EIF Listings 2026
Theatre, dance & opera at the EIF 2026
It’s a big political slice of theatre at this year’s EIF, with plenty to chew over in the opera and dance programmes too. See our news preview All Rise for a Little Bit of Politics here.
Tickets for all productions go on public sale at 12 noon on March 26 2026. Members priority booking is from Thursday 19 March (see the EIF Membership page here for details). Arts workers and under 30s are entitled to 30% off the standard price of a ticket.
The Edinburgh International Festival runs Friday 7 to Sunday 30 August 2026.
Theatre listing by date
Fri 7 – Mon 10 Aug 2026
A Trial – after An Enemy of the People
Christiane Jatahy, Wagner Moura
Lyceum Theatre, Grindlay Street EH3 9AX.
Evenings: 7.30pm; Sat mat: 3pm. (2hr 30m)
Transplanting Ibsen’s themes to contemporary Brazil, Christiane Jatahy offers a sharp look at authoritarianism, fake news and public judgement. Jatahy combines audience participation and filmed footage, creating a one-of-a-kind performance each night as 11 people who register before the performance are randomly selected to serve as the jury and play a pivotal role in shaping the end of the play. Book here.
Fri 7 – Tue 11 Aug 2026
[seagull]
Toneelhuis/Olympique Dramatique
Studio Theatre, The Studio, 22 Potterrow, EH8 9BL.
Preview Fri 7: 4pm.
Sat 8 – Tue 11: 7.30pm. (2hr 30m)
Anton Chekhov’s The Seagull takes on new meaning in a Flemish Sign Language reimagining. Over a weekend in a country estate, Arkadina, a celebrated actress, and her playwright son, Konstantin, pursue their artistic and romantic ambitions amidst a complex web of melodramatic characters, generational differences and fatal misunderstandings. Book here.
Sat 8 – Tue 11 Aug 2026
Hostile
Bakélite
Church Hill Theatre, 11B Bristo Place, EH1 1EZ.
Sat – Tue: 2pm; Sun/Mon: 6pm. (50m)
A cowboy is stuck in the desert. He needs water, shade from the sun and a chance to escape from those pesky snakes and vultures. Olivier Rannou stars as a Spaghetti Western cowboy in this family-friendly production from French company Bakélite. As everyday objects transform all around him, the cowboy tries to escape the desert, strolling into saloons and coming across bandits along the way. Book here.
Fri 14 – Sun 16 Aug 2026
Ingoma!
Volcano (Canada) / Woman Cultural Centre (Rwanda)
Lyceum Theatre, Grindlay Street EH3 9AX.
Fri/Sat: 7.30pm; Sat/Sun: 2.30pm (1hr 40m)
Tn Rwanda, ‘power’ and ‘drum’ are the same word: ingoma. In 2004, a group of women, seeking to heal after a genocide, made a revolutionary choice. They broke a centuries-old taboo and formed Ingoma Nshya (New Power/ New Drum) – the first all-women drumming ensemble in Rwandan history. This is their story – a joyous narrative concert featuring an electrifying collection of rhythms, songs and dances from both West and East Africa – some traditional, some brand new. Book here.
Fri 14 – Mon 17 Aug 2026
Four Walls and a Roof
Lina Majdalanie / Rabih Mroué
Studio Theatre, The Studio, 22 Potterrow, EH8 9BL.
Evenings: 7.30pm. (1hr 40m)
In 1933, German playwright Bertolt Brecht fled Berlin, eventually settling in the United States, where he would be tried by the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) for communist affiliations. Ten years ago, artist duo Lina Majdalanie and Rabih Mroué emigrated from Beirut to Berlin. Their new play weaves these two stories together, exploring the repression of free speech and questioning how free our liberal democracies really are. Book here.
Sat 15 – Thur 20 Aug 2026
Angels in America
Internationaal Theater Amsterdam
King’s Theatre, 2 Leven Street EH3 9LQ.
Sat/Sun, Tue/Wed: 6pm; Thur: 1pm. (4hrs 55m)
Tony Kushner’s Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes is an epoch-defining work of American theatre. Set at the height of the AIDS crisis, yet enduringly relevant, we follow the story of two very different people grappling with their diagnoses – former drag queen Prior and vindictive lawyer Roy Cohn. Taking place on a minimal set accompanied by a David Bowie soundtrack, both parts of the play are combined into one epic performance. Book here.
