The Rachel Baptiste Programme is a script development initiative supporting Black Irish theatre makers and writers.This First Look event offers audiences an early encounter with new work in progress, featuring readings of excerpts by M. M. Coelho, Marcello Fidelis, Dafe Pessu Orugbo and Tierra Porter, alongside a panel discussion with the artists exploring the ideas, process and possibilities shaping these emerging plays. A Reason to Get Up in the Morning written by M. M. Coelho americaNO written by Marcello Fidelis HEIST! Written by Dafe Pessu Orugbo AfroLatIndieRican written by Tierra Porter TICKETS Free admission but booking requiredRUNNING TIME 2 hrs incl 15 min interval

Lola is a firefighter – in every part of her life. The city is on fire and Lola needs rest, but it’s almost Seán’s birthday and his friends are coming over. Let Me In is a new play by Esosa Ighodaro set in contemporary Ireland – where welcome is offered but belonging is negotiated daily. Told through warmth and humour, with a creeping sense of inevitability. It’s a comedy.It’s a romance.It’s a fairy tale.It’s a tragedy. Co-Produced by Dublin Theatre Festival. Warnings: Racism / Violence ISL Interpreted Performance / Talking Theatre post-show discussion with Esosa Ighodaro: Thu 8 Oct WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY Esosa Ighodaro PREVIEW TICKETS €21 TICKETS €24 - €31 RUNNING TIME 75 minutes no interval *Please be advised, more tickets are available through the Fringe Festival box office

The Horse of Jenin tells a universal story of resilience and imagination. This show combines storytelling, mask and stand-up comedy to explore the everyday life of a boy growing up in Jenin in Occupied Palestine, who, like every child in the world, just wants to play and have fun.  Following a major invasion in 2002, a German artist travelled to the city to create an artwork with the kids of Jenin. They built a horse, five-metres tall, out of metal and debris from the invasion. The people of Jenin placed this statue in the centre of the city where it stood for 20 years. In October 2023, an Israeli army bulldozer entered the camp and the horse was ripped from its place. In this solo show, explore what happened to the Horse of Jenin with a powerful mix of imagination and comedy. Warnings: Strong language / Themes of displacement / Loss / Grief / War / Military occupation / Destruction of cultural symbols / Brief complete darkness Talking Theatre post-show discussion: Fri 25 Sep ISL Interpreted Performance: Sat 26 Sep, 7:30pm WRITTEN & CREATED BY Alaa Shehada & Sam Beale CREATIVE PRODUCER Qasim Salam CAST Alaa Shehada TICKETS €36 | €33 RUNNING TIME 85 mins no interval ABOUT THE COMPANY Palestine Comedy Club is a comedy production company established in the UK and Palestine by Palestinian stand-up comedian, Alaa Shehada, with assistance from comedy director, writer and researcher Dr. Sam Beale, and film producer, Charlotte Knowles. Under the leadership of Alaa Shehada, Palestine Comedy Club is working to establish a stand-up comedy circuit across the West Bank providing space and funds for emerging stand-up comedy talent in the region to hone their craft and develop a culture of live comedy performance that is unique to the Palestinian experience. Palestine Comedy Club’s first show, ‘Balad’ (بلد ) toured to venues in Ramallah, Nablus, Haifa, Nazareth, Jerusalem and Jenin in 2021. Performed by Alaa Shehada, Hanna Shammas, Raed Sheukhi, Diana Swity, Ebaa Monther and Khalil Al-Batran, ‘Balad’ explores the complexity of Palestinian identity as it is experienced across the entire region, from Hebron to the Golan Heights. *Please be advised, more tickets are available through the Fringe Festival box office

Rediscover Richard Strauss’s Ein Heldenleben, alongside new vocal works paying tribute to Canada’s Indigenous peoples and work by Gabriela Ortiz.In the second concert of the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal (OSM), Rafael Payare invites audiences to a conversation across time with a powerful programme of music culminating in Richard Strauss’s sumptuous tone poem Ein Heldenleben. With a stirring battle episode, ardent love music and playful quotations from the composer’s earlier works, it is a musical self-portrait both mischievous and deeply moving that takes full advantage of the possibilities of a large orchestra.This monumental staple of the late Romantic period is paired with carefully selected contemporary pieces. Indigenous Canadian sopranos Emma Pennell and Elisabeth St-Gelais join the orchestra for two powerful new vocal works confronting history, memory and the lived experience of Indigenous communities in Canada today.Alongside these, Gabriela Ortiz’s cello concerto Dzonot summons an evocation of the subterranean rivers, caves and stunning wildlife of Mexico’s Yucatán peninsula. Ortiz, also featured in the LA Phil’s programme, described it as a ‘form of protest’ responding to our neglect of these valuable ecosystems. It was written for cello soloist Alisa Weilerstein, who plays with ‘directness and insight… technical prowess and depth of feeling’ (The Guardian).Together, they encourage audiences to approach Strauss anew, inviting questions on voice, identity, and our relationship to the natural world.Supported by Léan Scully Endowed Fund with additional support from The Québec Government Office in London

