The Pleasance Theatre Trust has celebrated its 41st anniversary at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe with a landmark programme of 293 shows, confirming its place as one of the festival’s leading venues.
Audiences enjoyed a rich mix of Fringe favourites, emerging voices, and 94 international performers from 19 countries. This year’s programme was the most decorated in Pleasance history, earning 50 awards across theatre and comedy.
Over 460,000 tickets were issued across the Courtyard, Dome, and EICC, with a record-breaking 33,000 visitors at the Courtyard on Saturday 16th August. More than 10,000 tickets were sold for children’s shows.
Anthony Alderson, Director of the Pleasance Theatre Trust, said:
“What an incredible Fringe. The quality of our programme has been recognised with a record-breaking number of awards. Our international programme at the EICC brought phenomenal artists from across the globe. The Pleasance has welcomed audiences from every corner of the UK and across world. In a time of such turmoil, this programme has sparked important conversations while also offering moments of pure escapism through exceptional theatre and comedy. My heartfelt thanks to the brilliant Pleasance team, whose dedication ensures we remain at the forefront of the world’s greatest arts festival.”
The Pleasance Futures initiative supported 30 shows with over £100,000 in funding. Notable recipients included The Unstoppable Rise of Ben Manager and Kanpur: 1857, both awarded the Charlie Hartill Fund.
Comedy newcomers were spotlighted through the Pleasance Comedy Reserve, featuring Dane Buckley, Daniel Petrie, Jen Nolan, and Maia Tassalini. Young Pleasance marked its 30th year with Ghost Light.
Accessibility was a key focus, with 32 captioned shows and 42 additional access provisions. In partnership with Sight Scotland, over 250 staff received specialist impairment awareness training. Braille guides, audio description kits, and hearing loops were introduced to support visually impaired audiences.
The Pleasance’s Welfare Programme supported over 800 participants with counselling, drop-in sessions, and safe accommodation for 258 artists and 309 staff.
Local engagement included partnerships with 24 Edinburgh primary schools, subsidising tickets for 1,619 children. Community Outreach tickets were led by Lubna Kerr, creator of Chatterbox.
Professional development was fostered through 50 workshops, technical training, and sustainability sessions. The Youth Initiative Programme offered 35 work experience placements, while 17 members of Edge Group, a Scottish autistic young adults support service, joined the Pleasance team.
Award highlights included:
- Six Scotsman Fringe Firsts: Kanpur: 1857, Eat the Rich (but maybe not me mates x), Monstering the Rocketman, The Horse of Jenin, Hot Mess, and #CHARLOTTESVILLE
- Edinburgh Comedy Awards: Sam Nicoresti: Baby Doomer (Best Comedy Show), Ayoade Bamgboye: Swings and Roundabouts (Best Newcomer)
- Filipa Bragança Award: Eat the Rich (but maybe not me mates x) by Jade Franks
- Holden Street Theatres Award: Eat the Rich (but maybe not me mates x)
- List Festival Awards: Bebe Cave: Christbride, Smile – The Story of Charlie Chaplin, Body Count, Hot Mess
- Bestie Awards: The Horse of Jenin, Toussaint Douglass: Accessible Pigeon Material, Palestine: Peace de Resistance
- Edinburgh Fringe Festival Theatre Awards: Trainspotting Live, World’s Greatest Lover, Monstering the Rocketman, FLUSH, A Jaffa Cake Musical, Count Dykula, Lesbian Space Crime, It’s Gonna Blow!, The Fit Prince, In the Land of Eagles, LEILDN, Cartoonopolis, and BITCH
- Theatre Weekly Best of the Fest Awards:
- The City for Incurable Women – Best Solo Performance
- Hot Mess – Best Musical
- The Nature of Forgetting – Best Physical Theatre
- The Insider – Best Use of Multimedia
- Blaze FM – Best Direction
- Neurodiverse Review Awards: Abnormally Funny People, Cartoonopolis
- NextUp Biggest Award in Comedy: Ayoade Bamgboye: Swings and Roundabouts
- Asian Arts Award: Kanpur: 1857
- Popcorn Writing Award: Hot Mess
- Fringe Five Awards: Hot Mess, Dyke Systems LTD
- Corr Blimey Awards: Eat the Rich (but maybe not me mates x), Lachlan Werner: Wondertwunk
- Entertainment Now’s WoW Awards: Fuselage, Eat the Rich (but maybe not me mates x), Joz Norris: You Wait. Time Passes
- Patrick Monahan Award: Amelia Hamilton: Forget Me Not
The Pleasance also raised £70,042 for Waverley Care through the Tartan Ribbon Comedy Benefit and venue-wide bucket collections.
With a permanent base in London, the Pleasance is already preparing for next year’s Fringe, promising another season of exceptional theatre, comedy, circus, dance, and family entertainment.
More information can be found here
