Three works of theatre and dance from Northern Ireland creatives are set to demonstrate the “ambition” of the region’s sector at the 2026 Edinburgh Fringe.
The August festival’s 2026 programmes includes 3,649 shows across 258 venues with shows on topics including artificial intelligence, the manosphere, cults and social class.
There will be a total of 53,884 performances during the Fringe, which runs between August 7 and 31.
Selected acts will appear at a Spotlight on Theatre and Dance from Northern Ireland event, designed to showcase work created by artists and arts organisations from Northern Ireland.
The three productions being showcased this year are The Pitch by Philip Catherwood, produced by Moya Jane Productions; Good With Faces, by Oisín Kearney, produced by Gina Donnelly, supported by Culture Ireland; and Aliens by Alessandra Celesia and Dumbworld.
Niamh Flanagan, executive director, theatre and dance NI, said the selected productions “demonstrates the creativity, originality and ambition that continues to make Northern Ireland’s theatre and dance sector stand out on the international stage”.
“We are delighted to support them as they take their work to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and connect with presenters, programmers and producers from across the world,” she said.
“We’ve seen the impact these opportunities can have.
“Earlier this year, Karis Kelly’s Consumed, which participated in Spotlight in 2025, opened in Caracas, Venezuela as Consumidas after a connection made through the programme.
“It’s a fantastic example of how Spotlight can help Northern Ireland’s artists develop relationships that lead to exciting international opportunities.”
Caoileann Curry-Thompson, development officer for drama and dance, Arts Council of Northern Ireland, said after running the annual event for eight years “we can now see the positive global impact that taking part in this initiative has had with many works from NI having toured internationally in Australia, North America, New Zealand, Venezuela and beyond”.
Colm McGivern, director, British Council Northern Ireland, said the region “has an abundance of creative talent and it’s vital for them to have opportunities to reach a global audience and forge lasting connections with artists and arts organisations overseas”.
Chris McCreery, artistic director and chief executive, Belfast International Arts Festival added: “Edinburgh remains one of the most important meeting places for the global performing arts sector, and Spotlight provides an invaluable platform to showcase the extraordinary creativity emerging from Northern Ireland.”
The Spotlight on Theatre and Dance from Northern Ireland event was developed by Theatre and Dance NI (TDNI), in collaboration with Belfast International Arts Festival, and supported by British Council Northern Ireland and The National Lottery through the Arts Council of Northern Ireland.
In addition to these productions, four artists living and working in Northern Ireland will travel to Edinburgh as part of the Fellowship Programme.
The 2026 fellows are Una NicEoin, executive producer, Prime Cut Productions; Stephen Kelly, creative director, c21 Theatre Company; Heather Martin, founder & Creative Producer of Belfast Playwrights; and Mar Decena, Mexican dancer, choreographer, teacher, and multidisciplinary artist.
