Spotlight Canada
Every Canadian show hitting the Edinburgh Festival in 2023
The best of Canada is once again coming across the Atlantic. Don’t miss this incredible spread of Canadian work
The Canadians are coming, and they’re bringing a whole lot of entertainment with them. Canada House, the High Commission of Canada in the UK, is highlighting more than 50 acts coming to Edinburgh for festival season this August, with shows at the Edinburgh International Book Festival (EIBF), Edinburgh International Festival (EIF) and the Edinburgh Fringe. Here’s a treasure trove of acts that have got us excited.
Edinburgh International Book Festival
Camilla Grudova & Olga Ravn: I Do Not Dream Of Labour
From quiet quitting to strike action, work has occupied recent news headlines. Exploring the anxiety, intimacy, and strangeness of the workplace, Camilla Grudova’s Children of Paradise is set at an independent cinema which rebels against being acquired by a chain corporation. Olga Ravn’s follow-up to her International Booker Prize-shortlisted The Employees, is My Work, which blends prose and poetry to examine the labour of rearing children and creating art. In conversation with Kirsty Logan.
Carl Honoré: Slow Travel And Making The Most Of Every Step
Join Edinburgh-born international bestseller and TED speaker Carl Honoré in this event about appreciating the details of our journeys through the world. The godfather of the Slow Movement, his new book for children, It’s The Journey Not The Destination, is a travel guide from the comfort of your armchair, blending history and mindfulness in one beautiful package.
Dionne Brand & Claudia Rankine: Poetry And Power
A rare opportunity to witness two of the most lauded and celebrated North American poets of recent years in conversation. With careers spanning several decades, Dionne Brand and Claudia Rankine discuss their writing to date, and how they have used the form to explore and dissect issues of institutional racism, feminism, migration, capitalism, language, and memory to tell the story of who we are. Chaired by Jess Brough.
Mary Jean Chan & Nina Mingya Powles: New Poems
These two poets dwell in the ever-shifting textures of language. Mary Jean Chan follows up their award-winning debut Flèche with Bright Fear, a radiant collection that reckons with queerphobia and anti-Asian racism and finds refuge in the radical power of poetry. Joining Chan is poet and essayist Nina Mingya Powles, whose first collection, Magnolia, finds joy in multiplicities: of identities, sensations, and inheritances. Please note, Mary Jean Chan will appear remotely. Chaired by Alycia Pirmohamed.
Mary Jean Chan & Nina Mingya Powles: New Poems will take place at Spark Theatre on Monday 21 August.
Monica Heisey, Josie Long & Will McPhail: Funny Peculiar
If you don’t laugh, you’ll cry – sometimes it’s better to do both. Schitt’s Creek writer Monica Heisey’s novel Really Good, Actually is one woman’s search for joy after divorce, while comedian Josie Long’s Because I Don’t Know What You Mean and What You Don’t explores love in the age of anxiety. They are joined by Will McPhail, whose Love & Vermin collects his distinctive and wise New Yorker cartoons. Chaired by Michael Williams.
Monica Heisey: On Modern Love
Newlywed PhD student Maggie is in her late 20s with her whole life ahead of her – and then her husband asks for a divorce, moves out, and takes the cat with him. Really Good, Actually is as hilarious and heartfelt as you’d expect from Monica Heisey, a screenwriter on the beloved television show Schitt’s Creek. Join her for an astute perspective on modern love with Nyla Ahmad.
Sarah Bernstein & Sophie Mackintosh: Curious Incidents
In any community, a series of unfortunate events can quickly escalate into a moral panic. The narrator of Sarah Bernstein’s Study for Obedience moves to a remote country and, according to suspicious locals, brings with her illness and blight. Based on a true story, Sophie Mackintosh’s Cursed Bread is about a baker’s wife who is bewitched by a charismatic new arrival while strange happenings plague their town. Chaired by Peggy Hughes.
