After a week of bleak news for Edinburgh’s arts and culture scene, it’s something of a relief to be met with an inbox crammed with show recommendations, new programme launches, and a bundle of comedy to look forward to in August. And that’s exactly what we’re chatting about in this week’s column, which welcomes Just The Tonic, Made In Scotland and Soho Theatre to the Festival fold, as well as an intriguing installation that will tackle misinformation. Read on and stay smiling. 

Just The Tonic confirms more than 190 shows…

… as it marks its 30th anniversary of putting on comedy in Edinburgh and its 20th at the Festival. Highlights from the programme include veteran comics Andrew Maxwell, Lucy Porter, Alfie Brown, Clinton Baptiste and Connor Burns. They’ll be joined by a selection of burlesque acts, experimental theatre and a host of family-friendly shows. Find the full programme at the Just The Tonic website. 

The 2024 Made In Scotland Showcase supports 14 shows from Scotland…

… across ten venues at the Festival. On the bill is the miniature scale opera Stumped; an attempt to ‘open up new possibilities for men of all ages' in The Show For Young Men; feelgood musical A History Of Paper; the story of a man who uses sign language and has recently been diagnosed with dementia, Love Beyond (Act Of Remembrance); the autobiographical story June Carter Cash: The Woman, Her Music And Me, about how women endure working class stereotypes; Through The Mud, which examines the beginning of the #BlackLivesMatter movement; the one-person experimental piece Puddles And Amazons, a fast-paced show on the subject of queerness and depression; Common Is As Common Does: A Memoir (main picture), a dance spectacular using the Wild West as a launchpad for jaw-dropping choreography; Futuristic Folktales, a dance-theatre production telling the tale of the first womb; The Flock & Moving Cloud, the Scottish Dance Theatre’s double bill programme celebrating Scotland’s rich cultural heritage and outward-looking spirit; and The Last Forecast, a theatre piece about a stranger disturbing the natural habitat of a peaceful island. 

This combination of theatre and dance will be complemented by a number of musical performances exploring displacement, immigration and the meaning of home. 

Shona McCarthy, Chief Executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, said, ‘The Made In Scotland showcase is a chance for our finest performing talent to be seen internationally and is an incredibly important platform for Scottish artists to have their work performed and promoted. 

‘All the works are chosen for the showcase by an international panel of experts and then presented at the Fringe to arts industry professionals from across the globe with a view to future touring and a life beyond the Fringe. Every year I’m amazed by the talent and creativity that make up the Made In Scotland showcase and I am proud that it has become a model of showcasing talent that other countries have recreated.’

Soho Theatre releases programme details…

… featuring 20 shows across six venues. RuPaul fans will be able to enjoy Ginger Johnson: Blows Off!, while those looking for some anarchistic clowning in their comedy can vie for Natalie Palamides: WEER. Also on the cards, last year’s Edinburgh Comedy Award winner Urooj Ashfaq will return with the work-in-progress show It’s Funny To Me, and the brilliantly titled Demi Adejuyigbe Is Going To Do One (1) Backflip (directed by comedy duo BriTANick) will showcase their innovative cabaret. 

Soho Theatre brought an exceptional line-up to Edinburgh last year, including a show that we awarded five stars; let’s hope 2024 is no different. 

Medea tackles misinformation in a new installation… 

…  to be exhibited at the Festival from Saturday 17–Sunday 25 August. Earlier this week, the production company announced an open call for stories on misinformation for the audio-visual installation, titled Illuminated Lies. ‘We are seeking audio contributions from individuals affected by disinformation, fake news, or misinformed beliefs,’ said Aoife van Linden Tol, who’s spearheading the project alongside artist Liana Patarkatsishvili. To read more about the project and learn how to contribute, take a look at the Illuminated Lies site. 

Four stars or more 

Subverter of comedy norms Mat Ewins is making a return to the Festival with Ewins Some You Lose Some, promising ‘some games and more multimedia nonsense’. We loved last year’s Mr TikTok, giving it four stars and writing, ‘This is not just a host standing on stage and presenting material that he’s pre-prepared: there’s real depth to the show, particularly when he ingeniously subverts comedy conventions. Ewins mocks the way that modern comedy is shown on social media by ‘remastering’ The Two Ronnies’ “Four Candles” routine, completely ruining it while, certainly, presenting it in a way that a young audience might now expect to “consume” the sketch.’ Read the full review here. 

Main picture: Dan Brown.