Soho Theatre’s 2025 Edinburgh Festival Fringe Programme

Just because we’ve been busy earlier this month opening our second London venue, Soho Theatre Walthamstow, doesn’t mean we’re not going to treat y’all to a full Soho Theatre Edinburgh Fringe programme, with 12 theatre and comedy (and everything in-between) shows across seven venues, including six UK premieres, and three more to be announced: 

• As the driving force behind the ‘unstoppable rise of Indian comedy in the UK’ (The Guardian, May 2024), this year we’ll present a new show from 2023 Edinburgh Comedy Awards Best Newcomer winner Urooj Ashfaq, as well as Comicstaan’s breakout feminist stand-up Prashasti Singh exploring the patriarchy with her show Divine Feminine; crowd work duo Abishek & Nirmal, whose careers have skyrocketed since their 2023 Ed Fringe debut and whose short film Bata Boy and Crocs Girl has already amassed 1.6 million views on YouTube; and an Edinburgh Fringe debut by Comicstaan’s Shamik Chakrabarti, known around India for his dry wit and deadpan delivery.  

• A pigeon-heavy Edinburgh Fringe debut from comedian Toussaint Douglass, who came through our Sketch Lab, one of our talent development programmes for performers and creatives, and has performed as part of our Soho Rising festival in 2023. 

• Edinburgh premieres from critically-acclaimed artists including Thanyia Moore with a show about her Ed Fringe debut in 2022, the year she was forced to pull out of her run and found herself in a hospital waiting room instead of on stage; Airlock Theatre presenting their trademark humour with two queer musical theatre shows: Lesbian Space Crime and Count Dykula, East London’s queen of drag slash drag godfather slash all-around legend Jonny Woo, American alt comedy icon Patti Harrison presenting a new variety show with friends, and Adam Riches & John Kearns as iconic duo Ball & Boe for three nights only before a one-night only transfer to Soho Theatre Walthamstow in September. 

• And we’ll see Ed MacArthur and Kiell Smith-Bynoe reprise their roles as two feuding children’s entertainers with their critically-acclaimed show String v SPITTA , first to Soho Theatre in July. 

• More special shows to be announced as part of the Shedinburgh programme… 

While we wait for August, there’s plenty new writing, comedy and cabaret to sink your teeth in at our Dean Street and Walthamstow venues, with Meow Meow, Sapan Verma, Jordan Gray, the London Clown Festival, Yolanda Mercy’s Failure Project,  Tim Minchin, House of Life, piss / CARNATION’s Ugly Sisters, a new work-in-progress from Vir Das, SHABOOM!, CHRISTEENE, Harrison David Rivers’ This Bitter Earth directed by Billy Porter and starring Omari Douglas and Alexander Lincoln, Club Life, Garry Starr, and many, many more.  

-ENDS- 

NOTES FOR EDITORS 

Soho Theatre’s 2025 Edinburgh Festival Fringe programme is supported by Isobel and Michael Holland. 

For further information, interview, ticket or images requests please contact Augustin Wecxsteen or Ruby Willis on press@sohotheatre.com  

EDINBURGH FRINGE 2025 LISTINGS (in chronological order) 

THEATRE
Airlock Theatre in association with Soho Theatre present
LESBIAN SPACE CRIME

Wed 30 Jul – Mon 25 Aug (not 12)
14:50 (60 mins)
From £13 (£10 previews)
Pleasance Dome (Ace Dome) 

Astronaut Albright is accused of criminal activity against her ex-wife, heralding the dawn of space-crime and a new era for queer representation. Accused. Alone. Gay. Is she really a criminal… or a hero? Thankfully, she’s not from one of 69* Earth-countries where she’d be a criminal for being gay at all. Airlock Theatre‘s musical comedy Lesbian Space Crime, about intergalactic queer dirtbags, returns after a sell-out Soho Theatre premiere.

Airlock have performed their previous three shows, Lesbian Space Crime, Pansexual Pregnant Piracy and Count Dykula, in Soho Theatre’s Upstairs and Main House spaces. 
The show is an Ed Fringe premiere, and Airlock’s Ed Fringe debut. 

THEATRE
Airlock Theatre in association with Soho Theatre present
COUNT DYKULA 

Wed 30 Jul – Mon 25 Aug (not 12)
17:30 (60 mins)
From £14 (£10 previews)
Pleasance Dome (Ace Dome) 

Butch loner Count Dykula loves her life, even though she’s technically dead. Her gothic castle slaps and she gets to prey on humans who stray behind the big Asda. But trouble looms when Scare University preaches “the right way to be a monster” and Dykula sets out to tear down the ultra-femme busty bloodsuckers who rule the school. Count Dykula comes from Airlock Theatre, the creators of Pansexual Pregnant Piracy (Soho Theatre) and Lesbian Space Crime. 

Airlock have performed their previous three shows, Lesbian Space Crime, Pansexual Pregnant Piracy and Count Dykula, in Soho Theatre’s Upstairs and Main House spaces. The show is an Ed Fringe premiere, and Airlock’s Ed Fringe debut. 

