How do you get over stage fright? Learn your lines? Make the most of auditions? Handle rejection? Stars of stage and screen tell their secrets to Laura Barnett, in this extract from her new …
More than 36,000 English-language copies of the script of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child have been sold in France in the first weekThe world's best-loved wizard has bewitched youngsters i…
Whatever approach they take to performance, actors often take their characters' painful experiences " repeated night after night " away with them off stage. Kate Fleetwood, Michelle Terry an…
After the Scottish comedian mocks the Olympian's looks, David Walliams defends her as 'a beautiful woman, inside and out'If at first they don't succeed, most Olympians will aim to try again …
Pleasance Dome, EdinburghThe New Jersey standup tackles his mental-health troubles in a comedy set that is dark, droll and displays considerable skillFor nine years, the New Jersey comic Chr…
It takes time to create a buzz around a festival show, and soon the run is over. Bringing a hit back can give companies a publicity head start " and a cash boost to their next venture. But t…
The Canadian comic is at the Edinburgh fringe with his protest show about a joke that saw him ordered to pay $42,000. It's not a well-argued defenceMike Ward appears on his poster in a muzzl…
Gilded Balloon, EdinburghWhether you've seen the TV show or not, there's still plenty to enjoy in the brusque humour of this slapdash stage version"I'm just laughing," a tittering Robert Flo…
On-demand TV is increasingly the best place to get quality standup comedy " here are some of the best, including John Mulaney's precise routines and Chelsea Peretti's unrelenting nonsenseStr…
Traverse, EdinburghIn a layered show, drag queen Panti Bliss pokes fun at gender norms and her sex life as a national treasure " but also touches on stigma and living with AidsIf you thought…
Stephen Moss learns the art of impersonation from two masters: Alistair McGowan and Rory Bremner. Will Moss impress his tutors with his Boris Johnson? Can he manage to stretch his words and …
Ant 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 Alistair McGowan immediat…
The American photographer, who creates hyperreal tableaux of dancers at work, talks us through the images in her new book Lois Greenfield: Moving Still is published by Thames & Hudson (U…
Public Theater, New YorkThere is something deeply gratifying about seeing these characters, worn over centuries to archetypes, shaken into relevance by sheer force of performanceOne advantag…
Simon Jay's show aims to highlight the ridiculousness of the US presidential candidate through the power of satireWith his orange face and distinctly odd hair, Donald Trump stands gleefully …
The choreographed portraits in a video series featuring Zenaida Yanowsky, Robert Cohan and Jonzi D create an impressionistic portrait of the professionTwo years ago, the choreographer Jonath…
Playhouse, EdinburghThis exhilarating collaboration between post-rockers Godspeed You! Black Emperor and dance company the Holy Body Tattoo lives up to its titleIt lasts for an exhausting, e…
Underbelly Cowgate, EdinburghThe Australian standup's sexist creation, Dave, is back in a multi-layered show that spoofs both chauvinism and clowning Zoë Coombs Marr made a splash last ye…
The feminist theatre group explore male privilege and power in a messy, energetic show with music and dance Continue reading...
School children will take part in 'cultural citizens programme' in attempt to diversify audiences and attract young people to cultural activitiesHundreds of schoolchildren are to get free an…
Roundabout at Summerhall, EdinburghAmy McAllister is utterly mesmerising in Stacey Gregg's play about a teen who is as confused as the law is when it comes to issues of genderPaines Plough's…
How do you get Tammy Wynette to sing on your record? How do you stop the Teardrop Explodes from imploding? And what's the wildest thing you can do with £1m? Bill Drummond of the KLF on th…
Pleasance Courtyard, EdinburghThe Kettering standup delivers his unique brand of micro-observational comedy in an exquisitely written showMaybe it's to do with Brexit, but comics seem preocc…
Plan your Edinburgh festival schedule with this digest of our tips and reviews. Shows are listed by start time. This page will be updated daily10am, Summerhall (until 28 August) Continue rea…
Comedians kick off Iraq Out and Loud, the reading of all 6,000 pages of the Iraq war report in a small shed at the fringeThe most talked about performance at the Edinburgh festival fringe ki…