There’s nothing quite like Spaghetti Bolognese, the most dazzling bowl of pasta in all your days! Join Penny for an unforgettable dinner in this show that is fun for all the family. A piping-hot piece of brand-new children’s theatre that asks the question: Should you play with your food? And with a saucy dish like Spag Bol, why not? Come along for songs, jokes and dances that are sure to delight your taste buds in this mealtime extravaganza! Shows throughout August.
The Murder Club
Based on true stories, Steve Hennessy’s play follows two inmates at Broadmoor Criminal Lunatic Asylum, Richard Prince and Ronald True. Watched on by the frustrated ghost of Olive Young, a prostitute murdered by True, and Jane Coleman, the murder-obsessed warden, Prince attempts to join The Murder Club, a group of the world’s most renowned killers, by performing a play written by True. True manipulates Prince into reliving his victim’s gruesome death and pressures Coleman into indulging in her own sinister urges. Meanwhile, Olive wonders if death is really so bad after all? Shows throughout August.
Crossing the Void
Sally MacAlister collaborates with upcoming theatre company koi collective to premiere a new comedy at the Edinburgh Fringe. Hannah has been dead for a year, and her pals are still struggling to find their feet. Hoping a seance will bring the group together again, the girls toast, celebrate and mourn over a bottle of Bucky. However, ghosts of many forms drift amongst them, secrets hang in the air and lines are crossed that unpick the stitches of their social fabric, revealing the ultimate truth – the group are now no more than strangers. Shows throughout August.
The Weird Sisters
A tale of three Highland sisters who live in a shack in the woods disconnected from society, each of them with different views on how they should be living their lives. Tension between the sisters is high as the play begins. However, when two city dwellers get lost on a country escape and stumble upon their home, have the sisters found what could see them through the winter? The play looks at the role of women in today’s patriarchal society and asks the question: Do they have to become like men to succeed? Shows throughout August.
Tales of Vomit, Trash and Broken Glass
After an ecological disaster unleashes a neurotoxin into the air, two people are thrust into a series of emotionally-charged vignettes, where they are forced to confront both the nature of their relationships and their own paranoid monkey brains. As waste accumulates, themes are recycled and the rules of this hyper-realistic world grow increasingly absurd, the humans, monsters and cyborgs of this play attempt to chart a path forward. Ultimately, Tales explores the parallel between destructive relationships and environmental destruction, asking the question: in a world full of toxicity, how do we heal? Shows throughout August.
Beneath
Beneath is a dark and absurd commentary on the effects of climate change. Four people: Tess, Jo, Kris and Dani are trapped under 100 metres of water after an environmental catastrophe. After months of just surviving, each character is forced to examine what their options are and what their futures hold while they wait for the world to heal. Shows throughout August.
Born Under a Bad Sign
Jez, Luke, Gary and Mark are die-hard football fans podcasting about the club they love: Third-division Invercreiff FC. Only four listeners now, but Jez is determined to make the podcast grow. Meeting after every game to talk football, life and nonsense, they slowly realise that the ties holding them together aren't as strong as they once were. A few broadcasts, a few beers and a few surprising revelations later, the lads begin to wonder: Is football life? Or has their passion for the game blinded them to what's really going on around them? Shows throughout August.
The After-Dinner Joke
'Are you getting political?' The After-Dinner Joke is a kaleidoscope of chaos that follows a well-meaning woman’s journey down the rabbit hole of trials and tribulations of charity work. Thanks to a well-timed hurricane, Selby is able to fulfil her duty in finding a home for the charity money, though she finds this more complicated than she expected. Originally aired in 1978 as part of BBC’s Play for Today series, Caryl Churchill’s satire is as relevant today as it was then. Times change: People do not. Shows throughout August.
Prometheus Bound (Io's Version)
Zeus ends the tyrannical reign of the Titans and everything is fine... right? Except Prometheus is in chains for giving humans fire, and one of those humans – Io, her name is Io – is being violated with visions and pursued by hunters, gadflies and gods who keep insisting they’re helping her by giving her horns and bones and… songs? An adaptation of Aeschylus’s Prometheus Bound, this version (Io’s Version) feasts on the liver of power and injustice while pecking at the core of what it means to be human (because seriously, we’re all so confused). Shows throughout August.
