When you hear the word gig, what comes to mind? You might think of a dark, claustrophobic room filled with the smell of sweat, where you stand for hours on end bumping shoulders with strangers. While there might be an Accessible Viewing Platform, gigs are not necessarily accessible spaces for everyone. BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award winner Maddie Morris’ gig goes against the grain. Modern folk in all its glory, Morris’ set list combines original work alongside covers of folk classics. A stand-out was ‘cedar swamp’, a hoppy, mystically cheerful jig which shows off the stunning lilt to Morris’ voice and truly belongs at a renaissance fair.

Performer and director Freda O’Byrne uses puppetry, object theatre, circus, mime, music, projection, and light to explore the stories of ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. Freda chatted with Wendy McEwan about her artistic philosophy, and her current tour. You’re currently on tour with three puppet shows, each for a different age group. Can you tell me a bit about each show? Well, the first one is for three- to five-year-olds, and it’s called Little Toy. I worked with a group of primary school children to develop a performance piece. We rewrote that piece as…

Surely it can't be hard to sell cheese, can it? Inspired by her own experiences of working in a cheese shop, this new comedy by writer and director Bylli Gomez pokes fun at middle class Britain through a lens of millennial problems. 30 year old Bee, living with her mum after losing both her job and her relationship, is desperate to find work. When she gets a trial shift at a cheese shop, things go from bad to worse for her as she ends up stealing a jacket, destroying an expensive wheel of cheese and drowning her sorrows in a bottle of wine.

Photo credit - Laura Roque Love is very complicated, and The Love That I’ve Lost undoubtedly demonstrates that. Written and directed by Morgan Clarice, The Love That I’ve Lost follows three generations of women: Lillie (Harriet Spence-Reid), Michelle (Amelia Dunn) and Betty (Nina Anderson), as they navigate their complex love lives. Lillie, the youngest of the three, is new to dating and struggles with the rejection that can come with finding the right person. Her mother, Michelle (though difficult to believe with the age gap not seeming believably big enough), is going through a messy divorce, finding it hard to move on when she is still so in love.

Thunder Road Theatre are breaking boundaries with The Void, produced by Alex Moran, written and directed by Ryan Simons, the show that seems to have stepped straight out of the cinematic universe of horror. We’ve been watching sci-fi horrors on screen for decades with the likes of Alien, A Space Odyssey, Life, or Black Mirror’s Beyond The Sea; there’s a wide range of filmography that inspiration can be drawn from. Combine those with a light exploration of age-old haunting horror, the topical threat of AI and corporate control and you have the extended list of mismatched themes that…

Photo credit - Tommy Ga-Ken Wan Is not the theatre notable for its notoriety? It is, in fact, a nursery for Hell. And play actors are the most vomitous wretches. So claims Reverend John Witherspoon (Gavin John Wright), in the impassioned – some might say theatrical - sermon that compels attention from the very outset of this play, as his fire-and-brimstone outrage escalates to a crescendo. It’s 1756 – ten years after the Battle of Culloden. There are no licensed theatres in Scotland. Then the determined Reverend John Home (Lewie Watson) writes…

The Hunger was a masterclass in theatrical tension. The post-apocalyptic genre was explored on a more personal, individual level rather than on an epic scale. What happened to the world is only relevant in so far as it effects the two characters and because of that focus on character, it wasn't full of clunky exposition. This was first and foremost a relationship drama about a mother and a daughter. I was impressed by the care and sensitivity that Madeline Farnhill added to this play.  The Hunger was genuinely surprising, but the writing was so well crafted that every revelation of the play made complete sense.

Photo Credit - Ali Wright PRODUCTION IMAGES RELEASED FOR WORLD PREMIERE OF NINA BY CAROLINE WILLIAMS, CO-DIRECTED BY DEBORAH PEARSON Battersea Arts Centre today releases production photos for the world premiere of NINA, the debut play written by celebrated director Caroline Williams (You Do Not Have to Say Anything, Now is the Time to Say Nothing), co-directed with award-winning artist Deborah Pearson (The Future Show, Inside Bitch). Inspired by Chekhov’s The Seagull, NINA is a meta-theatrical fever dream on coercion, power and the quest for creative expression.

