Sally’s a happy person. She doesn’t let little things get her down and almost never cries. But she’s got an illness. It makes her feel like she isn’t the person she wants to be, but she doesn’t want anyone to know about it. Written by Oliver winner Jon Brittain (Kathy and Stella Solve a Murder!) with music by Matthew Floyd Jones (Frisky and Mannish), prepare for a hilarious cabaret musical about depression that talks about how it’s OK to not be OK. This will be a stripped-back version of the hit show.

A Super Happy Story (About Feeling Super Sad)

Lady Clementine has until her 27th birthday to find The One. When her latest beau goes missing, she embarks on a hilariously unhinged quest to solve the mystery of her ill fortune. But with neither sense nor sensibility, will our romantic heroine find love in time? Set roughly “in the past”, this is a story about sickly sisters, self-love and Sylvanian Families. Bonnets at the ready, ladies, for the debut character comedy show of the season. 'Delirious, demented stuff' ***** (Chortle.co.uk). 'Bridgerton meets Gen Z Jane Austen on Adderall' ***** (FringeBiscuit.co.uk). This will be a stripped-back version.

Rosalie Minnitt: Clementine

This is the untold story of Sappho – poetess, queer icon, and history's first great songwriter. Torn from the woman she loves and forced into a marriage she never wanted, Sappho fights to reclaim her voice and her lost love – learning the heavy price the world demands of those who defy its rules. Guitar in hand and lyrics sharp as flames, she returns – part oracle, part rock star – in a musical memoir of women who dare to love, to dream, and to create in defiance of the world. This will be a stripped-back version. 

Sappho: The Poetess

The Femmes of Colo(u)r Comedy Club presents the fiercest mixed bills unapologetically celebrating and centring women and trans comedians of colour. Hosted by founder Kemah Bob, each show is impossible to repeat, disrupting the status quo with a 100% no-white-dudes-onstage guarantee. FOC IT UP! has hit London, Latitude, Southbank Festival and Just For Laughs London with electric, sell-out nights packed with big laughs and big energy. Now they’re back in Edinburgh bringing the party to the Shed! This will be a special Shedinburgh version of the show.

FOC IT UP! with Kemah Bob

In a motel room in the middle of nowhere, as a storm rages outside, twin brothers Dill and Ellroy prepare to make one final drop-off. From Christopher Brett Bailey, creator of I Saw Satan at the 7-Eleven and This Is How We Die, Coyotes is a feral tragicomedy about siblings, sin, and one last impossible job. This is a chance to see a brand new piece of work from a Fringe legend as a part of Shedinburgh. Please note this will be a work-in-progress performance.


Coyotes (WIP)

In 2022 a show was cancelled while it was still in rehearsal. The idea of what the show might be created a demand for it to be left unseen. A Little Inquest Into What We Are All Doing Here is a show about censorship and freedom of expression. This piece of theatre – part autobiography, part fiction – questions the limits of performance. The Scotsman Fringe First Award Winner 2024. **** (Scotsman). *** (Stage). This will be a special stripped-back version of the hit Fringe show, reimagined for Shedinburgh.

A Little Inquest Into What We Are All Doing Here

Andrew Frost has recently been described as the 'Greatest Card Magician in the World'. Can he live up to the hype? Come and find out if it’s true. Following an acclaimed Edinburgh Festival Fringe run in 2025 – and working with some of the world’s top magicians – Andrew Frost returns with his innovative and contemporary blend of comedy, theatre and magic. ‘A brilliant magician’ (Derren Brown). ‘A phenomenon’ (David Blaine). ‘One of the most phenomenal card magicians in the world’ (Nick Mohammed). This will be a stripped-back version. 

Andrew Frost: The Greatest Card Magician in the World

'Cabaret legends' (Independent) Bourgeois & Maurice are here to solve all the world’s problems with a piano, some sequins and a lick of mascara so thick it could run for president. Blending razor-sharp original songs with pitch-black comedy, this glitter-soaked new work in progress transforms contemporary panic into something seductive, ridiculous and unexpectedly moving. Come for the laughs. Stay for the darkness. Leave humming something you probably shouldn’t. This is a chance to see a brand new piece of work from some Fringe legends as a part of Shedinburgh. 

