Edinburgh Castle, looking down on the Edinburgh Fringe fun!

Edinburgh Fringe for Language Learners : 2024 Edition

The Edinburgh Fringe Festival – that month when entertainment engulfs the Scottish capital – is round the corner.

And I can’t let a year go by without my regular audit of shows for linguists. As ever, there’s a raft of exciting shows both in our target languages and in English, connected to our target language countries. These are artists travelling from all over the world that can’t wait for our enthusiastic support.

Buckle up – it’s another good one for language learners.

French

  • F*** Me I’m French! by Paul Taylor (The Stand Comedy Club) : A bit of a cult icon, is Paul Taylor. You might have seen him on YouTube, and enjoyed his unique brand of franglais comedy. Laughs guaranteed.
  • No Regrets (Pleasance at EICC) : Where would an #EdFringe be without a Piaf show? This year it’s singer Christine Bovill who keeps the flag flying.
  • Yazmina Reza’s Art (C Arts) : For French drama in English translation, look no further than Clarendon Productions’ reimagining of this deeply explorative piece.
  • More Than Nude (C Arts) : This bilingual French-English production by the Group Performatif Famapoil deconstructs beauty standards in another C Arts presentation – long a familiar, trusty name in our non-anglophone show lists!

German

Spanish

  • Don Quixote Rides Again (Scottish Storytelling Centre) : The venue couldn’t be more apt for this retelling of the classic adventures, with Spanish guitar and flamenco.
  • Flamenco Fiesta (Alba Flamenca) : With flamenco as much of a stalwart at Edinburgh Fringe festivals as Piaf and Brecht, this represents this year! It’s a bit of a theme, as…
  • Flamenco Guitar Odyssey (Alba Flamenca) : …fans of Spanish guitar will delight at this solo show, whose artist has garnered fabulous reviews.
  • Flamenco Jazz Sketches (Alba Flamenca) : Another offering at Edinburgh’s Alba Flamenca, this fusion presentation features two equally fêted artists.
  • Flamencodanza (C Arts) : Showstopping dance from this internationally proven dance duo. And great to see C Arts leading the way with overseas productions again!
  • Found Our Funny – Barcelona Comedy Tapas and Barce-laughter (Greenside) : Two revues of Barcelona’s burgeoning comedy scene.

The Best of the Rest!

  • Who Owns Languages? (The Stand Comedy Club) : A thoughtful exploration of languages by Edinburgh University’s own Dr Thomas Bak.
  • The Secret Life of the Scots Language (St Columba’s by the Castle) : Dr Clive Young introduces a language finally moving towards official recognition.
  • 100% C*ntinental (Laughing Horse) : Hot takes on European life galore in this stand-up revue show, which promises to be a fun one.
  • Hygge (Just the Tonic at the Caves) : Humorous Scandi takes by a group of Norwegian comedians. Maybe together, we’ll pin down this mysterious hygge

So there you go – a wee selection of affordable (sometimes free!) shows covering all manner of languages. They take in the whole track of the emotional rollercoaster, too, from high drama to belly laughs. It must be said, when it comes to international artists, the Edinburgh Fringe never disappoints.

I’ve focused on the big ‘mainstream’ languages for the most part here, but this little lot should whet the appetite. Do comment if I’ve missed any goodies, though!

And above all: have a great laugh.

Edinburgh Castle is a stunning backdrop to the Edinburgh Fringe each August (EdFringe)

EdFringe 2023 : Language Hunting at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival

EdFringe is here again! And, as every year, I’ve been scouring the schedules to find shows that pique our language learning interest.

While there are plenty of performers offering entertaining insights from outside the UK, like Iceland’s Ari Eldjárn, and a swathe of non-English drama in translation such as this updated version of Cyrano de Bergerac, there are considerably fewer non-anglophone performances this year. It’s perhaps sad news for such an internationally oriented festival, especially considering the number of foreign language offerings in previous years.

That said, there are still some treats for linguists at EdFringe 2023. Here’s our round-up!

Paris: From Piaf to Pop

There’s always Piaf. Even in a dearth of foreign-language shows, the empress of chanson usually makes an appearance each festival, and this is one of two name-checking her this year. The focus, however, is the move into ye-ye in the 1960s, and the subsequent Americanisation of the French sound. It’s a two-date affair only, with fans still able to catch singer Christine Bovill’s second show at the Loretto School Theatre on 19th August.

Chansons: Songs and Stories from Piaf, Brel and Me

C Arts is hosting this digital, on-demand celebration of all things chanson by Stefanie Rummel. With tickets sold on a pay what you can basis, it’s a very accessible way to enjoy the festival even if you’re not in Edinburgh.

The Opera Diva’s Boudoir

Entwining narrative and a whole host of arias, Lieder and musicals numbers in their original languages, the Baroness treats punters to classical singing with a rags-to-riches storyline. Touted as fun for both opera fans and the opera-curious, it’s running at theSpace up to the 22nd August.

Latin Hearts Soprano-Guitar

Singing, amongst other numbers, songs by Lorca, soprano Silvia Mirarchi and guitarist Luca Villani serve up entertainment for the hispanists amongst us. It’s one show only, so be quick – they’ll be performing at artSpace@StMarks on Friday 25th August.

Gusla

Polish learners are in for an unexpected treat with this original language production, based on Adam Mickiewicz’s poetic drama Dziady. With shows running up to the 27th August, you can catch it at the Summerhall venue.

Have you caught any of these? Have we missed any gems? Let us know in the comments!

