Climate-themed shows to see at Edinburgh Fringe 2024
There are so many options for shows to see at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival that it can be hard to find something to fit your interests. That’s why we have taken a deep dive into the official programme to spotlight some great climate-themed shows to see at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2024.
Julie Kennedy: Crude
Stand-up
Julie Kennedy’s debut Fringe show takes on geopolitics, climate change and the media, told through her unusual background and life experiences. Born in Saudi Arabia, the world’s first oil exporter, she questions her life choices: How can she maintain both a luxurious lifestyle and a limited carbon footprint? How to invest money without greenwashing? How can journalists tell the truth without lying?
2-10 August, 23:35, theSpace @ Surgeon’s Hall
Matt Winning: Solastalgia
Stand-up
Climate academic and comedian Dr Matt Winning is back with a work-in-progress show, testing new ideas about climate change. As his background in academia suggests, Matt’s shows are often packed with evidence but always full of laughs.
19-25 August, 14:00, Free Fringe @ Voodoo Rooms
Stewart Goldsmith: Spoilers
Stand-up
Stewart Goldmith’s show Spoilers was a hit a last year’s Fringe and returns to Edinburgh this year for three shows only. Hilarious, hopeful, and “vaguely educational”, the show takes on the climate crisis by making us face our own hypocrisy while finding ways to harness our eco-anxiety for action.
12-14 August, times vary, Monkey Barrel Comedy
Me for You
Theatre
Me for You describes itself as “a play about love, in the face of overwhelming evidence that we’re a despicable race of selfish parasites.”
Holly knows human beings have screwed the planet but she’s still desperate to have a baby of her own. She’s tried doing the right thing, but her bamboo toothbrush didn’t reverse global warming. So she joined Extinction Rebellion. If only her girlfriend would join too and help save the human race! But are we worth saving?
Audio description into the dialogue so all performances are suitable for people with visual impairments.
1-6, 8-2, 14-25 August, 18:10, Pleasance Courtyard
STUMPED
Opera
STUMPED is a brand new one-act chamber opera by composer Lewis Coenen-Rowe, bringing together five old stories from varied times and places that are all united by a shared theme: what happens when you mess with trees.
These old stories alternate with conversations between two users of an internet forum on an overnight work binge. Gradually, the two worlds begin to merge. The show is debuting at the 2024 Edinburgh Fringe as part of the prestigious Made in Scotland showcase.
2, 4, 6, 8, 11, 13 August, 18:45, Scottish Storytelling Centre
The Seas Are Rising: Stories of a Climate in Crisis
Music
American songwriter Dan Sheehan brings a special one-man version of The Seas Are Rising: Stories of a Climate in Crisis, a concert experience emphasising the immediate urgency of the climate crisis.
Through music, lyrics, discussion and projections, The Seas Are Rising tells the stories of people around the world already dealing with intense, climate-induced consequences. Audiences hear the stories of Puerto Ricans facing deadly and ravaging hurricanes, Pacific Islanders facing loss of their home due to rising sea levels, Australians fleeing destructive brush fires, and eco-heroes in Latin America working under constant threat to preserve their natural treasures.
Beyond lyrics painting a picture of despair, the show infuses songs inspiring audience members to take on the challenge of combating climate change.
19-25 August, 19:20, Paradise in Augustines