What happens when the people closest to you convince you that you're something you're not? Howling at the moon like a wolf was teenage Hugo's secret shame. As an adult, Hugo has built a quiet life with his wife, Summer - until the death of his beloved aunt and an unexpected inheritance change everything. Now Summer and a newly hired village doctor slowly convince Hugo that he's a baboon. If only Hugo hadn't shared that secret. The Man Who Thought He Was A Baboon is a darkly comic, surreal new play exploring identity, manipulation, family and mental health.

If a law required you to tell your partner that you love them ten times a day, would you do it because you do actually love them, or because you have been told to do so? Would you trust your partner when they said it back? Does saying it change the way you feel about the person one way or the other? Written and directed by Sining Gui, 10 Loves brings to life a dystopian alternate reality. One in which the government sets the rules for relationships. In this world, the law requires every married couple to spend an uninterrupted half an hour alone with each other.

INITIAL CASTING ANNOUNCED FOR THE UK PREMIERE OF THE PELICOT TRIAL THE SPECIAL ONE-OFF EVENT WILL BE LIVE-STREAMED WORLD-WIDE FOR THE DURATION OF THE FOUR-HOUR PERFORMANCE. The Young Vic has today announced initial casting for the UK premiere of Milo Rau and Servane Dècle’s The Pelicot Trial, a profoundly affecting piece of documentary theatre presented across four-hours at London County Hall (Home to Agatha Christie’s Witness for the Prosecution) on 30 November 2026. Tickets go on general sale on Wednesday 7 October. Adjoa Andoh, Nicole Ansari-Cox, Lorraine Ashbourne, Leo Bill, Sharon Duncan-Brewster, Alfred Enoch, Julie Hesmondhalgh, Rosie Jones, Kadiff Kirwan,

Theatre Muse UK's founder Caroline Worswick, was pleased to discuss the UK premiere of Dog Mom at Southwark Playhouse Borough, with director Ajay Chowdhury. Read our interview to find out more about the play's association with National New Play Network, and how Chowdhury's multi-layered career influences his directorial decisions. Ajay, you are to direct an American play called Dog Mom. For those of us who do not know the story, can you give us an outline, please? Dog Mom, by Tate Elizabeth Hanyok, follows Sarita, a recently divorced Indian-American woman in her fifties who is trying to rebuild her life in Brooklyn.

The blurb promises vampires, loneliness and "probably blood (not the film)", and an evening in a railway arch with a drink in hand suits that sort of bill nicely. Scott Manley Hadley, who performs as SOLID BALD, is a poet-turned-comedian. His poetry was Highly Commended in the Forward Prizes, and his blog has been quoted in the New Yorker. A recent run of work-in-progress shows around Brighton and Edinburgh has taken in mental health, hair loss, and parenting, with songs and costume changes along the way. That background shows. The writing has a poet's ear, and the delivery has a performer who has put in the hours.

Batty! is an incredibly charming play. Victoria Firth, as both the writer and the superb central performer, captures the audience's attention from the very first sentence of Batty! and keeps that attention all the way to the end. What transpires over the next hour, and five minutes are a series of charming interludes between Firth’s Batty and her companion, Wildthing played by Kathryn Hankle. These interludes point to wider themes of women and witchiness, modernity and wilderness. The mix between songs, anecdotes, jokes, and a couple of truly shocking moments. The two strong central performances anchor this play.

