SHEDINBURGH To Return to Edinburgh Fringe Festival

Francesca Moody Productions has announced that Shedinburgh will return to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe from August 7-30, 2026, before making its London debut with a season at the Young Vic Theatre (Maria Studio) from September 19 – October 10, 2026. Full program details will be announced and tickets on sale in May 2026 with four key artists included within the Young Vic’s season announcement later this week.

Shedinburgh will then relocate to the Young Vic this September, transforming the Maria Studio as part of a three week residency. London’s season will showcase over 40 shows from its Edinburgh programme. This marks a major milestone in Shedinburgh’s evolution as a leading destination for bold, cross-genre performance outside of the Edinburgh Fringe.

The 2026 programme across both Edinburgh and London will cement Shedinburgh a hub for curation, through takeovers from leading UK arts organisations. Fringe stalwart Forest Fringe returns to Edinburgh for the first time in 10 years with a specially curated two-day programme of new,  experimental theatre and live art. The takeover will feature new faces and fan favourites from across their 10 years as a legendary free venue. Alongside this, Birmingham Hippodrome’s New Musical Theatre department – a vital pipeline for musical talent development – will present a two-day programme celebrating the best of musical theatre, fresh off the success of their critically acclaimed premiere Hot Mess at the 2025 Fringe.

Shedinburgh continues its commitment to platforming new writing through Shed Originals, its script development programme, delivered in partnership for the first time this year with four leading theatres: Abbey Theatre (Dublin, Ireland),Theatr Clwyd (Flintshire, Wales), Lowry (Salford, England), and Traverse Theatre (Edinburgh, Scotland). Together, they will support mid-career artists with paid development time and creative collaboration, culminating in work-in-progress sharings in both Edinburgh and London, strengthening pathways between new voices and industry audiences across the UK and Ireland.

More About Shedinburgh

Since its inception as a digital response to the cancellation of the Fringe, Shedinburgh has rapidly grown from live streamed performances at the Traverse Theatre and Soho Theatre in 2020 and 2021, to a live venue, presenting 36 performances to packed houses in 2025. Across its journey, it has showcased work by artists including Richard Gadd. Steve Coogan, Harry Hill, Tobias Menzies, Jack Rooke, Mark Watson, Sophie Duker, Maimuna Memon, Tim Crouch and Deborah Frances-White, alongside industry talks, podcasts and new writing initiatives.

At the heart of this growth is a commitment to directly supporting artists. In 2025, Shedinburgh provided £15,000 of funding through the Shedload of Future Fund. Returning in 2026, the fund has expanded to offer five £5,000 bursaries (increased from three in 2025), supporting artists with costs including travel, marketing, accommodation, set, and creative development time. The 2026 recipients will be announced in due course.

The full Shedinburgh 2026 programme will be announced in May, with tickets going on sale the same month.

Alongside Shedinburgh, FMP will also present cult favourite Garry Starr: Classic Penguins at the Pleasance Grand and a brand new horror comedy The Scaring, from Edinburgh Comedy Award Nominees Crybabies as part of the company's Edinburgh Festival Fringe Season 2026. Both shows will run 5th - 30th August. 

Francesca Moody said: “I'm thrilled that Shedinburgh will be returning to Edinburgh this summer, before heading to the Young Vic for its inaugural London residency. At a time when many feel we are in a crisis of new writing, Shedinburgh is creating pathways and space for artists to take risks in a supported environment. Work at this scale is the foundation of the cultural sector, without it we wouldn't have Fleabag, Baby Reindeer, Mischief Theatre or Six, to name a few, so I'm delighted we're able to continue to champion it. With dwindling arts funding and London venues under more pressure than ever, Shedinburgh at the Young Vic is a chance to bring the best of the fringe back to the city and a statement of intent that small-scale work deserves a stage outside of Edinburgh.”

The Young Vic Theatre’s Artistic Director and CEO Nadia Fall said: "The wooden Tardis of the Shedinburgh will be landing at the Young Vic this September and we couldn’t be more excited to have the best of the fringe festival in London town. Perfect for those who can’t make it up to Edinburgh this summer or those that are simply diehard fringe fans and want to keep the festival vibes going into the autumn!" 

Andy Field of Forest Fringe said: “When Shedinburgh invited us to work with them as guest curators this year we leapt at the chance, especially when we discovered that the venue that would be hosting us would be our original and oldest home in Edinburgh, where Deborah founded Forest Fringe with the support of the Forest Cafe nearly 20 years ago. A lot has happened in the 10 years since we were at the festival but the need for spaces in which to take genuine artistic risks is greater than it ever was. We are thrilled to be returning briefly to the scene of all our biggest crimes.”

Photo Credit: Mathushaa Sagthidas

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