For working class boy Tommy (Tom Claxton) from Manchester to be offered a place at Oxford University is a dream come true. Nobody in his family, street, or classmates have ever been to University and the pressure to succeed and do well lies on his head in Manchester Anthem by…

Dealing with death is never a one-size-fits-all grieving process. As a comedian what else can he do but take it on stage and laugh? Ed Byrne explains why and how his younger brother Paul Byrne died through his side-splitting show Tragedy Plus Time. Where better to bring his brother to…

Get ready to go on a journey in the one-woman performance Spin Cycle by Jamie-lee Money. Drawn into the heady culture-like world of Spin Classes, which sounds like my idea of a nightmare with rows and rows of static Spin bikes and a class leader shouting instructions. Great exercise and…

Professional musician Tom Veck’s one-man performance at the Edinburgh Fringe called What the Veck is a musical comedy looking at life, current affairs and the things people throw away with a comedic outlook. A confessed skip jumper, who enjoys having a look at what is in there and whether he…

INTERNAL by Tania Tuusa tells the story of shy 20-year-old Melanie. Trapped in her self-doubt and internal self-deprecating monologue. Where she doesn’t believe she is worthy of love or being in love. The internal monologue can cause so much damage to somebody if they have listened to all the wrong…

Waiting for a Train at the Bus Stop by Mwansa Phiri is one of the rare gems this year in Summerhall this Edinburgh Fringe. One of those performances that moves you on all levels. Combining spoken word and poetry the two methods are so well blended that you don’t feel…

LAYERS by Doublet is a touching story set during ten minutes of the same family day repeated about five to six times as it builds up a family picture adding a new member in each scene. Conversations and things that are said in the safety of the family dynamics progress.…

The Good Dad by Gail Louw is a dark drama based on real events reported in 1988. The shocking story of a father using his power over one of his daughters and manipulating and turning her against the rest of the family for his own pleasure and perverse needs. Sarah…

BIRTHMARKED written and performed by Brook Tate tells the sad story of how he became excluded from Jehovah’s Witnesses for openly talking about his sexuality. His fate is decided by three of the elders who happened to be two window cleaners and a plumber, the exact description used in the…

IMPACT follows the heartbreaking events which took place after the devastating air crash in 1988 when the landscape of Lockerbie was changed forever when the Pan-Am flight 103 blew up over the quiet Scottish Town. Amy Engelhardt sets the story to music and dialogue. Working through the timeline chronologically with…