A shadow puppetry scene where a hippo walks through a mysterious crystal cave.

Theatre

Space Hippo

Earth is dying. Nothing can be done. Our only hope is to launch a hippo into space. Along the way she will encounter new worlds, strange alien creatures and end up at the centre of an intergalactic war. Hilarious, weird and epic science fiction from Japan, experienced through award-winning cinematic shadow puppetry. The performers project over two hundred handmade puppets onto a large screen to create a live analogue motion picture before your very eyes.  

31 July - 24 August 2025, 12:30 pm

Underbelly Cowgate

A newspaper collage with cut outs of lads magazines and old archive family photos. In the centre there is an old mobile phone with a small child smiling and the title of the show inside.

Theatre

A Small Town Northern Tale

Let’s go back to the 2000s. MSN, Myspace, Big Brother, Nokia Brickphones and lads mags ruling the shelves. But what if you don’t quite fit the mould? What if you’re the only kid of colour in town?  At 13, David finds himself uprooted from the city, navigating life as a Jamaican-English mixed-heritage kid in a small working-class Northern town—trying to carve out his identity while everyone around him thinks they’ve already decided it for him. Hilarious, sharp, and painfully nostalgic, A Small Town Northern Tale is for anyone who ever spent hours perfecting their Myspace bio, knew the exact right time to go “offline and online” for attention, and remembers just how dodgy 2000s fashion really was. But beneath the laughs is a deeply personal, Black-British story about finding your voice in a world that doesn’t quite know where to place you. About the awkwardness of standing out when you desperately want to blend in. And about the quiet, everyday acts of rebellion that shape who we become. For fans of The Inbetweeners, American Pie, and anyone still holding onto an embarrassing Hotmail email address they refuse to delete.

31 July - 24 August 2025, 12:40 pm

Underbelly Cowgate

A close up of a woman. She is wearing orange and is staring right into the camera.

Theatre

WANTED

Two girls from opposite worlds are fated to meet on the late 00’s queer scene. After quickly forming an inseparable bond over their mutual idols, Tony Soprano and Lindsay Lohan, Erica and Jessie are on a mission to avenge a world that's only ever left them wanting. And why the hell shouldn’t they? Life’s screwed them, it’s time to screw life right back. Their code? Steal from the rich and give to the poor (that’s them by the way).  But just because Tony Soprano gets to do what he likes... can Erica and Jessie really rationalise their actions? From the creator behind the Fringe sensation, In PurSUEt, comes the hotly anticipated second show.... WANTED.

31 July - 24 August 2025, 12:40 pm

Underbelly Cowgate

Connor Delves as Cadel Evans in the new play CADEL: Lungs On Legs. Delves, as Evans, rides a BMC road bike, following the 2011 win of the Tour de France.

Theatre

CADEL: Lungs on Legs

The epic true story of the first Australian to win the Tour de France, live on stage. Performed entirely on a bike in an epic theatrical feat of endurance by acclaimed Australian actor Connor Delves. Pedalling non-stop for an hour, he recreates the thrilling journey of Cadel's 2011 Tour de France win, and all the triumphs, heartaches and sacrifices made along the way. “Connor's vision for this show is bold and exciting, and I'm thrilled to be involved from the start. He’ll be riding a BMC, just like I did (and do!), wearing the same yellow jersey I wore, and actually riding on stage every night... how cool is that? I love cycling, and I'm deeply honored that an Australian artist has been inspired to bring my story to life for audiences worldwide. I hope you enjoy CADEL, and I encourage you to support Connor and his creative journey in giving the show a long life. See you there!”– Cadel Evans

31 July - 24 August 2025, 1:00 pm

Underbelly Cowgate

A woman with long brown hair, wearing a beige floral cardigan, is awkwardly smiling while a small squirrel sits on her shoulder nibbling a nut. To her right, an oval-framed portrait of another squirrel hangs on a deep red, patterned wallpaper.