Sarah Polley: What I Run Towards Will Strengthen Me
After decades as an actor and director, 2023’s Oscar nominated feature Women Talking has turned Sarah Polley into a household name. As she rides the wave of success and prepares work on her next film project, the live-action adaptation of Disney’s Bambi, she’ll visit EIF via remote video link to discuss her essay collection Run Towards Danger. According to a press release, the book ‘captures a piece of Polley’s life as she remembers it, while at the same time examining the fallibility of memory, the mutability of reality in the mind, and the possibility of experiencing the past anew, as the person she is now but was not then. As Polley writes, the past and present are in a “reciprocal pressure dance.”’ She’ll attend the book festival on Sunday 27 August to discuss the book, her career and broader ideas about how to live.
Sarah Polley will talk via remote video link at Spark Theatre on Sunday 27 August.
Take An Inspiring Slow Walk With Carl Honoré
In a world addicted to speed, slowness is a superpower. On this walking tour, take time to connect with the world on a slow adventure around the surrounds of Edinburgh College of Art with Carl Honoré, the voice of the global Slow Movement. In his book, It’s the Journey Not the Destination, Carl shows how young people can slow down, notice, and enjoy the things around them to thrive in an impatient world.
Take an Inspiring Slow Walk with Carl Honoré will take place at Courtyard on Sunday 20 August.
Tessa Hadley: Everyday Turmoil
The lauded novelist of Free Love and Late in the Day returns to the Festival to discuss her latest collection, After the Funeral. These dazzling stories demonstrate Tessa Hadley’s skill at depicting and excoriating the travails of everyday life, where seemingly insignificant moments result in major consequences, while fleetingly laying bare the underlying conflicts that govern our lives and relationships. In conversation with Lennie Goodings.
Tessa Hadley: Everyday Turmoil will take place at Baillie Gifford West Court on Sunday 13 August.
Tyrolean Tales With Jon Klassen
Jon Klassen’s striking illustrations and minimalist text have made his work modern classics and won him a legion of fans, both young and old, not to mention many awards. This characteristic style follows him in his gloriously gothic new book, The Skull: his first for middle-grade readers. Meet Klassen and discover how he created his captivating, monochrome illustrations in this eerie, enchanting event.
Tyrolean Tales with Jon Klassen will take place at Baillie Gifford West Court on Saturday 19 August.
We Love Reading With Laura Baker
Join author Laura Baker for a wonderful celebration of reading in all its forms with her fantastic book All the Wonderful Ways to Read. From curling up in a snug nook to dipping into a book on the toilet (!), share a favourite place to read, then join in with some book yoga poses before designing your own reading den and making your own special bookmark to take home!
Edinburgh International Festival
Chapter 3: The Brutal Journey Of The Heart
Sharon Eyal and Gai Behar’s acclaimed dance company, L-E-V, returns to the International Festival. This performance forms part of their Love Cycle series, following the company’s performances of OCD LOVE and Love Chapter 2 at the 2018 Festival. Nine dancers embark on an intense journey exploring love and relationships. The dancers move hypnotically as an ensemble through emotional highs and lows. The performance features striking costume design from Maria Grazia Chiuri, the Creative Director of Christian Dior Couture. The ethereal score travels through music ranging from blues and country to folk and Afrobeat. Canadian dancer Darren Devaney will perform in the show.
Emmanuel Ceysson And Friends
The solo harp can seduce, inspire and astonish, and never more so than in music by French composers. Emmanuel Ceysson, multiple prize-winning soloist and principal harp of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, is determined to sweep away all the clichés of the instrument’s image. Canadian Christian Elliot will feature in in the Emmanuel Ceysson recital
Emmanuel Ceysson and Friends will take place at Queen’s Hall on Thursday 10 August.