The Edinburgh Fringe is a great opportunity for language lovers to get some target language entertainment! Image from freeimages.com.

Laughs for Linguists : Polyglot Picks for Edinburgh Fringe 2019

The Edinburgh Fringe is back! And, in what has become a Polyglossic tradition, we have leafed through the flyers and brochures to compile our polyglot picks for #EdFringe 2019.

There is something on offer for every language aficionado, with culturally diverse shows spanning comedy, music and theatre. Some are performed in the target language, while others are in English, but featuring strong links with target languages of interest. Whether for some listening practice, or simply a bit of cultural exploration, there is plenty to keep polyglots and linguaphiles busy this August in Edinburgh.

French 🇫🇷

Surprisingly, the festival line-up is missing its usual Piaf and Brel content, usually a staple of the francophone side of the fest. Never fear, though: there are still a couple of Gallic gems on the list. Appropriately, a couple of them are even hosted at the Institut Français Écosse.

German 🇩🇪

  • Henning Wehn: Get On With It
    Festival favourite Henning Wehn, German Comedy Ambassador to the UK, is back with his quirky take on UK life through teutonic eyes. Expect quite a bit of reference to the B-word, naturally – one of the recurring themes running across successive recent fringes!
  • Franz and Marie : Woyzeck Retold
    This might catch your eye if you read German as a foreign language at university; Georg Büchner’s unfinished Woyzeck is a regular feature on first-year reading lists. Enjoy this fresh adaptation of a play with challenging – and still painfully relevant – themes.
  • The literary vein continues with Borchert – A Life. Aiming to bring the short-lived German writer to the attention of English-speaking audiences, the show highlights “a life worth knowing about“.
  • This year’s festival also sees several plays emerge dealing with various themes from 20th Century German history. Walls and Bridges brings to life a long-forgotten uprising of East German students in 1953. Meanwhile, The Good Scout dramatises a rather eyebrow-raising pre-war collaboration.
  • And where would we be without a good Lieder recital at the Edinburgh Fringe? Thankfully, Susan McNaught, Barbara Scott and Robert Duncan step up to that challenge, presenting Schubert and Wagner to festival-goers.

Italian 🇮🇹

  • Corde InCanto
    For a truly polyglot experience, give this Italian duo a whirl. As well as Italian arias, there are German Lieder and Spanish songs mixed into the musical menu.
  • Arlecchino Torn in Three
    Bilingual, family-friendly fun is the order of the day here. Blending Italian, English and musical accompaniment, the production brings the masked magic of Venice to the festival.
  • Me and the Mask – Commedia dell’Arte
    More hands-on, kid-friendly, masked fun, this time taking place at Edinburgh’s Italian Cultural Institute. Attending the show makes a great introduction to the centre, which is a valuable source of information on local events and courses.

Spanish 🇪🇸

  • Drunk Lion
    Drunk Lion is back!  Aptly for learners, this is an original play about an life-changing encounter with the Spanish language. And what’s more, it’s still one of the festival’s many free shows. That means there’s no excuse to miss it if you’re passing by the Newsroom Bar!  Incidentally, the venue is also a nice place to grab a drink and a bite to eat.
  • Sonia Aste : Made In Spain
    With a personable set exploring UK-Spanish connections, Sonia Aste shares her unique perspectives on our cultural touchpoints and differences. A dynamic and interactive approach ensures that this will make for a lively evening out!
  • As always, there is a broad choice for lovers of traditional Spanish guitar music and Flamenco. Highlights include Alba Flamenca, ¡Viva el Flamenco! and – particularly tempting if you have little ones to keep engaged – Flamenco for Kids!

Share your Edinburgh Fringe

Of course, this is a miniscule representation of the hundreds and hundreds of shows on offer. Apologies to all the wonderful shows we missed out. Perhaps some of the above will pique your interest if you are visiting Edinburgh this August. But if you attend a gem we overlooked, please share it with us in the comments!

To comb through the multiple offerings yourself and buy tickets online, visit https://tickets.edfringe.com/. And have a wonderful Edinburgh Fringe!

Edinburgh, home of EdFringe (Edinburgh Fringe Festival)

#EdFringe 2018 : Picks for Language Lovers

EdFringe is here again! And, as always, there is something for everyone in the festival, including us language lovers. In Polyglossic tradition, here are some picks for learners – or simply the culturally interested.

The shows on offer are a mixed bag, some featuring target language, and others in English. But all of the picks here have some link to the target language country. Whether for language learning practice, or for cultural exploration, there should be something to keep linguaphiles happy this August in Edinburgh!

French

German

Italian

  • Neapolitan Songs
    The title says it all, really. Romance, Naples, beautiful music – for lovers of Italy, this one-date only concert looks worth noting.
  • Violetta
    Continuing the musical theme (and who can blame them, considering the country’s musical heritage?), the group Opera Allegra put on this contemporary twist on La Traviata.
  • Luca Cupani: God Digger
    Like Henning and Vince above, this is a chance to catch a bit of Italian comedy – in English. With four-star reviews, Luca looks like a good bet.

Spanish

Also gaining a bit of of purchase in the jostling of myriad shows is Specters [sic], a play in Ukrainian with English subtitles. A little different, and an unexpected treat if you are studying the language.

Of course, this is a miniscule representation of the shows on offer this year. Hopefully, some of the above will grab your interest if you are in the city during August. Apologies to all the wonderful shows we missed. To trawl through the multiple offerings yourself and buy tickets online, visit https://tickets.edfringe.com/. And have a wonderful #EdFringe!