EDINBURGH 2026: Pick of the Programme - Theatre
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe runs from 7-31 August 2026
With over 3000 shows now on sale for the 2026 Edinburgh Festival Fringe, trying to narrow down what to see can be a bit of a task. BWW Scotland editor Natalie O'Donoghue has selected her top ten picks across different categories in the festival programme to highlight the theatre you really don't want to miss this year!
The Singer is a bold, new, thrilling piece of gig-theatre about Joe, a deaf artist who “sings” with his hands, and Andy, a washed-up musician hungry for a comeback. From Dundee Rep and Solar Bear, written and directed by Cora Bissett and with music from KT Tunstall this creative combo puts The Singer straight to the top of the recommended list!
Another one with a killer Scottish creative team, Prophets is written by Jack MacGregor and directed by Fraser Scott and it is the winner of the 2026 ART Award. Prophets examines the intersection between faith and cult, an exploration of violent belief at the edge of the world.
Eilidh Loan's debut play Moorcroft shot straight into my list of top 10 plays of all time so I couldn't be more excited to see her second piece, Cathy. With an incredible cast featuring Elaine C Smith, Alan Orr and Sally Reid, it is inspired by Loan's grandmother after the loss of her husband.
The Second Best School Shooting
A show that initially caught my eye as Matthew Lillard is listed as part of the creative team but the show blurb continued to hold my attention. Two best friends struggle to cope with a school shooting that happens on the same day as a much larger, headline grabbing school shooting. A dark comedy about America's traumatised youth written by a former US public school teacher.
For Dolores is set in Glasgow a couple of years after Mo and Réaltín partied their way through their Edinburgh student days. Written by Eva O'Connor, presented by Fishamble in association with Belltable, GIAF and Traverse, For Dolores stars Catriona Faint (Lost Girls at Bus Stops, Enough of Him) and Lara McDonnell (Matilda, Greatest Days) it's another play with a really promising creative team and cast.
Another one with a starry creative team, this production of Samuel Beckett's 50 minute masterpiece features David Westhead and marks Stockard Channing's directorial debut. Channing will be joining Westhead onstage for select Q&A sessions post performance and the real life best friends are donating proceeds to The Wembley to Soweto Foundation.
BearGirl is the runner up for the 2026 ART Award and its about a woman who finds the only way to cope with her grief is to don a bear suit. A new play about making peace with the beast within, written after The Bear by Anton Chekhov (1888).
From acclaimed Worklight Theatre, Forget About Me falls under the horror/magic genre. In a remote, north-east village, something lurks in the bathroom: something Dylan struggles to remember, which even his dad's deadly DIY skills can't fix... Designer-performer Dylan Howells weaves psychological illusions and fragmented memories into a magical, chilling tale of a home that won't stay still. Part magic show, part ghost story, this isn't your typical conjuring act: mind-bending mentalism and spine-tingling effects blur the line between reality and fiction.
After catching an early version of Craig Manson's Bunny! at Outside Eyes at the Tron, I've been desperate to see more. Bunny is an aspiring theatre starlet who grows increasingly frustrated at the lack of opportunity in the industry. Oh, and she's also a serial killer.
Fraser Scott's gorgeous play about imperfect Scots comes to the Fringe after a hugely successful Scottish tour. Bonnie and her grandfather have always been obsessed with words but not everyone is as keen on the way they speak. Heartbreaking and touching with a whirlwind performance, Common Tongue is definitely not to be missed. (5 stars, BroadwayWorld)
The full programme is now online at www.edfringe.com
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