Bourgeois & Maurice: Everything's Fine (WIP)

Multi award-winning, ‘Arresting and abundantly talented’ (Guardian) theatre-maker, Alan Fielden, wrote one play a day for 99 days in 2024, a decade after first undertaking the project in 2014. Written amidst global cataclysm and early fatherhood, the plays are by turns delirious, joyful, wild, and deranged. Joined for one night by performers from across the Fringe, Alan will read from both recent and past works. For previous work: ‘Sublime… reaches a level of vastness that is striking’ ***** (TheatreAndTonic.co.uk). This will be a special stripped-back version of the show, reimagined for Shedinburgh.

Forest Fringe: 99 Plays

An internationally award-winning retelling of a retelling of an Ancient Greek myth. Leni is five, holding a superman costume. Orpheus is about to step out of the underworld. Eurydice is about to step into the first day of the rest of her life. The ancient myth, told from her perspective. A wild, empowering reimagining wound from soaring live music, searing spoken word, expansive electronica... and an ensemble. ‘From now on, all stories should be told this way’ (Advertiser, Adelaide). This will be a special stripped-back version of the hit Fringe show, reimagined for Shedinburgh.

Wright&Grainger's EURYDICE

A remarkable retelling of an Ancient Greek myth from ‘Masters Of Storytelling’ (FourthWallMedia.wordpress.com). Dave is 30, sat at the bar. Eurydice is a tree nymph. Bruce Springsteen is on the stereo. Wound from soaring live music and searing spoken word, ORPHEUS is a multi award-winning story about love, loss and how far you’d go for the ones who mean the most. Now, for its 10th anniversary, its coming here for one night only... with an ensemble. This will be a special stripped-back version of the hit Fringe show, reimagined for Shedinburgh.


Wright&Grainger's ORPHEUS

Multi Fringe First award-winning RashDash are back!(ish), performing songs from their playful, anarchic shows. They are absolutely not struggling with #mid-career #mumlife. Not at ALL. It has never been easier or more lucrative to make experimental, feminist art. Join ‘the punk princesses of late-night theatre’ (Guardian) as they soft-launch their comeback and sing for their lives in celebration of the UK’s thriving cultural landscape. ‘Funny, furious – loud, rude, provocative’  **** (Times, Three Sisters). This will be a special stripped-back show, reimagined for Shedinburgh.

There Were Goddesses

In 2015 Jordan’s Nanna, Gwendoline Brookes, passed away. This show is a genuine attempt to pay tribute to her. That can’t be the whole thing, can it? Is he just going to talk about his Nan for an hour? Surely not. Nominated for Best Show at the Edinburgh Comedy Awards 2017. 'Wildly entertaining stand-up that demolishes the conventions of comedy' **** (Guardian). 'A crazy, wonderful show – Brookes is a startlingly talented comedian' **** (Scotsman). This will be a special stripped-back version of the hit Fringe show, reimagined for Shedinburgh.


Jordan Brookes: Body of Work

The multi award-winning musical theatre composer and writer, Jack Godfrey, returns to Edinburgh with an evening of songs from his musicals, including Fringe favourite Hot Mess, 42 Balloons, and more! Expect pop-musical excellence and a surprise guest or two. Popcorn Writing Award Winner 2025 and Stage Debut Award for Best New Composer, Lyricist or Bookwriter Winner 2024. This will be a special stripped-back show for Shedinburgh.


An Evening with Jack Godfrey

Unable to face the pain of her grief, Agnes withdraws from the world. But when her husband inherits a crumbling farm on a Scottish island, it offers the chance to start again. As lambing season arrives they must learn how to take care of a hundred neglected sheep and that it takes a village to survive. A soaring new folk musical about love, loss, and finding joy again by Elinor Peregrin. This is a chance to see a brand new piece of work from a rising star as a part of Shedinburgh. 

