Avalon Reveals Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2026 Theatre Line-Up

Avalon has announced their theatre line-up for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2026. The programme includes the highly anticipated return to the Fringe after seven years of performance artist Bryony Kimmings, presenting her critically acclaimed Bog Witch following a major London run and UK tour; Flo & Joan's smash-hit One Man Musical, back after award-winning sell-out runs in Edinburgh, Melbourne, and the West End; and the multi-award-winning new musical The Real Kyle McCarren by American creators Andy Roninson and Sean McVerry, making its festival and UK debut.

The Real Kyle McCarren is the fourth musical to be produced by Avalon, following Jerry Springer: The Opera - the first West End production to win all four UK Best New Musical awards- and Operation Mincemeat, the Olivier and Tony Award-winning musical, currently running simultaneously in New York, London and on the UK leg of its world tour.

Andy Roninson & Sean McVerry - The Real Kyle McCarren

New York City - Public Theater's Joe's Pub, 18th July & Edinburgh Festival Fringe - Pleasance Courtyard, 5th -30th August

Following the Rhinebeck Writers Retreat in 2024, where The Real Kyle McCarren went on to win the Triple R Award and a Pipeline Foundation Arts Grant, and was further developed at New York City's Public Theater (Joe's Pub) and Prospect Theater, Jonathan Larson Grant recipient Andy Roninson and international indie recording artist Sean McVerry (AURORA, Danger Mouse) debut their new musical at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Co-directed by multi-Emmy Award-winning and Tony Award-nominated Lonny Price (Sunset Boulevard, Sweeney Todd, Merrily We Roll Along) and Matt Cowart (Beaches, Sunset Boulevard, Walking with Ghosts), this true story of a Best Friend, bandmate, and enigma stars Roninson as himself, alongside McVerry and a company of NYC and Broadway actors and musicians to be announced, making their first ensemble appearance at Joe's Pub on 18th July ahead of its UK premiere.

Welcome to Upstate Wherever, USA. Way back in the year two-thousand-who-cares, Kyle and Andy were more than friends. More than brothers, dammit! They were bandmates! But the real Kyle McCarren was a complicated dude. Well, an asshole. Worst of all, he's dead - and he won't let Andy forget it. Sometimes the easiest way to tell people about a buddy of yours is to write a show. In this musical-meets-live concert séance that's equal parts Bo Burnham and Tick, Tick... Boom!, you're invited to meet the legend himself.

Bryony Kimmings - Bog Witch

Following a critically acclaimed hit London run and a 2026 OffWestEnd Award nomination for Innovation, playwright, performer, documentary-maker and screenwriter Bryony Kimmings (I'm a Phoenix, Bitch, Fake It Till You Make It, BBC One's The Rapture) returns to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe after seven years, to perform a month-long run at the Traverse Theatre as part of her biggest UK and Ireland tour to date.

As with all the legendary performance artist's previous autobiographical shows, Bog Witch follows a part of Kimmings' real-life story... Using her trademark mix of humour and heart, expect excellent storytelling, mystical projections, epic songs and banging sound, as Bryony charts her journey uprooting her and her son's life in the city to live in a tumbledown cottage in the wilderness as a last-ditch attempt to be happy and sane. This is the vital story not of dropping out... but of plugging back in, and one that changed absolutely everything for Kimmings. 

Flo & Joan - One Man Musical

After enjoying a triumphant debut at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2024 and going on to storm Melbourne Comedy Festival and London's Soho Theatre and Underbelly Boulevard, Flo & Joan's award-winning smash hit musical One Man Musical returns to the Edinburgh Fringe. Since the show began it went on to pick up multiple accolades including #1 Comedy Show of 2024 in The Guardian, Best Show of 2024 at the Chortle Awards, it was nominated for Most Outstanding Show at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2025 and for Best Composer, Lyricist or Book Writer at the Stage Debut Awards 2025. The show also recently won Best Production at the Offies 2026 where it was nominated for two further accolades. Watch as an icon of the musical theatre world finally turns the spotlight onto the one story he's yet to tell: his own.

