Persistent and Nasty

It’s the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2026 series

Elaine chats with the wonderful Cheeyang Ng about their new musical Legendary.

Legendary

Friesian, Underbelly Bristo Square

Wed 5 - Mon 31 Aug (not 17)

15:35 (75 mins)

LEGENDARY

‘In the beginning, there was a God named Pan Gu, and a ravishing Goddess named Nü Wa…’ In the world of Yin and Yang, what happens for those in between?’

A retelling of Chinese mythology, Legendary is a life-affirming musical tale of queer joy and identity. International award-winning singer-songwriter and Mandopop icon Cheeyang Ng, joins forces with acclaimed director Emilio Ramos, to bring this electrifying solo ritual musical to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Through call-and-response and circle singing, Legendary examines the myths Cheeyang was raised with, but never saw themselves reflected in.

Following sold-out New York and London developmental runs, and millions of views on social media, Cheeyang Ng makes their grand entrance to EdFringe with a 75-minute performance, weaving heartfelt storytelling with beautiful and exhilarating singing. As they revisit the legends that form the foundation of Chinese culture and beliefs - Pan Gu and Nü Wa, Hou Yi and Chang’E, Guanyin and Jingwei (*AKA Chinese Moana), Cheeyang explores their relationships with family, tradition, and their parents’ ultimate wish for them to have a child. In a vocal tour de force, they invite the audience to create a new myth, one that belongs to everyone.

Legendary is what Edinburgh Fringe has long needed - Chinese culture on a Western stage, a non-binary roar within a binary world, and an exploration of the modern questions in ancient stories. Maybe these contradictions are where the magic lies; when we stop dividing the world into categories, we find the songs truly worth singing.

https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/legendary

OUR WEBSITE - www.persistentandnasty.co.uk

IPA GUIDES: HIPA GUIDES

Equity Toolkit: Link

Stellar Quines: Link

Persistent Pal & Nasty Hero - Pals and Hero Membership

Email – [email protected]

Instagram - @persistentandnasty

Twitter - @PersistentNasty

Coffee Morning Eventbrite - Coffee Morning Tickets

LINKTREE - LINKTR.EE

Resources

Samaritans - Rape Crisis Scotland - Rape Crisis UK

ArtsMinds - BAPAM

Freelancers Make Theatre Work

Stonewall UK - Trevor Project - Mermaids UK

Switchboard LGBT+ - GATE

PLANNED PARENTHOOD DONATE - DONATE

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It’s the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2026 series

Elaine chats with the Althea Young the creator and performer of The Dreaming.

The Dreaming

Summerhall, Old Lab

Dates: 19 - 31 August (excluding Tue 25)

Time: 13:30 (60 mins)

THE DREAMING

How do you justify bringing a child into this world? When she was a teenager, she vowed she never would. Yet, when babies start appearing in her dreams, her resolve is challenged by a monstrous desire for a baby of her own. Channelling a wide array of personas and worlds, The Dreaming sees us lost between landscapes of fantasy and nightmare. Here we seek answers to the questions: What drives us to create life? How do we grieve the futures the economic and climate crises have taken from us? What makes our lives meaningful?

TICKET - https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/the-dreaming

OUR WEBSITE - www.persistentandnasty.co.uk

IPA GUIDES: HIPA GUIDES

Equity Toolkit: Link

Stellar Quines: Link

Persistent Pal & Nasty Hero - Pals and Hero Membership

Email – [email protected]

Instagram - @persistentandnasty

Twitter - @PersistentNasty

Coffee Morning Eventbrite - Coffee Morning Tickets

LINKTREE - LINKTR.EE

Resources

Samaritans - Rape Crisis Scotland - Rape Crisis UK

ArtsMinds - BAPAM

Freelancers Make Theatre Work

Stonewall UK - Trevor Project - Mermaids UK

Switchboard LGBT+ - GATE

PLANNED PARENTHOOD DONATE - DONATE

ABORTION SUPPORT NETWORK UK - ASN.COM- DONATE

MINI EPISODE - a track from -

MAN!FEST: A DRAG BOYBAND MUSICAL

Pleasance Courtyard, The Green

5 – 31 August (not 12,17, 26)

16:00 (60 mins)

MAN!FEST: A DRAG BOYBAND MUSICAL

The world’s biggest boyband has one huge secret: they’re played entirely by women.