Thur 20 – Sun 23 Aug 2026
Hang Time
The Flea Theater
Lyceum Theatre, Grindlay Street EH3 9AX.
Thur – Sat: 8pm; Sat/Sun: 3pm. (1 hr)
Three Black men hang from an old, wide tree. Caught together in this liminal space, they shoot the breeze, sharing the great loves and bitter blues of their interrupted lives. Zora Howard’s directorial debut is a gut-wrenching, subversive perspective on the legacy of racialised violence in America. As the audience sits with the image of these men’s demise, Howard asks us to hold the truth of this peculiar American violence alongside the vibrant interior worlds of the men themselves. Book here.
Thurs 20 – Mon 24 Aug 2026
Haribo Kimchi
Jaha Koo/Camp
Studio Theatre, The Studio, 22 Potterrow, EH8 9BL.
Evenings: 8pm; Sat 2pm. (1hr 10m)
Sit at Jaha Koo’s pojangmacha, a late-night Korean snack bar. Serving his customers – a robotic eel, a snail and a gummy bear – Koo discusses culinary delights and his deep longing for his home country. Food and culture are endlessly intertwined in this absurd and powerful production zigzagging between cultural appreciation and alienation. Book here.
Wed 26 – Sat 29 Aug 2026
Al-Sirah Al-Hilaliyyah
Khashabi Theatre
Lyceum Theatre, Grindlay Street EH3 9AX.
Evenings: 7.30pm. (3hrs)
The legendary poem Al-Sirah Al-Hilaliyyah (The Epic of Bani Hilal) has been passed down through generations since the 14th century, across the Arab world. Rejecting European theatrical norms, Bashar Murkus and Khulood Basel present an exhilarating retelling that combines physical theatre, music, puppetry and dance, mixing the aesthetics of their native Palestinian folklore with Arab performance styles. Book here.
Wed 26 – Sat 29 Aug 2026
Taverna Miresia
Mario Banushi,
Church Hill Theatre, 11B Bristo Place, EH1 1EZ.
Wed/Thu, Sat: 8pm; Fri: 5pm & 8.30pm. ()
Banushi invites us into his family’s Albanian restaurant, whose proprietor, his larger-than-life father, has recently passed away. In Banushi’s wordless, visually stunning performance, this domestic space takes on a dreamlike quality as he confronts the ghosts of his past. This boundary-pushing production merges Greek tragedy with ancient Balkan rituals and a cinematic aesthetic. Book here.
Thurs 27 – Sun 30 Aug 2026
When Prophecy Fails
Groupwork
Studio Theatre, The Studio, 22 Potterrow, EH8 9BL.
Thu – Sat: 7.30pm; Sat 2.30pm; Sun: 5.30pm. (1hr 10m)
In a small town in the American Midwest, the disciples of a suburban housewife are convinced that the world is ending. Discover the true story of the world’s first UFO doomsday cult, which led to a groundbreaking 1950s study into the concept of cognitive dissonance. Award-winning Scottish ensemble Groupwork combines astonishing visuals with hypnotic movement to create a timely performance investigating what happens when cold, hard facts meet the chaotic power of belief. Book here.
Thur 27 – Sun 30 Aug 2026
Clown Show
Geoff Sobelle
King’s Theatre, 2 Leven Street EH3 9LQ.
Evenings: 7.30pm.
Roll up, roll up for theatre-maker Geoff Sobelle’s contemporary portrait of America as a falling-apart circus. The acrobats and the jugglers have long since left, leaving the clowns to run the show. Sobelle and his clowns have set up their ‘beautiful big top’ in the wreckage of America. They invite you into a crumbling empire to witness the greatest show on earth before it disappears completely. It may be the USA’s 250th birthday this year, but Sobelle asks if the American Dream is better described as a deal with the devil. Book here.
Opera listing by date
Sat 8 – Tue 11 Aug 2026
The Galloping Cure
Opera Ventures Productions, Scottish Opera
Festival Theatre, 13/29 Nicolson Street EH8 9FT.