During the last 36 years, Avalon have worked with more Edinburgh Comedy Award winners and nominees than any other company including: Chris Addison, Greg Davies, Dave Gorman, Frank Skinner, Mike Wozniak, Harry Hill, The Mighty Boosh, Al Murray, Russell Kane, Alex Horne, Roisin Conaty, Kristen Schaal & Kurt Braunohler, Garth Marenghi, Lucy Beaumont, John Kearns, Bilal Zafar, Glenn Moore, Ciarán Dowd, Sara Barron, Sophie Duker, Huge Davies, Lauren Pattison, Phil Ellis, Ania Magliano, Ahir Shah, 2024's Best Newcomer Joe Kent-Walters, 2025's Best Show nominees Katie Norris and Sam Jay, as well as three of only eight female winners of the prestigious Edinburgh Comedy Award; Jenny Eclair, Laura Solon and Rose Matafeo.

The Full Avalon Promoted Comedy Line-up For 2026:

Andrew Doherty - Reviewers Welcome...TO DIE!

Ania Magliano - Peach Fuzz

Cecily Hitchcock - Family Recipe

Crowd Work

Ed Gamble - Work in Progress

Emma Doran - Emmaculate

Frank Skinner - Work In Progress

Garrett Millerick - We Tried It Your Way

James Trickey - Split

Kate Dolan - Trout

Katie Norris - Mother Succubus

Matt Forde - Project Holy Moly

Matt Forde - Matt Forde's Political Party

MC Hammersmith - Ice Ice Nepo Baby

Mike Wozniak - The Bench

Phil Ellis - Bath Mat

Pierre Novellie - Okay, One More Then Bedtime

Pierre Novellie - Do the One About...

Rob Auton - JUPITER

Rory Cargill - On TV!

Russell Howard - Work in Progress

Andrew Doherty - Reviewers Welcome...TO DIE!

This year's Edinburgh Festival Fringe sees the return of rising star Andrew Doherty, following the release of his debut comedy drama on BBC Radio 4, The Real Housewives of The Wife House, featuring Ambika Mod. The star, creator and heartthrob known for his sell-out hits Gay Witch Sex Cult and Sad Gay AIDS Play will perform a brand new comedy-horror, a late-night-slasher-spooktacular called 'Reviewers Welcome...TO DIE!'. (Reviewers enter at your peril!) 

Ania Magliano - Peach Fuzz

Award winning comedian, Ania Magliano, brings her brand new stand-up hour 'Peach Fuzz' to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe for the full month run. Following starring in series 20 of Taskmaster (Channel 4), Ania is currently making waves as she stars in Saturday Night Live UK (Sky One) as co-host of the Weekend Update segment, which has been highly praised by critics as "a defining moment" (Metro). The show will see the Edinburgh Comedy Award nominated comedian once again deliver a stellar hour of stand-up with her signature laid-back story telling style and relatable humour, discussing all of her unhinged and hinged inner thoughts. The Fringe run comes as Ania tours across the UK and Ireland on her biggest tour to date, with multiple extra dates added to keep up with the extraordinary demand from audiences. 

Cecily Hitchcock - Family Recipe

Comedy siren Cecily Hitchcock is set to bring her highly-anticipated debut stand-up hour to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Through 'Family Recipe', Cecily takes you on a nostalgic dive into 2000s Britain, opening her book of disgusting yet comforting family recipes for the Fringe. Born into the wobbling promise of the new millennium, like a jelly at her family table, in a new-build town that seems to multiply overnight, young Cecily was raised by oddball parents and terrorised by an evil swan. Her child mind eschewed boys and dolls and instead fixated on Blair and Brown's Number 10 drama, which she imagined like a Greek tragedy. It's offbeat, it's high-energy, it's the 2008 crash. Dinner's ready kids, come to the table. Cecily is a favourite in comedy clubs around the UK, her unique mix of outlandish anecdotes and offbeat observations has earned her a devoted following both online and on stage. An accomplished live MC, her sketches and stand-up videos have amassed over 25 million views across social media, with features from Ladbible, The Sidemen and BrewDog. "Hot"( Katherine Ryan).

Crowd Work

Three Comics. One Crowd. Absolute Comedy Chaos. Following a string of sold-out London shows at Leicester Square Theatre, Crowd Work makes its highly anticipated Edinburgh Fringe debut this summer. This hour-long interactive show features comedy legend Frank Skinner and two other guest comics working as a team and flexing their comedy muscles by taking on whatever the audience throws at them each night. No two shows are ever the same! Lightly formatted with various rounds to provide an assortment of material for the comedians to play with, the comics celebrate the crowd's weird and wonderful stories, unpack their confessions, and tackle their dilemmas head on. At the end of each show, the comedians get to choose the ultimate crowd champion; winning a prize for bringing the best story, biggest laughs, and fully embracing the chaos of the night. Crowd Work is an exciting new stand-up show...Nothing is Prepared. Anything can happen. Previous Crowd workers include; Iain Stirling, Maisie Adam, Sara Pascoe, Jamali Maddix, Chloe Petts, Ahir Shah, Travis Jay, Emma Doran, Felicity Ward and Aurie Styla.

