For the past few years, the esteemed team at the Ashden Directory would comb through the offerings in Edinburgh and produce a list of works that have a connection to ecology or engage with ecological themes in some way. Drawing on their great work (which is now archived), I have put together my own list for 2015 (although I’m sure it’s not as exhaustive!). The Center for Sustainable Practice in the Arts has also released the long list for their Sustainable Practice Fringe Award, which is another great source.
I have considered ‘ecology’ as wide-ranging and included pieces about the politics of space, environment and resources, climate change, sensorial attunement, gardens, animals, apocalypse, imagining the future, fairy tales about nature and questions of what it means to live under the threat ecological crisis. A lot of pieces highlight the entwinement of ecology with economics, politics, social justice, technology, war, personal relationships and wellbeing. I’m really excited to see such a broad spectrum of approaches, forms and styles this year. There are a lot of exciting shows across comedy, puppetry, devised performance, musicals, site-specific performance, walking performance, spoken word, children’s theatre and much more. I welcome any suggestions and additions as I’m sure I have missed some out!
*Please note that this list is mostly based on programme information and therefore I can’t speak to the extent to which each show engages with ecology.
Assembly of Animals
Small Animal Hospital @ Summerhall
Tim Spooner
Atomkraft
Red Lecture Theatre @ Summerhall
Kompanie Greg McLaren
Bayou Blues
Venue 13 @ Venue 13
CalArts Festival Theater
BLACK STUFF
VOLCANO THEATRE
Forest Fringe
Carnival of the Animals
Church Hall @ Stockbridge Church
Aire Ensemble in association with The Naturalist
Celebrating Edinburgh’s Traditional Buildings: Calton Hill Geology Walk
Edinburgh Traditional Building Forum
Chicken
Roundabout @ Roundabout @ Summerhall
Eastern Angles and Unity Theatre, Liverpool
Cinema in South Georgia
Beside @ Pleasance Courtyard
The Braw Buoys
Cocaine Conspiracy
Stand in the Square @ Stand in the Square
Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas / Fair Pley
Current Location
The Dissection Room @ Summerhall
FellSwoop Theatre
Edge Effect
studio 6 @ C venues – C nova
Pentmond and Co (USA)
Fault Lines
Basic Mountain @ Basic Mountain
Phantom Owl Productions
Foxfinder
Bedlam Theatre @ Bedlam Theatre
Master of None
Frankenstein
Forest Theatre @ Greenside @ Infirmary Street
Old Deerfield Productions
Fraxi Queen of the Forest
Fletcher Building @ Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh – Fletcher Building
Asylon Theatre
Garden
Pleasance Below @ Pleasance Courtyard
Lucy Grace
Garden
Traverse Foyer: Meeting Point @ Traverse Theatre
Produced by sound
Gardens Speak
TANIA EL KHOURY
Forest Fringe
Garden Man
Studio One @ The Assembly Rooms
Little Tricks Theatre Company
Going Viral
Northern Stage at Summerhall @ Northern Stage at Summerhall
An ARC Production written and performed by Daniel Bye
Green Poems for a Blue Planet
Dining Room @ Gilded Balloon
Martin Kiszko
HandleBards: Secret Shakespeare
Bedlam Theatre @ Bedlam Theatre
The HandleBards
Hidden Gardens of the Royal Mile
Walking Tour @ Outside John Knox House
Greenyonder Tours
Holoturian
Ariel Guzik
Arts Catalyst
Edinburgh Art Festival @ Trinity Apse
I’m Not Here Right Now
Roundabout @ Roundabout @ Summerhall
Dancing Brick and Soho Theatre
Imaginary Colin
Speakeasy @ Voodoo Rooms
Jessica Fostekew / PBH’s Free Fringe
Islands
The Dissection Room @ Summerhall
Caroline Horton & Co, China Plate and the Bush Theatre
Jonny and the Baptists: The End Is Nigh
Roundabout @ Roundabout @ Summerhall
Supporting Wall
Landline
Tour @ Out of the Blue Drill Hall: Outside
xosecret
Liam Williams: Bonfire Night
Maggie’s Front Room @ Laughing Horse @ The Free Sisters
The Invisible Dot Ltd. / Free Festival
Light Boxes
TC0 @ Summerhall
Grid Iron
Lungs
Roundabout @ Roundabout @ Summerhall
Paines Plough
Maiden: A Recycled Fairy Tale
Lime Studio @ Greenside @ Nicolson Square
3Bugs Fringe Theatre
Ndebele Funeral
Main Hall @ Summerhall
Smoke and Mirrors Collaborative
Paradise Project
Northern Stage at Summerhall @ Northern Stage at Summerhall
Third Angel and mala voadora
Photosynthesis
John Hope Gateway – Ground Floor @ Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh – John Hope Gateway
Group Exhibition
Project HaHa
Demonstration Room @ Summerhall
RemoteControl Theatre
Rambles with Nature – Ramble 1
SHEILA GHELANI WITH STRAYBIRD
Forest Fringe
Rap Guide to Climate Chaos
Wine Bar @ Gilded Balloon
Soho Playhouse Inc
Scarfed for Life
Hall at Central Hall @ Just Festival at Central Hall
Citizens Theatre
Sing for Your Life
Belly Button @ Underbelly, Cowgate
The Vaults
Skating On Thin Ice
Stand in the Square @ Stand in the Square
Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas / Fair Pley
Smash It Up
Red Lecture Theatre @ Summerhall
Mr and Mrs Clark
To Space
Anatomy Lecture Theatre @ Summerhall
Niamh Shaw
Ventoux
Demonstration Room @ Summerhall
2Magpies Theatre
Wail
LITTLE BULB THEATRE
Forest Fringe
Walking the Tightrope: The Tension Between Art and Politics
Topside @ Underbelly Potterrow
Offstage and Underbelly Productions, in association with Theatre Uncut
We May Have to Choose
Mata Hari @ Laughing Horse @ Espionage
Emma Hall / Free Festival
Wild Man of Orford
International 4 @ Sweet Grassmarket
Rust and Stardust
Wild, Scottish And Free
Stand in the Square @ Stand in the Square
Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas / Fair Pley
Performance + Ecology 