Plays by David Jonsson and Ellie Keel unveiled in Summerhall’s Edinburgh Fringe programme

Summerhall Arts has launched its first Edinburgh Festival Fringe programme, taking place in the Summerhall building from 1 to 25 August 2025. This year marks the 14th festival in the venue’s history.

The programme comes following a turbulent year for the venue, which is now operated by Summerhall Arts following issues with Summerhall Management, who previously programmed the complex. 

The 2025 programme includes over 50 per cent international work, with artists from countries such as Singapore, Brazil, New Zealand, and the USA. It features a 50 per cent female-led lineup, with 20 per cent of shows created by artists of colour and 25 per cent including LGBTQ+ narratives.

This year, Summerhall Arts also introduces its first co-production: Skye: A Thriller, written by Ellie Keel and directed by Matthew Iliffe. The play, set on the Isle of Skye, follows a group of siblings confronting the reappearance of their deceased father. Other notable artists include Pussy Riot, In Bed With My Brother, Jonny Woo, and BAFTA Rising Star winner David Jonsson (Alien Romulus), who makes his playwriting debut with Paldem, dubbed an “anti-romantic comedy.”

Summerhall will also host a range of immersive and site-specific works. DARKFIELD presents a series of audio experiences in a shipping container and in the Old Lab. A Teen Odyssey combines smartphone technology with physical theatre. K Mak will present an audiovisual performance in a planetarium-style setup, while other performances will take place in unconventional spaces throughout the venue.

Summerhall continues its artist development initiatives with several awards. Ruxy Cantir receives this year’s Autopsy Award for Pickled Republic. The Meadows Award, supporting artists of colour, goes to Delirium for Miles, a piece inspired by jazz musician Miles Davis. The Melbourne Touring Award supports Hayley Edwards’ Shitbag, and the inaugural Guimarães Rosa Institute Award goes to Gaël Le Cornec for Amazons.

Emma Howlett of TheatreGoose returns as the recipient of a Summerhall residency, presenting her new play Aethēr. This residency programme supports artists developing new work during the year outside the Fringe season.

Additional works in the programme include Centre of the Universe by Gaia Mondadori, 300 Paintings by Sam Kissajukian, and BabyFleaReindeerBag by Hannah Maxwell. Theatre productions range from reimagined classics such as Julia. After 1984 (a feminist take on the George Orwell classic) to new comedies, such as Ordinary Decent Criminal by Paines Plough, Ed Edwards and Mark Thomas.

Music and comedy are represented through pieces like Chopin’s Nocturne by Aidan Jones, Delusions and Grandeur by Karen Hall, and Tomatoes Tried to Kill Me but Banjos Saved My Life by Keith Alessi. Alessi will donate proceeds from his show to cancer and theatre charities, as he has done since 2018.

Scottish stories include Waxen Figures by Cryptic, Colours Run by 4PLAY, and Balfour Reparations by choreographer Farah Saleh. Other movement-based work includes Because You Never Asked, In the Bushes by Lea Tirabasso, and Wild Thing! by Tom Bailey.

Tom Forster, Summerhall Arts’ Fringe Producer and Programmer, said: “This year’s programme continues to emphasise a range of voices and artistic forms. We’re focusing on thoughtful curation and providing space for artists to present immersive, engaging work.”