TheSpaceUK Edinburgh Festival Fringe Season Launch

Disappear down the rabbit hole and discover a wonderland of shows in theSpaceUK's 2018 Edinburgh Festival Fringe season. Exciting new productions from emerging talent, hidden gems to unearth, new-writing delights to discover and Fringe favourites that are sure to please, theSpaceUK really is a venue like no other.
- Herald Angel & Broadway Baby Award winners Misha's Gang return
- 8 Venues, 18 theatre spaces and over 400 shows
- Broadway Baby Bobby Award Winner Italia Conti returns to the Fringe
- Jokes aplenty at the Amused Moose Comedy Grand Finals
- The largest line-up of Scottish companies at the Fringe

Award Winners Return
SHOWS THAT ARE SURE TO SELL OUT
Winner of the 2017 Broadway Baby Bobby Award for The Laramie Project, Italia Conti return to the Fringe with Laura Wade's adaptation of the groundbreaking Sarah Waters' novel, Tipping the Velvet. 2017 Herald Angel Award winners, Misha's Gang are also back with a completely unmissable new set of vibrant music in Misha's Gang alongside an exhilarating and light-hearted take on some of the great composers in Misha's Gang: Overdrive.

Scottish singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and ThreeWeeks Editor's Award winner, Elsa Jean McTaggert, is back with three shows, Hebridean Fire, Sing, Strings and New Things and Eva Cassidy: The Story. Fringe First winners, Mulberry Theatre Company present a group of East London women rehearsing one of Shakespeare's most lauded plays in Cry God for Harry, England and St George!

Scottish Shows a-Plenty
SHOWS FROM JUST AROUND THE CORNER
This season there are shows from around the world... and around the corner. With the largest line-up of Scottish based companies at the Fringe, theSpaceUK is once again reaching out and supporting Scottish talent.

Adapted from the novel by Michael Russell (currently Scottish Minister for European negotiations) The Next Big Thing from Best of Productions asks what local communities can do as big business moves in? One of Scotland's finest comedy performers returns to Edinburgh with Eric Davidson - Words of a Blether whilst Scottish artists Elsa Jean McTaggart and legendary Edinburgh-based band The Blueswater are back with several shows a-piece.

There's plenty of improv delights from the five-time Fringe sell-out company, To Be Continued..., with Absolute Improv whilst Bark and B combines improv with puppetry. Students from Acting Coach Scotland perform two plays: I, Sniper and The EU Inspector. Lost Seasons by Scottish violinist Ian Peaston takes Vivaldi's Four Seasons to innovative new heights. Logan's Close are an Edinburgh based four-piece band whose last song, Girl, was awarded signal of the week by BBC Radio Scotland and Scotland's premier all-male a cappella group are back with The Other Guys: Reigning Men.

Now that's what I Call Music
FIVE STAR SHOWS, WITH A DASH OF SOMETHING NEW
Sensational stories from singers and songs presented by Night Owl Shows, who return with audience favourites The Carole King Story & The Dolly Parton Story as part of their 6 show season, which also includes 007 Voices of Bond. Going one further are legendary Fringe band, The Blueswater, who are defending their crown of the hardest working band at the Fringe with 10 unique blues shows, including their multi-sellout show, Blues!

National phenomenon Rock Choir Live, the UK's largest contemporary choir, return with an explosive repertoire of pop & chart songs whilst there's more live vocal virtuosi from international A cappella sensations Semi-Toned returning with their new show, Sidetracked alongside The Bluebelles Present: Girl Put Your Records On. After five-star success for the last two years, American Performing Arts International return with 8 shows including Best of the West End, Best of Broadway & Best of Movie Musicals.

Kings of Comedy
AMUSED MOOSE, SAD CLOWNS & MENOPAUSAL MAIDS
The Whole of William Shakespeare is brought to life as never before by the pantomime and clownery from the Comedy Club St Petersburg. There's more shenanigans from David William Hughes in his one-man musical comedy, Elizabethan, featuring genuine Elizabethan songs. Following a UK tour, Benjamin Alborough returns to Edinburgh with a critical smash-hit, Cream Tea and Incest. After last year's sold-out show Where Ye Fae, Glaswegians the Weegies are back with Is That Right Aye? Subtitles may or may not be provided.

Each night is a different show with improv masters The Watch This Improv Troup in Improvabunga! and Improv Mania from the American High School Theatre Festival. Tomorrow's comedy stars showcase their Fringe shows as theSpaceUK once again hosts the Amused Moose Comedy Award Finals. Who will raise the shiny moose trophy aloft?

Life is a Cabaret
SAUCY, SEXY, SCANDELOUS
Excitement! Drama! Romance! And... knitting! Stitch in Time: A Knitting Cabaret takes you back to the toe-tapping tunes of WWI and WWII. It's the roaring twenties and a gin-soaked blues, barbershop and Broadway for Two Dames, a Piano and a Whole Lot of Giggle Water. From the USA, the infamous Gravel Road Show premieres The Cult of Womanhood, whilst from the other side of the world are The Girls From Oz with Because, Because, Because, Because, Because.... A unique three-part harmony spin on Aussie songs.

The Fabulous TT will captivate you with true encounters with David Gest, Michael Jackson and becoming the next Bond Girl. Simon David and Fringe First winner Chris Larner, exploit heartbreak through original pop songs in Virgin.

Hidden Gems to Unearth
DISCOVER SOMETHING SPECIAL THIS FRINGE
Award-winners the Owle Scheame return with the rough, wild and raucous A Midsummer Night's Droll originally adapted for illegal performance whilst theatre was outlawed - this is the first production in 350 years. Lillie Langtry, the most captivating and wicked woman of her time, has a scandalous secret in Lemon Squeeze Productions new show, The Amours of Lillie Langtry. Exploring forgotten female figures through new-writing, Not Cricket Productions are back at the Fringe with an uplifting new musical A Gallant Life.

There's a gripping new thriller from Fear No Colours with Tonight with Donny Stixx. Scottish based Fearless Players bring Armour: A Herstory of the Scottish Bard using the music of Robert Burns, giving a voice to the women behind the bard. One of the UK's leading Youth Theatre Groups, Hungry Wolf VYT present Goodbye Rosetta and you can't go wrong with a Sherlock show for all the family as Quids in Theatre Company present Sherlock Holmes and the Conundrum of Conan Doyle.

Discover your Inner Child
NOT JUST FOR KIDS
STV's 'Big Hit' last year, Clowntown: I Can Do Anything, the funtastic Show by Sphere Clown Band returns to the Fringe. The Russian String Orchestra provide class, culture and comedy in their interactive musical journey with Misha's Gang Presents: Strings for Kids. More magic, more fun and more kiddy kicking madness from The New I Hate Children Children's Show. Award-winning ETC bring Roald Dahl's classic The Twits to life in a dastardly new show. Time Out NY Critic's Pick, Villain: DeBlanks is an improvisation whodunnit, just for kids.

Charles Pamment, Director of theSpaceUK said 'In its 71st year the modern fringe is forever changing. Few, if any venues still represent the very ethos of why this fabulous event was founded all those years ago - as a place where anyone & everyone could present their art. Here at theSpaceUK we very much offer just that - a venue that takes all, the true spirit of the fringe. Twinned with the largest new-writing programme in Edinburgh it goes without saying that our 2018 programme is a wonderland that, in the true spirit of the festival, holds something for everyone'.