Elbow Deep (WIP)

Comedians share their poetical musings, short stories, parodies, lyrics and spoken word. Sometimes sincere, sometimes funny, always out of their comfort zone – these comics have their guard down. Previous guests include Rob Auton, Kemah Bob, Johnny White Really Really and more. After sell-out events at its spiritual home, Review Bookshop, the ink is spilling out further afield.? These clowns are getting literary... This will be a special stripped-back version of the show, reimagined for Shedinburgh.


Comedians Do Poems

The critically acclaimed singer, songwriter and actor, Anoushka Lucas (Oklahoma!), is taking over Shedinburgh with an evening of original songs from both her albums alongside songs from her award-winning play Elephant. With surprise guest performers, get ready for an unforgettable intimate solo set for one night only. Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical nomination 2023 and Stage Debut Awards Best Writer Winner 2023. This will be a special stripped-back show for Shedinburgh.

An Evening with Anoushka Lucas

A Jekyll and Hyde story about a boy living in the frosted-tipped fantasy of Dawson's Creek, walking to garage beats, believing he can be anything he sees on TV. But grown-up now, and spliff-round-the-corner-before-the-bottomless-brunch kinda boozy, he's haunted by the "rude boi" at the back of the class... A theatrical mixtape performed by actor and polymath creator Simon Manyonda alongside composer, musician and audio-visual artist Owain Kelly. This is a chance to see a brand-new piece of work from an iconic company as a part of Shedinburgh. Please note this will be a work-in-progress. 

Blessed, Tryna Shake This Curse (WIP)

It’s the fantasy of lesbian bliss: we’re good, everything’s good. Except it’s really not. Bad Lesbians turns domestic space into a combat arena, a villain cabaret that explores queer intimate partner violence through a blend of humour and discomfort. As Haddaway once asked; what is love? Expect synchro choreo, red flags aplenty, and conversations we’d rather avoid brought into the spotlight. This is a chance to see a brand new piece of work from a legendary Fringe company as a part of Shedinburgh. Please note this will be a work-in-progress performance. 

Bad Lesbians (WIP)

WARNING! This is a very clowns show. Probably too clowns for most. It’s about loneliness and grief and cream pies to the face. May contain excessive amounts of full-contact, obligatory audience participation. Previous: 'Comic genius' **** (Guardian). 'Uproariously ridiculous' **** (Times). 'A fearless artist' ***** (Stage). 'One of the greatest clowns audiences are likely to see in their lifetime' ***** (NZ Herald). This is a chance to see a brand-new piece of work from a Fringe legend as a part of Shedinburgh. Please note this will be a work-in-progress performance.

Too Clowns (WIP)

Pioneering alt-comedy hero Paul Foot is coming to Shedinburgh 2026 with a special re-imagining of his hit 2022 show, Swan Power. A tour-de-force of surrealism, and astute and eye-catching observational journeys, Paul Foot presents one of the best and most definitive hours of comedy in his repertoire. Tired of the goose? Swan Power is here... again... for one night only. PS: There is no mention of swans in this show. Chortle Awards 2024 Best Show Nominee. Winner: (ISH) Edinburgh Comedy Awards 2023 – Best Show. This will be a stripped-back version of the hit Fringe show.

Paul Foot: Swan Power

Dating again after a complex break-up, Jessie is trying to get her personal life in order – before her kids wake up. From actress, comedian, writer and doodler Jessie Cave, Sunrise is an honest, tender-hearted and uproariously funny story about crying in the woods, sexual accidents, Harry Potter conventions and Instagram espionage – but also about motherhood and trying to get stuff done. 'Frank, funny… wonderfully comedic' **** (Evening Standard). This will be a special stripped-back version of the hit Fringe show partially read from the play text, reimagined for Shedinburgh.


Jessie Cave: Sunrise

A new documentary theatre dance hybrid interrogating the intersection of gym culture and addiction in Dublin. Infusing street dance, music and video, this unflinching work explores the gyms as cultural spaces, where stories converge, and bodies are broken as well as built. Based on a series of interviews, BULK sheds light on issues surrounding male adolescence, fractured relationships, body dysmorphia and stimulant abuse. This is a chance to see a new WIP from one of the most exciting writers from across the UK and Ireland, part of the Shed Originals script development programme in partnership with Abbey Theatre.

