Lowry x Edinburgh season
LOWRY TO PRESENT CURATED PROGRAMME SHOWCASING ENGLAND-BASED ARTISTS AT EDINBURGH FESTIVAL FRINGE
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.
During the Fringe, the British Council will be bringing leading theatre and dance programmers from around the world to Edinburgh to foster new touring and international partnership opportunities.
Lowry will be promoting its programme of artists and shows to the Council and its delegates, with the aim of encouraging engagement and creating 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.
Matt Eames, Director of Theatre & Performance at Lowry “It is an incredibly difficult environment for artists and producers in England wishing to engage with theatres and festivals internationally. In that context we are delighted to share such a fantastic programme – that fully reflects the breadth of our programme at Lowry – with delegates from across the world. We are hugely grateful to the British Council for their support.”
Rebecca Gould, Senior Relationship Manager, Theatre and Dance, at the British Council said: “We’re delighted to see Lowry supporting some of England’s most interesting artists at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The Edinburgh festivals are an amazing opportunity for UK and international audiences to experience a vast range of performance. The British Council will be working on initiatives such as the International Performing Arts Delegation and Momentum, which bring arts professionals from a wide range of countries around the world and uses the Edinburgh festivals as an opportunity to connect international arts professionals with the UK sector. We’ll be sharing the Lowry programme with our delegates, and we hope they will build connections with artists and organisations featured in the programme, alongside the many other inspirational platforms and events taking place in Edinburgh this year.”
Highlights of the Lowry x Edinburgh season include:
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. Assembly Checkpoint - Shedinburgh
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. Summerhall - Sauna 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. Pleasance at EICC - Pentland Theatre
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. Assembly Rooms - Front Room
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... two-time 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. ZOO Southside - Main House
Tamsin Shasha: Forgive Me 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. Summerhall - TechCube 0
Commissioned by Soho Theatre and Lowry, Horrible Things sees acclaimed clown Frankie Thompson collect 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. Pleasance Courtyard - Beside
Sheep Soup: House of Life 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. Underbelly, George Square - Udderbelly
Aarian Mehrabani: How’s Your Head? 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. With support from Lowry’s Developed With programme How’s Your Head? is the highly anticipated debut stand-up show from the multi award-winning writer of the smash hit play It’s a MotherF**king Pleasure. Join Aarian to explore his relationship with his Persian identity, his time in hospital battling an aggressive brain tumour, and his obsession with 2019 Netflix spectacular The Crown. Directed by Dec Munro. Underbelly, George Square - Bluebell
Award-winning company Kook Ensemble presents SAND. Set against the dramatic backdrop of Devon’s coastline, SAND follows Dylan and Heather as they navigate the complexities of living with dementia. Together, they uncover profound truths about love, memory and resilience, while coastal erosion symbolises life’s inevitable changes. 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. Summerhall - Main Hall
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. Underbelly's Circus Hub on the Meadow - The Lafayette
Woodhill is the powerful documentary theatre and dance production from Lowry partner company LUNG. 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. Originally developed with The North Wall, the show premiered at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2023 to critical acclaim and winning multiple awards. LUNG's ongoing campaign work alongside the Woodhill Families directly inspired the decision to bring the show back on tour in response to the prison's continued decline, with both calling for systemic change through the Woodhill Commitments, which prioritise suicide prevention. ZOO Southside – Main House
Additionally, Lowry is partnering with Francesca Moody Productions on Shedinburgh, the venue and producing initiative, in Edinburgh this year. Lowry is the English partner on Shed Originals, a script development programme platforming the best new writing. Through the partnership, Lowry is producing two new productions: We Have Been Here For… by Ella Langley, directed by Georgia Murphy, and The Gap, a new North East folk musical by Victoria Gimby, Maria Crocker and Stuart Price.
To find out more about the Lowry x Edinburgh season visit https://www.thelowry.com/lowry-x-edinburgh-season
Lowry is supported by Arts Council England and Salford City Council