Ed Gamble - Work in Progress

Hot off his first ever international show, Ed Gamble Live, which saw him perform sold out performances across major European cities before heading to the USA and Canada, as well as his extended and biggest UK and Ireland tour to date, Hot Diggity Dog', which played venues nationwide before heading to Australia and New Zealand, Ed is returning to the Fringe with an hour long work in progress comedy show. Topics! Angles! Takes! All will doubtless feature. Come witness the sheer delight on his face as he nails a new routine / the crumbling realisation that a routine doesn't work. Either way, it will be an event...

Emma Doran - Emmaculate

Irish comedian, best-selling author, podcast host and online star Emma Doran (LOL: Last One Laughing Ireland) makes her Edinburgh Fringe debut with smash hit stand-up show Emmaculate. This rambunctious hour lays bare the many trials and tribulations of Emma's blended family, jam-packed with razor-sharp observations, riotous on-stage antics and conspiratorial gossipmongering. The month long Fringe run follows a triumphant UK and Ireland tour of the show, which has sold out an astonishing 80+ dates, with a second leg (including a date at the iconic London Palladium) just announced for Autumn 2026 up until Spring 2027. This past year has also seen Emma return for series 2 of Irish sketch show No Worries If Not! on RTÉ (which she wrote and starred in), appear on RTÉ's The Late Late Show alongside Miriam Margoyles and surpass over half a million followers across social channels and 2.5 million TikTok likes for her comedy sketches. Emma currently co-hosts the podcast Keep It Tight alongside fellow stand-up and LOL: Last One Laughing Ireland contestant Deirdre O'Kane. 

Frank Skinner - Work In Progress

When Frank Skinner puts together a new stand-up show, he does all his experimenting in half- hidden rooms above pubs. For the necessarily small audiences, it's a bit like watching Doctor Frankenstein building his monster, trying 6 or 7 tracheas before he gets the one that fits perfectly, and doing his best to make sure the stitches are neat and equidistant. Now Skinner brings his stand-up laboratory to Edinburgh. You too can witness his successes and failures, in this work-in-progress show, as a new monster is put together. 

Garrett Millerick - We Tried It Your Way

Creator of BBC Radio 4's hit sitcom, Do Gooders, award-winning comedian Garrett Millerick returns with a unique live comedy experiment... Garrett's built an AI of himself to see if it's better at comedy than him. Maybe he can finally retire? Join Garrett and Garrett for a blistering hour of the no-holds-barred iconoclastic stand up that has made him one of the stand out acts of his generation. Garrett recently performed stand-up on legendary US late night show Conan and has been consistently recommended as the top comedy shows to see at the Fringe. In 2024, Garrett embarked on his largest tour to date with his latest hour, Garrett Millerick Needs More Space, chosen as one of The Telegraph's best autumn tours. That same year Garrett created, wrote and starred in his first sitcom, Do Gooders, for BBC Radio 4 and Sounds, returning for a second series in September 2025. Set in the offices of a mid-level charity, the show has been shortlisted for two 2025 BBC Audio Drama Awards and named critic's choice in The Sunday Times, Radio Times, The Guardian, The Times, and Chortle. 

James Trickey - Split

Following last year's sold-out and critically acclaimed debut hour Don't Count on Me, James Trickey returns to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe with a vengeance - and a brand new hour - in an attempt to fill his boots with as much as you'll give him. James Trickey is an accountant by day, rising star of comedy by night, who according to The Guardian, "has certainly got it". Hailed as "absolutely one to watch" (Edinburgh Reviews). With a sharp mind and a distinct take on life, he crafts a blend of silly gags and physical comedy with clever and surprising routines. On-screen, he recently featured in an episode of Funny Parts (BBC). On stage, he has performed across the UK and at numerous festivals, garnering a Chortle Student Comedy Award nomination in 2018, followed by a Best New Show nomination at the Leicester Comedy Festival in 2024. 

