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In its 64th year, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe is delighted to launch its biggest and most exciting line-up to date comprising a staggering 2,453 shows. With the number of shows increasing by 17 percent on last year’s total, the 2010 programme ensures that the Fringe offers the world’s best and most original comedy, theatre, dance and physical theatre, events, exhibitions, children’s shows, music, musicals and opera.

Launching the programme, Kath M Mainland, Chief Executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, said:

“I am delighted to unveil the 2010 Edinburgh Festival Fringe programme which yet again exemplifies why the Fringe is the world’s leading arts festival. As you’ll see from this year’s programme, Edinburgh in August will be bursting with the most talented artists from every area of the arts world. Nowhere else can you see such a variety of world class talent and range of shows that are guaranteed to engage, enthral, excite and delight.

“As the largest arts festival, the Fringe attracts performers and audiences from every corner of the world. I look forward to welcoming them to Edinburgh and kicking off what is set to be the biggest and most exciting Fringe to date.”

Minister for Culture, Fiona Hyslop MSP said:

"As the largest arts festival in the world, the Fringe is an excellent platform for talented performers and organisations to shine on an international stage. I am delighted that our Expo Fund – through the Made in Scotland showcase – is promoting Scottish-based work at the Fringe and raising the profile of our world-class talent internationally."

To mark the launch a photo call was held in Princes St Gardens featuring props taken from the front cover design including an umbrella, a butterfly and a birdcage. Christina Kernohan modelled for the shoot in an elegant dress made by designer Judy R Clark. Christina’s striking red bouffant hair style was the work of Edinburgh Hairdresser Freddy Antabi and her makeup was done by Gillian Galbraith. The pictures were used by the national press to accompany the news of the programme launch and the programme’s much anticipated contents.

Following the success of the first Made in Scotland programme in 2009, which secured nine awards including the Edinburgh International Festival Fringe Prize, the showcase returns in 2010 featuring some of the best Scottish theatre and dance. Made in Scotland is supported through the Scottish Government’s Edinburgh Festivals Expo Fund and helps talented, Scottish-based performers and companies present their work on an international stage.

This year’s shows include Platform in association with Giant’s The Songbird: A Tone Poem (Royal Botanic Gardens), Scottish Dance Theatre (Zoo Southside), Colette Sadler/Stammer Productions withMusical (Zoo Southside) and plan B’s A Wee Home From Home (Acoustic Music Centre @ St Brides).

Fringe Central, the participants’ hub run by the Fringe Society, plays host to a series of exciting events for participants and public this year, including the Royal National Theatre curating a series of events. Events range from Kwame Kwei-Armah: The Artist in Society (Fringe Central), a free ticketed event in which the world famous playwright and broadcaster will discuss the role of the artist in society to staff members of the National Theatre Studio leading seminars for Fringe Participants.

In 2010 several venues are celebrating anniversaries. Bedlam is 30 years old, as is Assembly. Gilded Balloon celebrates 25 years on the Fringe and Zoo Venues turns 10. The Edinburgh Comedy Awards also celebrate their 30th anniversary this year. 2010 is also a momentous year for Tony Tanner, who returns to the Fringe after 47 years and a successful Hollywood career with Charlatan (Assembly).

Alongside the reams of talent gracing the stages all over Edinburgh the Fringe is delighted to welcome some new venues to this year’s programme, such as The Pleasance at Ghillie Dhu. Assembly is in a new space in Princes St Gardens, and Leith hosts the Mary of Guise Barge at The Shore. Hill Street Theatre reopens its doors to Fringe audiences this year under the artistic management of ReMarkable Arts.

As each year sees new acts make their name internationally, winning any number of Fringe related awards, we’re delighted that 2009 award winners are returning. Edinburgh Comedy Award Newcomer 2009 Jonny Sweet returns with a new stand up show Let’s Just Have Some Fun (And Learn Something, For Once) (Pleasance) and award winning theatre maker David Leddy’s 2009 Glasgow Citizens’ Theatre sell out Sub Rosa comes to ReMarkable Arts at Hill Street Theatre.

