"Rob Madge's autobiographical solo show My Son's a Queer (But What Can You Do?) is a coming-of-age story that celebrates Madge's experience of growing up queer in a supportive family. It was first performed at the Turbine Theatre, London, on 17 June 2021. The play begins with Madge announcing that they are putting on a show 'about my childhood'. When Rob was twelve, they attempted a full-blown Disney parade in their house for their grandma, Granny Grimble. As Rob donned wigs and played Mary Poppins, Ariel, Mickey Mouse and Belle, their Dad doubled as Stage Manager, Sound Technician and Goofy. Unfortunately, Dad missed all his cues and pushed all the floats in the wrong direction, Mum mistook Aladdin for Ursula, the costumes went awry, and Ariel's bubble gun didn't work properly. Grandma had a nice time, though. Now, Madge is recreating that parade, with the help of actual video footage from the family archive. The premiere production was directed by Luke Sheppard and designed by Ryan Dawson Laight, with music by Pippa Cleary. It was performed by Rob Madge"--About the play

A magical and deeply human play.

In August 1947, an émigré Austrian opera impresario launched the Edinburgh International Festival of Music and Drama to heal the scars of the Second World War through a celebration of the arts. At the same time, a socialist theatre group from Glasgow and other amateur companies protested their exclusion from the festival by performing anyway, inventing the concept of 'fringe' theatre. Now the annual celebration known collectively as the Edinburgh Festival is the largest arts festival in the world, incorporating events dedicated to theatre, film, art, literature, comedy, dance, jazz and even military pageantry. It has launched careers – from Peter Cook and Dudley Moore in Beyond the Fringe to Phoebe Waller-Bridge with Fleabag – mirrored the political and social mood of its times, shaped the city of Edinburgh around it and welcomed a huge all-star cast, including Orson Welles, Grace Kelly, Yehudi Menuhin and Mark E Smith's The Fall and many many more. This is its story.

'Ah! The Fringe! I can't think of a more delightful way of putting my liver, bank account, relationship, complexion, and mental stability under the greatest strain they've ever known!' Mel Giedroyc It is the world's largest arts festival, attracting everyone from student first-timers to Hollywood stars. Thrilling, inspiring and bewildering in equal measure, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe can make you a star or break your bank. So what is the secret of making it work for you? The Edinburgh Fringe Survival Guide draws on the experiences of the festival's leading figures - their disasters as well as their triumphs - to take you step by step through the process of making your show a success in the Scottish capital. From choosing a venue to keeping on top of the budget, from sorting out accommodation to securing the best press coverage, from generating word of mouth to making the most of a hit, this unique practical guide for performers, directors and producers helps you get your show the audience it deserves. Among those sharing their expert advice are playwright Simon Stephens, comedian Phil Nichol, actor Siobhan Redmond, producer Guy Masterson, Tiger Lillies front manMartyn Jacques, theatre critic Lyn Gardner, Foster's Edinburgh Comedy Award director Nica Burns, as well as the directors of all the major Fringe venues, top press officers, international promoters and insiders from the Fringe Society itself. The foreword is written by playwright Mark Ravenhill.

Abstract: The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is the world's largest arts festival. Its success has inspired imitation and so fringe theatre festivals have proliferated around the world. This dissertation is not a history of the Fringe, but an examination of those structures of the Edinburgh Fringe which have allowed it to continue to grow and succeed. To understand how the Edinburgh Fringe works one must understand that no performer is invited, those performers who come to Edinburgh are not given any financial assistance by the Fringe and the productions are housed in temporary performance spaces. There is no central governing body at the Edinburgh Fringe. The Fringe Society coordinates rather than coerces by providing needed services to performers and venue managers. The importance of these basic structures is often neglected. Both in Edinburgh and beyond three myths exercise as much influence as an understanding of these structures. The term "myth" is used to describe three ideas which are not factually correct, but which serve a useful purpose in promoting fringe theatre in both Edinburgh and beyond. The most important of these myths holds that the Edinburgh Fringe is dominated by new and edgy work. This last myth is so foundational it has come to be incorporated in the very definition of fringe theatre. Each of these myths has had an impact on non Edinburgh Regional Fringes, few of which closely imitate the structure of the Edinburgh Fringe. The most misunderstood and arguably the most important of the structures which have ensured the Edinburgh Fringe's continued successes are the entrepreneurial venues administered by independent venue managers. This dissertation scrutinizes the antipathy some at Edinburgh have for the entrepreneurial venues. It then investigates in some detail the risks and labors undertaken by managers of venues large and small to demonstrate how these venues operate and why the managers take on such a demanding task.

This book explores the 'culture wars' of 1945-1970 and is the first major study of the origins and development of this leading annual arts extravaganza.