Children of the festival
THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT
The Festival is alive with the sounds of happy children (and parents).
The Fringe is famous for its unpredictable comedians, provocative theatrical performances and all manner of weird behaviour. Which is why the rise of children's shows is a surprise to many. Nearly 100 of the 2,000 shows on the Fringe are aimed at children, with many more suggested family shows.
The Pleasance, which is running 11 shows, has also designated part of its courtyard as a Kidszone. C venues, which are running 14 children's shows and 54 family shows, said children's productions were growing in number and selling well.
A number of very strong companies such as Tall Stories, Theatre of Widdershins and Blunderbus bring consistently good work to the Fringe. Bill Davies, whose Blunderbus show Giraffes Can't Dance is at The Spaces at the Royal College of Surgeons, says the venues are much better than they used to be and more child-friendly than when he played his first Fringe 11 years ago with just seven other companies. "The perception of children's theatre is more important now. More people know there is good children's theatre at the Edinburgh festival."
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