Electrifying shows at Glasgow's international festival include Brazilian artist Carolina Bianchi putting her body on the line to highlight violence against women A teenager in a balaclava st…
Rose theatre, KingstonA demanding director drives his cast into discomforting areas in this clever play critiquing the patriarchal power structures of the movie business The clench of a gun…
Kiln theatre, LondonIra Mandela Siobhan plays a pachyderm in Lynn Nottage's indictment of the ivory trade, leaving traces on those who murdered him and sold his tusks The gargantuan tusks ar…
From the magician who stops his show to serve at the bar to the actor who drives entire plays around in his car, for these theatre-lovers small really is beautiful When a producer rings up a…
Coming-out tales, ventriloquism, a musical set in a public loo and glamorous late-night cabaret are among the festival's uplifting LGBTQ+ shows No one ever pays attention when you're handed …
Growing out of the Lionesses' success, the Edinburgh fringe play Pitch uses interviews gathered from LGBTQ+ grassroots football teams across the country With muddy knees and soggy feet, we s…
Summerhall, EdinburghThe conceit that nothing we do can distract from our existential crisis falls flat amid an awkward set of audience participations in this solo show It doesn't bode well …
Summerhall, EdinburghGig-theatre blends beguiling music with warm storytelling to retell the story of Phaeton's theft from the sun god In an airless basement room, Wright and Grainger weave …
Zoo Southside, EdinburghBelgian theatre company Ontroerend Goed create a sombre, dreamlike atmosphere in this piece about funeral rites and mourning We queue up to give the names of our dead…
Roundabout @ Summerhall, EdinburghUsing verbatim interviews, Ell Potter and Mary Higgins turn their attention to how relationships end " including their own The boldest, bravest and stranges…
Magic and mentalism abounds at this year's festival. But how are the tricks done? Some of the best performers remain tightlipped " while others reveal all "That feeling you have right now," …
Lyttelton theatre, LondonA love affair between participants in a drug trial is staged by Jamie Lloyd with a stellar cast including Paapa Essiedu and Taylor Russell Senses are sharpened in Ja…
In her Edinburgh festival show, LA comic and clown Courtney Pauroso plays a latex-clad humanoid pleasure device. But are fringegoers ready to restart her? The last time I saw Courtney Pauros…
From kicking out the teeth of a dead cow onstage to popularising the prefix Mx, the performer has blazed a trail. Now 60, Bond talks about channeling rage into comedy " and nonconformity int…
Kay Dick's novel They was almost forgotten " but its dark predictions are eerily prescient. Perfect fodder for Peake and her new company to bring to life in Manchester In the dead of night, …
Kiln theatre, LondonTender portrait of a woman caring for her love " joy and affection seep through performances that ache with the tragedy of seeing your partner slip away Es and Flo dance …
From Cabaret to Streetcar, the West End's hottest director has a reputation for finding leads who put bums on seats. 'I just go on my gut,' she says How do you tell a story to an audience wh…
Shakespeare's Globe, LondonThis bright, bold show tries to balance humour and darkness but tends to land on the silly side of things Michelle Terry's Puck is an agent of chaos. She slinks an…
Theatre Royal BrightonSearing collection of diary excerpts, brought to life by prominent queer voices, recalls the devastation of Aids with fury and frankness A mesmeric reckoning with the d…
Southwark Playhouse, LondonMaltese duo use firsthand interviews " and warm humour " to highlight the lack of reproductive rights on the island When Marta Vella says "I love Malta" there is a…
Soho theatre, LondonThis debut from disability-led theatre company FlawBored is not afraid to make us squirm as it skewers virtue signalling and corporate buzzwords What starts as an audio-d…
Royal Court theatre, LondonTatenda Shamiso sings delighted duets with the person he once was and considers the logistical hurdles he has jumped to access treatment Warmly lit on a cluttered …
Donmar Warehouse, LondonStephen Mangan and Rachael Stirling bare their teeth in a show that dials up the violence and sometimes struggles to navigate the humour Love is a tempestuous, abusiv…
John Lyly's long-forgotten Galatea " featuring gods, mortals and a highly elastic approach to gender and sex " is being revived at the Brighton festival. We meet the team behind it Wickedly…
Adaptations of existing media get new fans in the building, but they also rob new plays of space Pay attention to the posters lining the walls of Tube stations, and at least half of the stag…