Fringe
Abbas Wahab: Gracefully Balding
Fresh off his first comedy album, Abbas Wahab makes his Fringe debut with an original stand-up show about leaving the corporate world, poorly navigating your 30s and balding... before your dad. This Sudanese-born comedian solidified himself as one of Canada’s rising comedy stars after a sold-out national tour and numerous TV appearances on shows like What We Do In The Shadows, The Boys , and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
Afrique En Cirque
Cirque Kalabante are taking the world of circus performance into the minutiae of daily life in Guinea, examining the beauty, youth and artistry of African culture through a spell-binding performance.
Aionos
An African-Futurist mixed-reality production where Ancient Egypt meets Star Wars as you travel virtual worlds to help an Egyptian queen heal a broken love and navigate spacetime to recover an ancient technology. This unique hybrid theatrical experience in VR, streaming, and in-person will take you across time, space, and the metaverse in a collaboration between Toasterlab, Debbie Deer Productions, and Immersive actor/director/designer Ari Tarr. Aionos brings live and remote actors and audiences together for an unforgettable adventure in a companion piece to Debbie Deer's Nefertiti: The One Who Comes.
Aionos will take place at ZOO Playground from Friday 4 – Sunday 27 August.
Anesti Danelis: This Show Will Change Your Life
Toronto Award-winning musical comedian and viral internet-hit-maker Anesti Danelis returns with his hit comedy concert that will change your life. With catchy songs on guitar, piano and the violin (yes, a violin), you will learn how to: steal from work, date while living at home; how to spot a cheating partner, mermaids with unsolicited advice, bisexual revenge, alternative medicines, mental-health breaks, and so much more!
Are You There Margaret? It’s Me, Gahd
The number one queen of drag in Montreal, Uma Gahd. will return to Edinburgh with her one-woman comedy. Expect wild jokes, filthy audience interaction and fabulous costumes.
Bob Marley: How Reggae Changed The World
Toronto-based Duane Forrest will take you on a journey from the beginnings of reggae in Jamaica, sharing key stories from Bob Marley’s life, the meanings of some of his songs and the political impact his work had on Jamaica and the world. Woven through the show will be his acoustic versions of the pivotal songs from Marley and other reggae greats. These are the songs that have reshaped countless lives, including his own. Not to be missed!
Brotipo
The multiple award-winning circus clowns Les Foutoukours make their return to Edinburgh this August with this slapstick-heavy show designed for the whole family.
Choir!Choir!Choir!
They teach. You sing. Choir!Choir!Choir! is a show where the crowd is the star. There are no auditions. Show up and they'll have you singing in harmony in no time!
Choir!Choir!Choir! will be performed at Underbelly George Square from Wednesday 16-Sunday 27 August.
Clown Sex
Join Gary Strange in the London sewers as he encounters stories of bad sex, sad sex and clown sex. From garlic-flavoured nipples to cat cunnilingus, it's funny, grotesque and surprisingly relatable.
Clown Sex will be performed at Pleasance from Wednesday 2- Sunday 27 August.
Creepy Boys
You're invited: twin orphans, The Creepy Boys, are throwing their 13th birthday party. It will have everything. Games. Gifts. Possibly Satan. Probably Cake. Combining 2000s sexy songs, satanic rituals, and Willam Dafoe, these horny little boys do whatever it takes to make their birthday dreams come true (think Oh, Hello meets those twins from The Shining, meets My Super Sweet 16). From the creators of Something in the Water (Winner – Best Theatre, Adelaide Fringe 2021) comes a bizarre comedy with just a splash of the occult.
The Creepy Boys will take place at Summerhall from Wednesday 2 – Sunday 27 August.
Daniel-Ryan Spaulding: Power Gay!
After a decade of performing all over the world, in over 50 countries and countless viral videos, European-Canadian comedy star Daniel-Ryan Spaulding brings his new solo show to the Fringe. This year he quit drinking, overcame depression, lost 100kg with gastric sleeve surgery, and is bringing his Power Gay energy from Berlin to Edinburgh with a sassy, provocative and thoughtful show about living your best life! Let's face it: no one can triumph like a gay man. They take tragedy and adversity – make it beautiful and hilarious – and this is that kind of show!