OnTheNose Productions, Chichester Festival Theatre and Pleasance present MAN!FEST: THE DRAG BOYBAND MUSICAL, a riotous drag musical taking Edinburgh Fringe 2026 by storm with pop bangers, swoon-worthy choreography and a razor-sharp exploration of toxic masculinity.

Ash. Ewan. Cody. Ruben. Together they are MAN!FEST, the hottest boyband on the planet. But as their fanbase matures and the threat of female empowerment looms, the cracks behind the manufactured perfection begin to show.

Caught between manipulative management, impossible public expectations and their own fragile identities, the group battles to survive the pressures of fame while maintaining the fantasy demanded by their screaming fans.

Blending high-energy musical theatre, drag performance and biting satire, MAN!FEST: THE DRAG BOYBAND MUSICAL examines the cultural machinery behind boybands and asks difficult questions about masculinity, celebrity and the ways young women are taught to consume both.

TICKET LINK

OUR WEBSITE - www.persistentandnasty.co.uk

IPA GUIDES: HIPA GUIDES

Equity Toolkit: Link

Stellar Quines: Link

Persistent Pal & Nasty Hero - Pals and Hero Membership

Email – [email protected]

Instagram - @persistentandnasty

Twitter - @PersistentNasty

Coffee Morning Eventbrite - Coffee Morning Tickets

LINKTREE - LINKTR.EE

Resources

Samaritans - Rape Crisis Scotland - Rape Crisis UK

ArtsMinds - BAPAM

Freelancers Make Theatre Work

Stonewall UK - Trevor Project - Mermaids UK

Switchboard LGBT+ - GATE

PLANNED PARENTHOOD DONATE - DONATE

ABORTION SUPPORT NETWORK UK - ASN.COM- DONATE

Elaine chats with creatos and cast of the new musical. MAN!FEST: A drag boyband musical.

MAN!FEST: A DRAG BOYBAND MUSICAL

Pleasance Courtyard, The Green

5 – 31 August (not 12,17, 26)

16:00 (60 mins)

MAN!FEST: A DRAG BOYBAND MUSICAL

The world’s biggest boyband has one huge secret: they’re played entirely by women.

OnTheNose Productions, Chichester Festival Theatre and Pleasance present MAN!FEST: THE DRAG BOYBAND MUSICAL, a riotous drag musical taking Edinburgh Fringe 2026 by storm with pop bangers, swoon-worthy choreography and a razor-sharp exploration of toxic masculinity.

Ash. Ewan. Cody. Ruben. Together they are MAN!FEST, the hottest boyband on the planet. But as their fanbase matures and the threat of female empowerment looms, the cracks behind the manufactured perfection begin to show.

Caught between manipulative management, impossible public expectations and their own fragile identities, the group battles to survive the pressures of fame while maintaining the fantasy demanded by their screaming fans.

Blending high-energy musical theatre, drag performance and biting satire, MAN!FEST: THE DRAG BOYBAND MUSICAL examines the cultural machinery behind boybands and asks difficult questions about masculinity, celebrity and the ways young women are taught to consume both.

TICKET LINK

OUR WEBSITE - www.persistentandnasty.co.uk

IPA GUIDES: HIPA GUIDES

Equity Toolkit: Link

Stellar Quines: Link

Persistent Pal & Nasty Hero - Pals and Hero Membership

Email – [email protected]

Instagram - @persistentandnasty

Twitter - @PersistentNasty

Coffee Morning Eventbrite - Coffee Morning Tickets

LINKTREE - LINKTR.EE

Resources

Samaritans - Rape Crisis Scotland - Rape Crisis UK

ArtsMinds - BAPAM

Freelancers Make Theatre Work

Stonewall UK - Trevor Project - Mermaids UK

Switchboard LGBT+ - GATE

PLANNED PARENTHOOD DONATE - DONATE

ABORTION SUPPORT NETWORK UK - ASN.COM- DONATE

Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2026 series

Elaine chats with performer and writer Maddie Rice about her new show Goodbye Dandelion which has been co-crated with Maddie’s brother Marcus.

Goodbye Dandelion

Underbelly (Belly Dancer)

5-30 August

@16:10 (60 mins)

GOODBYE DANDELION

“Goodbye Dandelion blends storytelling and live music to explore life, loss and the unexpected connections that change us”

Goodbye Dandelion is the story of an unlikely friendship with a 50-year age gap. Oh, and death!