Total Theatre-winning puppeteers The River People are returning with a premiere of The Terrible Tales of the Midnight Chorus (Bedlam), Uber Hate (Underbelly) is a new show from Horizon Arts, who won the Holden Street Theatre Award for last year’s Heroin(e) For Breakfast.

The Fringe seals its reputation as a world-wide platform for artists, this year playing host to The Dirty Immigrant Collective (The Voodoo Rooms) from New York which presents four comedians’ look at American identity, alongside Desire (New Town Theatre) an original Czech piece translated for Fringe audiences. Dance Base has an international line-up including US company Dance Box Theater withHaunted while Velocity comes from Irish companies Daghdha Dance Company & Pair Dance. Dag Soras: Outside the Comfort Zone brings a Norwegian sense of humour to The Stand.

There are plenty of famous names scattered throughout the programme this year, with Alan Cumming performing songs from his debut album in I Bought a Blue Car Today (Assembly), Gyles Brandreth’s new play Wonderland (Assembly) and The Sweeney (Gilded Balloon), which brings a myriad of comedians including Paul Merton, Eddie Izzard, Josie Lawrence and Greg Proops to the stage to chart the remarkable life and work of Fringe veteran Jim Sweeney. There is also an artistic offering from former American President Jimmy Carter which American High School Theatre are performing, an adaption of his children’s book Little Baby Snoogle-Fleejer (Church Hill Theatre).

For the more contemporary celeb spotters Dizzee Rascal (Corn Exchange) will be appearing as part of the Edge Festival, Britain’s Got Talent dance sensation Flawless (Underbelly) will be spinning some shapes and Abi Titmus is taking to the stage in Up ‘n’ Under (Assembly).

Sashaying down the red carpet this year are several names from US television and the big screen from The Wire’s Clark Peters in Five Guys Named Moe (Underbelly), to actress Jennifer Coolidge - Yours for the Night (Assembly) and Caroline Rhea (Gilded Balloon) in her self-titled show.

2010 has been the year of sing-a-long television spectaculars, and the Fringe is no stranger to Glee with West End Glee Club (Zoo Roxy) and The Singalong Glee Club (Gilded Balloon), representing school singing clubs, and Showstopper: The Improvised Musical (Gilded Balloon), back again to wow audiences with its musical take on improv.

The Mighty Boosh return in part with Rich Fulcher: An Evening with Eleanor, the Tour Whore(Underbelly) and Noel Fielding from behind the scenes directing Paul Foot – Ash in the Attic(Underbelly).

As well as performing at the Fringe, celebrities also provide the basis for content in other shows such as Ant Dawson: I Bought Richard Hammond’s Underpants on eBay (Just the Tonic @ the Caves) andAn Hour of Telly: Live (The Banshee Labyrinth). Even the film world’s most famous TV Anchor, Ron Burgundy is represented in Ray Green: Adventures in Telly Land 3D (Gilded Balloon).

The news channels have provided excellent material for artists this year and there are many bold and provocative productions aimed at challenging opinions and encouraging debate. The issue of sex trafficking is topical this year with theatre productions Roadkill (site specific, The Traverse), See me! Hear me! (The Quaker Meeting House) and Emma Thomson Presents: Fair Trade (Pleasance) leading the way as well as comedy shows such as Keith Farnan: Sex Traffic – How Much is That Woman in the Window? (Underbelly). David Benson’s one man exploration of the story behind the Lockerbie disaster is at Gilded Balloon in Lockerbie: Unfinished Business and even the American President gets a mention in Obama Mia (Just the Tonic @ The Caves).

Fringe performers are certainly not known to shy away from taboo subjects, and female sexuality is a prominent theme in this year’s programme with thought-provoking productions such as Your Little Princess is My Little Whore (The Spaces), Busting Out (Assembly), Grainne Maguire – We Need to Talk About Bonnets (Just the Tonic @ the Caves), Cellophane (The Pleasance) and Sex Idiot (Zoo).

