Edinburgh Festival Fringe shows taking on terrorism

Syria features in this year's Fringe shows covering terrorism

Part of cultural events and art, however, involves having the bravery to shine a light on dark places, however controversial.

Edinburgh Festival is no exception to this, and the month-long celebration of the best comedy, theatre, and spoken word the world has to offer has never shied away from dealing with difficult topics.

The tragic spike in terrorist events, even close to home at London Bridge in Manchester, has only made it more crucial than these cultural congregations can continue.

Hotly-Tipped political shows at the Fringe

Part of defying terror is tackling it head on, and another part is for things to carry on as normal, and the Fringe, while confirming it will take security as seriously as ever, is set to ensure that shows go off without a hitch.

Here are just some of the shows that will tackle the tricky topic.

Lydia Hirst: Sign of the Times

Not a Prince-themed show, this set from Lydia Hurst won’t shy away from tackling the big issues of the day.

The sometime performance artist proposed alcohol last year as the solution to the difficulties facing mankind in her debut show Apocalypse Wow.

Now, she’s trying to “stay sober long enough” to figure out comedic solutions to what ails the world in what is set to be a triumphant return.

The London-based activist says in her Fringe billing that Isis, nationalism, and the refugee crisis are all topics that aren’t safe from her barbed wit.

At Banshee Labyrinth, August 4-24

Undercover Refugee: Theatre

This show, which comes highly recommend from a number of writers who have previewed it, looks at the impact of terror as it follows a refugee from Syria.

Seeking to dispel myths about refugee from the war-torn country portrayed in certain sections of the media, this powerful and immersive piece challenges us not to think of refugees as terrorists.

Norwegian Karen Houge uses her own experiences to create the show, after spending time among the refugees in Greece.

Her partner helps her talk through an internal monologue as she involves the audience in this show which was a standout at the recent Brighton Fringe.

The show is far from a tear jerker, and has been described as a darkly funny satire.

At the Space on the Mile, August 15-19, 21-26

I am Faransis W: Theatre

From Norway to Finland, as Scandinavian creatives continue to tackle the relationship between the West and the alleged perpetrators in the War on Terror.

Based loosely on the classic unfinished tale of working class woe Wozyeck by German playright Georg Buchner, this promises to be a difficult, essential watch.

A ‘kafkaesque nightmare’, this performance prominently features an interred and tortured terror suspect.

It seeks to answer whether prejudice or intuition is at play when we try to make sense of an often terrifying modern world.

At Old Lab, August 6-27

Ahir Shah – Control

Sharp and intellectual, there is little that is off limits for the up-and-coming comedian who won Best Show at the Leicester Comedy festival a few years ago.

A highlight of last year’s free-fringe, Shah has added to his act and brings philosophical and comedic ruminations on the state of the world.

With a five-star rating from The List, Shah is passionate about how the nostalgic need to return to the past is damaging the future.

His show is about “freedom, fascism, complacency, complicity, resistance and milk in an age of global socio-political turmoil.”

At Laughing Horse/Cabaret Voltaire. August 3 (preview show), August 4-27.