Told by real-life siblings Maddie Rice (on the mic) and Marcus Rice (on the keys), this poignant and sharply funny new work follows the final years of 87-year-old Darcy seen through the eyes of a new friend, bound by an extraordinary 50-year age gap. What unfolds is an unlikely friendship that is as life-affirming as it is heartbreaking.

With warmth, wit and striking honesty, Goodbye Dandelion doesn’t shy away from the big questions. Instead, it leans into them, asking what it really means to live, what we fear about death, and what might happen if we let go of those fears. Blending vivid storytelling with a live piano score, the show creates an intimate, emotionally rich experience that lingers long after the final note.

From the team behind Fringe hit Pickle Jar, this is a bold new piece that balances humour and heartbreak with precision and charm -a must-see for audiences seeking something both entertaining and deeply affecting this Fringe.

TICKET LINK

OUR WEBSITE - www.persistentandnasty.co.uk

IPA GUIDES: HIPA GUIDES

Equity Toolkit: Link

Stellar Quines: Link

Persistent Pal & Nasty Hero - Pals and Hero Membership

Email – [email protected]

Instagram - @persistentandnasty

Twitter - @PersistentNasty

Coffee Morning Eventbrite - Coffee Morning Tickets

LINKTREE - LINKTR.EE

Resources

Samaritans - Rape Crisis Scotland - Rape Crisis UK

ArtsMinds - BAPAM

Freelancers Make Theatre Work

Stonewall UK - Trevor Project - Mermaids UK

Switchboard LGBT+ - GATE

PLANNED PARENTHOOD DONATE - DONATE

ABORTION SUPPORT NETWORK UK - ASN.COM- DONATE

It’s the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2026 series

Elaine chats with the lovely actor and writer Kimberly Hart-Simpson, We chat about Kimberly’s new show Amnesia.

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Amnesia

Pleasance Courtyard (Bunker Two)

5–31 August (not 17)

16:25 (60 mins)

AMNESIA

“This piece has sat with me for many years, it won’t leave my bones, nor do I want it to. The story not only shines a light on those living with dementia but positively reflects the hard work and dedication from carers and communities that rally around with constant warmth, love and spirit.”

Set in Rhyl, Amnesia follows Kelly, a dementia carer and daughter of two Tom Jones tribute acts, who prides herself on holding everything together, from chaotic care home shifts to turbulent friendships and family expectations. But as she conceals devastating personal news, the cracks begin to show. Combining razor-sharp comedy with emotional honesty, the piece shines a light on carers, community spirit and the realities of dementia, without ever losing its irreverent humour.

Actor and writer Kimberly Hart-Simpson makes her Edinburgh Fringe debut with Amnesia, a bold and blisteringly funny new solo show presented as part of the prestigious Pleasance Edinburgh National Partnerships programme. Written and performed by Hart-Simpson whose screen credits include Coronation Street and Brassic, Amnesia is a fiercely funny and deeply human portrait of life, loss and working-class resilience on the North Wales coast

TICKET LINK

OUR WEBSITE - www.persistentandnasty.co.uk

IPA GUIDES: HIPA GUIDES

Equity Toolkit: Link

Stellar Quines: Link

Persistent Pal & Nasty Hero - Pals and Hero Membership

Email – [email protected]

Instagram - @persistentandnasty

Twitter - @PersistentNasty

Coffee Morning Eventbrite - Coffee Morning Tickets

LINKTREE - LINKTR.EE

Resources

Samaritans - Rape Crisis Scotland - Rape Crisis UK

ArtsMinds - BAPAM

Freelancers Make Theatre Work

Stonewall UK - Trevor Project - Mermaids UK

Switchboard LGBT+ - GATE

PLANNED PARENTHOOD DONATE - DONATE

ABORTION SUPPORT NETWORK UK - ASN.COM- DONATE

It’s the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2026 series

Elaine chats with musician, performer and clown Karen Hall about her show Delusions and Grandeur which is returning to the festival after an award-winning run in 2025.