The Disney Delusion
Award-winning comedian Leif Oleson-Cormack pushes confessional stand-up to its limits in this show about a methodically moronic plan to double-down on unrequited love through a disastrous trip to Disneyland. Featuring criminal acts, surgically altered sugar daddies, Sinatra impersonators and a cynically-charged "coming out", this (unfortunately) true story is not to be missed.
Duel Reality
Coming from the minds of The 7 Fingers troupe, Duel Reality boils the grand love story of Romeo and Juliet to its central conflicts, transforming Underbelly’s Circus Hub into a grand sporting arena.
Dylan Rhymer: The Dark Side Of The Room
Time. Money. War. Madness. Death. It's all pretty funny when you think about it. Canadian comedian Dylan Rhymer presents a stand-up comedy show inspired by Pink Floyd's masterpiece, The Dark Side of the Moon. But funny.
The Fourth R
The Fourth R is a powerful piece of contemporary dance and climate activism from Canadian group Dance Fachin. Combining compelling choreography, and thought-provoking video projections; The Fourth R: reduce, reuse, recycle, Revolutionize follows the story of three individuals: a consumer, an affluent worker; a producer, CEO of Bank of Russia; and a sufferer, an impoverished individual, vulnerable to natural disasters.
God Catcher
Refashioning the Greek myth of Arachne into a modern feminist parable, God Catcher tells the story of the most famous weaver in all of Greece who is turned into a spider after beating the goddess Athena in a weaving challenge. But while the ancient tale ends there, this story goes further, using music and lyrics to question the perspective of those telling the story and finding new textures in the character of Arachne.
God Catcher will be performed at Underbelly, Bristo Square, until Monday 28 August.
Habitat
Uruguayan-Canadian dancer Bettina Szabo will perform a mesmerising dance alongside a light-infused kinetic sculpture inspired by themes inspired by ideas of home, identity and the life cycle of hermit crabs. Szabo has choreographed the show herself to help her work within the limits of her hyper-mobility and scoliosis. With an aquatic-themed soundtrack from composers Ana Dall'Ara Majek and Joel Lavoie, this will be a performance quite unlike anything else you’ll see in Edinburgh this August.
Habitat will be performed at Dance Base from Tuesday 15-Sunday 27 August.
JJ Whitehead: White Noise
Catch Canadian JJ Whitehead working with The Stand Comedy Club where his career started. The LA-based comedian (The Jim Jefferies Show, Comedy Central) is back slinging jokes in the city that he used to call home. White Noise promises to be another fun show filled with self-deprecation and the skewering of social norms.
John Hastings: The Times They Are A John Hastings
Fringe regular and public urinator (by circumstance and never choice) has returned with a maximum nonsense and mega-lols show. Come see why he earned a standing ovation on America’s Got Talent (despite having no audience) and why he was heckled by none other than 6'7” basketball superstar Dennis Rodman on his first night in LA. You won't regret it! (I mean some have and some will again, but they all come back!).
Laura Ramoso: FRANCES
Channelling the best of sketch and improv comedy into a whip-smart 50 minutes, comedian Laura Ramoso’s debut hour FRANCES comes highly anticipated after making her name on social media. Featuring her most popular characters Italian Dad, German Mom and the Three Girls Who Just Got Back From Europe, this will be a test to find out if the current wave of social media stars can translate their short clips into a full hour. If anyone can, it’s Ramoso.
Laura Ramoso: FRANCES will be performed at the Pleasance until Sunday 27 August.
Lunch With A Cyclopath
An absurd and witty show from comedian Dion Owen, Lunch With A Cyclopath hides pro-cycling propaganda amidst clever punchlines and absurd rants. Come to be entertained, leave with the desire to get your bike out of the basement.
N.Ormes
This provocative and tender show from duo Agathe et Adrien finds the duo pushing the limits and expectations of their own bodies and gender norms with dance and circus tricks.