Disability and social stigma is firmly rooted on the agenda with shows such as Smiler (Gilded Balloon), Expectations (Pleasance), Dyslexia the Musikal (The Spaces on the Mile) and Private Dancer (Dancebase @ The Mecure Point Hotel) challenging stereotypes.

With the Football World Cup kicking off a summer of international sporting events, the theme of sport does not go unnoticed in the Fringe Programme from All Over A Football (Underbelly), to Bob Doolally’s World Cup Balls (The Stand) and Paul Ricketts - Kiss the Badge, Fly the Flag! (Just the Tonic @ the Caves). In other sports, cricket legend Henry Blofeld, the voice of Test Match Special, returns to the Fringe in Blowers and Bly: Bald, Bold and Belligerent (Venue 150 @ EICC) and Mushy Ate My Credit Card (Hill Street Theatre) is one man’s cricket quest. Audiences are invited into the boxing ring in Beautiful Burnout (The Pleasance), a National Theatre of Scotland co-production.

The Fringe may inhabit 259 venues in 2010 but that doesn’t stop participants creating work outside the proscenium arch. Site-specific shows this year include a restaurant 100 feet above the city, Festival in the Sky (The Sky Gardens), award-winning theatre company Badac with The Cry (Pleasance) in a car park as are CreativeVaQi with The Dream of Sancho (C) and the Rosslyn Chapel goes site specific with The Apprentice. Scottish playwright Douglas Maxwell’s Decky Does a Bronco (Traverse), from ground-breaking theatre company Grid Iron, makes a return after its phenomenal success in 2000 and takes place around a swing set in a playground. Assembly will also play host to its very own luxury bridal salon in Your Dream Wedding.

There are plenty of treats for literature lovers with scores of productions based on classic texts. Such shows include Animal Farm (Assembly), Anthony Burgess: A Clockwork Orange (The Spaces), Belt Up’s Odyssey (C), Cabaret Checkov (Zoo), The Diary of Anne Frank (C), Oliver Twist (The Spaces) and Junk (Augustines).

In 2010 Fringe Stand Up is going deeper; introspective ponderings on the soul from Robin Butland’s The Inescapable Misery Of Everything (The Royal Mile Tavern) and Sean Walsh: I’d Happily Punch Myself In The Face (The Pleasance), Ava Vidal analyses her life decisions in Lessons I Should Have Learnt (The Stand), Celia Pacquola will tell audiences about the risk of failure in Flying Solo (Gilded Balloon) as does Sam Simmonds in Fail (Gilded Balloon).

Collaboration takes on a new meaning for several Fringe productions this year, with South Africa working with Scotland in The Girl in the Yellow Dress (Traverse), which is a co-production between Glasgow’s Citizen’s Theatre and Johannesburg’s Market Theatre. Broadway Asia International works with China’s Huairou Management in Reel-to-Real: The Movies Musical (Pleasance). Russian company Nochty are working with RSAMD on The Lonesome Foxtrot (New Town Theatre) and theBeyond Borders Productions Ltd brings England and Georgia together, working with Rustaveli Theatre, Tbilisi on Do We Look Like Refugees? (Assembly). The Polish National Radio Orchestra and Olga Szwajgier Quartet come together in Aurea Porta’s Era Scheaffera (Venue 150 @ EICC).

Featuring 2,453 shows this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe programme is ready to delight audiences from all over the world for three weeks in August. There truly is something for everyone. For the 2-4 year olds Catherine Wheels’ White (Traverse @ Scottish Book Trust) and Phil Kay’s: Gimme Your Left Shoe (Pleasance Courtyard) will entertain all the family; Fringe regulars Edinburgh University Theatre Company’s Improverts (Bedlam) should tickle teenagers and grown up’s funny bones, and for older audience members both Barry Cryer and his wife Terry are appearing separately in Barry Cryer(Gilded Balloon) and Terry and Jackie- Mrs Barry Cryer and Mrs Edmund Hockridge (Gilded Balloon) respectively.

FRINGE FACTS 2010: