Shay Mace
As we hit the eve of Edinburgh Pride this weekend, it felt important to look ahead to the Festival Fringe and ask – are Queer shows saying enough about the state of LGBTQIA+ rights in our society in 2026? These 6 shows offer glances both forward and back, to uplift the stories of the marginalised, to ask questions about civil rights and liberties in an age of growing repression, and to fight back against narratives that breed hatred and fear. All, presumably, aiming to entertain their audiences all the while.
Taking Greek Tragedy to Thebes, California, Antigone 1989: A Town Hall Musical (Other Yin at Gilded Balloon Patter House, Aug 5 – 29 (not 17 & 24), 15:05) sees two brothers, gay activist Nikolas and conservative cop Elias dead after a protest on the Capitol Building steps. The story follows their defiant sister Tigg and best friend Henry risk all to see justice carried out. Vine & Light aim to navigate human need and political greed in this love letter to grassroots survival, and those who have fought against all of the odds to make change.
Crossing the pond, Inkbrew Productions delve into the archives to bring about The BBC’s First Homosexual (The Crate at Assembly George Square, Aug 5 – 16, 13:00), exploring a radio documentary made about male homosexuality, then banned and placed on the shelves for three years until a heavily edited version was broadcast in 1957. Lost to the ages, all that survives is an original transcript, brought to life by writer Stephen M Hornby and directed by Oli Hurst in this dramatic, acclaimed touring production.
Also exploring parallels between the last century and this one, Binge Fringe’s Pick of Prague Fringe 2026 KINDER (Big Belly at Underbelly, Cowgate, Aug 5 – 30 (not the 18th or 25th, 14:00) returns to the Festival, in a parable following a Drag Performer desperately re-arranging their performance last minute after discovering they misinterpreted the meaning of their booked ‘drag reading hour’. Taking on book-burning, fascism, counter-protest and childhood in a kaleidoscopic hour, there’s no holds barred in Ryan Stewart’s visceral, playful, and academic hour, directed by Tiah Bullock.
Keeping it camp and genre-bending, BOY Theatre bring their TedX talk-cum-drag brunch-cum-Lehman Trilogy CAMPITALISM: Three Gays Try to Fix The Economy (Attic at Pleasance Courtyard, Aug 5 – 31 (not the 17th), 14:05) unpacking the intersection of queerness and capitalist exploitation, battling battle bureaucracy in what they proclaim is an earnest attempt to understand and demystify finance.
With conversations about gender and the legislation surrounding it at the forefront of many people’s minds, especially within the United Kingdom as of late, two shows offer parallels between past and present to explore the presence of visibility, drag and transition both within the community and within society at large. Doughboys (Thistle Theatre at Greenside @ Riddles Court, Aug 7 – 22, 18:25) sees Private Sandes arrive at the Western Front with only a little problem, he is in disguise.
Capping things off with a visceral look into the Trans wait time for gender-affirming healthcare, Ros Watt brings their dark comedy play Trans People Are Awful, set in the North East of Scotland, following ‘Boy’ on his mission, armed with a camera, a vivid imagination and an axe he bought on Facebook marketplace, Boy is explaining his quest to complete the perfect transition. Strap in for this one.