Sex and Sculpture
The sauciest soirée this summer... Sex and Sculpture is an eccentric and whacky play following the steamy affair of academic Simon Paris and his museum colleague. But why is Simon behaving so strangely? Why won't he leave the British Museum? And what's with all the feather dusting? Find out as Court Jester Theatre spill the tea in this show of conspiracy, intrigue, sex and sculpture. A guaranteed good night out! Shows 15-20, 22-27 August.
Abigail’s 3rd Birthday Party
Napier University Drama Society returns with a comedy special. In the three years since David and Evie accidentally got pregnant after a night out, they and their group of uni friends have all graduated, gone out into the world, and tried – with varying degrees of success – to live functional adult lives. But now – as everyone reluctantly comes together to celebrate David and Evie's daughter turning three – old wounds will reopen, old sparks will rekindle and chaos will ensue. Shows 5-13, 15-20 August.
The Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas 2022
Keep it Simple, Stupid!
Clear communication is key to success in everything - personal relationships, education, healthcare, business and politics. Simple language can convey complex ideas and bring people together. It is key to public health (Don’t Drink and Drive) and campaigns (Votes for Women!). Poor communication can lead to relationships breaking down, work being mismanaged and can ultimately cost lives. But is there a downside to clear communication? Join Dr Kyle Andrews (Edinburgh Napier University) to discover what goes wrong when communication is not simple enough… or too simple!
Social media influencers are your celebrities, bloggers, ‘self-made’ experts, or even a former Love Island contestant! They are notorious for promoting their perfect lifestyle and beauteous bodies to millions of followers, showcasing that perfect insta-life. The ‘multi-million’ branded posts of fashion posts, skinny tea, teeth whitening, cosmetic enhancements, contour kits (and more) attract millions of young consumers, inspiring their consumer tastes on a regular basis. Despite the copious #loveyourself trends, self-esteem in young people is at an all-time low. Dr Kat Rezai (Edinburgh Napier University) asks: do influencers promote self-loathe?
Musical Moments
Army at the Fringe - Looking Forward, Looking Back
A concert of contemporary classical chamber music featuring both compositions by musicians who served in the armed forces, and new work composed in response to the works of these civilian-soldier-musicians. Concert produced in collaboration with The Centre for Military Research, Education and Public Engagement at Edinburgh Napier University. Craiglockhart Campus was the site of Craiglockhart War Hospital during the First World War, where some of Wilfred Owen (1893-1918) and Siegfried Sassoon’s (1886-1967) greatest war poetry was inspired and written.
One Week in Magaluf
Napier Musical Theatre Society are back with a hilarious musical comedy. When Amy, Megan, Nicole and Olivia decide to go on a week-long girl’s holiday to Magaluf, some of them are excited for sun, sex and sangria... some of them didn’t quite get the memo. Unexpected announcements, unusual companions and unrealistic expectations cause tension amongst the best friends – will they make it back as a group? Or will the friendship bracelets be torn off before they even get to the airport? With a nostalgic 00s soundtrack, this musical is a hilarious representation of female friendship at its finest.
Other
Vive le Fringe! 2022 Exhibition
Institut Français d'Ecosse is proud of its local partnerships, including those with Scottish universities. This year they submitted a design brief to graphic design students from Edinburgh Napier University, asking them to create posters and brochure covers for their Vive le Fringe! 2022 programme. Among all the incredible designs submitted, they chose Janill Jardiel’s work to be the official visual of Vive le Fringe 2022 Edition. All the posters created by the students will be displayed in the Institute’s ground floor lobby throughout August.
The Poetry of Science
Science poems can communicate important scientific research that is being done daily all across the world. Biology meets balladry, physics encounters pentameter, and chemistry confronts cadence as Dr Sam Illingworth shares an interdisciplinary exploration of scientific research through the medium of poetry.