Scottish Storytelling Centre

Bal Folk: Dance Workshops & Social

Learn the steps to bal folk, the European version of ceilidh dancing, followed by an hour of social dancing to recorded and live music. Suitable for beginners. Led by Edinbal.

Blood and Gold

Mara Menzies Ancient mythology and modern storytelling collide in a contemporary exploration of the legacy of colonialism and slavery by award-winning Scottish Kenyan storyteller Mara Menzies. A dying mother gives her daughter a box containing three clues to a priceless treasure. This sets in motion a journey filled…

Burns for Brunch

Theatre Objektiv Hungover, perhaps, but not yet hung out to dry, Robert Burns awakes in Auld Reekie 2019 sharing his thoughts, poems and songs, casting a satiric eye around his Scotland and ours. Well suppered and well scuppered, Rabbie reveals what it’s like to be transmogrified into a couthy wee household god. With…

Café Voices

A relaxed session of oral storytelling, poetry by memory, music and song. The monthly session features an open-floor section for storytellers to tell their own tales.

(Can This Be) Home

Brite Theater Half music concert, half spoken word performance where Kolbrún Sigfúsdóttir examines the immigrant experience of Brexit and flautist/composer Tom Oakes plays the tunes his travels have inspired. A show literally in the making since the summer before the vote, we take stock of where we are now. Can we ever…

Celeste’s Circus

Faux Theatre This award-winning show offers a first trip for wee ones into the magic of the big top with thrills, spills, oohs and ahhs. Celeste invites you to spot a peek-a-boo pussycat, applaud a highwire hippo and fall in love with the cutest seal pup ever. A complete joy to watch, with a delightful retro feel.

Dispatches on the Red Dress

Rowan Rheingans A courageous new work by twice BBC Radio 2 Folk Award-winning songwriter Rowan Rheingans. Adventurous new writing meets the warmth of a live gig in this heartfelt and personal one woman show, uniquely weaving immersive storytelling with live fiddle, banjo and genre-melding original songs. Unravelling a…

Dr Korczak's Example

Strange Town Set in 1942, in the final days of an orphanage in the Jewish ghetto of Warsaw, where food is scarce, tempers rise and everyone just wants to survive. David Greig’s play tells of Janusz Korczak, a Polish doctor and writer who championed every child’s right to freedom, respect and love. A powerful, sobering…

Feast of Fools

Daniel Serridge Ever poured gravy into your hat? Eaten next to a Sultan? Had a dinner party with the devil? Well now’s your chance. The Feast of Fools will make this happen and more in one of the most unusual feeds you’ll ever have. Join storyteller Daniel Serridge at his dinner table of foolishness as he regales you…

The Golden Fly

Alice Fernbank and Graham Dickson The Golden Fly is an epic tale of a shape-shifting goddess in search of her truth. Transformed by sorcery into a golden fly, Celtic Goddess Ethaun is condemned to wander the worlds until her heart changes. She meets kings and queens, jugglers and fools as her desire for something more…

Hamish Henderson: On the Radical Road

Theatre Objektiv Evocative, innovative shape-shifting drama sculpted from the poetry, music and songs of Hamish Henderson (1919-2002). Celebrating the 100th anniversary of the birth of this revolutionary European artist and father of Scottish folk revival, presented in dynamic, dramatic fusion. Exhilarating ensemble…

I Am Mark

Stefan Smart Mark’s Gospel is our most authentic portrait of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. Yet it was not supposed to be read piecemeal and in silence, but heard out-loud, and in one sitting. In this dynamic solo performance, Stefan Smart recreates the way the story was once narrated – as a full-bodied…

JRR Tolkien’s Leaf by Niggle

Puppet State Theatre Company Puppet State Theatre Company’s acclaimed adaptation of JRR Tolkien’s miniature masterpiece – enchanting storytelling for fantasy fans and phobics alike. Niggle is an artist, struggling to complete a curious painting of a tree but plagued by constant interruptions. Also, Niggle has a journey…

