Listings Mon 1 – Sun 7 June 2026

What’s on Edinburgh’s stages this week?

The big news of the week is the Edinburgh International Children’s Festival, the EICF, which runs all week at various venues around town. Full details of those shows in our dedicated page (and listings below). But there is plenty else on offer.

The big noise of the week has to be at the Lyceum with Sweat (ends Sat 13 June: tickets). This gritty and deeply human portrait of America’s working class, where the fate of each generation unravels into the next, certainly lives up to all expectations.

Debbie Korley and Lucianne McEvoy with Christopher Middleton in Sweat. Pic: Mihaela Bodlovic.

“Winner of a Pulitzer Prize, the play has definitely been considered as a modern masterpiece and can be seen as one of those works that dissects how the American Dream turned sour,” said our reviewer, Hugh Simpson.

“However, its portrayal of how those in power treat their employees – making them believe that work was their only reflection of their worth, disposing of them when it was convenient, scapegoating anyone of a different background in order to provide convenient targets for hatred – has the widest possible relevance.”

This is a production which is, quite simply, ★★★★★ Unmissable.

Elsewhere, the big stage production is Scottish Opera, who return to the Festival Theatre with The Marriage of Figaro (ends Sat 6 Jun 2026: tickets), a revival of Sir Thomas Allen’s 2010 production full of flair, humour, and outstanding performances.

Rebecca Mahar was impressed, saying “The libretto for this enduringly popular Mozart opera is performed in a cracking English translation by Amanda Holden, bringing readily accessible wit to the production. Associate Director Lucy Bradley keeps the production sharp, clipping along through its three-plus hour runtime with admirable pacing.”

There are a couple of production issues to make it fall short of the perfect five stars (read the review here: ★★★★☆ Delightful), but on the whole, this is a production that is sure to please opera die-hards and newcomers alike.

“It invites its audience into a world of class conflict which highlights the fact that opera – like Shakespeare, ballet, and other artistic forms that have come to acquire a redolence of elitism through no fault of their own – is for all,” says Rebecca.

a good handful of local companies

Elsewhere there are a good handful of local companies with plenty of potential. Most established of these is Strawmoddie Theatre who return to the perennial favourite Steven Briggs adaptations of Terry Pratchett. This time with Terry Pratchett’s Night Watch (Wed 3 – Sun 7: tickets).

The production is at the Pleasance, as part of Cymera: Scotland’s Festival of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Writing. Possibly the most political of the Discworld novels, this one finds Sam Vimes, hero of Pratchett’s Guards sequence, cast back in time to the Ankh-Morpork of his youth. With a psychopath from his own time rising in the vile ranks of the Cable Street Unmentionables, Vimes has to ensure that history takes its course.

The Dead Parrot Collective are back, with four nights at the Augustine United Church where they are reviving last Fringe’s show, Wizards of Armillaria: The Death of Magic (Thurs 4 – Sun 7: tickets), but this time at a reasonable hour. the production is “reimagined, refined and rife with goblins and mushrooms”, they say.

The Tartan Tabletop gang are at the Gilded Saloon with “Scotland’s number one D&D live show”, A Dungeons & Dragons Comedy (Thurs: tickets) and an evening of “quests, special guests – and something else that rhymes with est” (we suggest “horse-hair vests”, but that is probably just showing off our own predilections).

And finally, that we know of, the Edinburgh Acting School are at Summerhall with Neil Labute’s short play cycle Autobahn (Fri 5/Sat 6: tickets). Set within the confines of a car, each short play explores different sides of humanity and the horrors that can live inside us.

Listings

Click on the name of the show or the Book here link to go to its ticketing site.

NB: The Edinburgh International Children’s Festival (EICF) runs all week, with productions at eight different venues. Full EICF details in our listings (here) and preview (here).

First however, the non-EICF listings:

Augustine United Church
41 George IV Bridge, EH1 1EL.

Wizards of Armillaria: The Death of Magic (The Dead Parrot Collective)
Thurs 4 – Sun 7 Jun  2026
Evenings: 7.30pm
The Dead Parrot Collective’s latest comedy riotously returns from last year’s fringe, reimagined, refined and rife with goblins & mushrooms. A show you don’t want to miss, now at a reasonable hour. Seen it before? Come see all the new jokes and silliness! Not seen it before? What are you waiting for. Book here.

