While the Fringe is awash with returning heroes every year, we’ve taken a look at the top up and coming comedy and theatre acts set to make their debuts in Edinburgh this August.
With the Edinburgh Festival Fringe still the biggest arts festival in the world, new comedians, writers and actors are all desperate to announce themselves to the entertainment world by appearing in the Scottish Capital in August.
Among the new acts making their Fringe debut this year are stand-up comedian, author and writer of smash-hit West-End comedy Death Drop, Holly Stars, who has finally made time in her schedule to swing by Edinburgh for August. Her debut hour at the world’s largest festival, Justice for Holly, is pure stand-up with a side of hairspray, lashes and leopard print.
Also popping their Fringe cherry are Australian comedy sketch show queen Yozi, German-based Libyan stand-up Mustafa Algiyadi and New York City-based comedian and actress Maeve Press- who starred in the critically acclaimed Everything’s Gonna Be Okay and the award winning film Theresa Is A Mother on Netflix.
1. Maeve Press
New York City based comedian and actress Maeve Press is all set to make her UK debut at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this year. The comic will be doing the full festival run and Fringe audiences will have a chance to see her show, ‘Failure Confetti’, which has never before been seen in the UK. Following 17 years under special educational observation prompted by early signs of neurodiversity, Maeve was eventually presented on her 18th birthday with boxes full to the brim with reports on her educational development from the age of 9 months to 17 years old. Now she will be crossing the pond to unpack ‘the magical box of Maeve’ with Fringe audiences, charting her life experience, both through her own eyes and the eyes of medical professionals paid to write reports about her. As an actress, Maeve has starred in the critically acclaimed Everything’s Gonna Be Okay and the award winning film Theresa Is A Mother (Netflix). Maeve Press: Failure Confetti, at Assembly George Square Studios, Studio 4, July 31, August 25 (not 14th), 1.20pm. Tickets: £8 - £13.50. | AvalonPhoto: Avalon
2. Joe Kent-Walters
Fresh off the back of delighting audiences and judges at the BBC New Comedy Award final with his most notable comic creation, Joe Kent-Walters is 'Frankie Monroe’ for the full festival run, making his highly anticipated debut at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Frankie Monroe is the owner and MC of The Misty Moon – a working men’s club in Rotherham that is also a portal to hell. The club is under threat, dark forces and dirty deeds linger in the shadows and it’s up to Frankie to stop his beloved working men’s club from falling into oblivion. Joe Kent-Walters is Frankie Monroe, at Monkey Barrell 2 Date & Time: July 29 – August 25 (excluding August 14), 11.25pm. Tickets £7 - £12. | AvalonPhoto: Avalon
3. Nerine Skinner: The Exorcism of Liz Truss
After her viral success with her Liz Truss parodies, receiving millions of views on YouTube, Britain’s Got Talent Semi-Finalist (The Dots) and Funny Women Content Creator Runner Up, Nerine Skinner, debuts at Edinburgh this year. In 2022, politically unaware Nerine Skinner went viral overnight as Liv Struss, aka the politically hapless Liz Truss. Outlasted in Downing Street by a lettuce, Liz Truss’s political relevance faded and the country moved on - but Nerine didn’t. Through hilarious, original, oddball characters, award-nominated political parodies and heartfelt storytelling, this is the story of Nerine trying to let go, examining how holding onto the past and her unconventional upbringing led to an unhealthy co-dependency with the former Prime Minister. Nerine Skinner: The Exorcism of Liz Truss, at Just The Tonic, The Caves, Out Of The Box, August 1-25 (not 12th), 2.40pm. Tickets from £6. | Textual HealingPhoto: Textual Healing
4. Abi Clarke
Ccomedian Abi Clarke will finally be making her Edinburgh Fringe debut after keeping her large social media following waiting since 2020, with a relatable and hilarious new show, Role Model. With an astonishing 27.2 million likes on TikTok and rapidly approaching 1 million followers, Abi is a force to be reckoned with. Clearly demonstrating her undeniable skill and comedic talent across all her social platforms (614K subscribers on YouTube), she has amassed a following that is a testament to her true calling of being a performer. Abi Clarke at Pleasance Courtyard – Beneath, July 31 - August 25 (not 12th), 7.40pm. Tickets: £8 - £13. | Dylan WoodleyPhoto: Dylan Woodley