British sculptor Anne Hardy transforms Talbot Rice Gallery into a sentient, immersive space.British artist Anne Hardy’s sculptures are an accumulation of cast elements, found materials and earth drawings. In this new installation entitled Feelings, she creates a synthesis between the fragility and resilience of human bodies, evolving technologies and the remnants of everyday objects.Hardy’s pioneering approach to the technology of exhibition-making brings each space of the gallery to life. She uses light, sound, data and scenography to extend the influence of sculpture into the very fabric of the rooms.Grafting seemingly incompatible contexts one into the other – a colossal monument into an interior gallery; an archaeological dig into an historic building – she studies how our bodies respond to space and sensory stimuli, creating an atmosphere that will cast spells over the room.Talbot Rice Gallery is the public art gallery of Edinburgh College of Art / The University of EdinburghPlease note that the venue does not currently have level access due to major refurbishment of the liftThis exhibition runs from Sat 27 June – Sun 27 Sep. Opening times are Tue – Sat 10am – 5pm. During the 7–30 August, the exhibition is open Mon – Sun.

Based on the autobiography of Josiah Henson. Born into slavery in Maryland, enduring 41 years of unimaginable brutality and persecution before escaping to Canada. The play dramatises his unwavering resilience, determination and faith; the indomitable spirit which led him to become a respected leader, minister and teacher. His story inspired Harriet Beecher Stowe to create Uncle Tom in the seminal novel of the 19th Century – Uncle Tom’s Cabin. This is a story that matters today in a time when histories are being erased and challenged. It is a compelling true Canadian story of triumph over adversity.

Comedians deliver micro presentations with a twist. Each PowerPoint has exactly 18 slides, and each slide advances automatically after 20 seconds. Every day, a fresh lineup gives TED-inspired geeky seminars on science, history, tapirs or whatever nerdy passion they have. Expect nudibranchs, the Titanic, haggis and Pokémon. This educational mini conference's final talk is a mystery slideshow, where comedians improvise as "experts" on slides they've never seen before. Check Instagram for each day's TikTok TED talks and speakers. 'Never before will you have learnt so much from a comedy show' (TheMagdalen.com).

Louis Pearl has been thrilling audiences worldwide for over 30 years with the art, magic, science and fun of bubbles. An Edinburgh Fringe favourite, he has sold out for the last 14 years. Louis explores the breathtaking dynamics of bubbles, combining comedy and artistry with audience participation and enough spellbinding bubble tricks to keep everyone mesmerised. From square bubbles to rocket bubbles, the Amazing Bubble Man conjures shrieks of laughter and gasps of amazement from all ages.

Internationally renowned jazz a cappella ensemble 'The Oxford Gargoyles' return to the Fringe, bringing their unique blend of close harmony, slick choreography and black-tie charm. Performing a range of styles from Sinatra's swing and Simone's soul to the drama of West Side Story and classic pop hits, this show has something for everyone. Expect their characteristically decadent sound, rich with sumptuous harmonies and vibrant rhythms. Do not miss this eclectic hour of music and chat, showcased by the brightest young talents in jazz vocal harmony and sure to leave you dancing in your seats!

A dark stand-up comedy hour about Sofia May's experience as a former member of a Buddhist cult's inner circle, working as the assistant of a very chic, diabolical, female cult leader. After living the life of a religious Buddhist zealot in a secluded community deep into the Colorado Rocky Mountains for years, Sofia hit the road and blew the whistle. It isn't a famous cult yet, but through exposés, podcasts and general trash-talking, Sofia's trying to change that. What's more, now a self-proclaimed "Buddhaphobe", she intends to ruin your relationship with Buddhism too.

Mary Floppins has cracked the sh*ts. Wipe the wee from the toilet seat and pick up your dirty undies, because the perfect nanny is back to teach all you little boys – and girls – a thing or two about running a prim and proper household. Hailed 'a rising star and quadruple threat' (TheSpyInTheStalls.com) and returning after a completely sold-out Edinburgh Fringe run in 2025, Jessica Barton combines a spoonful of song, dance, clowning and deep-cleaning to present a skanky and empowering comedy debut. Newly directed by Dan Wye.

A collision of storytelling, opera, virtuoso singing, inspiration, and audience collaboration. When soprano Katy Lees was given months to live, her defiant response was: 'Fine, I'll have 600 of them.' She had to decide: if she lived, would she ever sing again? Twenty years later, this rare survivor of mesothelioma tells her captivating story, featuring music that rescued her. This extraordinary one-woman show, told with humour and honesty, is her Fringe debut. 'Will tear you apart and put you back together again, with renewed faith in the compassion of human nature' (Audience Review).