Loud Poets: Best of Fringe

Loud Poets Showcasing the top spoken word talent the festival has to offer – from the laugh-out-loud funny, through the wonderfully surreal, to the thoughtful and emotional – Loud Poets continue to prove that spoken word has something for everyone. Each night features a unique line-up and Loud Poets’ classic…

The Man Who Planted Trees

Puppet State Theatre Company This multi award-winning adaptation of Jean Giono's classic environmental tale by Puppet State Theatre Company has been touring internationally for the past twelve years, with repeat appearances at the Sydney Opera House and off-Broadway. A unique blend of comedy, puppetry and inspiring…

The Night With… Evenings

The Night With… Three alternating concert programmes over multiple days featuring music by Scottish composers and settings of Scottish poetry. Performed by Turning the Elements (Frances Cooper (soprano) and Joanna Nicholson (clarinet)); Tom Poulson, Danielle Price and Timothy Cooper (trumpet, tuba, electronics) and Duo…

Passing It On: Sheila Stewart and Stanley Robertson

Jess Smith and James Spence recount the legacy of Scottish Travellers Sheila Stewart and Stanley Robertson.

Real Talk: Storytelling for Wellbeing

An evening of storytelling focused on mental health.

The Red Hourglass

Kyle / Bissett Productions A dazzling, unique horror-comedy from Alan Bissett, the Fringe First-winning creator of The Moira Monologues. Here he plays five characters – three male, two female, none of them human – locked up together in a mysterious research facility. A shape-shifting, virtuoso performance that…

Scots Music Group Ceilidh

Fundraising ceilidh of traditional music and dancing.

Scottish International Storytelling Festival

A celebration of live storytelling and imagination uniting Scottish and international storytellers and musicians. Performance, workshops, talks and children's events radiate out from the capital with guest storytellers from across the globe. The 2019 festival has a special focus between Scotland and Canada, aimed at…

Sing Me a Song: The Robert Louis Stevenson Show

Neil Adam and Judy Turner RLS is synonymous with Edinburgh. Acclaimed musical duo Neil Adam and Judy Turner present the wit and wisdom, the adventures and heartbreaks of the beloved author of Treasure Island, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and more. Come travel with him from Scotland to California, then across the Pacific to…

Supernatural: Wonder Tales from Scotland

Dougie Mackay Storyteller Scotland is a country blessed with abundant natural beauty and mystical landscapes. Equally striking are the many supernatural wonders featured in Scotland’s traditional tales. Dougie Mackay shares stories of strange places full of fantastic creatures and curious characters, where the veil is…

This Script

Jenny Lindsay At a time of schisms within feminism, where sirens are the soundtrack to our newsfeeds, This Script combines poetic memoir with a fierce call for empathy. With Jenny Lindsay’s trademark wit and lyrical dexterity, this is a show delving into often turbulent contemporary waters with an ultimate striving for…

Tiny Tales

Stories, rhymes and songs for wee (and not so wee) ears. Ages 2–5.

A Trilogy of Horrors: Volume II

TumbleDry Theatre After a 2018 sell-out production, TumbleDry Theatre return to the Fringe with three more classic horrors stories. Join us for a night of the strange and the sinister, featuring the unnerving work of HP Lovecraft, a tale of the unexpected by E Nesbit, and the uncanny science of HG Wells. 'Masters of…

Walk the Oars

Svend-Erik Engh and Neil Sutcliffe Danish storyteller Svend-Erik Engh and Scottish musician/singer Neil Sutcliffe share a story inspired by the Viking’s arrival in Scotland. You are invited on board a Viking longship, so hold your oars steady as the Viking storyteller walks upon them to celebrate a victory. ‘Walk the…

Wee Seals and Selkies

Janis Mackay In this delightful family show, storytelling and music combine to create an enchanting performance, evoking the Scottish northern seashores. The Wee Seal is the true tale of a seal born in the storyteller’s garden, while The Selkie Girl is a retelling for children of the much loved magical selkie myth.