In 2026 we are piloting an artist residency at the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People (RHCYP), in partnership with Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity (ECHC).
We are looking for an artist or a duo who already have a show developed, or who have elements of previous practice or shows that can be performed.
The resident artist(s) will deliver four sessions at the ECHC Wellbeing Hub ahead of the festival, trying out ideas with the children and young people and working to adapt their show to the hospital environment. Then, during the festival, they will do a tour of the wards, bringing a bit of the Fringe to the Children’s Hospital.
The four sessions are to help you familiarise yourself with the hospital environment and audience, try out a few things, meet the people there, and consider what you may need to adapt to deliver a great Fringe experience for the hospital’s children, young people and their families at the one-day Fringe event. The artist(s) will in the public wellbeing hub, engaging the children, young people and families in their activity supported by ECHC. The hospital environment is quite different to that of a standard Fringe venue and the needs of the children, young people and families at the hospital are different to that of your standard Fringe audience. ECHC staff will help advise on how to structure the sessions and what might work, and also help steer how to adapt your show for the final performance date during the festival.
The project aims to provide a real and rich Fringe experience for those at the Children’s Hospital who would otherwise miss out on the festival, and to do so a way that works in the hospital environment.
Artist call-out for Fringe 2026
BSL users
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We're looking for a Scotland-based solo or duo artist with Fringe experience to deliver four family and hospital friendly sessions with a performance as the outcome at the Children’s Hospital. The artist or duo must have experience working with children and young people.
The residency will take place at the ECHC Hub at the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People, 50 Little France Crescent, Edinburgh EH16 4TJ.
The four sessions will be delivered on either four of the following Wednesdays dates from 10:00 – 13:00: 06 May, 20 May, 27 May, 03 June and 10 June 2026 (these times and dates are provisional and subject to change). This will culminate in the artist or duo touring their show across the wards and spaces at the hospital for one day (10:00 – 15:30) during the week 17 – 21 August 2026.
- You will arrange an introductory meeting, in person or online, with members of staff from ECHC and the Fringe Society before your first session.
- You will prepare and deliver four sessions on either four of the following Wednesdays dates from 10:00 – 13:00: 06 May, 20 May, 27 May, 03 June and 10 June 2026. Any set-up time and clear-out time will be in addition to these core hours.
- You will prepare and deliver a final performance tour of your adapted show across the wards and spaces at the hospital for one day only (10:00 – 15:30) during the week 17 – 21 August 2026. The details of the tour and performance content will be agreed in advance with the ECHC team. Any set-up time and clear-out time will be in addition to these core hours. The ECHC team will work with you to ensure breaks during this time.
- You will be supported by staff from ECHC and / or the Fringe Society in each session to help encourage the children and young people participate in your session.
- All on-site engagement sessions and final performance will be in line with ECHC’s Code of Conduct and essential hospital guidance such as Infection Control and Prevention, Health and Safety, Fire safety. You will be supported by ECHC staff throughout your time at the hospital to follow these and make informed choices of how to adapt your show if necessary.
- We'll be in touch with you to discuss any access requirements you might have; we’re aiming to make this process as flexible as possible to ensure you can deliver your project in the way that works best for everyone involved.
- You’ll deliver all sessions in person at the hospital, mostly based out of their dedicated drop-in space.
- You’ll be working with children and young people aged 0 -16, along with their families.
- You will attend a reflection and feedback meeting with staff members from ECHC and the Fringe Society, either online or in person, and contribute to the project evaluation and documentation.
The successful applicant will:
- have experience in performing arts for children and young people
- live within travelling distance of Edinburgh
- have experience of community-based work and collaborating with children and young people
- feel comfortable working in a hospital or clinical environment, with guidance and support from the ECHC team
- be flexible and ensuring the activity is accessible to a wide range of abilities and responding to all access needs
- possess an up-to-date PVG background check or be willing to apply for one (ECHC can assist with and cover the cost of this)
- have previously been an artist or participant of a Fringe show in some capacity or be involved with a registered show for Fringe 2026 (if you are a duo, a minimum of one of your participants must fit this criteria)
- already have a show that can be adapted so that elements of it (or the full duration) can be performed this August at the hospital
- be willing to adapt their show to suit the hospital environment
- be sympathetic with the values of the Fringe Society and ECHC.
'Every single day, 500 seriously ill children and their families face a potentially life-changing hospital visit.
And every day they inspire us to make those visits as positive as possible. Our work is shaped by them: what they tell us and how they want us to help.