Festival Theatre
13/29 Nicolson Street EH8 9FT. Phone booking: 0131 529 6000.
The Marriage of Figaro (Scottish Opera)
Fri 29/Sun 31 May, Tue 2, Thurs 4, Sat 6 June 2026
Tue – Sat: 7.15pm; Sun: 3pm.
Æ Review: ★★★★☆ Delightful
Sir Thomas Allen revives his much-loved production of Mozart’s unstoppable masterpiece. Simon Higlett’s sumptuous designs provide the backdrop for a comedy of social revolution and subversion that is as relevant today as ever, and this time sung in English.  Book here.

Gilded Saloon
45-47 Lothian St, EH1 1HB.

A Dungeons & Dragons Comedy (Tartan Tabletop)
Thurdays: 4 Jun  2026
Evening: 8pm
Scotland’s number one D&D live show. Join the Tartan Tabletop gang for an evening of quests, special guests and something else that rhymes with est! Grab your friends, dust off your favourite cosplay and roll for initiative. Book here.

Lyceum Theatre
Grindlay Street EH3 9AX. Phone booking: 0131 248 4848.
Sweat (Season 25/26)
By Lynn Nottage. Lyceum production.
Wed 27 May – Sat 13 Jun 2026
Tue – Sat: 7.30pm. Mats Thurs, Sat: 2.30pm.
Æ review: ★★★★★ Unmissable
A gritty and deeply human portrait of America’s working class, where the fate of each generation unravels into the next. As Tracey and Cynthia’s sons, Jason and Chris, inherit the fallout of a system that has already failed their mothers, rage and desperation explode in ways no one could have foreseen. Book here.

Pleasance Theatre
60 Pleasance, EH8 9TJ.
Terry Pratchett’s Night Watch (Strawmoddie)
Wed 3 – Sun 7 June 2026
Wed/Thur: 7.30pm, Fri/Sat: 8pm; Sun: 5pm.
Adapted for stage by Stephen Briggs. Part of Cymera: Scotland’s Festival of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Writing 2026. Sam Vimes, hero of Pratchett’s Guards sequence, is cast back in time to the Ankh-Morpork of his youth. With a psychopath from his own time rising in the vile ranks of the Cable Street Unmentionables, Vimes has to ensure that history takes its course. Book here.

Summerhall
1 Summerhall, EH9 1PL.

Autobahn (Edinburgh Acting School)
Fri 5 – Sat 6 June 2026
Evenings: 7.30pm; Sat mat: 2.30pm.
A short play cycle by award winning playwright Neil Labute. Set within the confines of a car, each short play explores different sides of humanity and the horrors that can live inside us. Come and find out just how deep the chasm or intense the claustrophobia could be inside your average family car. Book here.

EICF Listings

Assembly Roxy
2 Roxburgh Place, EH8 9SU.
The Unlikely Friendship of Feather Boy and Tentacle Girl
Sun 31 May – Sun 7 June 2026
Sun: 1.30pm, 5.15pm; Mon: 11am; Tue: 1.45pm; Wed: 10.15am; Thurs: 1.45pm; Fri: 10.30am; Sun: 4pm.
Running time: 50 mins.
Ages: 8 – 12 Years. (Vee Smith & Sadiq Ali. Scotland)
Æ review from EdFringe 2025: ★★★☆ Mesmerising
Two friends perform breathtaking aerial shows. They fly, spin, hang from the rooftops and fall out of the sky… But they weren’t always so glorious. How did they transform from feeling like outsiders, unable to fit in, to the fantastical creatures they always knew they had inside them? Tickets and details.

Gretel
Tue 2 – Sun 7 June 2026
Tue: 10am; Wed: 1.45pm; Thurs: 10.am; Fri: 2.45pm; Sat: 1pm, 5pm; Sun: 11.30am.
Running time: 50 mins.
Ages: 5 – 10 Years. (Quattrox4 Company Italy)
Gretel lives in a tiny house, surrounded by small and precious objects: a tray, a teapot, a plant, a stool to sit on. She is absent-minded but rigorous, meticulously sticking to her bizarre logic in a world where everything is out of scale and out of place. But a catastrophe suddenly destroys her home, and Gretel must make her new path alone. Tickets and details.

