From Princess Diana to gender neutral toilets, this year will be a blast!
BY ELLA GAUCI, IMAGE BY PLEASANCE
It’s nearly time for everyone’s favourite and fabulous festival – the Edinburgh Fringe. The Edinburgh Fringe is one of the world’s largest arts festivals and will be returning between 4-28 August 2023. If you’re looking for some queer artists to celebrate this summer, stick around and get ready to plan the ultimate gay day out at the Fringe.
Kit Sinclair: 30 And Out
“Mum, forgot to tell you – I’m a lesbian. Sorry it’s late fifteen years late, but grab a rainbow flag and don some Docs… I’m 30 and I’m coming out.”
The fantastic Kit Sinclair will be performing her new show at the Fringe this year exploring her experience of coming out at 30. Weaving in interviews from lesbians around the country about what it means to come out, this hilarious but painful portrayal of coming out later in life takes you on a journey of self discovery. The show has even received the Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Keep it Fringe award! You can find Kit at the Baby Grand, Pleasance Courtyard at 12:45pm for the whole month.
An Audience With Teena
Looking for some saucy anecdotes and outrageous confessions? Well, An Audience With Teena is the show for you! As the self-professed most famous woman from Kettering, this show will be packed with secrets from Teena’s 20-year career. This one-woman show will be running from the 20-27 August at this year’s Fringe on a first-come first-served basis.
Leila Navabi: Composition
Get ready for the most audacious punk musical-comedy that you’ll see at the Fringe this year. With seven amazing original songs about the ethics behind artistically exploiting marginalised identities for social gain, you won’t be able to pick a favourite number. Having just co-written and starred in the BBC iPlayer show Vandullz, you are in for a treat.
Mary O’Connell: Money Princess
Award-winning comedian Mary O’Connell is making her Fringe debut with her hilarious show Money Princess. She’ll be touching on everything from her love of Sainsbury’s to her tricky relationship with money in this heartfelt hour. We love a meal deal just as much as the next person.
Diana: The Untold And Untrue Story
Have you ever wanted to watch Princess Diana retell pivotal moments from her life? Well, through the medium of drag and a bit of artistic license – you can! Join Linus Karp as Princess Diana looking at all of the bold moments of activism that the People’s Princess conducted over her lifetime. A new concept for The Crown perhaps?
Myra DuBois: Be Well
Comedy sensation Myra DuBois calls out to you – the disadvantaged, downtrodden and tyrannised of the world – with her manifesto for mental health: AdMyrism! With a sharp wit (and tongue), sit back and enjoy Myra’s sardonic side-eye at the Wellness Industrial Complex.
Sophie Santos: Is Codependent!
Sophie thinks everything in her relationship is perfect… until her girlfriend breaks up with her. This show sees Sophie do everything in her power to get back with her ex, only to realise she needs to confront her own demons first. It is a powerful look at OCD, being alone and relationships.
Pitch
If the Euros ignited a football fire inside of you, Pitch is the perfect show for you this Fringe. This bold and joyful exploration imagines a future in which queer representation in football is more than just a debate over a rainbow armband. Director Nell Bailey said: “Pitch was inspired by the joy of making a queer group of friends while watching the Women’s Euros. It’s a show about community, made by our community, with a collaborative process at its core. Any football fan can tell you that the feeling of being in the stands, crammed with thousands of other people, is an incredible experience. But for those of us who haven’t always found our place comfortably in a stadium, we want to explore why.”
Avital Ash Workshops Her Suicide Note
US-based stand-up comedian Avital Ash is bringing some dark comedy to Edinburgh this year with her Fringe debut. Juggling generational trauma as well as growing up a Hasidic jew whilst being queer, Avital asks the audience to help her pen the letter that her mother – who committed suicide – never left her.
Slash
If you love fanfiction, this one’s for you. This two-woman show, starring performers Emily Allan and Leah Hennessey, explores all of the classic fictional pairings that we love to ship. Everything from Byron/Shelley to Riverdale’s Betty/Veronica will be explored in this tour de force.
Robin Tran: Don’t Look At Me
“I want to make the audience laugh at terrible things. Laughing at darkness is what I had to do to survive. Now it’s what I do for fun.” Robin Tran is an Asian transgender lesbian who loves dark humour. This show will take you on a rollercoaster of topics from transgender athletes to Asian drivers. It certainly isn’t one to miss.
Public – The Musical
This wacky musical is centred around four unlikely strangers trapped in a gender-neutral public toilet. With an hour to kill before maintenance arrives, the strangers are forced to confront several tricky topics from gender identity, social media and even the climate crisis.
Santi & Naz
Award-winning company The Thelmas returns to the Fringe with their stunning show Santi & Nazi. Set in pre-partition India, the show explores queer love, identity and loyalty between a pair of best friends – one who is Muslim, one who is Sikh.
Chloe Petts: If You Can’t Say Anything Nice
After her smash hit debut at last year’s Fringe, we cannot wait to see what Chloe Petts does in her newest show. We’ve been told to expect comments on Greta Thunberg, the Queen and apparently, we’re going to be called a bunch of virgins (thanks Chloe!).
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