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Delusions and Grandeur

Zoo Playground 2: High School Yards

7-30 August,

13:05-14:05pm

Delusions and Grandeur

”As irreverent as it is poignant" (Australian Arts Review). Come for the music, stay for the existential crisis as genre-blurring jester and cellist Karen Hall peels back the layers of formality leaving you with only the humanity and insanity of the artist

behind the instrument. And yourself. Featuring Suite Number One in G Major by JS Bach and personal comedic pieces crafted in Idiot classes, Karen fuses in a healthy dose of pathos tackling identity, expectations, and success through the eyes of a fool.

Based in Los Angeles, Karen boasts a diverse resume having graced the stages of Carnegie Hall and the Hollywood Bowl to

behind the scenes work in studio sessions for everything from indie singer/songwriter albums to work on soundtracks for

Emmy-nominated shows. Karen most visibly spent four seasons on camera as the Cellist on the TV show, Glee, and performs

regularly with various symphony orchestras throughout the greater Los Angeles area. She has worked with notable artists

such as Shawn Mendes, Geoff Emerick, and Yoshiki. Karen is a sought-after music educator frequently employed as a

Teaching Artist in Residency for the prestigious Music Centre Los Angeles.

TICKET LINK

OUR WEBSITE - www.persistentandnasty.co.uk

IPA GUIDES: HIPA GUIDES

Equity Toolkit: Link

Stellar Quines: Link

Persistent Pal & Nasty Hero - Pals and Hero Membership

Email – [email protected]

Instagram - @persistentandnasty

Twitter - @PersistentNasty

Coffee Morning Eventbrite - Coffee Morning Tickets

LINKTREE - LINKTR.EE

Resources

Samaritans - Rape Crisis Scotland - Rape Crisis UK

ArtsMinds - BAPAM

Freelancers Make Theatre Work

Stonewall UK - Trevor Project - Mermaids UK

Switchboard LGBT+ - GATE

PLANNED PARENTHOOD DONATE - DONATE

ABORTION SUPPORT NETWORK UK - ASN.COM- DONATE

It’s the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2026 series

Elaine chats with performer and co-founder of onefellswoopcircus

About their show By A Thread which returns to this years Edinburgh Festival after a sell-out run here in 2025.

By A Thread

Music Hall (Assembly Rooms, 54 George Street)

6-30 August (no shows 12, 17, 24) |

15:50 (60 mins)

By A Thread

Seven acrobats. Thirty meters of rope. One thrilling show. A ten year celebration.

Transcending the boundaries of circus, acrobatics, and physical theatre, Melbourne-based One Fell Swoop Circus return to the Edinburgh Fringe after a smash-hit sell-out 2025 season with their spectacular show By A Thread. A daring and beautiful exploration of trust and risk eight metres above the ground, By A Thread sees seven acrobats work with a live counter-weight system, using thirty meters of rope to bring an exploration of community, equilibrium, and connection to vibrant life.

Suspended eight metres above the stage, the ensemble moves through shifting states of balance and instability, where one body’s movement directly affects another’s. Using a live counterweight system made of industrial pulley systems and heavy sailing rope, By A Thread turns human relationships into something immediate and visible: weight, support, risk, timing, and care. It is the hands and muscles of the performers gripping the rope that hold each other in the air - no safety lines attached.

TICKET LINK

OUR WEBSITE - www.persistentandnasty.co.uk

IPA GUIDES: HIPA GUIDES

Equity Toolkit: Link

Stellar Quines: Link

Persistent Pal & Nasty Hero - Pals and Hero Membership

Email – [email protected]

Instagram - @persistentandnasty

Twitter - @PersistentNasty

Coffee Morning Eventbrite - Coffee Morning Tickets

LINKTREE - LINKTR.EE

Resources

Samaritans - Rape Crisis Scotland - Rape Crisis UK

ArtsMinds - BAPAM

Freelancers Make Theatre Work

Stonewall UK - Trevor Project - Mermaids UK

Switchboard LGBT+ - GATE

PLANNED PARENTHOOD DONATE - DONATE

ABORTION SUPPORT NETWORK UK - ASN.COM- DONATE

Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2026 series

Elaine chats with the brilliant JP McCue aka Mary Mac about their new show Mary Mac; Hail Mary - The Tartan Songstress

Mary Mac – Hail Mary: The Tartan Songstress

Assembly George square Studios – Studio two

5th – 30th August (not the 17th)

9:35pm (60 mins)

Mary Mac – Hail Mary: The Tartan Songstress

Born and raised in Glasgow, and trained at Glasgow Academy Musical Theatre Arts, Mary Mac has blazed a Tartan Trail across the world!