Alongside our wonderful NHS colleagues at the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People in Edinburgh, we go the extra mile to make this happen.
Children tell us that coming to hospital can be frightening; they feel like they’re the only one struggling. Parents tell us they’re sick with worry; they feel no one else is going through the same. Facing illness, and its results, can be lonely and isolating.
ECHC organises a wide range of activities and events to address these issues and help create a sense of normality and enjoyment, ensuring that children in hospital still have opportunities to play, create and thrive during their time here, while also connecting with others. These include bedside art-making, sports in the outdoor spaces, contemporary dance on the wards, and many other creative experiences that encourage engagement in arts and culture.
For your sessions at the ECHC Wellbeing Hub you can expect:
- small numbers of attendance
- a drop-in style environment where attendees stay for short periods of time
- different children and young people each week
- a child-led space
- support from ECHC staff.'
This project will include:
- An initial chat, either in person or by phone, with staff from the Fringe Society and ECHC, who will introduce what it’s like to work at the hospital, what you can expect from the project and answer any questions you might have.
- Four sessions on four of the following Wednesdays dates from 10:00 – 13:00: 06 May, 20 May, 27 May, 03 June and 10 June 2026. These will be delivered at the ECHC Hub or the POD at the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People, 50 Little France Crescent, Edinburgh EH16 4TJ.
- A final performance tour of the adapted Fringe show across the wards and spaces at the hospital for one day (10:00 – 15:30) during the week 17 – 21 August 2026. The details of the tour and performance content will be agreed in advance with the ECHC team.
- A reflection and feedback session with staff members from ECHC and the Fringe Society, either online or in person, and contribution to the project evaluation and documentation.
- Total fee of £1,600 (inclusive of all delivery, planning and expenses) is available to a solo artist. The fee would be double for a duo.
- Additional support is available for access requirements.
- There is a small additional budget for materials and production costs available on request (exact amount TBC).
- Applications open: Monday 16 March 2026.
- Application deadline: 09:00 BST on Tuesday 07 April 2026.
After the application deadline, we will consult with ECHC to select an artist or duo based on what works best for their families. - Selection outcome by Monday 13 April 2026.
- Four sessions on four of the following Wednesdays dates from 10:00 – 13:00: 06 May, 20 May, 27 May, 03 June and 10 June 2026.
- The deadline for the resident artist(s) to submit their final plans for the tour of the wards and content of their performance is Monday 22 June 2026.
- The tour of the adapted show across the wards and spaces at the hospital will take place on one day (10:00 – 15:30) during the week 17 – 21 August 2026.
During the application stage we’re keeping the date of the final performance flexible, as we want as many artists as possible to be able to apply. The August performance date will be agreed with the artist(s) when they are offered the residency.
The details of the tour and performance content will be agreed in advance with the ECHC team.
Additional budget is available if you have any access requirements for meetings and / or for the project itself, including providing BSL translators. Please email [email protected] to discuss this.
- If you would like to apply in writing, please send us a covering letter (one or two pages of A4).
- If you would like to apply by film or voice recording, please send us a link to your recording via email (no more than three minutes). If you use BSL, you can record your film in BSL.
All applications
Please include the following information in all applications:
- Artist(s) name.
- A bit about you and your practice.
- Why you are interested in the role.
- Tell us about your show and how developed it is currently.
- Any ideas of what you might like to do in the hospital setting.
- Number of Fringes in which you have creatively participated in total.
- Name and year of your most recent Fringe show.
- Your relevant experience and / or your artistic practice.
- Main contact phone number.
- Main contact email address.
- Where you are based in Scotland.
- One link to your online presence (optional).
- Your preferred four dates for the residency (four of the following Wednesdays from 10:00 – 13:00: 06 May, 20 May, 27 May, 03 June and 10 June 2026).
- Your preferred date for the Fringe tour of the hospital spaces from 10:00 – 15:30 during the week 17 – 21 August.
Please email your application to [email protected] with ‘ECHC residency application’ as the email subject.
Please do not send us any CVs or any other additional documents.
Application deadline: 09:00 BST on Tuesday 07 April 2026.
We are particularly interested in hearing from artists who have an ethnically diverse background, identify as under-represented in the arts, or are neurodivergent, D/deaf or disabled.
We are open to having conversations with the selected artist(s) about their access requirements to participate in all aspects of the project.
You can contact the team on [email protected] or 0131 240 1911 with any questions about this opportunity or to talk through any access requirements.