BULK (WIP)

After a sell-out run at the Edinburgh Fringe 2025, award-winning character comedians and IRL Sisters, Maddy and Marina Bye (Byes) are back. Set your alarms to see Siblings swoop you into the surreal world of your own sleepy mind as they crack open brains and backflip in. Prepare yourselves for a knock(ed) out hour of raucous comedy. This is sketch comedy gone subconscious. **** (Scotsman). **** (List). ***** (ThreeWeeks). 'So savagely funny' ***** (EdFringeReview.com). This will be a special stripped-back version of the hit Fringe show, reimagined for Shedinburgh.


Siblings: Dreamweavers

This adaptation of one of Ireland’s most stunning recent literary debuts, A Ghost in the Throat, crosses centuries as it tells the story of one woman finding her voice by reaching into the past and summoning another's. An Irish noblewoman in the 1700s and a young mother in the present day, both touched by and adjacent to tragedy, make unexpected contact as parallels between their lives emerge. This is a chance to see a new WIP show from one of the UK and Ireland’s most exciting writers, as part of the Shed Originals programme.

A Ghost in the Throat (WIP)

An evening of funny, heartfelt and gloriously overdramatic poetry about love, failure, anxiety, music, growing older and trying to survive modern life whilst screaming into the abyss. Blending stand-up, storytelling and spoken word, this is a show about finding beauty in the mess. Some poems are uplifting. Some are ridiculous. Some are angry. One of them might accidentally change your life. Or at the very least ruin your mascara. This is a chance to see a brand-new piece of work from a Fringe legend as a part of Shedinburgh.

Nick Helm: It Will Always Hurt a Bit (WIP)

Siby’s been a lifeguard for 20 years at the same Cardiff pool. Then Cole walks in. Is he The One, or just another one? Peep Show meets Fleabag in this filthy, funny romantic comedy about two people drowning in their own heads – and what happens when someone finally notices you. All great romances end with a happily ever after. Right? Right?! This is a chance to see a new work-in-progress show from one of the UK and Ireland’s most exciting writers, part of the Shed Originals script development programme in partnership with Theatr Clwyd.

The Dark I Swim (WIP)

Edinburgh Comedy Award winner Frankie Monroe presents a seventies-style beauty contest where he will search the Fringe for the best trowel. He will be joined by a flock of hopeful gardeners all presenting their tool in the hopes of winning the crown. This is a chance to see a brand new piece of work from a Fringe legend as a part of Shedinburgh. Please note this will be a work-in-progress performance. 


Frankie Monroe: Trowel of Tralee (WIP)

Following an STI diagnosis, Bryony retraces her chaotic romantic history in this chaotic, hilarious and heartfelt journey through sex, love and self-discovery. Blending cabaret, comedy, dance, song and raw storytelling, Sex Idiot is a glittering confession packed with awkward encounters, broken hearts and unexpected revelations. Somewhere between homemade pop concert and emotional excavation, this bold show celebrates one-night stands, human connection and the messy realities of modern intimacy with humour, honesty and charm. This will be a special stripped-back version of the hit Fringe show, reimagined for Shedinburgh.

Sex Idiot

I’m gonna be sharing some songs I’ve written solo, over the years, that have lived in my voice memos, unlistened to – until now! They’re mostly sad little songs written when I was sad, so if you’re a fan of the upbeat, comic vibes of my work in things like SIX and Why Am I So Single? – then please prepare to be somewhat disappointed! The singing (not by me) will be great, though. This will be a special stripped-back show for Shedinburgh.


Lucy Moss: some songs I wrote

DreamDate, the classic improvised romantic comedy show devised by Deborah Frances-White has not been seen on stage for many years. But now it's back for one night only. Two strangers who have never met before have their lives turned into a full romantic comedy by our team of improvisers. Full cast to be announced. This will be a special stripped-back version of the hit Fringe show, reimagined for Shedinburgh.

Deborah Frances-White: DreamDate

For one very special evening, the Edinburgh Award Best Show Winner 2025 revives her 2022 cult-hit multi-media trans-frog stand-up odyssey. Wokeflake is a surreal deep-dive into the digital hellscape of online hate speech, the cringe awkwardness of early transition, the concept of frogs, of dreams and of a disembodied floating appendage. This glitch-out froggy freak-fest is not to be missed. **** (Guardian). **** (Times). This will be a special version of the hit Fringe show, reimagined for Shedinburgh.