Theatre

Yes, We're Related

Dysfunctional sisters Sara and Saskia are forced to confront the unpredictable stages of grief. Sara is living in denial, and Saskia is determined to celebrate the anniversary of their mother’s death with her quirky partner Mark and a party to die for. But when a jaw-dropping secret is revealed, things go from bad, to worse, to catastrophic.  Hailed as a comedy echoing the best episodes of Only Fools and Horses, and sisterhood likened to BBC's Fleabag, Lace-Evans' smash-hit dark comedy returns to Fringe. Listed within the 'Top 100 Trending Shows of the Edinburgh Fringe 2024', Yes, We're Related is 'going to be "a thing"' (City AM).  Awarded the Keep It Fringe Fund, and developed by SOHO Theatre Labs, YES, WE’RE RELATED became an immediate hit later going on to enjoy a sell-out London run at The Other Palace.   

31 July - 24 August 2025, 2:00 pm

Underbelly Cowgate

Theatre

Ways of Knowing

Behold! A council of leeches, a mystic hermit, a Victorian inventor, an economics conference, a dark and dripping cave. Uncovering a mysterious series of visions and omens.  Ways of Knowing delves into the ways we predict and prophesy the future. Amidst an intricate system of choreography, found text and live sound, Emergency Chorus wield science and magic to reckon with our precarious present and enter into the unknown. Winner of the Untapped Award, Ways of Knowing follows Emergency Chorus's previous acclaimed shows Landscape (1989) and CELEBRATION. 

31 July - 24 August 2025, 3:30 pm

Underbelly Cowgate

man wearing an  open white shirt with a white tshirt on underneath stares at the lighter he is holding in his hand. the background is black and he is been lit with an orange light

Theatre

Scatter

Scatter is a new horror play from Patrick McPherson, the award-winning writer of sell-out Edinburgh and Soho Theatre hits The Man and Colossal.  When a man travels to a remote Welsh village to scatter his father's ashes, a horrifying legacy awaits him. Directed by Jonny Harvey. McPherson's previous acclaim:  WINNER - Best Show of the Edinburgh Fringe (Theatre Weekly) WINNER - Best Theatre Show Fringe World 2023 WINNER - Best Theatre Show Fringe World 2024

31 July - 24 August 2025, 3:40 pm

Underbelly Cowgate

A young man sits cross-legged against a red background, cradling an old-fashioned iMac. The iMac screen displays an image of his younger self, smiling brightly.

Theatre

Playback

11-year old Euan dreams of becoming a YouTube star... But as his fledgling channel begins to skyrocket in popularity, he quickly finds that fame isn’t as fun as it looks.  Shortlisted for the 2024 David MacLennan Award, Playback combines live performance with Euan Munro's real childhood YouTube videos to tell a deeply personal, darkly comic story about growing up online.

31 July - 24 August 2025, 3:55 pm

Underbelly Cowgate

A dark skinned Ethiopian woman in a white traditional headcloth looks directly at the audience. In the background the same woman without a headdress and with long afro-style hair throws her hands around in a circle with lights emanating off them. The tit

Theatre

I AM – One of many, many of One

Winner of the Most Memorable Show, Lustrum Award 2023. Part of the modular series I AM. A first-generation immigrant straddles her Habesha (Eritrean/Ethiopian) heritage and British identity only to realise, when you leave everything behind for the promise of something better, it’s not "better". A poetic reflection on memory loss, displacement, tradition and survival, interwoven with language, customs, music and wearable tech MiMu gloves (as used by Imogen Heap). Neither a musical, nor drama: a new kind of storytelling. Outstanding Performance nominee Filipa Bragança Award, 2023.

31 July - 23 August 2025, 5:10 pm

Underbelly Cowgate

Three people are dressed as chickens locked up behind bars

Theatre

3 Chickens Confront Existence

In this surrealist and hilarious production, three factory farm chickens passionately explore their impossible situation – awaiting their imminent trip to the broiler. Tragedy morphs to comedy and back again as they explore mysticism, power struggles, class inequality, mythology and religion, with plenty of emotionally charged antics and surprises along the way.

31 July - 24 August 2025, 5:20 pm

Underbelly Cowgate

A painting of a young man with dark hair facing away from us, toward the mountains. The man's jacket is made only of simple red outlines, revealing the mountains through him and giving him the appearance of a transparent ghost.