After its Brighton world premiere and Camden Fringe run, Saving Myself comes to Clapham for its final performance of 2026. Tim Stubbs Hughes’ 45-minute solo play, directed by Julia Stubbs and performed by Jessamy James, plays at The Bread & Roses Theatre as part of Lambeth Fringe on Wednesday 14 October. Camden New Journal included the show in its pick of Camden Fringe, calling it “a heavy, important play” and praising James’ “agonising portrayal of suffering” and Stubbs’ “dynamic, layered performance”. The Reviews Hub described James’ work as “an outstanding performance, full of nuance and bitterness”.

Photo credit - Greenwich Theatre Cassie Bradley, recently cast alongside Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock in Practical Magic 2, to star in timely new production of My Name Is Rachel Corrie at Greenwich Theatre This autumn, Greenwich Theatre will present an urgent new production of My Name Is Rachel Corrie, starring Cassie Bradley. More than two decades after Rachel Corrie's death, her words remain strikingly resonant. As the humanitarian crisis in Gaza continues to dominate global headlines, Greenwich Theatre will present a new production of My Name Is Rachel Corrie…

ROBERT KHAN & TOM SALINSKY’S SELL-OUT POLITICAL DRAMA THE GANG OF THREE TO EMBARK ON MAJOR UK TOUR ORIGINAL CAST MEMBERS ALAN COX, HYWEL MORGAN AND COLIN TIERNEY TO REPRISE THEIR ROLES AS TONY CROSLAND, ROY JENKINS AND DENIS HEALEY RESPECTIVELY AND ARE AGAIN DIRECTED BY KIRSTY PATRICK WARD FOLLOWING THE RESIGNATION OF KEIR STARMER, AND ANDY BURNHAM’S MAKERFIELD BY-ELECTION VICTORY, THIS TIMELY LABOUR LEADERSHIP CONTEST DRAMA COULD NOT BE MORE RELEVANT TODAY! THE PRODUCTION WILL BE REVIVED AT THE KING’S HEAD THEATRE WHERE IT HAD PREVIOUSLY SOLD OUT,  BEFORE OFFICIALLY…

From early-stage development and residencies to award wins, national tours, festivals and international collaborations, Summerhall Arts’ year-round support is helping artists build the work that drives Scotland’s cultural life Following a hugely successful Edinburgh Festival Fringe, with eight Scotsman Fringe First Award wins, more than 65 five-star reviews, over 180 four-star reviews and increased visitor numbers across its performance and visual arts programme, Summerhall Arts is highlighting the vital year-round artist development work taking place at its Edinburgh base. While August provides a high-profile showcase for the work developed at Summerhall, the organisation’s support for artists continues throughout the year.

Adaptation by Anna Gion & based on Antiochus the Great: or The Fatal Relapse by Jane Wiseman (1701) | Directed by Katie Luchtenburg & Anna Gion Hellbent: or A Sorry Sight in the West, inspired by Jane Wiseman’s 1701 play, Antiochus the Great: or The Fatal Relapse, is a vibrant burst of campy energy set in the American Wild West. Birthed from a desire to dust off the works of classical female playwrights, Hellbent is a raunchy rendezvous with snappy dialogue by Anna Gion and supported by the brilliant framework of Wiseman’s 300-yearold revenge tragedy.

Photo Credit - Nadav Kander The Almeida Theatre announces the full cast of Desire Under the Elms Joining the previously announced Zackary Momoh are Jamie Beamish, Antony Byrne, Thomas Coombes, Kelly Gough, Choolwe Laina Muntanga, Tendai Humphrey Sitima and Nathaniel Wade. Former Almeida Resident Director Ebenezer Bamgboye (The Lonely Londoners) directs Zackary Momoh (Seven Seconds; Harriet) in four-time Pulitzer Prize winner Eugene O’Neill’s twentieth-century classic. The production opens on Tuesday 17 November with previews from Tuesday 10 November, and runs until Wednesday 23 December.

