One of the first young transgender performers in UK musical theatre talks about singing in the gender-bending first world war show Brass and the support of his parents who are both priestsWh…
More big-hitting acts like Daniel Kitson and Bridget Christie aren't launching their new shows in Edinburgh " they're developing them thereNot least among the excellent things about the Edin…
Co-writer of Yes Minister, BBC TV's satire on the mechanics of governmentSir Antony Jay, who has died aged 86, was one of the two authors behind the influential 1980s BBC government satire Y…
This 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"I'm just raw material," complains Alan Ben…
Masai Graham, the winner of the 2016 Dave's Funniest Joke of the Fringe award, repeats his one-liner on Tuesday. Graham, a care-worker from West Bromwich, said the joke about a donor card wa…
Like the universe or Stevie Wonder, the number of awards for standups continues to expand. And the latest gong on the block is from the 'home of witty banter'There's a new gong in town. Not …
From Hoovers to badgers, here are the quips voted funniest in Dave's competition at the festival1. "I've decided to sell my Hoover… well, it was just collecting dust." " Tim Vine2. "I've w…
One-liner specialists Stewart Francis and Tim Vine each make two appearances in Dave award's top ten listTake a seat and brace yourself " here is the funniest joke from this year's Edinburgh…
Comedian Rob Auton beats rivals on all-male shortlist to scoop TV channel Dave's funniest joke of the fringe award' In punchlines and pictures: see the full 2013 list' Can you do better? Sen…
Staged amid sharp rocks and tin cans on a desolate wasteland, Raw asks its young performers to rip up parental rules, evoking the resilience of those who survive on the margins of societyThe…
Award goes to care worker who says winning gag isn't his best " 'only the clean ones get on the list' " but he's not complainingHe is a 35-year-old care worker from West Bromwich who is a di…
Former nominees James Acaster and Sam Simmons, and last year's best newcomer, John Kearns, are on the seven-strong shortlist for the main prize at the Edinburgh comedy awardsEdinburgh comedy…
Summerhall, EdinburghIdealism and self-interest are pitched against one other in a playful yet moving show about the politics of EuropeThere is a moment at the start of this collaboration be…
Traverse, EdinburghRob Drummond's light-touch show tries to make two of its spectators fall in love, as he asks whether we really are genetically programmed to cheat In theatre there is much…
Soho theatre, LondonThis multimedia show is a cartoon misery memoir, not without its pleasures, but mainly two-dimensionalRichard Gadd had a sleeper hit last year with Cheese and Crack Whore…
From 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. Whe…
Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-on-AvonWhat to do with this endlessly problematic play? Directors such as Peter Zadek and David Thacker set it in the stock exchange. But Rupert Goold, a…
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 VeniceThe Merchant of Ven…
When he was sexually assaulted, Richard Gadd was plunged into fear, shame and self-doubt. Now he's turned the experience into a standup show that explores who he is " and what it means to be…
The American singer-songwriter collaborated with choreographer Cass Eipper and performer Nelson Earle from Sydney Dance Company for his latest clip' Ben Folds and yMusic are touring Australi…
Forget 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 Continue r…
My friend and colleague Lynne Gagliano, who has died aged 48 of a brain aneurysm, was the head of Young Court at the Royal Court theatre, London. She was instrumental in devising Open Court …
Exquisite harmonies, by candlelight, transported audiences in 1600s London out of filthy streets into a gilded world of kings and star-cross'd lovers. Composer-director Claire van Kampen exp…
On Friday night, the first 24-hour passenger night tubes started to run on London Underground. BBC Three were there to capture this historic moment on the world's oldest underground metro at…
Pleasance Courtyard, EdinburghVivacious New Zealander whips up a blizzard of youthful energy in one of the fringe's most memorable comedy debutsThe title of this New Zealander's first fringe…