Kate Dolan - Trout

Multi-award-winning comedian Kate Dolan is bringing her third consecutive show to this year's Fringe, with a brand-new hour of her rapid fire, high-energy and absurdist stand-up. Trout unspools the idea that in 2026 being a fish in the river might be nicer than a woman on land. One of the best-reviewed shows at the Fringe (British Comedy Guide), Kate's 2025 show, The Critic, saw her win the Melbourne International Comedy Festival 2025 Golden Gibbo Award for best independent local artist, making her the first Brit, and first non-Australian in over 20 years, to win the award. It subsequently transferred to the Fringe where she won The Skinny x Fest Bestie Awards 2025 Breakthrough Act. Kate's critically-acclaimed debut show, A Different Kind of Unhinged, cemented her reputation as a comedic force, and she won the Adelaide Fringe 2024 Emerging Artist Award. Kate is the creator and star of the brand-new improvised sketch show History Untold (Grouse House TV) and co-hosts the podcast Becoming Best Friends alongside fellow comedian Danielle Walker. 

Katie Norris - Mother Succubus

Katie Norris will return to the Fringe following her Edinburgh Comedy Award nomination for Best Show last year. In 'Mother Succubus', Katie will once again delight audiences with her signature style of chaotic comedy, delightfully silly songs and pitch perfect vocals. Boys of the manosphere: prepare to be spooked. Women with cats: your leader has returned. The stand-up, actress and singer is a previous winner of Best Show at the Leicester Comedy Festival Awards 2025 and a past winner of the Musical Comedy Awards 2023. Katie will appear in the Channel 4 sitcom Make That Movie and recently appeared on the Christmas special of 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown (Channel 4). She can be heard on BBC Radio 4's The Now Show, Newsjack and DMs are Open. 

Matt Forde - Project Holy Moly

Fresh from wrapping up his biggest tour yet with last year's acclaimed Edinburgh Festival Fringe show, and a second series of The Matt Forde Focus Group on BBC R4, leading political comedian and satirist Matt Forde (The Royal Variety Performance, Spitting Image, HIGNFY, British Scandal) embarks on a mission with impossible odds: find joy amid global political turmoil, the rising tide of populism, and his own ongoing health challenges - several years on from a bone cancer diagnosis. 

Matt Forde - Matt Forde's Political Party

Building on his acclaimed West End Political Party podcast residency, Matt Forde (Spitting Image, HIGNFY, British Scandal) returns to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe to record three live episodes, with guests to be announced. With over 11 million downloads, Matt Forde's Political Party has earned multiple nominations from the British Podcast Awards and Chortle Awards and is regularly highlighted as a top podcast pick in the press. Previous guests include: Keir Starmer, Nicola Sturgeon, Tony Blair, Kemi Badenoch, Jacob Rees-Mogg, Angela Rayner, Zack Polanksi, Michael Heseltine, Anthony Scaramucci, Alastair Campbell, Gordon Brown and Gary Neville. 

MC Hammersmith - Ice Ice Nepo Baby

Multi award-winning hip-hop comedian, social media sensation and Edinburgh Fringe favourite MC Hammersmith (posh west London's leading freestyle rapper with over half a billion views online) returns to the festival with a brand new show, Ice Ice Nepo Baby. When MC Hammersmith turned 18, his parents (MC Hammer and Vanilla Ice) revealed he was adopted (!). His two famous dads helped him ascend to the top of the rap game. He now embarks on a quest to find his biological family, the only way he knows how: by performing an hour of improvised hip hop comedy based on audience suggestions. As well as being the tour support for Jason Manford on his live arena tour, MC Hammersmith has performed alongside famous hip-hop and rap artists - most notably rapping for Dave in a viral "Guess The Musician" Beta Squad video, and being invited to freestyle at R.A. The Rugged Man's London live show. He is also a writer for acclaimed YouTube series Epic Rap Battles of History, and online he writes and performs scripted hip hop comedy tracks to his 1M+ social media followers. 

Mike Wozniak - The Bench

Legendary contestant on BAFTA and Rose D'Or winning Taskmaster, star of RTS Award winning Junior Taskmaster, and host of hit cult podcast Three Bean Salad, Mike Wozniak presents his brand-new stand-up show 'The Bench' at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe mid-way through a sell-out UK tour which was extended just two weeks after going on-sale to meet overwhelming demand for tickets. 'The Bench' sees brand-new material from the stand-up in which a story about a bench will be prominent. Previous experience of or strong opinions about benches not required. Let Mike worry about that. 

