stage
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The tricky ethics of confessional theatreThis year’s Edinburgh fringe is full of personal stories and real-life drama, but not every production mines the lives of others with equal success
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'I should have been arrested for overacting'Our How We Staged Shakespeare series ends with the celebrated actor explaining why he keeps coming back to the much-misunderstood role of Shylock in The Merchant of Venice -
Explore all the winners – interactiveFrom Cambridge Footlights in 1981 to Sam Simmons in 2015, explore the history of the Edinburgh comedy awards. Find out who won, who they beat and how the art of comedy changed each year -
The shows we recommendPlan your Edinburgh schedule with this digest of our tips and reviews. Shows are listed by start time
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Rose Matafeo review – comedy newcomer turns on the stellar charismaVivacious New Zealander whips up a blizzard of youthful energy in one of the fringe’s most memorable comedy debuts
talking points
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Masai Graham's organ donor gag is named the fringe's funniest jokeAward goes to care worker who says winning gag isn’t his best – ‘only clean ones get on the list’ – but he’s not complaining
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The shows that tell stories with torch songsTorch songs are lighting up the Edinburgh festival this year, from Alan Cumming’s take on Adele’s Someone Like You to Lady Rizo’s anthem of a sleep-deprived mum
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How does Minchin's musical compare to the movie?Bill Murray’s deadpan misanthrope is now a jock belting out showstoppers. So does this stage replay bring new shine to the quirky love story – or kill a classic?
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Fringe performers swept up in 2016's political whirlwindFrom the Brexit vote to the US presidential race, the tumult of the year’s news shows how nimble – or lucky – artists need to be to stay relevant
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Ayesha Dharker as Titania: ‘The forgeries of jealousy’Ayesha Dharker plays Titania, the queen of the fairies, in a scene from A Midsummer Night’s Dream
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Zawe Ashton as Jaques in As You Like It: ‘All the world’s a stage’ – videoJaques’s speech about the seven ages of man from As You Like It is performed by Zawe Ashton
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David Threlfall as Prospero: 'Our revels now are ended'David Threlfall speaks Prospero’s speech in which the sorcerer contemplates the end of life – and the playwright, perhaps, considers the end of his career
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Camille O'Sullivan as Constance: 'Thou art not holy'Camille O’Sullivan plays Constance in King John, who laments the loss of her son, Arthur, but disputes the suggestion that she has gone mad
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Paterson Joseph as Shylock: 'You call me misbeliever'Paterson Joseph speaks Shylock’s lines from The Merchant of Venice, in which the moneylender reminds Antonio of the times he has insulted him
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Joanna Vanderham as Juliet: ‘The mask of night is on my face’Joanna Vanderham performs Juliet’s speech from the balcony scene in Romeo and Juliet
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Jasmin Vardimon imagines Pinocchio as a dance fantasyForget about the Disney film: Jasmin Vardimon Company’s dance adaptation, which debuts this month, is an altogether darker adventure inspired by Carlo Collodi’s 19th-century novel
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Chris Ramsey: ‘The funniest thing that shouldn’t be funny? People falling over’From Billy Connolly to Shaun Of The Dead, the comedian reveals the things that make him laugh the most
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Simon Munnery: I married my hecklerHe was bombing badly when a lone voice cried from the darkness - ‘don’t die!’ The stand-up recalls how – among a merciless crowd – he made one fan for life
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How I made an impression on Alistair McGowan and Rory BremnerAnt and Dec? Perpetual laughter. Boris Johnson? Strangle the vowels. Andy Murray? Just growl. Alistair McGowan and Rory Bremner try and make a mimic of Stephen Moss
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Head of Young Court at the Royal CourtOther lives: Head of Young Court at the Royal Court theatre in London
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The polyphonic protest show that puts you inside Kiev's MaidanUsing folk singing, found footage and a revolutionary interactive staging, Marichka Kudriavtseva and Mark Marczyk’s ‘guerrilla folk opera’ throws Edinburgh audiences into the heart of the Ukrainian struggles
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Fela Kuti, a Glasgow nightclub and the drama of the ladies’ loosAdura Onashile’s new play, Expensive Shit, takes place in two toilets – one in Glasgow and the other at Fela’s legendary Lagos club. She talks about her bathroom-sink drama
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My day as an Edinburgh performerInvolving the audience is the big trend at this year’s fringe. How did Alexis Petridis cope when he got up on stage in five shows?
pictures & video
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Hamlet's poisonous family reunionRonni Ancona’s Gertrude serves up a bloody homecoming dinner down the Prince of Denmark pub in the seventh of the British Council films for Shakespeare Lives 2016
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Isy Suttie's six tips for meeting The Actual OneHow should you act when you come face-to-face with a potential partner? Make sure you’re brutally honest. Isy Suttie and Stephen Wight demonstrate six ways to check your compatibility
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'I will deny thee nothing': love and chaos in the RSC's OthelloHugh Quarshie stars as Othello and Joanna Vanderham is Desdemona in Iqbal Khan’s gripping production at Stratford in 2015
you may have missed
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Read a new play by James GrahamIn a new play written for the Guardian, the award-winning writer of political smashes This House and The Vote, goes inside the Brexit bunker as its sweaty-palmed task force prepares to trigger Article 50
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Kabinet K The dance company letting children play with fire