Fruitmarket
45 Market Street, Edinburgh EH1 1DF.
Island
Wed 3 – Sun 7 June 2026
Two shows daily: 10.45am & 2pm.
Running time: 60 mins (including soft start and finish.
Ages: 0 – 12 Months. (Starcatchers and Frozen Charlotte, Scotland)
Join dancers and a musician in a multi-sensory landscape, where your baby is free to explore whilst you take a moment to reflect on the joys and challenges of new parenthood. Tickets and details.

Lyceum Studio
30b Grindlay Street EH3 9AX.

Antes de…
Wed 3 – Fri 5 June 2026
Wed: 1pm, 4.30pm; Thurs: 11am, 1pm; Fri: 9.30am, 11am.Running time: 40 mins.
Ages: 2 – 6 Years. (BRONKS and Compagnie Tea Tree. Belgium)
What happens in the moment just before a first time? Before a first step, a first word, a first leap into the unknown? When curiosity meets fear. Two acrobats stand at the edge — hand in hand, foot to foot. They wobble, wonder, and dare each other forward. Taking turns to lead, to follow, to find the way together. A tender, playful and acrobatic adventure about all the big, small, scary, wonderful first times. Tickets and details.

Lyra Artspace
11 Harewood Road, EH16 4NT.
Brrr
Mon 1 – Thu 4 June 2026
Mon- Thu: 10am, 11.20am, 1.30pm.
Running time: 50 mins.
Ages: ASN 10+ Years. (Hayley Earlam. Scotland)
A multi-sensory installation and dance performance for young audiences with complex needs. Set within an inflatable dome, Brrr is an immersive
exploration of winter featuring dance, sound, video, and lots and lots of snow! Created in collaboration with young people and a team of artists specialising in inclusive practice, the performance is tailored to meet the specific needs of each audience member, who have the freedom to engage in their own way and at their own pace with the shimmering winter landscape. Sold out: details.

North Edinburgh Arts
12C MacMillan Square, Pennywell Road, EH4 4AB.
Wow!
Wed 3 – Fri 5 June 2026
Wed: 10am, 11.30am, 1.30pm; Thurs: 10.30am, 12 noon; Fri: 10.30am, 2pm, 4.30pm.
Running time: 35 mins (Plus 10 mins stay and play)
Ages: 2 – 6 Years. (BonteHond. The Netherlands)
A physical and musical performance that reveals the world through the eyes of toddlers, who delight in everyday objects and situations. Ordinary things that appear mundane or challenging turn out to be much more interesting, exciting, and beautiful than we initially think. Tickets and details.

Scottish Storytelling Centre
43-45 High St, EH1 1SR.
Cringe
Sun 31 May – Wed 3 June 2026
Sun: 7pm; Mon/Tue: 10am, 1pm; Wed: 10am.
Running time: 60 mins.
Ages: 10 – 15 Years. (Ross MacKay and Scottish Theatre Producers)
Æ review: ★★★★☆ Unapologetic
It’s Reid Aitken’s first day of high school and he just wants to vanish. When an embarrassing incident spirals into a legend known only as “The Creeping Snake”, Reid finds himself at the centre of the cruellest joke in
school. Suddenly, the question isn’t how to disappear – it’s how to survive, and who will stand beside you when everything feels impossible. Tickets and details.

Cheeky Zippy Violette
Thurs 4 – Sun 7 June 2026
Thurs: 10.15am, 1.15pm; Fri: 9.45am, 3.30pm; Sat: 12 noon, 3.30pm, Sun: 12noon.
Running time: 55 mins.
Ages: 5 – 10 Years. (Théâtre des 4 Mains / La Datcha. Belgium)
Sent to the attic to think things over, Violette find herself surrounded by memories of her grandpa: his farewell party, the scary stories he used to tell her at night and even their crazy pickle recipes. So she decides to send him a letter to the moon, to tell him about the intense emotions and questions that make up her daily life.. Tickets and details.

Studio Theatre
The Studio, 22 Potterrow, EH8 9BL.
Mirkids
Sun 31 May – Mon 1 June 2026
Sun: 1.45pm, 4pm; Mon: 9.45am, 11.45am.
Running time: 45 mins.
Ages: 5 – 11 Years. (Prototype Status / Cie Jasmine Morand. Switzerland)
Mirkids is a feast for the eyes and the imagination. The audience lies on the stage around a cylindrical structure, gazing at a suspended mirror and glimpsing dancers reflected on its surface. Here an arm, there a leg, disconnected and multiplied. In sync, with a geometric rhythm, body parts create mesmerising shapes like the vibrant patterns of a kaleidoscope: symmetrical, fluid, enigmatic and forever-changing. Tickets and details.

