Lowry x Edinburgh
For the first time, Lowry is to present a curated programme of world-class theatre, dance, comedy and circus by England-based artists at this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe running from 07 to 31 August 2026. In collaboration with the British Council, the programme will connect artists directly with the Edinburgh International Performing Arts Delegation, which brings together leading theatre and dance programmers from around the world to foster new touring and international partnership opportunities.
This landmark programme reflects Lowry’s ongoing commitment to supporting artists and companies at every stage of their careers, and its leadership in presenting and commissioning bold, ambitious work. Rooted in excellence and shaped by the communities it serves, the programme champions distinctive voices and positions England-based artists on an international stage.
Lowry x Edinburgh Season
Inua Ellams: An Evening With An Immigrant
Assembly Checkpoint - Shedinburgh
Inua Ellams and Fuel present An Evening With An Immigrant an autobiographical one-man show by award-winning poet and playwright Inua Ellams. Born to a Muslim father and a Christian mother in what is now considered to be Boko Haram territory, Ellams left Nigeria for England in 1996 aged 12.
Through poems, stories and anecdotes, he recounts his poignant, humorous journey from escaping fundamentalism and finding friendship in Dublin to performing at the National Theatre and sharing wine with the Queen, all while searching for a place to call home. Written and performed by Inua Ellams
Nick Cassenbaum: Bubble Schmeisis Remixed
Summerhall - Sauna Theatre
Bubble Schmeisis Remixed by Fringe first winning Nick Cassenbaum's sell-out Fringe and international hit returns to Summerhall after 10 years... but this time in an actual sauna! A new promenade version conjures the warmth of Canning Town Schvitz in the UK's first purpose-built theatre sauna as Nick takes you on a journey to find the place he belongs.
Amidst the steam, live klezmer and ritual, will he find what he is looking for? Bubble Schmeisis is full of intimate and personal true stories about identity, home and getting schmeised (washed) by old men.
Ockham's Razor: Collaborator
Pleasance at EICC - Pentland Theatre
Returning to the Edinburgh Fringe, Lowry Partner Company Ockham’s Razor presents Collaborator, an intimate and deeply personal circus-theatre duet created and performed by Artistic Directors Alex Harvey and Charlotte Mooney. For 22 years they have been making circus together: lifting, catching and carrying; stepping on and around each other.
They have been dropped and have picked each other up. Featuring two performers, a suspended frame and a stage, Collaborator is an irreverent, highly physical and heartfelt dive into the negotiation involved in making something: a decision, a work of art, a life.
Cricket and the Freebugs
Assembly Rooms - Front Room
Cricket and the Freebugs It's 1972 and one bug band is about to change music forever. These five funky bug musicians are coming to you live with the true story of the greatest band you've never heard of. As featured on BBC's The One Show, this Pixar-style musical comedy invites everybuggy into a world of 70s talking insects.
Tune in your antennae as five bug actor-musicians tell the tale of a cricket with nothing but a trumpet and a dream of hitting the bug-time. Funk, soul and heart for old bugs and kids alike.
Sh!t Theatre: Evita TOO
ZOO Southside - Main House
Sh!t Theatre: Evita TOO The greatest story never told of the first ever female president of a country in the history of the world... whose name is... um... er... 2 x Fringe First winners Sh!t Theatre travel across Argentina and Spain chasing the story of the record-breaking president, endeavouring to write a musical to match Tim and Andrew's. Truth! Justice! Songs! Wizards! And, if you insist, naked roller-skating. Produced by Judith Dimant Productions.
Tamsin Shasha: Forgive Me
Summerhall - TechCube
When a hyperactive mother (ADHD) and a gaming-obsessed son (Autism Spectrum Condition) meet head on, there's a collision worthy of any blockbuster movie. An intimate dive into intergenerational neurodiversity. Fringe First Award winners (Everything I See I Swallow, 2019) bring you Forgive Me – an innovative, highly personal solo show that fuses skilled pole performance, video projection and song..and a splash of gaming.
Frankie Thompson: Horrible Things
Pleasance Courtyard - Beside
"Wonderfully, confoundingly funny" - Guardian
Frankie Thompson collects horrible things. Things from down the back of the sofa and floating in her soup, things from the bins of people in power. From x-raying your mum's daydreams and interviewing the walls of your dad's shed (you don't want to know), to things your uncle uploaded on YouTube in 2008 (you really don't want to know). If you laugh it's comedy, if you don't it's performance art.
Sheep Soup: House of Life
Underbelly, George Square - Udderbelly
House of Life is back. One part sermon. One part purge. Three parts party. 'The show that turns strangers into friends' (Lyn Gardner) is ready to cure your existential dread with a glittering blast of collective joy. This five-star, feel-good sensation is the most fun you'll ever have in a theatre.
Led by the glitter-clad, beat-dropping RaveRend, this genre-defying night of music, movement and communal healing has been scientifically proven to make you feel 100% never sad again.
Aarian Mehrabani: How's Your Head?
Underbelly, George Square - Bluebell
Aarian is a triple threat. Brown, blind and bi. Arguably already too many things to talk about in a debut stand-up hour. Then 2024 came, and he only had to go and get f**king brain cancer. The highly anticipated debut stand-up show from the multi award-winning writer of the 2023 Fringe hit It’s a Motherf**king Pleasure.
Kook Ensemble: SAND
Summerhall - Main Hall
Set against the dramatic backdrop of Devon’s coastline, SAND follows Dylan and Heather as they navigate the complexities of living with dementia. Created by the acclaimed Kook Ensemble, Sand is a non-verbal circus theatre show that blends acrobatic skill with meticulously crafted storytelling. Through visually striking, emotionally resonant performances, the company brings the experiences of people living with dementia to life, offering audiences a deeply moving experience. A must watch!
The Revel Puck Circus: The Wing Shuffle Spectacular
Underbelly's Circus Hub on the Meadow - The Lafayette
The Revel Puck Circus: The Wing Shuffle Spectacular From balancing atop the giant wheel of death to diving 15ft with flair, to somersaulting out of the path of a swinging chainsaw, every moment teeters between comedy and danger.
This unmissable show is a must-see for thrill-seekers of all ages, featuring high-octane acrobatics, dizzying aerial feats and side-splitting physical comedy. Step into the mischievous world of East London’s brightest circus talent, where chaos reigns, laughs are guaranteed and thrills come in spectacular, heart-stopping doses.
LUNG: Woodhill
ZOO Southside - Main House
I dance in the horror of grief. Three men at Woodhill prison are dead. Their families demand answers. This is a call to arms about the crisis facing prisons. Gut-punching choreography and unflinching beats shine a light on the hidden story of HMP Woodhill. Lyrically told in their own words, three families investigate what happened to their boys. What they discover is so haunting, it turns their world upside down. Pushing the form of documentary theatre and dance, Woodhill is an explosive true story by multi-award winning LUNG and originally developed with The North Wall.