Dear Joanna, My Favourite Animals Are Scorpions is an unsettling exploration of childhood friendship, adolescent obsession and the ways in which seemingly innocent behaviour can develop into something much darker. Written by Julia Rudd and directed by Elizabeth Laurence, the play follows Joanna, played by Grace Maltman, and Dave, played by Joseph Mason-Coombs, from childhood into adolescence. Dave becomes fascinated with Joanna and repeatedly tries to establish a friendship that she does not reciprocate. As they grow older, his attempts to gain her attention become increasingly obsessive. Letters, rumours and eventually voyeuristic behaviour shift what initially looks like an innocent childhood infatuation towards stalking and harassment.

Curated by Jennifer Adam and Mhairi Quinn A beautiful cocktail of talented individuals demonstrating their abilities across poetry, music, plays, and readings all united by the theme of growth, time, and transformation. Tandem at Ten is a fantastic display of diverse artistic talent, featuring eight works from a range of artists who executed their parts perfectly. Across two hours (with a 15-minute intermission), the show moved at an exhilarating pace, making for an excellent evening. The Traverse Theatre proved to be an ideal venue: a beautiful, professionally maintained open space with a calm bar area.

This production is bursting with potential and is a fantastic cultural introduction for audiences unfamiliar with Southeast Asian and Thai-style performances. It is clear the show was ambitious in scope, weaving together dance, music, puppetry, and mythology into something quite different from your average night at the theatre. The props and costumes are beautifully crafted, perfectly capturing the essence of the themes being explored, and you can tell a lot of care went into getting the visual side of things right. The performers involved have more informal backgrounds and less experience of stage performance, which leaves room for improvement.

A small basement room in Waterloo, with bare brick walls and a simple lighting rig was the venue for Causa: The Trial of the Illegal Potato, one of the many shows in this year's Lambeth Fringe Festival. The first hint that this show wasn't going to be a tightly put-together piece came as the audience waited outside as the start time came and went with no information on what was happening. Starting nearly twenty minutes late wasn't an auspicious opening. Juana, a Peruvian woman living in London, gets homesick for Causa, a traditional potato dish.

The Red Lion was written by Patrick Marber as a result of his involvement with Lewes FC, which he assisted in transferring the club into community ownership in 2010. He writes from a place of experience given that he served as a director of the club for twelve years.  This love of the game, but not necessarily the commercial side of the game is evident from his point of view when writing the play. The play is set in the changing room of an English football club (The Red Lions FC) who are semi-professional.

A winner of the 53Two OFFCUT Festival 2025, Cryin’ Air has been re-written from its original format as a short play, into a two-act play for its debut. Many of you who attended last year’s festival, were no doubt looking forward to seeing the development of this play, and I think you will be pleased with the result. Written and directed by Lauren Bugg, who has recently launched her own film production company ‘In Cahoots Productions,’ her ideal play comprises of comedy and the complexities of relationships, which are very much the focus of…

What if he's the shrew,and he enjoys the taming? Katherina Minola is full of rage. Rage at the misogynistic society she was born into. Rage at her father for his abusive behaviour and preferential treatment. Rage at her sister for going along with it all. ​With her father insisting she marry before the beloved Bianca can, Katharina seems doomed to a cold, loveless marriage with anyone who’ll take her. Until Petruchio, a young gentleman from Verona, comes crawling on hands and knees, with a gentle smile and a twinkle in his eye that screams “Peg Me Mommy.” Can Kate grow to love this unusual man and his unusual proclivities – and maybe even herself in the process?

An evening of philosophy, mythology and psychology set to original and improvised music. Through mini-seminars and hand drawn projections, Perennial Patterns explores what ancient mythology can teach us about modern life. Part musical performance, part theatrical lecture the audience is taken on a journey through the wisdom of great thinkers like Socrates, Jesus, Plato and John Mayer. A conversation starter for the voices in your head. Cast/Performers: • Ben Milton- Lead Performer • Dan Large- Key Boards & Musical Director • Hayden Giles- Drums • Larissa Engler- Artist & Projectionist…

Born in 1938 Brandenberg, writer Manfred Karge had a front row seat to the post-World War II Cold War, and the dividing of Germany into East and West. Set during Germany’s Great Depression, when one in three workers lost their jobs, the play was inspired by the true story of Ella Gericke, a German woman who, took over her husband’s identity on his death for economic reasons. Tilda Swinton takes on the dual role of Ella, and Ella assuming the character of her husband Max Gericke. Karge put pen to paper in 1982, with the play written in German entitled ‘Jacke Wie Hose’, which was then translated into English by Anthony Vivis, and it is this translation that director Stephen Unwin and team have developed, and is the basis for the play that we see today.

