Pleasance Dome, EdinburghTaking its cue from The Shock Doctrine, Dumbshow's ambitious show links CIA brainwashing experiments to 9/11, Iraq, library closures and austeritySebastian, a Chilea…
Everyone's happy when they get a five-star writeup, but often new or more complex work needs something beyond the traditional review formatAudiences like star ratings, PRs and artists like s…
Pleasance Dome, EdinburghJack Thorne's multi-layered two-hander for Graeae " about a couple grieving for their stillborn child " has no happy ever after, but is rewarding to watchThey meet i…
The author and the illusionist might seem an odd couple, but a shared interest in the afterlife made for an unlikely bond and a bitter riftIn 1920, two of the biggest celebrities of the age …
Traverse, EdinburghLucas Hnath's play probes the divisions opened among a religious community by their leader's epiphany, but lacks the right emotional intensityPastor Paul's church had mode…
Traverse, EdinburghStef Smith's lyrical new play examines the overlapping strains, pressures and guilt of three women's livesChirpy Anna hasn't left home for months; she's stopped eating and…
Summerhall, EdinburghKitson plays neatly on his Eeyore-ish personality in a cunningly crafted show about loneliness in which audience members use iPod ShufflesThere is so much to love about …
Traverse theatre, EdinburghSonya Kelly's autobiographical show proves that as far as the immigration authorities are concerned, there's no such thing as oversharingWhen actor Sonya Kelly mee…
Edinburgh International Conference CentreSimon McBurney's one-man show is an expedition into the jungles of the imagination, combining audio technology with dense storytellingIn October 1969…
Summerhall, EdinburghTwo idealists find that creating a heaven on earth is easier said than done in Third Angel's thought-provoking if somewhat detached new showHave you ever wondered how mu…
Traverse, EdinburghGary McNair shines in this beautifully written show about a man with cancer who wagers that he'll live to see the millenniumThe title of the latest one-man storytelling sh…
Traverse, EdinburghAndy Duffy's monologue offers us a heartless man used to taking risks in a tight psychological thriller that grips without illuminating"Money's power and freedom. Who's no…
Traverse, EdinburghBryony Kimmings and Tim Grayburn strike a clever balance between humour and pathos as they recount the latter's struggle to face his clinical depression Related: Bryony Ki…
Try these family fringe outings: a detective story by Anthony Horowitz, a preposterous collection of animals and a show about a missing grandadWhen I first started coming to Edinburgh in the…
Northern Stage at Summerhall, EdinburghDaniel Bye explores how viruses " of all types " spread in a fascinating, thought-provoking performanceA bagful of liquorice allsorts, a pair of tweeze…
Summerhall, EdinburghDevised by women at Low Newton prison, Open Clasp's piece takes in addiction, violence and the pain of separation, but soars free of social work to become art Related: L…
Their budgets and venues may be in different leagues, but their programmes have plenty in common " and since audiences don't care a fig where they find the best work, the two festivals are f…
Summerhall, EdinburghMacLaine's challenging play, in which she speaks of her own experience of abuse, raises pertinent questionsTwo women, dressed similarly. Their long dresses spill around …
Pleasance, EdinburghGeorge Orwell's 1933 novel is entwined with Polly Toynbee's book Hard Work in a neatly performed study of poverty then and nowEric Blair became George Orwell during his t…
By the end of last year's festival, one company had made £160 each from their 'hit show'. But even if there's no profit from the box office, the other benefits of appearing at Edinburgh a…
Sheffield Park, SussexThis pleasurable romp for kids " and adults searching for lost youth " might convey the spirit of Enid Blyton, but it's anything but old-fashionedA retro pleasure fashi…
There are more than 3,000 shows at this year's festival. How can you know which ones are worth your time and money? We've already checked these little beauties out, and every one of them's a…
Queue for day seats for Benedict Cumberbatch's Hamlet, see Wot? No Fish! on London's Southbank or take in Oliver Twist, promenade style, in LancasterWhile Edinburgh gets into the festival sp…
Watermill, NewburyOn its 1932 premiere Somerset Maugham's play must have seemed as if a small bomb had been detonated in the West End. Audiences expecting a witty comedy from the country's m…
At the Hub in Leeds, both the veg and the theatre is homegrown " and Slung Low offer blankets, hot water bottles and a cheap bar. The company creates shows across the UK but is 'micro-local'…