COMEDY
Soho Theatre in association with Insanity Talent Management present
THANYIA MOORE: AUGUST 

Wed 30 Jul – Sun 24 Aug (not 11)
17:45 (60 mins)
From £12 (£10 previews)
Pleasance Courtyard (Upstairs) 

Soho Theatre Previews
Wed 16 – 17 Jul 
20:15
From £7
Soho Theatre Upstairs 

After 10 years of comedy, Thanyia was finally set to do her long-awaited, anticipated debut hour at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Everything was going to plan. Then August happened. A show about mental strength, the female body and how awesome the NHS is in Scotland. 

Soho Theatre produced Thanyia’s Ed Fringe debut in 2022, Just Being Funny. Thanyia will also host Soho Theatre Walthamstow’s inaugural line-up show Neon Nights. The show is a world premiere. 

COMEDY
Soho Theatre in association with with MtO37 and Curtis Brown present
UROOJ ASHFAQ: HOW TO BE A BADDIE 

Wed 30 Jul – Sun 24 Aug (not 11)
18:25 (60 mins)
From £12 (£8 previews)
Monkey Barrel 4 

Soho Theatre Previews
Mon 21 – Sat 26 Jul 
18:45
From £12
Soho Theatre Upstairs 

Edinburgh Comedy Awards Best Newcomer and one of India’s most exciting comics, Urooj Ashfaq returns to the Fringe once again, but this time she is different. No longer is she a good girl, relatable comedian, and most importantly, she is not sweet. A bona fide bad girl and edgelord who at times mentions sexy things and topics. Come watch to find out what happened…  

Soho Theatre produced Urooj’s Edinburgh Comedy Award-winning debut, Oh No!, and its subsequent UK tour and return Ed Fringe run. The show is a UK premiere. 

Soho Theatre in association with UTC
TOUSSAINT DOUGLASS: ACCESSIBLE PIGEON MATERIAL 

Wed 30 Jul – Sun 24 Aug (not 11)
19:25 (60 mins)
From £11 (£9 previews)
Pleasance Courtyard
(Bunker One) 

Soho Theatre Previews
Mon 14 and Fri 18 Jul 
20:15
From £7
Soho Theatre Upstairs 

Hello friend. Open your mind, take out what’s inside and wish it well on its future endeavours. You’re going to need the space for this one. Toussaint Douglass is talking life, love, loss, finding your way and pigeons… quite a lot about pigeons actually… it’s pretty pigeon-heavy to be honest. So please join him for an hour of joyfully absurd, charmingly awkward stand-up. 

Toussaint came through Soho Theatre’s Sketch Lab, one of the organisation’s talent development programmes for performers and creatives, and performed at the theatre’s Soho Rising festival in 2023. The show is a world premiere, and Toussaint’s Ed Fringe debut. 

COMEDY
Soho Theatre in association with OML
ABISHEK & NIRMAL: THE GREAT INDIAN POSITIVITY HOUSE 

Wed 30 Jul – Sun 24 Aug (not 11)
19:45 (60 mins)
From £12 (£9 previews)
Assembly Roxy
(Upstairs)

Following their Fringe debut in 2023, India’s most-watched crowd work duo return to Edinburgh with a brand-new improv show. Welcome to the Positivity Centre, where everyone is encouraged to confess their worst mistakes. Literally the worst evil things or opinions you have. Anonymously, of course. Abishek and Nirmal are Guruji and his assistant, here to justify your submissions and find the positive aspects, no matter how messed up they are. Everyone is happy here. No roasting, only positivity. (This is satire). 

Soho Theatre produced Abishek & Nirmal’s Ed Fringe debut and Soho run for The Reel to Real – Crowd Work Tour, with OML. The show is a UK premiere.  

COMEDY 
Soho Theatre in association with MtO37
PRASHASTI SINGH: DIVINE FEMININE  

Wed 30 Jul – Sun 24 Aug (not 11)
20:45 (60 mins)
From £12 (£9 previews)
Underbelly Bristo Sq. 
(Dexter) 

Soho Theatre Previews
Wed 23 – Sat 26 Jul 
21:45 (Sat matinee 16:00)
From £12
Soho Theatre Upstairs 

Growing up in a patriarchal family, Prashasti Singh naturally had one dream – to become a patriarch herself. Inching towards 40, but pretending to be 30, Prashasti can finally mark this dream complete. But instead of happiness, she finds herself pondering: was the ascent worth the price? Spend an hour with Prashasti as she questions all her life choices and meticulously assigns blame to the women and men who shaped her into this being. 

Soho Theatre hosted and co-produced the English and Hindi version of Divine Feminine with MtO37 last year. The show is an English-language UK premiere, and Prashasti’s Ed Fringe debut.

