Amelia Ryan first stormed the Fringe last year with her Edinburgh debut 'Storm In A D Cup', and the good news is that she is back for another bash at Festival success.
She's known for having a slightly feminist edge, and admits to covering some material that might be described as 'issue-led', but ultimately - as you'll find out - her shows are light, entertaining and accessible to all who can cope with a little bit of naughtiness.
I put some questions to Amelia to find out more about her show and how a certain Barry Humphries commissioned her to create it. Read the interview here.
Amelia Ryan performs 'Lady Liberty' at Assembly George Square Theatre from 4-28 Aug.
STEPHEN GREER: YOU GUIDE TO GLASGOW AT THE FRINGE
While Edinburgh might dominate a little during its Festival month, let's not forget what a great cultural hub Glasgow is all year round. And plenty of the talent that makes that so can be found here in Edinburgh during August.
As for Fringe 2016, and the work that we can expect to make a big impression here that's made its way over from the more Westerly regions of Scotland, we thought we'd turn to someone a bit more immersed in that scene than we are.
So over to Fringe veteran and lecturer in theatre practices at the University Of Glasgow, Stephen Greer. Read Stephen's exclusive column here.
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• The Fringe Programme this year lists 3269 shows, which together involve performers from 48 countries and take place in 294 venues. Which is just silly numbers really, isn't it? And those were the stats as the print programme was published back in June. Some shows join the party after that date, plus some Fringe shows don't even bother listing in the Fringe Programme. Which is super Fringe, I guess.
• The Fringe Society, which administrates the Fringe Festival and publishes that aforementioned programme, has a new boss. Shona McCarthy joined as CEO earlier this year replacing Kath Mainland, who's bloody well moved to Melbourne. McCarthy's prize for her new gig is me quoting what she said while launching this year's Fringe Programme.
• Launching this year's Fringe Programme, Fringe Society CEO Shona McCarthy said: "At its core the Fringe is an open access festival, which welcomes anyone with a story to tell, and for that reason, amateur and professional artists from around the world continue year after year to come here to share their stories, hone their skills, create new opportunities for themselves and their work, and celebrate the joy of live performance". That was fun, wasn't it?
• The newish Artistic Director at the Edinburgh International Festival, Fergus Linehan, continues to evolve that side of Edinburgh's festival month. The contemporary music programme he launched last year probably remains the big innovation, with Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Young Fathers, Sigur Ros and Mogwai amongst the musicians due to appear this year.
• Though another innovation at Linehan's EIF is it bidding for the most controversial production of the month prize, usually something a Fringe show would pitch for. Although Christophe Honoré's version of 'Così Fan Tutte' (pictured above) was billed as a "provocative and sexually explicit take on Mozart's opera" in the EIF's programme, since the production debuted in France ticket buyers have been warned of other potentially controversial elements of the show, with the offer of a refund if they'd rather not attend. Shunning a bit of controversy wouldn't be in the "spirit of the Fringe" though. Not that this is in the Fringe. Let's all talk about the spirit of Edinburgh from now on.
• Talking of controversies, the Chilcot Report into the 2003 invasion of Iraq caused a bit of a furore, didn't it? Despite having to compete in the news agenda with all that Brexit nonsense and the impending Age Of Trump. Not managed to read the whole 6000 page report yet, though? Never fear, Bob Slayer is organising a live reading of the whole thing, in a shed on South College Street. It'll probably take two weeks to complete. Ticket monies are going to a charity supporting refugees.
• Giving a shorter speech will be Sam Wills, aka The Boy With Tape On His Face, who will be delivering this year's welcome address at Fringe Central, the space for Fringe performers. He'll give his speech on 5 Aug, presumably without any tape on his face. Though who knows?
• Did we mention that this is ThreeWeeks' 21st year covering the Edinburgh Festival? Can we include our own news in here? I'm never entirely sure why 21 years is still considered a landmark of note, but I don't write the rules. To celebrate, we are staging a series of live recordings of our TW:Talks podcast at theSpace @ Symposium Hall in the second week of the Fringe, all featuring former cover stars. Check out thisweektalks.com for info and tickets.
• Talking of theSpace @ Symposium Hall, ThreeWeeks co-Editor Chris Cooke will be staging his 'Free Speech' there again this year, in the third week of the Festival. Can we include that here too? Even though that's another plug and involves me writing about myself in the third person? It's a free speech about free speech! Check out chriscookesfreespeech.com for info and free tickets.
ThreeWeeks Co-Editor Caro Moses recommends shows at this year's Edinburgh Festival, in handy sets of three.
THREE ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATORS >>
Phil Nichol - 20 | Assembly Checkpoint | 3-28 Aug
None of the next three really need me to sell them to you, because they are all Fringe doyens that you know and love. I just thought I'd draw some attention to the fact that they are all celebrating pretty significant milestones with this year's appearances. Edinburgh Comedy Award winner Phil Nichol has been performing here for twenty years (you might be able to tell that from his entry in the programme) and in this show pulls out some "greatest hits". Hurrah.
Brendon Burns - Dumb White Guy | Liquid Room Annexe | 6-28 Aug (pictured)
On to another Edinburgh Comedy Award winner. Brendon Burns' show may not actually be all about his twenty-year anniversary - he's not even mentioning it in his blurb - but it is also his twentieth Fringe. They've both been there almost as long as ThreeWeeks have, which is why we allow them the title 'Fringe Legend'. This show is about being a "dumb white guy" apparently, but the subject barely matters, you know he will be good.
Simon Munnery - Standing Still | The Stand | 4-29 Aug
Of course, the previous two are just whippersnappers, really, when compared to the excellent Simon Munnery, who has been coming to the Edinburgh Fringe for thirty years. Yes, really. Thirty whole years of brilliance and innovation. And as well as this, his latest set, he's doing a one off special over at Spiegeltent later in the month, to celebrate his three decade stint.
THREE MUSICIANS GONE THEATRICAL >>
Wind Resistance | Rehearsal Studio, The Lyceum Theatre | 5-29 Aug
There are a few musicians at this year's Festival who have broadened their performances to something that fits into the theatre programme, and we find that quite intriguing. In this International Festival presentation, award-winning Edinburgh singer songwriter Karine Polwart combines story and song to explore history, birdlore and personal memories, and it sounds absolutely lovely.
Horse Macdonald In Careful | Gilded Balloon At The Museum | 3-29 Aug
Meanwhile, another renowned Scottish singer songwriter - Horse, aka Sheena Mary Macdonald - heads Fringe-wards with her theatrical offering, a biographical and no doubt fascinating account of growing up gay in 1970s Lanarkshire, and her journey to becoming one of Scotland's most celebrated vocalists.
Mairi Campbell - Pulse | Summerhall | 3-28 Aug (pictured)
And yes, it's yet another brilliant Scottish singer and musician, Mairi Campbell, who also tells her own story in 'Pulse', a look at her journey through classical Guildhall training, to love and danger in Mexico, to discovering step-dancing in Cape Breton. Described as a "quest to heal cultural wounds" the show was first performed in 2015 to critical acclaim, and I imagine it's only got better since then.
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