SUMMERHALL TO BEAM TO 30 UK CINEMAS NATIONWIDE THIS FESTIVAL IN A FRINGE FIRST

Man, I hate Summerhall. You know, the Fringe venue. It is just too cool, too good to believe. It has had some of the best fringe shows of the last few years - Abattoir Ferme, Robbie off 85A's tesla coil special, that one where the man talks into loads of microphones (back at the Traverse this year), and the one with the nude lady shouting that she has got politicians in her shit. 

Every year, it has something new, so I can't make the complaint that it is complacent.

It always has some great stuff, plus PAS are based there. And imaginative visual art galleries... 

Doesn't Rupert Thompson realise I need a nemesis? Where would Hunter S be without Nixon? Can't he do more of the bad programming, like that chess thing? True, that was the worst thing I have seen that didn't have the word 'student' in the company name (not that student means 'bad'), but it was a like a sop, a deliberate proof that their curation could fail, to keep me off the scent...

Anyway, they came up with this...

SUMMERHALL TO BEAM TO 30 UK CINEMAS NATIONWIDE THIS FESTIVAL IN A FRINGE FIRST

Hibrow, the digital arts pioneers, will join forces with big screen giants, ODEON, to take the world’s biggest arts festival, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, out of its cobbled confines and into a cinema near you with a series of special screenings throughout August.

Hibrow Hour, generously supported by Arts Council England, is a series of daily performances at Edinburgh’s fêted Summerhall venue, throughout this year’s Fringe.

Rupert Thompson, Artistic Director at Summerhall:

"We are delighted that Summerhall will be hosting this live cinematic fringe first - beaming the festival to audiences across the UK. We are immensely proud of the programme of festival events this year - and delighted to be working with theatre innovators Hibrow on this project."

Eight of these new shows, spanning theatre, comedy, opera and visual art, have been specially designed to

He even looks like a good doctor, not Doom

be transmitted via satellite to selected  ODEON Cinemas nationwide. Hibrow Hour represents an exciting new digital frontier for the legendary festival: three brand new plays by young theatre-makers, an opera from an internationally recognised artist/filmmaker, comedy acts curated by two of Britain’s most celebrated comedy producers, and a show from the inimitable Steven Berkoff who epitomises the Festivals dedication to talent and innovation. All designed to bring to cinema audiences the excitement of the festival. Each 90 minute programme will also include exclusive coverage of the Festival at large in a specially produced featurette.

Tickets for all shows still available from summerhall.co.uk

DATES

August 4^th - The Dispute

August 6^th – Hibrow Comedy Hour: Jonny & The Baptists

August 11^th – The Man Who Almost Killed Himself

August 12^th – Four Screws Loose

August 14^th – Berkoff, the Inimitable

August 18^th - Sleight & Hand

August 20^th – Sarah Louise Young as Cabaret Whore

August 21^st - Allison Jackson: A Story in the Public Domain

Most of these will be pretty good shows, too. Although Berkoff, the Inimitable does look like it is going to be a pretentious wank-off, so I have some consolation. In the meantime, I have to put up with Summerhall maintaining its position as the most exciting new venue, longing for the moment I can put the knife in Thompson's back and say that he's lost the edge.