Toto Kerblammo!
Tue 2 – Thurs 4 June 2026
Tue/Wed: 1.15pm, 7pm; Thurs: 10am, 1pm.
Running time: 70 mins.
Ages: 10 – 13 Years. (Unicorn Theatre. England)
Poor Effy. Sent to live with her aunt and uncle in a block that won’t allow dogs. What’s a girl to do? She smuggles her furry friend in, of course. Keeps him under a blanket. Feeds him biscuits. Ssh Toto, quiet. But it can’t last forever. Effy needs saving. And Toto is up to the task. Tickets and details.

The Fabulous Tale of BasarKus
Fri 5 – Sun 7 June 2026
Fri: 10.30am, 2.30pm; Sat/Sun: 11am, 2pm.
Running time: 35 mins.
Ages: 3 – 7 Years. (Company Lamento and L’ Académie Fratellini. France)
BasarKus is like no other creature. He has two heads and many arms and several legs. He is happy playing the guitar with four hands, rolling about and juggling. But BasarKus isn’t one but two! As the performers realise they are separable, they start exploring their own special talent, as acrobat and juggler. Tickets and details.

Traverse
10 Cambridge Street, EH1 2ED.
In Time
Mon 1 – Thur 4 June 2026
Mon/Tue, Thur: 9.45am, 11.45am; Wed: 1.30pm, 5.30pm.
Running time: 40 mins. (Trav 2)
Ages: 3 – 7 Years. (Teater Refleksion, Andy Manley and De Røde Heste. Denmark and Scotland)
One seed, two men – three lives and a budding beginning. Two men need to look after a tiny seed; it is their job to nurture this small life and help it blossom. But as every new parent knows, this is no easy task. When a sheep wants to nibble its leaves, how do you protect it? When techno tracks replace lullabies, how do you accept the change? And as the seedling becomes a sapling and needs to branch out, how do you let go? Tickets and details.

Boys Don’t Dance
Mon 1 – Wed 3 June 2026
Mon: 12.30pm, 7pm; Tue: 10.15am, 1.15pm; Wed: 10.15am, 1pm.
Running time: 60 mins. (Trav 1).
Ages: 8 – 12 Years. (Marc Brew Company. Scotland)
Æ review: ★★★★☆ Joyous
A poignant dance theatre show by acclaimed disabled artist Marc Brew, reflecting on his journey as a boy who defied society’s expectations to embrace his love for dance. The performance unfolds through a tapestry of memories, shedding light on the loneliness of being the only boy in a rural Australian town who dared to dance. Tickets and details.

It Would be Such a Shame if You Missed Out
Thur 4 – Sat 6 June 2026
Thurs: 6.30; Fri: 10am, 7pm; Sat: 2.30pm, 6.30pm.
Running time: 1hr 20 mins. (Trav 1)
Ages: 10 – 16 Years. (Theater Artemis & Theater Basel. Netherlands)
Do you ever feel that you’re missing out? That life is happening outside of your control? That’s how these three characters feel – they are trying to rehearse a play, despite the big party box taking up all the space on stage. Something is going on that they’re not part of. It feels like one big, thumping, steaming party, that they can’t find the entrance to. They hear the bass, but where’s the music coming from?  Tickets and details.

Everything/Nothing
Fri 5 – Sun 7 June 2026
Fri: 10.15am, 5.30; Sat: 2pm, 5pm, Sun: 11am, 3pm.
Running time: 55 mins. (Trav 2).
Ages: 7 – 11 Years. (Modo Grosso. Belgium)
How can we make people see, feel and grasp the passing of time using movements? Circus artist Alexis Rouvre takes up this challenge in his circus of objects. Juggler of time, rather than gravity, he manipulates a variety of simple materials to astonishing effect. Using chains, needles and wool, volcanic stones, sand and magnets, he creates a poetic work of wonder which defies the laws of physics. A magical ballet of hanging objects, flying and tumbling down. Tickets and details.

Full details of the 2026 Edinburgh International Children’s Festival are on the Imaginate website here: https://www.imaginate.org.uk/festival/whats-on/.

*NB: This is intended to be a complete listing of all public theatrical productions on in Edinburgh. If you are staging a show which is not listed, or a listing is inaccurate, please get in touch through the contact page, here.

Tags: Listings