Join the Alliance of Defiance as the Edinburgh Festival Fringe launches its 70th anniversary programme.
The official 2017 Edinburgh Festival Fringe Programme has launched with shows catering for all ages and appetites, inviting performers and spectators from around the world to join the Alliance of Defiance and celebrate 70 years of defying the norm at the Fringe. The rhyming strapline resonates with particular poignancy this year.
Over the last 70 years the Edinburgh Festival Fringe has gone from strength to strength, inspiring a global network of more than 200 Fringes, establishing itself as the largest platform for creative freedom in the world.
On the 11 July, Fringes from around the world will come together for the inaugural World Fringe Day (worldfringeday.com), supported by the Scottish Government and EventScotland (part of Visit Scotland’s Events Directorate), an international celebration to mark the 70th anniversary of the birth of the Fringe movement.
Shona McCarthy, Chief Executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society said: “It is an honour to be releasing the 2017 Edinburgh Festival Fringe Programme today. This is a very special year for the Fringe as we celebrate 70 years of defying the norm, of championing artistic freedom and providing a platform for artists around the world to come and present their work in a truly unique environment that is inclusive, inspiring, and often life-affirming. The Fringe movement has circled the globe and inspired a worldwide network of over 200 sister fringes, with fringes now taking place on every continent except Antarctica. In the current climate of global uncertainty, fringes are more crucial than ever, continuing to provide artists with a space to express themselves without fear of censorship”.
A feast of famous names return to rub shoulders and sprinkle some ambition fulfilling fairy-dust on the upcoming and young talents. Themes this year include: Activism, Syrian conflict, Global Politics, Gender, Disability & Health, Fertility, Personal Journeys & Identity, Spoken Word, Family Shows, Music, Free Shows, Post Election bromides and Brexit ‘Free-for-alls’ almost a certainty. International Work, as ever will be writ loud and proud across the hopefully sunny Edinburgh skies.
The British Council Showcase returns for 2017 featuring some of the UK’s most exciting theatre and dance companies.
Twenty-four shows make up this year’s Made in Scotland programme, a curated showcase of music, theatre and dance, made and produced in Scotland and performed during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
The BBC’s Festival Hub returns to the grounds of George Heriot’s School for 2017 with a programme of daily live performances across radio, TV and online, capturing the festival’s most exciting new talent, biggest names, hidden gems and Fringe stories.
John Kennedy | Image: Neil Hanna
