Assembly 08 - Edinburgh Fringe Festival Scotland

In 2007, our 28th year, Assembly took another bold step forward creating a magnificent programme of the Festival's best theatre, comedy, dance and music. Our season was more ambitious and innovative than ever before. It was our biggest programme yet with 144 shows from 22 countries, across eight major city venues. Assembly’s ambition has always been to set the standard for international theatre, comedy and entertainment on the Fringe, by providing excellent temporary theatre spaces in magnificent buildings such as the Assembly Rooms.

2006
In 2006 Assembly saw nigh on 100 productions and 1700 performances, which certainly made it the best Festival to date! There were 4 Fringe First winners Tom Crean - Antarctic Explorer, Clean Alternatives, (I Am) Nobodys Lunch, and The Receipt, which also won a Total Theatre Award. The Kransky Sisters - We Dont Have Husbands picked up a Herald Angel and the fabulous David O'Doherty was nominated for the prestigious Intelligent Finance Comedy Awards for his show My Name is David O'Doherty. Not only that, Caroline O'Connor won Best Actor for End of the Rainbow and Nabokov were nominated as Best Ensemble for Terre Haute. We had a fantastic range of comedy from the likes of Jason Byrne and Adam Hills and well as the massive hit Jim Hensons Puppets Improv.

2005
The star of the 2005 festival was The Exonerated, which won five star reviews, a Fringe First, a Herald Angel and the Amnesty International Freedom Of Expression Award. Balagan brought us "devilishly beguiling music, an occasional flurry of splendidly silly, curiously wistful clowning, and some thoroughly eye-catching acrobatic tumbling" - and won a Herald Angel, as did Janusz Wisniewskis stunning Polish version of Faust. Trad garnered innumerable 5-star reviews for its understated, immensely funny and evocative take on Irish mythology and family values, while the furiously fast and bitter screwmachine / eyecandy won plaudits for its take on media morality. Selected photos are available in the 2005 photo archive.

2004
Highlights included Marie Jones (Stones In His Pockets) new play The Blind Fiddler, Dale Wassermans 60s classic One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest, Jackie Clune with her smash hit Julie Burchill is Away and Mike McShane who made a long overdue return to the festival in John Clancys Fatboy. Selected photos are available in the 2004 photo archive.

2003
2003 saw Theatre Babel return to Assembly with Liz Lochheads new play Thebans, Richard Dormer captivated audiences as Alex Higgins in Hurricane, Demetri Martin won the Perrier Award for If I..., Mike Daisey raised the lid on Amazon.com in 21 Dog Years, and Ross Noble premiered his new show Unrealtime. Selected photos are available in the 2003 photo archive.

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