Shay Mace
The links between Prague Fringe and Scotland go back all the way to the festival’s beginning, and very much have been a staple part of its existence in the past 25 years. Celebrating its anniversary, Founder and Director Steve Gove has put together an ensemble of acts from & making work in Scotland this year, ranging from Macbeth to Magic, Forgery to Pickle Jars and much more. This year, explore more Scottish and Scotland-ish work than ever before at Prague Fringe, which kicks off tomorrow, Friday May 22nd.
Taking the billing of most tartan and shortbread stuffed into one show, The Latebloomers return to Prague with their show Scotland! (28th & 30th) The Lecoq-trained clowning trio behind the piece have put together an ode to everything Scottish – from folklore to fishing, whisky to shortbread and beyond. Since debuting at the festival for the first time in 2018, the piece has been on tour around the world and won awards at Adelaide Fringe and Paris Fringe.
Keeping on the clowning theme, Scottish clown Arthur Vinegar will bring absurdity and joy to Metro Comedy Club in Arthur Vinegar: Good Boy (26th-27th & 29th), his only onstage muse being the humble carrot. Expect something out there and entertaining in this non-verbal piece where Arthur seeks the audience’s full validation throughout.
Two Scottish stand-up comedians will venture to the festival, coincidentally both connected by the theme of returning to the stage. Fred MacAulay is returning after cancelling his Edinburgh Festival Fringe run and subsequent tour following a freak accident and cancer diagnosis – the show, Good Evening (29th-30th) looks to take an upbeat and affirming approach to his journey back to the stage. Struan Logan will also be heading back into the limelight after a career break, performing Chaotic Good (26th, 28th & 30th).
The line-up so far will also be joined by two genre-defying pieces developed in Scotland. Magician Chris Cook unpacks the world of forgery, freedom and lies, and how lives across centuries can be bound together by lies in Fake (23rd-24th & 26th). Meanwhile Decoy Leg bring their cabaret-cum-puppetry-cum physical theatre exploration of the search for purpose through pickled vegetables (yes, truly) in the acclaimed touring production Pickled Republic (27th-29th).
Finally, taking on Shakespeare’s Scottish Play is multi-award winning company The Shakespeare Edit, bringing an intensely distilled version of Shakespeare’s Macbeth reimagined for a single actor in Macbeth Solo (25th-26 & 28th). There’s little chance you’ll miss the Scottish presence at Prague Fringe this year, and little should you!
Prague Fringe 2026 is the 25th edition of the festival, and will run from May 22nd – 30th at venues across Malá Strana in the Czech capital. Find out more and book your tickets using the Prague Fringe Online Box Office.
