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Lorne Campbell, artistic director, Northern Stage In 2005, when I was an assistant director at the Traverse, my fringe consisted of chewing my way through a very long list of shows that needed to be seen "just in case". I watched about 90 shows in three weeks, with an unfavourable ratio of good to bad to indifferent. In the middle of the fringe in a small hall at C venues, I saw Jessica Almasy delivering a weird, wonderful and incandescently original one-woman show under the direction of Rachel Chavkin: Give Up and Start Over. This was the Team's first trip to Edinburgh, and along with their other show that year, A Thousand Natural Shocks, their political, joyful, chaotic brand of theatre seemed to crystallise a moment in the psyche of the fringe. The next year we programmed them at the Traverse, and those wild-eyed kids have now become established international artists, close friends and perpetual collaborators. That's the wonder of the fringe: you can walk into a room expecting … [Read more...] about The best show I’ve ever seen at Edinburgh: performers and theatre-makers on their festival highlights

What was striking the first time around, besides the show being deliriously funny, was the sense of a comedian stepping out from behind his mask. Yes, his standup was already remarkable – hence the record-breaking five consecutive Edinburgh comedy award nominations, not to mention four simultaneous (and interconnected) Netflix specials. But those shows concealed as much as they revealed about their creator, behind those trademark tricksy conceits about jury service, say, or his secret life as an undercover cop. Sometimes they suggested real-world concerns behind the elaborate fictions – a spiritual crisis, in Represent, or a breakup, in Recognise. But you had to extrapolate, and there was no knowing – Acaster certainly wasn’t telling – whether your hunch was right or wrong. … [Read more...] about From Brexit to breakups, James Acaster is an audacious king of comedy

Lily, from Lewes, and George, from Hastings, are hardly strangers to Arundel, which also boasts a Roman Catholic cathedral and is just miles from the 17th century stately home of Goodwood, owned by the Duke of Richmond … [Read more...] about ‘Trolls’ deluge couple with poison pen letters accusing them of attracting ‘scantily-clad maskless chavs’ to pretty Sussex town by opening cake shop

Since then, he has rarely put a foot wrong as he steadily rebuilt Fianna Fail's electoral fortunes. In February's general election, they under-performed compared with polling, but still finished as the largest party in the Dail with 38 seats (including the speaker), although this is well short of a majority. Months of torturous coalition negotiations resulted in the party returning to government. … [Read more...] about Micheal Martin: Ireland elects a new leader – who is he and why will he only get two years?

The city also boasts the world’s longest covered walkway, winding 3.8km up to the hilltop San Luca basilica. The locals built the portico to protect an icon of the Madonna that is carried into town each year in thanks for saving them from famine in 1433. We take a cheat’s mini train up then walk down. … [Read more...] about Look beyond the same old city breaks — try visiting these unusual European metropolises instead