'Just like this building, our aspirations for the future are enormous'
The rebirth of arts venue Summerhall - as it hopes the bulldozers stay away
The pub at Summerhall is open again, well, “until the bulldozers come in… hopefully never”. So, announces Summerhall Arts chief executive Sam Gough as he launches their inaugural Edinburgh Fringe programme.
Should that statement confuse you, let me explain. Summerhall Arts are the “spiritual inheritors,” as Gough puts it at the press launch, of “all that came before it”. That’s one way of describing former Summerhall saviour Robert McDowell’s Summerhall Management Ltd, the building’s previous managers. They were in charge until the wider McDowell family trust, the Isle of Man-based Oesselmann Estate Limited, sold the sprawling complex out from under him, writes Will Quinn.
For now, or until new owners - and possible bulldozer enthusiasts - AMA Homes get a better idea, Summerhall will continue as the city’s ‘year-round’ Fringe venue. In these circumstances, the newborn Summerhall Arts have put together a surprisingly ambitious programme for the 2025 main event in August.
A Rebirth of Art and Ambition in Edinburgh
“We’ve started to bring the art back,” explains Gough, pointing to the brace of exhibitions which have opened in the last weeks, and highlighting their ongoing collaboration with renowned choreographer Fleur Darkin.
“We’ve hit the ground sprinting,” he continues. “Our small charity is breathing life back into this enormous building. Just like this building, our aspirations for the future are equally as enormous.”
Judging by his conviction and the scale of the programme presented, I’m minded to believe him. Summerhall Arts’ 2025 Edinburgh Fringe programme certainly features a wide-ranging mix of international and local productions across theatre, dance, cabaret, comedy, and immersive performance.
A Diverse, International Lineup at the 2025 Fringe
“Just over half our programme is international,” explains Tom Forster, Summerhall Arts Fringe programmer, “featuring work from Singapore, Brazil, New Zealand and many more. Our commitment to diverse and intersectional storytelling remains strong with 50% of shows led by women, 20% by artists of colour, and 25% featuring LGBTQI+ narratives.”
This taste for the diverse is certainly reflected in the beneficiaries of Summerhall’s 2025 artist awards.
The Autopsy Award, supported by philanthropist Allan Wilson, was won by Ruxy Cantir for Pickled Republic, a superb absurdist exploration of existential drift I’ve reviewed previously, while the Meadows Award, supporting Artists of Colour, is awarded to DELIRIUM’s Miles, a new work on jazz legend Miles Davis. The Melbourne Touring Award goes to Fringe debutant Hayley Edwards for Shitbag, a darkly comic solo show about Crohn’s Disease and casual sex. Finally, the new Guimarães Rosa Institute Award goes to Gaël Le Cornec for Amazons, a one-person piece on Amazonian culture, colonialism, and climate justice.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to The Edinburgh Inquirer to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.