Here & Now (which showcases the best dance, installation, integrated performance, movement and theatre being created in England right now) has announced its return to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe with a suite of six artists offering a ‘distinctive and uncompromising take on the world today’. 

The showcase has always been curated with a diverse range of themes in mind, and this year it will cover topics as broad as tradition and heritage, revolution and collective deliberation, community building and self-discovery. 

Public performances include the deeply personal and political Nowhere (pictured above) by actor and activist Khalid Abdalla (The Crown, The Kite Runner, United 93); autobiographical musical epic The Legends of Them by reggae artist and actor Sutara Gayle AKA Lorna Gee; Ad Infinitum's show about death, deafness and ritual Last Rites; and SERAFINE1369’s detailed, meditative, hypnotic dance piece IV.

These are presented alongside two performances for delegates that include A CITIZENS’ ASSEMBLY, a participatory play concerning the climate emergency by long-time Tim Crouch collaborator Andy Smith and Lynsey O’Sullivan, and Sleight of Hand, an installation that subverts the format of a touch tour by artist Jo Bannon.

Further industry-oriented offerings come in the form of ‘Then & Now’, a series of pitches about brand new work from three Here & Now success stories: BULLYACHE, Dan Daw Creative Projects and Sung Im Her. 

Funded by Arts Council England, Here & Now is delivered by Battersea Arts Centre (London), FABRIC (Birmingham/ Nottingham) and GIFT (Gateshead). The partners work with artists and organisations to platform a geographical spread of England, presenting world-class artists and their tour-ready work to audiences and industry networks across the Edinburgh Festivals.

Talking about the Here & Now programme on behalf of the showcase partners, festival director of GIFT Kate Craddock said: ‘Here & Now strives to challenge what performance created in England might look or feel like. As partners, we are proud to present a showcase in the Edinburgh Festivals that features leading artists who push their practice in new directions.

‘This year’s programme represents forms and perspectives that platform personal stories from across England. It brings together lived experiences, holding a mirror up to social, economic and political issues that feel pertinent to today.’

Here’s the list of public performances and where you can see them this Fringe: 

Nowhere, Traverse Theatre, Tuesday 12 – Sunday 24 August
Last Rites, Pleasance, Monday 18 – Sunday 24 August
IV, Dance Base, Tuesday 19 – Sunday 24 August 
The Legends Of Them, Zoo Southside, Tuesday 19 – Sunday 24 August 

Edinburgh Festival Fringe, various venues, Friday 1 – Monday 25 August; main picture: Helen Murray.