories.
These Fringe shows highlight hard-hitting subjects including abortion in ‘All Aboard at Termination Station’, mental health and homophobia in ‘Boy Out The City’, climate change in ‘HOME’, the Windrush generation in ‘One Way Out’, alcoholism in ‘Thirst’ and racism in semi-autobiographical one woman play ‘Tickbox 2’.
9. Woodhill
Taking first hand experiences of three families whose loved ones took their own lives at HMP Woodhill, verbatim theatre company LUNG (Trojan Horse, Who Cares, E15) examines the state of UK prisons. Woodhill is a dance theatre piece that uses verbatim text from the family members read by actors over dynamic choreography to question the negligence and injustice within the countries’ prison system. As the number of people going into prisons rises and staff numbers are being cut, the show examines the value we place on the lives of those who have been incarcerated, focusing on three families demanding to know how and why their loved ones died. Summerhall, Main Hall. 2 – 28 August (not 3,14 & 21), 8.55pm. Photo: Alex Powell
10. HOME
Highlighting the urgency of the climate crisis and the emotions that arise when it impacts your childhood home, this evocative new production from Temper Theatre is the story of returning to the place where you grew up and seeing it in a new light. Inspired by the personal experiences of Artistic Director Finn Morrell, who embarked on a profound journey back to his childhood home in East Anglia during the Coronavirus pandemic, HOME follows the character of Imogen on a transformative voyage to her childhood home in the Fens while dealing with depression. Confronted by a succession of extraordinary visions and haunting nightmares, the vibrant folklore of East Anglia and its profound contrasts of intoxicating beauty and darkness come alive and intertwine with Imogen’s long-buried memories. Pleasance Courtyard, Forth, 2 – 28 August, 2pm. Photo: Submitted
11. Spin Cycles
Performed entirely on and with a spinning bike, Spin Cycles explores the processing and suppression of grief through the strange cult-like world of spin classes. Taking the theatricality of the Britney headsets and over-extroverted instructors, and combining it with the deep inner feelings of grief, Jamie-Lee Money’s Edinburgh debut looks at how we cope when we’ve been knocked sideways. Deeply rooted in personal experience and many tears in The Barbican foyer, Spin Cycles is a one-person show about spinning, grief and everything in between. Time to sweat out the sadness. Pleasance Courtyard, Bunker Two, 2 - 28 August (not 8, 15 & 22), 12.20pm. Photo: Alex Cameron
12. IrrePRESSible
Two strong women, two hundred years apart, on opposite sides of the voracious press machine come together in IrrePRESSible, a rollocking new musical centred on the extraordinary life of Lady Emma Hamilton. Considered the world’s first celebrity, Lady Emma was known for her humble beginnings, stunning beauty, her tendency to dance naked on tables and her affair with Lord Nelson, which became one of the biggest scandals of the 18th century. But this is no mere historical biopic. Seen through the eyes of a present-day tabloid journalist who travels back in time, this fresh new musical combines a searing social commentary with a tale of a blossoming female friendship. The show is a debut from former BBC journalist Gillian Lacey-Solymar, who experienced an unexpected burst of creativity as a side-effect of the medication she takes for her Young Onset Parkinson’s, which was diagnosed 11 years ago at the age of 48. The Space, Upper Theatre, 14-20 August, 3.15pm and at The Space, Venue 45, 21 – 26 August 12.15pm. Photo: Submitted