High Street is a striking fringe production, proving that it is indeed possible to make an impact without a large venue or special effects – just a little courage, some sincerity, and a lot of heart. Giving the feeling of being part of stories that most storytellers ignore. Nida Vohra is a writer who will begin to be talked about; her voice is evident. Together with two good leading actors, she delivers British stories that are generally overlooked. High Street serves as a reminder that new theatre, particularly of small beginnings, has the power to change the way we see and understand one another.

Award-winning solo play about rave culture, grief and finding your way back to yourself comes home to London Following a three-week run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and a subsequent run at Brighton Fringe, Life Would Be Pretty Dull Without Sex, Raves and MDMA finally comes to London for two performances at the Bread and Roses Theatre in Clapham as part of Lambeth Fringe 2026. Written and performed by London-born and bred Bex Wall, and co-written with Sarah Asante Gregory, this bold, funny and deeply personal solo play takes audiences on a journey through 90s rave culture, grief, memory, motherhood, midlife and the search for something that makes life feel truly alive.

A new Terry Johnson play is something of an event, especially for comedy fans. His Dead Funny is set at a party for fans of Morecambe and Wise era comics, and features several of their routines. Another of his plays is set amongst the actors of Carry On (Cleo, Camping, Emanuelle and Dick). He knows, and thinks about, what makes us laugh. The original 2022 London premiere of The Sex Party, which Johnson directed, was badly hit by actors getting COVID. Johnson as writer/director usually workshops his plays through rehearsals, reworking the script in the light of the particular cast.

Pub drama about ‘what it means to be young and incomplete’ comes to Lambeth Fringe from South Korea. Four friends. One, or more, round of drinks. A crisis that was already there. Counterattack: Youth, a punchy and disarmingly honest drama, comes to Lambeth Fringe at the Bread & Roses Theatre on Wednesday 14th and Thursday 15th October at 7.00pm. Adapted from the acclaimed Korean original production by Theatre Group Dalddeuda, Counterattack: Youth comes to the UK to follow four Korean women in their late twenties who gather at a pub for a wedding celebration.

It is a testament to how highly 53Two are respected in Manchester, that Simon Stephens chose to premiere his new play Maria during 53Two’s tenth anniversary year. 53Two are well known in Manchester for their welcoming, inclusive atmosphere, but this also goes hand-in-hand with their exceptional programming. Stephens has penned a play using the life of a young woman to pivot the themes of social neglect, the erosion of family values, and our dependency on digital connection as a form of interaction, which can lead to isolation and loneliness. Set in a small Northern town close to the coast, Maria (Stacey Harcourt) is young.

Sunrise for the Blind by Lee Thomas doesn’t shy away from the mood of the material. On the Camden Fringe website, it’s described as a, “raw, naturalistic portrayal of life in a bleak North Manchester town centre”. Many might give such a prospect a sharp swerve. One friend said to me, “I’m sorry, but I can’t face any more bleakness right now.” It’s a valid sentiment in the current climate, so I was shocked, but buzzed to see busy pews for a 4pm matinee. While some of Grey Brigade were out in force, it was cheering to see a surprisingly young audience lapping up new writing in a fringe theatre.

