Six unique Fringe shows by or starring women coming to Edinburgh this August - including work from Luxembourg, São Paulo, and Scotland

Running 1 - 24 August at Zoo Playground, London-based interdisciplinary performance artist, writer, director and filmmaker Faye Yan (b. Yafei Zheng, Beijing) will explore ableist education systems, the experience of living in the diaspora, and ridiculous immigration requirements in her returning show Is There Work On Mars? A 2024 Edinburgh Fringe Neurodiverse Review Awards Nominee, Faye Yan's semi-autobiographical solo performance tells the story of an Asian woman with a maths learning disability attempt to pass the ‘Martian Worker’s Immigration Exam’ conducted by Nylon Tusk’s SpaceY. A meditation on the society we currently live in, the future, and ideas of failure, Is There Work On Mars? brings thought provoking and deeply honest satire to audiences in search of something fresh.

In comedy-drama, writer, actor, and comedian Samia Rida (Breeders, Rebel Cheer Squad, Starlings) brings her blazing work Kidnap to Dram at Gilded Balloon Patter House for a limited run from 30 July - 10 August. Described by BBC Comedy Collective as “Entirely engrossing, a bonkers story, brilliantly told”, Kidnap cleverly journeys audiences from a hidden newspaper article found in Samia’s father’s safe to the present day as Samia recounts being kidnapped to Saudi as a child. A must-see show that both entertains and side-splits whilst prompting nuanced conversations about domestic violence, the hidden complexities of family, being a carer, and emotional resilience as both a child and an adult, Kidnap is also supported by the charity Sibs - supporting siblings of disabled children and adults. Kidnap was selected to play at Riverside Studios London last year as part of the Bitesize Festival (4 - 21 July 2024) and has been performed at The Tabard, The Museum of Comedy as part of a Funny Women night, and The White Bear.

Choreographed by acclaimed dancer and choreographer Jennifer Gohier of Corps in Situ, and part of the 2025 much-anticipated Kultur|lx Luxembourg showcase by Art Council Luxembourg, GO! is a visually thrilling new martial arts and dance performance where two world-class performers compete against and seek each other, set to play at Zoo Southside from 12 - 24 August. Trained at institutions such as Angers Conservatoire and the Ballet du Nord School, Jennifer Gohier's show sees dance and martial artists Youri de Gussem and Ville Oinonen bring a fun story of kinship that is as physically breathtaking and exciting as it is joyful to a traditional Dojo-inspired stage set in the round. A show for ages 8+, since its inception in 2022 GO! has played at: Theatre du Train Bleu, Avignon (as part of Avignon Festival 2024), Rotondes Luxembourg, Spinrag Kinderkunstenfestival of Kortrijk in Belgium, Derida Dance Center in Bulgaria, Atta Festival in Turkey, Gong Children Theater in Roumania, and many other venues largely in France and Luxembourg.

Exploring life and ageing through an eclectic, joyful, unpredictable show, octogenarian Christine Thynne will bring These Mechanisms to Dance Base, 1 - 20 August, as part of Made in Scotland 2025. Created in collaboration with Robbie Synge, These Mechanisms treads the lines between dance, physical theatre, object manipulation and contemporary circus to lead viewers into an anatomical mystery that ripples, laps, and waves across body, space, and time. Embodying challenge, failure, and success with equal measures of humour and emotivity, Christine Thynne offers an intrepid meditation on surfacing into the world of performance in your 80’s, whilst probing important modern social issues of age bias and prejudice - and the beauty of intergenerational friendships. A member of Dance Base’s semi professional dance company, PRIME, she has worked and performed with many Scotland-based artists; in 2022, approaching the age of 80, she began to explore her own choreographic practice with a Luminate Bursary, initiating research into solo work.

Part of the new São Paulo Showcase, Double Bill: Voyeur / Samba and Love by choreographer Lili de Grammont and São José dos Campos Dance Company brings two of Brazil's best dance stories of love, loss, and connection to the city. Blending samba and contemporary techniques, both works explore vulnerability, control, tenderness and tension - revealing the impossibility of escaping from rhythm, from the gaze, or from ourselves. São José dos Campos Dance Company is a contemporary dance ensemble from Brazil, with Lili de Grammont as its resident choreographer and artistic director. The company develops choreographic works that combine movement research with original soundtracks, often collaborating with Ed Côrtes, a Brazilian film composer known for scores such as City of God, The Truffle Hunters, and Beyond the Universe. Its practice involves the engagement of young talents in contemporary artistic processes and emphasises the integration of Brazilian music within the dramaturgy of its performances.

In dark new theatre, Capgras Theatre Company will bring Strangewife to Assembly Rooms (Front Room) this 31 July (Preview) - 24 August. Starring Capgras Theatre Company member Brooklyn Boukather in the leading role of grieving widow Lauren, she is joined by co-member Daniel Barney Newton to tell a story that probes the dark corners of human relationships, power, love, and identity. A wicked blend of drama and bleak comedy reminiscent of Yorgos Lanthimos and Harold Pinter, Strangewife uses a strange and unsettling relationship to ask audiences: How far would you go for love? Brooklyn Boukather is a classically trained, American actor with her BFA in Theatre from NYU Tisch School of the Arts, and is one of three members of Capgras Theatre Company - an emerging production company, comprised of three theatre makers originally from New York, Manchester, and Cape Town, but all currently based in London.