Sam Nicoresti: Cancel Anti Wokeflake Snow Culture

Award-winning theatre maker Rachel Mars has spent the last few years being a mid-life queer and daughtering. This is the fallout. A hilarious, dark-as-hell foray into the inner lives of three women who meet when the endless small things mount up until they can't hold it together any longer, and they do something drastic. In an alley. 'A triumphant show... dripping with uninhibited desire' (Guardian, Your Sexts Are Shit). This is a chance to see a brand-new piece of work from a Fringe legend as part of Shedinburgh. Please note this is a work-in-progress.

Forest Fringe: Three Queer Daughters (WIP)

'Fringe sensation' (Lyn Gardner) Hotter Project brings a one-off juicy special to Shedinburgh: a mash-up of their hit shows HOTTER, FITTER, and The Last Show Before We Die. Like a greatest hits album, except from an obscure fringe theatre company! Expect lip-syncs, shed-safe dance numbers, songs, and an intimate evening in the company of Ell and Mary. This will be a special stripped-back version of the hit Fringe shows, reimagined for Shedinburgh.

An Evening with Hotter Project

Terry's back from the dead and he's brought a chat show with him. Featuring interviews with "real" celebrities and accompanied by a live band. Previous guests include: George Lucas, Ray Parker Jr, Sir Anthony Hopkins, Liza Minelli, DB Cooper, Tim Henman, Scarlett Johansson and several different Michael Caines. Terry Wogan is a recipient of a KBE / dead. 'A clever late-night romp' **** (Telegraph). **** (Mervyn Stutter's Pick of the Fringe). This will be a special stripped-back version of the hit Fringe show, reimagined for Shedinburgh.

Late Night with Terry Wogan

Lucy McCormick returns with a medium-concept queer cabaret spectacular exploring loneliness, labour and the desperate performance of connection. Presented as a stripped-back variety show, Lucy calls on the audience to become her missing friends, stepping into roles she cannot fill alone. As the show spirals through increasingly chaotic attempts at community-building, Lucy uses cabaret to unravel ideas of narcissism, celebrity and the unhinged woman. A master of theatrical manipulation and crushing personal vulnerability, she leaves audiences needing a hug, a cry and an immediate shower. This will be a special stripped-back version of the hit Fringe show.

Lucy & Friends

Mat Ewins reprises his 2017 Edinburgh Comedy Award nominated show. Witness the multimedia sensation at this important nine year anniversary. 'Refused to explain where the rest of the cast were, merely claiming they were dead' (ThreeWeeks). **** (Times). **** (@FringeExplosion). Top Ten Shows of 2017 **** (Guardian). This will be a special stripped-back version of the hit Fringe show, reimagined for Shedinburgh.

Mat Ewins: Adventureman 7: The Return of Adventureman

Sabrina Mahfouz’s new theatrical dive into the concept of supreme authority, framed by the story of Shajah al-Durr, a sex slave who became the last woman to rule Egypt (no, it really wasn’t Cleopatra!). Shajah rose from the palace harem to the throne of medieval Egypt, winning victories against the Crusaders, before being killed by a group of women she knew well. There’s a lesson in there somewhere, but for who? This is a chance to see a brand-new piece of work from a Fringe legend as a part of Shedinburgh.

Save the Queen? (WIP)

First performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2015 to great acclaim, earning a Stage Award for Best Solo Show nomination, Dry Ice returns in a new script-in-hand reading from acclaimed actress Ria Zmitrowicz. Dry Ice is not (just) a strip club exposé. It’s a story of a young woman trying to find her place in the world: hope, disappointment, sex, power and the voyeur in all of us. It is also quite funny. This special stripped back, script-in-hand reading re-imagines the hit Fringe show for Shedinburgh.