Theatre

The Monkeypox Gospel

NYC, Summer 2022. Ngofeen gets his first big assignment at The New Yorker. It’s about the global “monkeypox” outbreak, and he’s the ideal reporter: his family comes from the Democratic Republic of Congo (the virus’s origin), and infections are spreading through sexual contact within New York’s queer community, including his own social circle. With a disorganized government response and two million people preparing to attend NYC Pride in a few weeks, getting the word out is critical. But the subject terrifies Ngofeen, having only recently left the evangelical church and broken his vow of lifelong celibacy (i.e. “you can be gay if you don’t act on it”). Now, by writing publicly about a world he rejected for so long, Ngofeen is testing the limits of the person he’s willing to become, while risking a confrontation with the community he’s abandoned.  Ngofeen breaks his silence in this personal epidemic tale, featuring behind-the-scenes reporting, real audio interviews, flights of fantasy, and nerdy tangents into theology, science, opera, and language. written by Ngofeen Mputubwele directed by Alex Hare performed by Ngofeen Mputubwele and Alex Hare Adapted from the new podcast. Artwork: @danieleldibujo

31 July - 24 August 2025, 5:50 pm

Underbelly Cowgate

Two men dressed as Jesus hold each other in a field

Theatre

JEEZUS!

Falling for Jesus is a mortal sin. But damn, it feels good! Good South American altar boy Jesús is preparing for his first communion but when he looks at the hot man on the cross, he feels something... unholy. Catholic guilt collides with unrepentant queerness in this sinful, heart-pounding mix of live music, dark humour and Latin heat. JEEZUS! is a musical as irreverent as it is irresistible, tackling colonialism, religion and queer awakening. If Bo Burnham, Brecht and Bad Bunny had a baby, this would be it. Let's burn in hell! Winner of The Untapped Award 2025.

31 July - 24 August 2025, 6:50 pm

Underbelly Cowgate

a poster for pigs fly easy ryan with a person wearing a clown make up in an airhost uniform on a pink background

Theatre

Pigs Fly Easy Ryan

An aviation bimbofication transubstantiation ritual for big-boy audiences 18 and over. Two flamin’ hot crash fetishists illegally impersonate flight attendants to sneaky-weeky onto a plane and live their ultimate fantasy – total destruction. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll attempt to feel something, anything, as we erotically cute-ify freedom in the face of climate collapse and rising global fascism.  Rip off your own oxygen mask before furiously making out with the person next to you, and brace for landing; Pigs Fly Easy Ryan is checking you out. It’s time to check in.

31 July - 24 August 2025, 8:10 pm

Underbelly Cowgate

Actor Alex Medland, dressed as the devil with red horns and a grin to match, takes a lit match to a contract signed by 'Faustus.'

Theatre

The Faustus Project

This new version of Christopher Marlowe's Doctor Faustus features a rotating cast of brave guest performers taking on the challenges of a devilish ensemble. One problem... they've never rehearsed with the rest of the cast. The Faustus Project is funny, a little dangerous and an actor's worst nightmare. With a fresh victim every night, this will be the ultimate theatrical torture. Funny, dangerous, devilish.  

31 July - 24 August 2025, 9:05 pm

Underbelly Cowgate

An man in a naked body suit is being soaped-up by giant pair of hands. The soap bubbles are illustrated in a Japanese Ukiyoe style painting and projected onto a screen behind the man to create the illusion that he is interacting with the painting.

Theatre

SHUNGA ALERT

Warning: adults only! An X-rated documentary-comedy about the sexual culture of Japan.  The story of an artist, a sex doll and a virtual idol trying to create the sexiest shunga of all time, told with clowning, puppetry and live projection. Learn everything you wanted to know about sex in Japan but were too afraid to Google. Filthy, offensive and visually stunning! Don't say we didn't warn you! Winner of Best of the Fest at the San Diego Fringe Festival.

31 July - 24 August 2025, 9:40 pm

Underbelly Cowgate