Rhapsodes to Return to Edinburgh Fringe This August

From members of the Olivier Award-winning international smash hit Showstopper!: The Improvised Musical who have pioneered improvised theatre in the UK, Rhapsodes returns to the Edinburgh Fringe from 3rd - 14th August.

Adam Meggido and Sean McCann bring their most challenging and impressive improv show yet - Shakespeare made up on the spot before your eyes - to Pleasance Cabaret Bar at 2:30pm.

In Ancient Greece, the 'Rhapsodes' would compete for the honour of prizes at the great artistic festivals in Athens. Almost three thousand years later, Adam and Sean honour that tradition and will attempt some of the hardest improv challenges on Earth - competing to create a fully-authentic Shakespearean masterpiece incorporating rap, poetry-slams, and any writer from the last 3,000 years, from Homer to Pinter, from Poe to Dr Seuss.

The wild literary and linguistic challenge of the show breaks new ground in audience-interactive improvisation - a challenge to involve the audience so they become the heart of the story, not just the starting point. This combination of impossible poetic stunts, moving storytelling and the stories from the audience creates a unique show every single day.

Award-winners Adam Meggido and Sean McCann have been Edinburgh regulars since Showstopper! first began playing in 2008. This two-man show pushes improvised theatre in new directions, in a wild journey through the history of literature, and the history of each separate audience.

Adam and Sean co-created the legendary School Of Night with the great theatre maverick Ken Campbell. They have improvised at Shakespeare's Globe, The RNT (Olivier), The Royal Court Theatre and for the BBC. They are world record holders in longform improv (55 hours in Toronto!). and have improvised all around the world including Canada, Norway, China, India, Austria, Italy, Germany, The Netherlands, Ireland, Belgium, Singapore, and Hamlet's very own Elsinore Castle in Denmark!

For more, visit www.extemporetheatre.com.

IF YOU GO:

Rhapsodes

Dates: 3rd - 14th August 2016

Venue: Pleasance Cabaret Bar, 60 Pleasance, Edinburgh, Midlothian EH8 9TJ

Time: 2:30pm

Price: £6 previews; £9 (£8) early week; £10.50 (£9.50) mid week; £11.50 (£10.50) weekends

Box office: www.pleasance.co.uk