Sun, Tue/Wed: 7pm. (2hrs 15m)
Local doctor Theresa Hart works tirelessly for her community in a fading, forgotten corner of the world. When the charismatic Lucky Mack comes to town, her daughter Noy is captivated. A ride on his carousel – the first one always free – promises miraculous relief from all aches and pains, and soon the whole town is swept up in euphoria. But getting off the ride gets harder with every turn. This world premiere from Opera Ventures Productions reunites Scottish Opera with the creative forces of composer Missy Mazzoli, librettist Royce Vavrek and director Tom Morris. Book here.
Sun 16 Aug 2026
Don Giovanni (Opera in concert)
Usher Hall, Lothian Road, EH1 2EA.
One performance: 6.30pm. (3hrs 10m)
Don Giovanni is notorious throughout Europe for his insatiable appetite for women. But his luck is running out. Mozart’s great opera of seduction, trickery and retribution is an inspired mixture of sparkling ensembles, soulful solos and spine-chilling evocations of the supernatural. Maxim Emelyanychev conducts the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and Chorus and a brilliant cast in the fourth of their acclaimed series of Mozart operas in concert at the Festival. Book here.
Sun 23 Aug 2026
Elektra (Opera in concert)
Usher Hall, Lothian Road, EH1 2EA.
One performance: 6.30pm. (1hr 50m)
Greek tragedy meets modern psychology in Richard Strauss’s audacious opera. Elektra is determined to avenge the murder of her father Agamemnon by her mother Klytämnestra – but will Klytämnestra destroy her first? Strauss evokes his characters’ larger-than-life emotions through massive orchestral forces and daring harmonies. Karina Canellakis conducts and soprano Iréne Theorin leads a starry cast in this thrilling exploration of obsession. Book here.
Wed 26 – Sun 30 Aug 2026
A Masked Ball
Zurich Opera House,
Festival Theatre, 13/29 Nicolson Street EH8 9FT.
Wed/Thurs, Sat: 7pm; Sun: 2pm. (2hrs 50m)
Love and deception swirl at the centre of Giuseppe Verdi’s tragicomic opera from Zurich Opera House, given a fresh twist by Welsh director Adele Thomas. Riccardo, the Governor of Boston, is in love with his best friend’s wife. Caught between love and loyalty, Riccardo risks everything – his political standing and even his life. Book here.
Dance listing by date
Tue 18 – Thu 20 Aug 2026
Ihsane
Ballet du Grand Théâtre de Genève / Eastman.
Festival Theatre, 13/29 Nicolson Street EH8 9FT.
Evenings: 7.30pm. (1hr 40m)
Double Olivier Award-winning choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui’s latest work explores how the world changes in a never-ending cycle of destruction and rebirth. Live music, composed and led by Tunisian viola d’amore player Jasser Haj Youssef, follows each step of the dancers from Cherkaoui’s two companies. Draped in earth-toned costumes and surrounded by Persian rugs, they pay homage to both contemporary dance and cultural traditions. Book here.
Sun 23 Aug 2026
EXXY
Dan Daw Creative Projects
King’s Theatre, 2 Leven Street EH3 9LQ.
One performance: 7.30pm. (1hr 15m)
How do you continue to value yourself when society doesn’t value you? EXXY (Australian slang for, ‘that’s expensive, mate’) takes us back to where queer, disabled artist Dan Daw began – working class, with very little. Included in your ticket is an afterparty across all floors of the newly refurbished King’s Theatre – dance and mingle with the company in a joyful and inclusive party atmosphere. Book here.
Fri 28 – Sun 30 Aug 2026
Mere Mortals
San Francisco Ballet & Royal Scottish National Orchestra
Playhouse Theatre, 18 – 22 Greenside Place, EH1 3AA.
Evenings: 8pm; Sat: 3pm.
Open Pandora’s Box and come face to face with the perils of our tech-obsessed age. San Francisco Ballet takes on eternal questions about the quest for knowledge through the contemporary lens of artificial intelligence in choreographer Aszure Barton’s ballet. Floating Points (Sam Shepherd) performs his original score live with the RSNO. With cutting-edge visuals, the full power of the orchestra in the pit and 40 of the world’s best dancers commanding the stage, this European premiere is a breathtaking spectacle. Book here.
ENDS