COMEDY
Soho Theatre in association with Comedy Wagon
SHAMIK CHAKRABARTI: DESPITE APPEARANCES 

Wed 30 Jul – Sun 24 Aug (not 11)
21:00 (60 mins)
From £11 (£9 previews)
Gilded Balloon Appleton Tower (Eve) 

Never judge a book by its cover. Not many people know this, but that sentence is an idiom and not really about books. It literally means – never judge a person by their face. You might think Shamik Chakrabarti‘s face belongs to a sensible, practical man. You’d be wrong. He’s not the responsible older sibling. He’s not good at chess. He’s not a nerd. At least, not in a useful way. Despite Appearances is an effort to put things right and break away from shallow, face-driven stereotypes. But you should just watch it for a laugh. 

Soho Theatre co-produced a short run of Despite Appearances with Comedy Wagon in Dean Street earlier this year. The show is an Ed Fringe premiere, and Shamik’s Ed Fringe debut.  

THEATRE
Jonny Woo in association with Soho Theatre present
JONNY WOO: SUBURBIA 

Thu 31 Jul – Mon 25 Aug
13:35 (60 mins)
From £14.50 (£10 previews)
Summerhall (Main Hall) 

Suburbia is Jonny Woo‘s most personal show to date. A return to his spoken word, story-telling and performance art roots, Suburbia is a poetic memoir about his life from childhood in the Medway Towns, to discovering ecstasy in the 90s, the clubs of New York and a queer community in London. Now in his fifties, Woo is more reflective and honest about the secrets he harboured and the lessons he learnt. Woo’s wit is as sharp as ever and his desire to shock and surprise is evident throughout. Suburbia is everything but suburban. 

Jonny Woo has performed many times at Soho Theatre, including a Soho Theatre produced run of Suburbia earlier this year. Soho Theatre will co-produce Jonny Woo’s Un-Royal Variety at Soho Theatre Walthamstow in November this year. The show is an Ed Fringe premiere.  

COMEDY
Soho Theatre presents
ADAM RICHES AND JOHN KEARNS ARE BALL AND BOE – FOR THREE NIGHTS ONLY 

Thu 14 – Sat 16 Aug 
23:00 (60 mins)
From £20
Pleasance Courtyard (Grand) 

Ballads. Bromance. Baubles. The Christmas show you’ve all been waiting for… in August! The show takes two titans of light entertainment, two icons of theatre, two award-winning behemoths of the modern age, and brings them together to play Michael Ball and Alfie Boe. Edinburgh Comedy Award-winners Adam Riches and John Kearns team up to become one of music’s most bang-able duos. Expect songs. Anticipate goosebumps. Pray for harmonies. 

Adam Riches and John Kearns have previously performed together and separately at Soho Theatre, including two sell-out runs of Ball and Boe. The show is an Ed Fringe premiere.  

COMEDY
Country Mile productions and Soho Theatre present
KIELL SMITH-BYNOE V ED MACARTHUR: STRING V SPITTA 

Fri 15 – Sun 17 Aug
21:40 (60 mins)
From £18
Assembly (Studio Two)

A children’s party, but for adults. Now sit still and listen: The smash-hit sell-out musical comedy show returns to Fringe for three nights only! String V SPITTA, starring Kiell Smith-Bynoe and Ed MacArthur. Two rival children’s entertainers from opposite sides of the tracks join forces. Think Amadeus meets Flight of the Conchords meets Dizzee Rascal. This is one party you won’t want to miss. 

Soho Theatre produced String v SPITTA’s previous Soho Theatre runs in 2021 and 2023, and co-produced the show’s previous Ed Fringe run with Country Mile Productions in 2023. Kiell Smith-Bynoe regularly performs at Soho Theatre with They Seem Nice, and will perform at Soho Theatre Walthamstow with Kool Story Bro in May and October this year. The show is an Ed Fringe return.  

COMEDY
Soho Theatre in association with UTA present
PATTI HARRISON PRESENTS…DON’T ASK: A VARIETY SHOW WITH FRIENDS  

Mon 18 – Sun 24 Aug
20:30 (70 mins)
From £18
Pleasance Courtyard (Forth) 

Jokeless comedian Patti Harrison is back at the Edinburgh Fringe to host a secretive variety show with some very special friends, beautiful guests, upsetting surprises and sexual revelations. No night will be the same! Still wondering what the show will be? Don’t Ask! 

Soho Theatre has produced Patti Harrison’s Ed Fringe runs in 2022, 2023 and 2024, including My Huge Tits Huge Because They Are Infected NOT FAKE with UTA. The show is a world premiere.  

SOHO THEATRE is London’s most vibrant producer for new theatre, comedy and cabaret. Our central London venue in Dean Street, opening in 2000, is established as one of the UK’s busiest with a buzzing bar, lively audiences and diverse year-round festival programme with a queer, punk, counter-culture flavour. In May 2025 our second London venue Soho Theatre Walthamstow opened. Work extends beyond our venues with a full touring programme and strong international connections with New York, Melbourne and Mumbai. Edinburgh Fringe is a huge part of our year, we present many shows and scout hundreds more and we are the UK’s leading presenter of Indian comedians. Our filmed comedy specials can be seen on international airlines and online. And our artist development and participation programmes are as important as the work on our stages. Soho Theatre is a charity and social enterprise. Soho Theatre Walthamstow is a community interest company. sohotheatre.com / @sohotheatre.