Dry Ice

In a fast-moving world where no one stays in one place for too long, Love Letters to the Public Transport System is a show that seeks to find and thank the people who transport us daily – to friends, to lovers, to work, to moments of significance in our lives. But who do you thank, and how do you find them? 'Fragile and utterly beautiful' ***** (Herald). 'A traditional monologue of extraordinary exuberance and power' **** (Scotsman). This will be a special stripped-back version of the hit Fringe show, reimagined for Shedinburgh.

Love Letters to the Public Transport System 

Join the Drag Race Superstar, Celebrity Masterchef Champion and ‘powerhouse of entertainment’ (Curtain Call Reviews) as she kicks down the stable door and lets her Show Pony run free: outrageous, untamed, and completely off the reins. Expect high camp, low morals, and double helpings of Ginger’s trademark ridiculousness in this barnstorming hour of whip-smart comedy from the ‘unholy drag spawn of Evel Knievel, Lucille Ball and Danny La Rue’ (List). This is a chance to see a brand new piece of work from a Fringe legend as a part of Shedinburgh.

Ginger Johnson: Show Pony (WIP)

A man in a suit of armour walks onto a stage, looking for the truth. Inspired by half-reading Don Quixote, this is a new work-in-progress by Wonder Fools, the writers behind 549, Same Team and Kelton Hill Fair, and producers of Òran and Alright Sunshine. Part stand-up, part confession, part knightly quest, it explores conspiracy theories, belief, and the monsters we choose to fight when the world stops making sense. This is a chance to see a brand new piece of work from a legendary Fringe company.

I Half-Read Don Quixote and Now I Know the Truth (WIP)

A raw, work-in-progress sharing from two-time Fringe First winner Javaad Alipoor, America’s Kingdoms is his first return to the Fringe, since multi-media smash Things Hidden Since the Foundation of the World. Part satire, part fictional documentary, part surreal journey through the oil fields of Latin America and the Middle East, America’s Kingdoms is a show about the oil industry, emergent technology and what it might mean to escape the past. This is a chance to see a brand new piece of work from a legendary Fringe company as a part of Shedinburgh.

America's Kingdoms (WIP)

The award-winning five star sell out smash hit of last year's Fringe returns. Joz Norris has finally completed his life's work, and he's ready to unveil it to the world. But what exactly is it, and what has it cost him? And what can he possibly do with the rest of his life? ‘This is Norris’ Mona Lisa… thoughtful purpose underpinning laughs upon ridiculous laughs’ ***** (Chortle). 'A latter-day Rik Mayall... A curiously rousing defence of experimental art-making in a conformist, capitalist world' **** (Guardian). A special stripped-back version for Shedinburgh.

Joz Norris: You Wait. Time Passes.

Cocaine. Crocodiles. Colin Farrell. Welcome to a one night stand gone full on rogue. MERCURIAL is a twisted dark comedy that pays homage to our most memorable worst dates. It asks the question: How far will we go for love? Winner of Best Show at Riverside Studios' Bitesize Festival and programmed as a Shed Original reading in 2025, MERCURIAL returns to the shed as a pressure cooker dialled up to 11. This will be a special stripped-back version of the show, reimagined for Shedinburgh.

MERCURIAL

This is a show about wanting to bring order to mess, and wanting to disrupt order. About wanting to build new things with old shit. A live-collage performance of cut-up bodies, grafted animals, half landscapes, recomposed histories, dissected worlds. A reflection on control, on losing yourself, and on desire. An intuitive, meditative, image trip that attempts to burst its own banks and flood the room. With you in it. This will be a special stripped-back version of the hit Fringe show, reimagined for Shedinburgh.


Forest Fringe: Like the party has been cancelled

Edinburgh Comedy Award nominees Crybabies present a collection of standalone sketches. Expect phones, burgers, weddings, ‘nduja and other ambiguous nouns in a leisurely jaunt through the archives of Cry-Corp. So if you love their signature storytelling but have always thought 'I could do without the plot' you’re in luck. This is narrative sketch comedy with NONE of the narrative. 'Dear Lord, did it make me howl with laughter' ***** (Telegraph). 'Simply top-tier' ***** (Chortle.co.uk). 'Spectacular' **** (Times). This will be a special stripped-back show, reimagined for Shedinburgh.


Crybabies: Eye Infections

Written by an anonymous woman. Performed by an unprepared man. Following an international tour with the Royal Court Theatre, MANWATCHING is back. A funny and frank insight into heterosexual female desire, read out loud by a male comic, with new material appearing for the first time at Shedinburgh. This is a show about what one woman thinks when she thinks about sex with men. This will be a special stripped-back version of the hit Fringe show, reimagined for Shedinburgh.

MANWATCHING

A solo performance about the fact that time keeps going. Using a camcorder video she took on the last day she lived in Canada in 2005, Deborah tries to re-insert herself into the frame. Initially performed in Edinburgh in a video store in 2010 as part of Forest Fringe, it was shortlisted for a Total Theatre Award for Innovation and won a Herald Angel. This is a rare revival for the Forest Fringe Shedinburgh takeover, bringing the show back to Edinburgh, 16 years on. This will be a stripped-back version of the hit show.

Forest Fringe: Like You Were Before

Sometimes you’ve gotta throw shit at the wall to see what sticks. And then discard the shit. Not us. We put all of our shittest bits into one big shit show. From the multi award-winning artists behind five-star hits PHILOSOPHY OF THE WORLD, TRICKY SECOND ALBUM and WE ARE IAN, we bring you 45 minutes of absolute shit. What we made up. You’ll be appalled. Plz wear waterproofs. 'There is no-one quite like them' ***** (BritishTheatreGuide.info). This will be a special stripped-back show for Shedinburgh.


BITS OF IN BED WITH MY BROTHER

Love Island, but sexier. And on a boat! With this dubious pitch uttered to a desperate TV executive, experimental theatre darlings Made In China accidentally created the wildly popular reality hit Sex Yacht. Now, the masterminds behind the most unhinged show of the century are back to lift the lid. Well, Jess is back. After what happened, Tim’s still not speaking to her. Includes a live Q&A. This is a chance to see a brand-new piece of work from a legendary Fringe company as a part of Shedinburgh. Please note this is a work-in-progress. 

Forest Fringe: Sex Yacht (WIP) 

Electric, eclectic performance artist Frankie Thompson presents a rehearsed readthrough of never before seen work about the brinks between childhood and adulthood. A contemporary reply to Arthur C Clarke’s 1953 science fiction novel of the same name, Childhood’s End is a ghost story (sort of), a musical (depending on how you look at it), and an anti child star biopic (whatever that is). ‘Hysterically funny, deeply strange’ **** (Time Out). This is a chance to see a brand-new piece of work from a Fringe legend as a part of Shedinburgh. Please note this is a work-in-progress.

Childhood's End (WIP)

A time-travelling love letter to the North East, inspired by the felling of the world-famous Sycamore Gap tree, blending original stories, folklore, history and imagined futures. It asks why the loss of a single tree felt so profound, and what it reveals about our connection to the past, to the future and to each other. This is a chance to see a new work-in-progress show from one of the most exciting writers from across the UK and Ireland, as part of the Shed Originals script development programme in partnership with The Lowry.

The Gap (WIP)

Three strangers. One billboard. Last one standing wins a home. Inspired by a real 1980s endurance contest in which competitors lived on a billboard for months, this show explores what happens when the search for a home becomes a public spectacle. Resonating strongly with today’s housing crisis, the show asks how long people will hold on for the promise of securing a future. This is a chance to see a work-in-progress show from exciting writers from across the UK and Ireland, part of our Shed Originals script development programme in partnership with The Lowry.

We Have Been Here For... (WIP)

A special late-night performance of the Fringe cult hit, House of Life. One part sermon. One part purge. Three parts party. 'The show that turns strangers into friends' (Lyn Gardner) is ready to cure your existential dread with a glittering blast of collective joy. **** (Guardian) ***** (Playbill.com) ***** (Telegraph). This will be a special stripped-back version of the hit Fringe show, reimagined for Shedinburgh.

House of Life & Friends

I’m in love with a man from Dundee. Who lived 100 years before me. He was a poet. He was aware of this. I think he was brilliant. Not everyone agrees. His name? William McGonagall. His life I will now chronicle. Four-time Fringe First winner Gary McNair returns to the Shed with his critically acclaimed, five-star tribute to Scotland’s alternative bard. It’s the incredible true story of 'the world’s worst poet'. Told suitably in almost-rhyming verse. This will be a special stripped-back version of the hit Fringe show, reimagined for Shedinburgh.

McGonagall's Chronicles

A work in progress "something" from SNL UK writer and award-winning character comedian Lorna Rose Treen. 'A gloriously daft hour that is heavily reminiscent of peak-era French and Saunders' (Telegraph). 'I laughed so much I violently bit my tongue' (Independent). ‘Killed comedy’ (Sun). This is a chance to see a brand-new piece of work from a Fringe legend as a part of Shedinburgh.


Lorna Rose Treen (WIP)

The Fool leaves King Lear before the blinding. Before the ice creams in the interval. In this extraordinary solo work, Tim Crouch draws on ideas of virtual reality to send the character back to the wreckage of the world they left. Truth’s a Dog Must to Kennel switches between scathing stand-up and an audacious act of collective imagining. It’s a celebration of live performance and a skewering of the state we’re in now. ***** (The Scotsman Fringe First, 2022). This will be a special stripped-back version of the hit Fringe show, reimagined for Shedinburgh.

Truth's a Dog Must to Kennel

An audition. A challenge. A methodical approach. The role of a lifetime. When an exciting offer of a radical new role comes across her desk – and the potential promise of awards glory – Rosie Jones has to figure out whether or not she is allowed to tell the story. A new work-in-progress storytelling show about who gets to pretend from a BAFTA-nominated writer, comedian and all round badass.


Rosie Jones: Anyone But Me (WIP)

Award-winning poet and playwright Inua Ellams, born to a Muslim father and a Christian mother in what is now considered to be Boko Haram territory, left Nigeria for England in 1996 aged 12. Littered with poems, stories and anecdotes, Inua tells his ridiculous, fantastic, poignant immigrant-story of escaping fundamentalist Islam, finding friendship in Dublin, performing solo at the National Theatre and drinking wine with the Queen of England, all the while without a country to belong to or a place to call home. This will be a special stripped-back version of the hit Fringe show.

An Evening with an Immigrant

Lost inside a recurring nightmare, a reluctant actor returns to the stage. Trying to conquer eight years of stage fright, and inside a dream-world inhabited by phantoms of disapproving ancestors, he replays his own autobiography and starts to lose the plot. OFFIE award winners and 'Beckett’s hip, pop-culture savvy descendants' (Time Out) Action Hero are back with an absurdist nightmare of a show about masking, performing and "acting the part". This is a chance to see a brand new piece of work from a legendary Fringe company as a part of Shedinburgh.

Forest Fringe: A Song and Dance (WIP)

In an attempt to understand each other again, one couple undergoes an experimental procedure that allows them to fully experience the other’s consciousness for one minute. To Be A Bat is a sharp new play about intimacy, memory and the limitations of empathy in a hyper-connected world. This is a chance to see a new work-in-progress show from one of the most exciting writers from across the UK and Ireland, as part of our Shed Originals script development programme in partnership with Traverse Theatre.

To Be A Bat (WIP)

Donny's life has been shaped by addiction and isolation, but an unexpected friendship with Jay and Craig begins to change everything. When videos of Donny's private dancing routines suddenly go viral, newfound attention threatens the bond they have built. A joyful and deeply moving story about connection, recovery and the courage to let yourself be seen. This is a chance to see a new work-in-progress show from one of the most exciting writers from across the UK and Ireland, as part of our Shed Originals script development programme in partnership with Traverse Theatre.

Dancing Shoes (WIP)

Josh Sharp (A24’s Dicks: The Musical, Drama Desk Nominee, ta-da!) does an hour of crowd work presented in the round. As we all know, crowd work is currently THE most popular form of comedy... to be fed on your phone. But this show will not be filmed for clips to feed our technocrat overlords. It will simply be a chance to… talk. Come and enjoy the tautology that is crowd work where Josh exclusively asks the crowd what they do for work. This will be a special stripped-back version.

Shedinburgh @ Assembly Checkpoint

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