North Americ*nts
Dion Owens will have a busy time at the Fringe. As well as Lunch With A Cyclopath, she’ll perform the comedy showcase North Americ*nts, featuring some of the finest comedy talent from North America.
Papillon
This mash-up of street and contemporary dance by We All Fall Down weaves three dancers in and out of sync, supported by a live musical soundtrack that blends the sounds and rhythms of jazz, hip hop and drum'n'bass. Inspired by chaos theory and complex mathematical equations, Papillon is an emotional, engulfing reflection on the importance of human connection.
Papillon will be performed at Summerhall TechCube, Wednesday 2-Sunday 27 August (except Mondays).
Piece Of Me
Quirky and creative Polly is on the brink of a life-changing moment. Through art and laughter, passion and tears, Polly navigates tragedy and triumph by weaving the past with the present in a coming-of-age tale that explores what doors open when we have the courage to embrace uniqueness and learn to be kinder to ourselves. Featuring a talented ensemble cast, rockin’ soundtrack and original artwork, Piece Of Me is an innovative take on the timeless tale of adolescence told through the eyes of a 'teenage butterfly'.
Piece Of Me will take place at Central Hall from Friday 4 – Wednesday 9 August.
The Real William Shakespeare… As Told By Christopher Marlowe
The identity of William Shakespeare has been a popular discussion topic for decades, and this provocative new production from Matchmaker Theatre Productions continues the debate by placing Christopher Marlowe at its play’s centre.
Salma Hindy And Danielle Deluty: Parallel
Toronto Comedians and friends Salma and Danielle explore their parallel upbringings in their respective religious Muslim and Jewish households and how their path of self-righteousness brought them together today.
Scent
Jamie, once a talented young sommelier, is on a downward spiral. On the heels of a difficult year, her sister is encouraging her to start anew – but how do you begin again when letting go feels utterly untenable? Scent is a new solo show, written and performed by Stacey Cullen. She is thrilled to be making her Edinburgh Fringe debut.
Scent will take place at Greenside @ Infirmary Street Friday 4 – Saturday 26 August.
Soldiers Of Tomorrow
Playwright and performer Itai Erdal writes of a day when his eight-year-old Israeli nephew came home from school with an empty box to be filled with goods for soldiers on the front lines. Inside the box the boy's teacher had written: 'To the soldiers of today from the soldiers of tomorrow.' A former Israeli soldier, Erdal shares some of his actions in the army, revealing a personal and frank context to the Arab Israeli conflict and the Occupation of Palestine. In his guilt and frustration, one can see reflections of a nation in turmoil.
Soldiers Of Tomorrow will take place at Summerhall from Wednesday 2 – Sunday 27 August.
Summer Camp For Broken People
A dark comedy about rape, losing your mind and finding yourself. After a violent sexual assault, a 40-something single mum thinks she's fine, until an unexpected email sends her spiralling into a serious mental health crisis. This semi-autobiographical solo show is based on diary entries, letters and essays written during time in a psychiatric hospital. This new show by Emily Beecher shines a light into the darkest of places. It's a bold, brave show about how mental illness infects our lives and our capacity for pain.
Summer Camp For Broken People will take place at Summerhall from Wednesday 2 -Sunday 27 August.
A Tinderella Story: Swipe, Wince, Repeat
Acclaimed Canadian comedian J Murphy has been on some VERY strange dates. From everyday lies about age and marital status, to money laundering, crypto scams and an outrageous attempt to “blow her pants off with steak,” J’s experienced it all. A true, tongue-in-cheek TED talk on surviving (and even thriving in) the chaotic modern dating world. With a unique blend of wit and vulnerability, this is a comedic exploration of navigating the dating scene as a pansexual.