Coming to the Fringe for the first time, Italian company Sisifo production presents Ten Ways to Die Happy, an adaptation of the Italian production Dieci Modi per Morire Felici, written and directed by Emanuele Aldrovandi and presented in collaboration with Emilia Romagna Teatro Fondazione. As you enter the theatre, you’re given a slip of paper with a number next to a skull and cross bones – morbid! The set is one of the more elaborate sets I’ve seen during Fringe; eight chairs sit in a semi-circle around what sounds (from water splashes) like a rock pool, the front part of the set blocks any view of the pool from the audience.

The audience enters the dimly lit basement. It’s a humid day and I’m pleased to get a front row seat near the portable air-conditioning unit. A fellow audience member tells me this is her first ever Edinburgh Fringe show. She’s flown in this morning from Dublin to see her sister perform in ‘Shatter Resistant’. This is an impressive writing and acting debut from Isabelle Blanche. She has written a captivating, poignant and often funny show which she performs with gusto. She treats the audience as her best friends as she takes us with her on her emotional rollercoaster.

David Correos’ show feels like hanging out in a state of delirium in your mate’s garage, stunk out with smoke, sweat and booze. From the moment you walk into the Monkey Barrel basement room Correos’ chaos is palpable, with dance music booming at full volume while idyllic videos of New Zealand’s landscapes play serenely on the presentation style TV at centre stage. As the audience file in towards their seats, Correos greets them individually with a sweet smile and handshake, he’s genuine, down to earth and generally lovable. First impressions always count, and it’s the one Correos imparts on the audience initially that lets him get away with all his insane behaviour later in the show, literally stripping down to his boxers and sucking off a (fake) gun.

Glenn & Flenn were the stars of a kid’s TV puppet show that has unfortunately fallen into obscurity. Both puppets and actors have been trapped in the studio and time has not been kind to them. Years of disuse made the puppets mouldy and rotten, and the puppeteers might just be going insane. It’s a wonderfully strange idea and writer and director Frederick Bang’s script has a good build up to the finale and lots of hilarious and horrifying humour. The Glenn & Flenn jingle and fun little songs particularly stand out and really pull the audience into this world, keeping everyone engaged throughout the show.

After watching Peregrinations, Dutch Kills Theatre’s other show, Double Take, unfortunately did not meet expectations. As a silent mime show, the movements should be incredibly precise whilst also conveying emotion and creating characters. Instead, it often felt like the actors focused so much on technique (which was still sloppy at times) that the characters felt superficial. They eased more into it towards the end of the show, and we got moments of clowning and some very funny bits, but most of the time both movements and transitions were not refined enough.

Confident, rehearsed, and gloriously unhinged, Blip Blarp lands on Earth with an ambitious mission: conquer the planet and produce 1,000 offspring. Unfortunately for our intergalactic heroine, the real challenge is not planetary domination, it is dating. Through “burlesque” flair, sci-fi absurdity, and plenty of comedy, showing how dating can be completely alien. The central joke is simple but effective: if an alien can understand the complexities of invading Earth, why can't she understand how to get a human to commit? Located in The Snifter Room at Just The Tonic at The Mash House as the last show of the day, the chaotic nature of that time slot and the difficulty in finding the venue adds to the mystery of the show.

From the Olivier Award - winning producers of Cabaret and Benjamin Button, BLISS a musicalfantasy story which follows four sister princesses who are locked up in a Tower under the caring protection of their father. Time spent studying and their desire to experience the world outside the castle, overwhelms them and they embark on a scheme to leave. Chasing Comets and encounters with a fairy Godfather, Prince. Piper, Carmella, Faye and Holly soon discover that life on the outside is not exactly kind. At its heart, the musical explores the fragile collision between innocence and adversity, placing its characters in a world where anything less than perfection can feel like failure.

Sam Morrison kicked off his fourth solo performance at the Edinburgh Fringe with his uniquely titled show DUCK. Sam is an acclaimed Edinburgh Fringe American comedian who featured on Late Night with Seth Meyers Comedy Central. He is the Named Just for Laughs New Face and his show “Sugar Daddy presented by Billy Porter and Alan Cummings, extended its run off Broadway four times and transferred to off West End in London”. DUCK the feathered winged and web feet variety have unusual spiral vaginas and given that their main purpose biologically is to survive, reproduce and pass on their genes.