As one of the UK's busiest and best-loved cabaret performers, she is known for her quick wit, powerful vocals and crowd-pleasing performances. She regularly entertains audiences in theatres, cabaret venues and aboard cruise ships from the Caribbean to Copenhagen! From sailing the seven seas with her show to cruising with the Queen of the Seas, Jane McDonald.

She has also starred in hit musicals 'La Cage Aux Folles' (Regent's Park Open Air Theatre) and the UK tour of 'Everybody's Talking About Jamie' and supported 'RuPaul's Drag Race' winner Bianca Del Rio on her

UK and European tour. Now Mary makes her eagerly-awaited and long overdue Edinburgh Fringe debut, packed full of powerhouse live vocals, comedy, storytelling, and high-energy entertainment. Following the Fringe, Mary Mac will play Dame Trott alongside Judge Rinder and Sam Womack in Jack and the Beanstalk' at the Theatre Royal Nottingham.

TICKET LINK

OUR WEBSITE - www.persistentandnasty.co.uk

IPA GUIDES: HIPA GUIDES

Equity Toolkit: Link

Stellar Quines: Link

Persistent Pal & Nasty Hero - Pals and Hero Membership

Email – [email protected]

Instagram - @persistentandnasty

Twitter - @PersistentNasty

Coffee Morning Eventbrite - Coffee Morning Tickets

LINKTREE - LINKTR.EE

Resources

Samaritans - Rape Crisis Scotland - Rape Crisis UK

ArtsMinds - BAPAM

Freelancers Make Theatre Work

Stonewall UK - Trevor Project - Mermaids UK

Switchboard LGBT+ - GATE

PLANNED PARENTHOOD DONATE - DONATE

ABORTION SUPPORT NETWORK UK - ASN.COM- DONATE

Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2026 series

Elaine chats with writer/performer Nikki Fagbemi about her new show Bed Five. Alomg with Nikki we have the director of Bed Five Alex Hardy

Bed Five

Gilded Ballon Teviot- Dining Room

Tues 17th - Mon 25th August

11:50am (60 mins)

Bed Five

Darkly comic solo show written and performed by Nikki Fagbemi (Netflix, C4, Sky Arts, Amazon Prime), based on her lived experience of invisible illness. Shade is a young woman with sickle cell disease whose life depends on the blood of strangers. Between hospital admissions, emergency transfusions and a family that expects her to keep going no matter the cost, she’s become an expert at hiding her pain. But when a near-death crisis and the loss of a friend force her to confront her mortality, the cracks begin to show. Unforgettable characters bring this chaotic hospital ward to life.

TICKET LINK

BED FIVE: A CREATIVE SHOWCASE ABOUT HIDDEN DISABILITY

17TH, 2OTH, 24TH AUGUST

GILDEN BALLON TEVIOT – DINNING ROOM – 11:50AM

A mixed-bill showcase of imaginative performers who share frank, funny and sometimes frustrated insights into life with a non-visible disability. Curated by and featuring writer-performer Nikki Fagbemi (Netflix, C4, Sky Arts) and comedy writer-director Alex Hardy, who both have invisible illnesses. Each show features comedians, writers, actors, anyones… who are carrying hidden aches, pains, strains. So many medical appointments to juggle, so many people saying 'you look fine' and 'have you tried yoga?'... This is an imaginative response from hand-picked, underrepresented voices, who will relish showing you a glimpse of their worlds.

TICKET LINK

OUR WEBSITE - www.persistentandnasty.co.uk

IPA GUIDES: HIPA GUIDES

Equity Toolkit: Link

Stellar Quines: Link

Persistent Pal & Nasty Hero - Pals and Hero Membership

Email – [email protected]

Instagram - @persistentandnasty

Twitter - @PersistentNasty

Coffee Morning Eventbrite - Coffee Morning Tickets

LINKTREE - LINKTR.EE

Resources

Samaritans - Rape Crisis Scotland - Rape Crisis UK

ArtsMinds - BAPAM

Freelancers Make Theatre Work

Stonewall UK - Trevor Project - Mermaids UK

Switchboard LGBT+ - GATE

PLANNED PARENTHOOD DONATE - DONATE

ABORTION SUPPORT NETWORK UK - ASN.COM- DONATE