Carmen Collective to Premiere GAMEPLAY at Edinburgh Fringe
The upcoming musical GAMEPLAY! has released its first teaser trailer and production images, offering an early look at the new show ahead of its opening.
Carmen Collective, in association with Pleasance and Camden People's Theatre, will present the world premiere of GAMEPLAY: an audio-described myth for the end times, possibly featuring Daily Mail theatre critic Quentin Letts at the 2026 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Running August 5-31 (excluding August 17) at Pleasance Dome, the production is the latest work from theatre-maker Sam Rees and sound artist AJ Turner, following the success of Lessons on Revolution, which previously enjoyed sold-out runs at Soho Theatre, Summerhall, Jermyn Street Theatre, and the Barbican Centre.
Part performance experiment, part cultural hallucination, and part apocalyptic fable, GAMEPLAY moves across centuries—from ancient mythology to contemporary media panic and speculative futures—examining how people continue to perform versions of themselves while living through an era of constant crisis.
The production combines immersive sound design, fractured storytelling, integrated audio description, and Carmen Collective's signature blend of political provocation, theatrical experimentation, and humor.
Writer and performer Sam Rees said, "Last year, Keir Starmer said the UK was on a war footing. GAMEPLAY comes out of that atmosphere, the creeping sense that Something Terrible Is About To Happen. It's a show about Vasili Arkhipov, the Soviet naval officer who could have blown up the world and chose not to, but it's also a show about what going to the theatre means in 2026: how we think, listen and make meaning together in a moment of permacrisis.
"Through intense collaboration with Part of the Main and Roz Chalmers, audio description has been integrated into the very DNA of the piece itself, creating a work that refuses to privilege sight over the other senses. We are incredibly excited to debut this bold and intense new piece at Edinburgh in association with Pleasance and Camden People's Theatre."
GAMEPLAY was originally developed through Camden People's Theatre's Starting Blocks artist development program. Carmen Collective returns to Edinburgh after Lessons on Revolution was named one of The Scotsman's Best Shows of the 2024 Edinburgh Fringe.
Cast and Creative Team
The creative team includes Sam Rees (writer and performer), AJ Turner (sound designer and performer), Ella Dale (creative producer), Rio Matchett (dramaturg), Sam Brewer (access consultant), Euan Jackson (lighting designer), and Part of the Main and Roz Chalmers (audio description consultants).
Performance Information
GAMEPLAY runs August 5-31, excluding August 17, at 2:40 p.m. in Pleasance Dome, 10 Dome.
The production is recommended for audiences ages 12 and up.
Content warnings include strong language and discussions of war, nuclear weapons, bombs, terrorism, death, and depression.
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