Miss Frisky Laura Corcoran is an Australian -born British cabaret singer, MC and comedienne and music lovers are in for a treat with Frisky’s Remix Roulette. This popular comedic show has the Edinburgh Fringe audiences laughing, singing and joining in with the musical mayhem. A full throttle of an evening with audience participation and a mash up of songs to different genres. From funk to punk, Bavarian oom-pah-pah to Bollywood and a fabulous jazz version of Abba’s Waterloo. You have never heard Amazing Grace ‘Frisky’ style, and you probably won’t ever hear it again.

Having already seen Peter Marchant take on Freddie Mercury in Night Owl’s The Legend of Queen, I was intrigued to see what he would do with another of rock music’s most distinctive performers. The answer is something rather different, and wisely so. Night Owl Shows’ The Bowie Story is not an impersonation. Marchant makes little attempt to reproduce all those flamboyant, flowery twists Bowie could introduce into a vocal line. His delivery is straighter and very much his own, allowing the songs to speak for themselves while the show traces the extraordinary succession of transformations that defined Bowie’s career.

There is something wonderfully Fringe-like about Moving On. An Edinburgh company writes an entirely original musical, assembles seven actors and a three-piece live band, fills a stage with removal boxes and ghosts, and gives us two hours of spooky, silly and surprisingly touching musical theatre. I admire the ambition before we even get started, and happily, much of that ambition pays off. Happy Sad Productions’ show is written by Amber Docherty, Roza Stevenson and Josh Wood, with music by Wood. Stevenson directs, Docherty is assistant director, Murron Goodall provides costumes and Cormac Cameron-Finn designs sound.

There is something inherently unsettling about agreeing to take a lie detector test, particularly when the results are going to be shared with a room full of strangers. Australian company Counterpilot has built Truthmachine around precisely that proposition, using real biometric sensors and live voting technology in a thirty-minute immersive experiment. This was a new C Venues space for me, above Victoria Street. Two flights up, we were ushered into a darkened room dominated by a long table, six seats on either side, each equipped with headphones, microphone and voting panel.

There is a good little play struggling to get out of Horrorshow. Written by Doug Deans for Chronic Insanity, this gig-theatre piece follows lifelong Isle of Wight friends Dan and Ollie through one final adventure together before their lives begin moving in very different directions. Deans plays Dan, guitar in hand, alongside Joe Matty as the more academically inclined Ollie on keyboards. Director Joe Strickland completes the live band on drums and percussion, as well as providing the voices of the other characters. Original music and lyrics are by Anya Pearson, who also provides musical direction.

New Zealand collective Binge Culture's Werewolf arrives at Summerhall with considerable word-of-mouth behind it, and sizeable audiences suggest this immersive horror has certainly found its pack. I am less convinced. TechCube 0 provides a naturally effective setting. On arrival, I find someone sitting behind a desk ticking us off and conducting a headcount before reporting back to our three wardens, Joel Baxendale, Stella Reid and Hannah Kelly, who devised and perform the piece. We are Safehouse 656, apparently protected from the lycanthropic horrors outside, and we are informed that we will remain here for seven days.

The beauty of the Edinburgh Fringe lies in the fact that you, as an audience in search of a show, can stumble upon excellence. In a cool, simply lit and arranged corner stage Eric Daniel Weiner gives us a masterclass in resolved, structured storytelling and naturalistic, understated acting. Weiner doesn’t just hold a mirror to life; he holds it with a template in the shape of a Shakespearean sonnet layer over it then proceeds to demonstrate how each part of it fits. The journey takes place over a lifetime. Our hero, Charlie Katz attends school and is taught the wonder of language by a dying English professor in a small intimate class.