Tomatoes Tried To Kill Me But Banjos Saved My Life
This highly awarded, inspirational true story returns to Edinburgh after an exceptionally successful 2022 visit. Added content for 2023! This heartfelt tale of overcoming obstacles, pursuing passions, and the healing power of music has delighted international audiences. Join us for a banjo playin’, joke tellin’, heart healin’ experience!
Tomorrow's Child
An out of body experience! Tomorrow’s Child is an immersive, multi-layered sonic adventure based on Ray Bradbury’s compelling sci-fi short story. In the imagined retro-future of 1988, new parents Polly and Peter confront the reality that their baby has been born into an alternate dimension. Will they accept the interstellar divide between parents and child? This celebrated production from Canada’s Ghost River Theatre crafts a landscape of sound for blindfolded audiences.
Tomorrow’s Child will take place at Assembly Checkpoint from Thursday 3 August – Monday 28 August.
Too Big For Her Britches
A hilarious and heartbreaking dark comedy driven by 20 characters and 11 original songs, in which the heroine, Luna, endeavours to disentangle herself from bad decisions and an overbearing, narcissistic mother. A compelling rollercoaster of emotions, Too Big for Her Britches will resonate with anyone who has ever felt lost, unimportant, or disregarded. A one-woman solo musical that answers the question: what happens when we stop hoping for the storybook ending by honouring our father and mother at all costs, and instead make the courageous decision to honour ourselves?
Too Big For Her Britches will take place at theSpaceTriplex on From Friday 4– Saturday 26 August.
Unveiled
'Would you rather be lost or fallen?' In this erotic, fury-infused, modern-day revisioning of the legend of Salomé, psychology professor Ana Mozol powerfully stirs the depths of the female psyche, interweaving dreams with personal tales of love, loss, and truth in her award-winning show. The play unveils constrictive feminine masks and explores the lived experiences of women in contemporary Western society. Take part in a dreamlike journey through the underworld’s demons, the middle world’s illusions of romantic love, and the upper world’s masculine spiritual ideals that fracture the feminine soul.
Unveiled will take place at theSpace @ Surgeons Hall from Friday 4 – Saturday 26 August.
Vanlord
A glimpse into the fascinating world of van life, narrated by a globetrotting Canadian guy with wheel estate all around the world. After winning Ottawa's Up and Coming Stand Up Comedian Award, Matt realized why pay a landlord, when you can be a vanlord? His distinctive lifestyle, chronicled on his YouTube channel, Matt Watson Comedy, has earned him media coverage from Business Insider in New York to ABC News in Australia. He's performed at multiple comedy festivals and featured on Sirius XM Satellite Radio. His comedic journey is a heartening reminder for audiences to pursue their passions.
Vanlord will take place at Laughing Horse @ The Three Sisters from Tuesday 3 – Sunday 27 August
What Can Indian Look Like?
A two-part show exploring Natasha and Shaharah's under-represented Indian identities, navigating diaspora, discrimination, and coming of age to find what Indian can mean and look like, with alternating performances. Part one features Natasha's Khasi identity as she immigrates to Toronto after childhood in Mumbai. Voices from her life expose discrimination and exotification, forcing her to confront the duality of her actions and circumstances. Part two features Shaharah’s Guyanese take on Indian diaspora and finding culture after Caribbean colonisation, exploring the responsibilities of a first-generation immigrant, often feeling the 'wrong shade of brown'.
Fringe Street Events
The Street Circus
Daniel and Kimberly Craig bring the whole circus experience to the street, performing over 100 tricks and stunts throughout the show, including cyr wheel, hand-to-hand acrobatics, hula hoops, handstands, contortion, fire juggling and, of course, comedy. It’s a tried, tested and true award-winning show that has travelled the world, holds two Guinness World Records, and most importantly, entertained literally millions of people. Catch them on and around High Street.
Québec@EdFests
Our partners at the Québec UK Office have put together a listing of all the circus, theatre, dance, and comedy from La Belle Province – check it out here.
Disclaimer:
This page is made with support from the High Commission of Canada in the UK.