Made in Edinburgh
All Edinburgh’s Theatre at the Fringe
Edinburgh is about to host the greatest cultural event in the world. People from all over the world who work in and love the performing arts arrive here for four weeks of brilliant drama, dance, comedy and art.
Not everyone appreciates the importance of Edinburgh to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Of course people think of the city as packed with pop-up venues and backdrops, but few know the scale of work being staged at the Fringe which is actively made in the city.
The cast of EPT’s Second Honeymoon
It has always been so. Edinburgh companies were prominent in the first ever fringe in 1947 – and one of those, Edinburgh People’s Theatre, is still performing this year.
So, faced with the option of choosing which part of the ever-expanding fringe to cover here on All Edinburgh Theatre, it seemed only right to concentrate on theatre Made in Edinburgh.
Of course that means all theatre that is Made In Edinburgh. Theatre staged by Edinburgh’s strong amateur scene and by the young companies made up of recent graduates from the universities as much as the companies packed with established, world-class actors.
There are grassroots companies which stage brilliant invigorating and engaging work throughout the year, professional companies which work without subsidy in the commercial sector and long-established companies which are recognised by Creative Scotland subsidy.
144 shows Made in Edinburgh
Counting them all – and including productions listed in the Theatre, the Children’s, the Musicals & Opera and, for the first time for us, the Dance sections of the Edinburgh Fringe programme – there are fully 144 different productions that are made in Edinburgh at the fringe in 2019.
They cover all aspects of the fringe’s vibrant scene.
The classics are there, there is new writing, there are great modern Scottish writers and little known ones. There are productions by companies which are self-assured and focussed, there will – I don’t doubt – be those productions which are well-meaning, or by companies who think they have invented the wheel and even, although I hope not, those who really should have put more effort in.
Simon Donaldson, Cora Bissett and Susan Bear in What Girls Are Made Of. Pic: Mihaela Bodlovic
What they will have in common is that they will be made in Edinburgh and, it is without doubt, many of them will have Edinburgh – in all its wonderful facets – on the stage itself.
Reviews and coverage
Our intention is to give coverage to every single one. We will review as many as is possible – while keeping up our reputation for high quality, engaged and honest criticism.
We are also publishing full listings of all those Made in Edinburgh shows. And you can follow our coverage through the Made In Edinburgh and EdFringe 2019 tags, and the #MadeInEdinburgh hashtag on our Facebook and Twitter social media pages.
Thom Dibdin, Editor
NB: If you are staging a show that has been Made in Edinburgh and have not sent us a press release, please use the contact page to do so.