Phil Ellis - Bath Mat

After capturing the hearts of Taskmaster fans across the globe, multi award-winning comedian Phil Ellis returns to the Fringe with his hit stand-up show Bath Mat. This follows a hugely successful first leg of the tour, selling out an incredible 50+ shows across the UK. Expect laugh-out-loud silliness, well-crafted gags and a couple of surprises along the way. A celebrated live act, Phil is praised for his unique brand of chaotic comedy, electric energy and brilliant writing. Last year's Fringe saw Phil bring back his Edinburgh Comedy Award Panel Prize winning kids show, Funz & Gamez, and an hour of stand-up, receiving critical acclaim across the board for both shows plus 3 awards, The ISH Comedy Award for 'Best Show,' The List Festival Award for 'Best Kids Show' and The Malcolm Hardee Award for 'Act That Should Make a Million Quid'.

Pierre Novellie - Okay, One More Then Bedtime

Following his latest sell-out Fringe run and biggest tour to date, critically acclaimed comedian, podcaster and author of 'Why Can't I Just Enjoy Things? A Comedian's Guide to Autism', Pierre Novellie brings a brand new show, Okay, One More Then Bedtime, to this year's Fringe, one final time before bed. One of the UK's most acclaimed stand-ups, Pierre's 2025 show saw him make the list of 'Best Reviewed Shows of the Fringe' (British Comedy Guide) for a fourth year in a row. Earlier this year, Pierre's first BBC Radio 4 series - 'Why in the Name of Pierre Novellie' - aired to rave reviews and acclaim from fans, with a second series announced whilst the first was still airing. Pierre can also be heard as co-host of BudPod with fellow comedian Glenn Moore and co-host of the popular video game podcast Button Boys with Glenn Moore and Sarah Keyworth. His television and writing credits include Mock The Week (BBC), The Mash Report (BBC), Spitting Image (ITV / BritBox), Stand Up Central (Comedy Central), and World's Most Dangerous Roads (Dave).

Pierre Novellie - Do the One About...

This year's Edinburgh Festival Fringe goers will have the chance to see an hour of Pierre Novellie's best and finest bits from the last decade of his sell-out stand-up shows. In 'Do the One About...', Pierre will be delighting audiences with his signature style of masterful observational comedy that his seen him receive rave reviews and award wins over the years. 

Rob Auton - JUPITER

Multi award-winning comedian, writer, podcaster and actor Rob Auton (The Change, Marching Powder, Starstruck) is returning to Edinburgh Fringe Festival to perform a story he has written about him being an estate agent on the planet Jupiter. Following the success of his sold-out, month-long run last year with debut story CAN (named one of the Best Reviewed Edinburgh Fringe Shows per the British Comedy Guide - a nod he has received numerous times - and one of Rolling Stone's 10 stand-out shows of the Fringe), Rob is bringing his second hour long story to the Edinburgh Fringe. A two-time British Podcast Awards Gold winner, Rob is the creator of The Rob Auton Daily Podcast, with over 500 episodes and 2 million downloads to date. 

Rory Cargill - On TV!

Join TV legend Beau Creme (Rory Cargill) as he hosts a retrospective on British TV, it programmes and stars (also Rory Cargill), examining how the medium shaped 70 years of British society, as well as Beau's own storied career. Cargill, a comedy writer-performer, actor and filmmaker, creates character-driven comedy, film and live shows that often integrate technical wizardry, visual spectacle and intricate silly storytelling. His online sketches have amassed over 10M views online, including his 'Indie Boys' series (co-created with Pete Rugman & Dave Durkan) with collaborations from US comedian Kyle Gordon, and musicians Kate Nash and The Hoosiers. He has also appeared in an online comedy short with musician Joy Crookes. Described as "the British Chris Lilley", he has a knack for spoof, parody and versatility with characters. Creator of the live night 'Something or Other' and the short film 'The Astonishing Adventures of Alfred' which screened at the BAFTA qualifying Aesthetica Short Film Festival had its US premiere at the LA Comedy Festival. The film was shortlisted for the British Comedy Guide Production Award. 

Russell Howard - Work in Progress

Howard performs 8 intimate work-in-progress shows.

Get Broadway News on WhatsApp

Receive the latest updates, breaking news, and exclusive coverage from Broadway directly in WhatsApp.