As the countdown to Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2025 begins, a new wave of fresh, fearless emerging theatre is previewing across London. For audiences, it’s an unrivalled opportunity to catch the next generation of theatre-makers, comedians and storytellers in intimate spaces — before the critics descend, the buzz builds, and Scotland swells with festival frenzy.
From candid solo confessions to fizzy two-handers, Lecoq-trained physical theatre to Bruntwood-longlisted drama, this year’s crop of early-career artists is bringing urgency, playfulness and bite to the world’s biggest arts festival. This year’s most exciting new shows are previewing across venues like Seven Dials Playhouse, Omnibus Theatre, Riverside Studios and more. These are the plays that people will be talking about on the Royal Mile — and you can say you saw them first.
Whether you’re a diehard Fringegoer or just curious about what’s hot this year, here’s our handpicked guide to the top emerging talent previewing in London before their Edinburgh run.
Funny Though
Saturday 5 July, 7:00pm – Seven Dials Playhouse, London | Book London Preview
Edinburgh: 30 July–25 August (not 13, 20), 15:30 – Pleasance Courtyard (Bunker 1) | Book Edinburgh Run Clare Noy, best known for her physical comedy with Mischief Theatre, steps into the spotlight solo for a raw, confessional debut exploring what happens when the funny one can’t laugh anymore. Behind the punchlines lies burnout, imposter syndrome and a desire to be taken seriously. Directed by Lauren Lambert Moore, Funny Though is a sharply observed, emotionally honest exploration of how humour becomes both armour and identity — and what’s left when it stops working.
Follow: @clare_noy @thepleasance @laurenlmoore_ @the_projectpeople
An Ode to the Casting Director
Saturday 19 July, 7:15pm – Seven Dials Playhouse, London | Book London Preview
Edinburgh: 30 July–25 August (not 12), 11:40 – Gilded Balloon Patter House (The Penny) Book Edinburgh Run
In this scathing and stylish solo debut, Sophie Fisher blends film and theatre to expose the surreal rituals of acting auditions — toe-sucking scenes, missing contact lenses, and all. A former model and rising screen talent, Fisher uses live-feed video, satire and sharp storytelling to unravel the emotional and professional cost of being at the mercy of the casting process. A brutally funny look at rejection, performance, and the hunger to be seen.
Follow: @sophieeafisher #OdeToTheCD
Eat The Rich (but maybe not me mates x)
Tuesday 23 July, 7:00pm – Seven Dials Playhouse, London | Book London Preview
Edinburgh: 30 July–25 August (not 12, 19), 14:15 – Pleasance Courtyard (Bunker 1) | Book Edinburgh Run When a working-class Scouser gets into Cambridge, she keeps her job cleaning the toilets a secret from her posh flatmates. Written and performed by Jade Franks — herself a former Footlights president and undercover cleaner — Eat The Rich is a sharply observed, darkly funny solo play about identity, class, and what it really means to “make it”. A fierce debut tackling the illusion of meritocracy with humour and heart. The show was selected as part of the 7from7 artist development programme by Seven Dials Playhouse, in partnership with Pleasance Theatre Trust.
Follow: @eattherichplay @jadefranks_ @jfrproductions @itsjustjas__ @tatendashamiso #EatTheRich
BAIRNS
Thursday 4 & Friday 5 July, 7:15pm – Seven Dials Playhouse, London | Book London Preview
Edinburgh: 30 July–25 August (not 12), 14:05 – Pleasance Courtyard (Bunker 3) | Book Edinburgh Run Annie Davison returns following her success with Anything with a Pulse, this time with a solo dramedy that’s equal parts hilarious and heart-wrenching. When Lottie agrees to be a surrogate for her sister, she’s forced to confront her own readiness for adulthood, maternal instincts, and the chaos of womanhood in the modern age. With Davison juggling fifteen characters in a whip-smart script full of dark comedy and sharp emotional shifts, BAIRNS is a generous, gut-punch of a show.
Follow: @davisonannie #BAIRNS
FLUSH
Monday 21 July, 7:00pm; Wednesday 23 July, 3:15pm & 8:45pm – Riverside Studios, London | Tickets Book London Preview
Edinburgh: 30 July–25 August (not 11, 18), 12:15 – Pleasance Courtyard (Upstairs) | Book Edinburgh Run Set entirely in a women’s toilet in a Shoreditch nightclub, FLUSH explores solidarity, trauma and survival in one of the few safe spaces nightlife still provides. Written and performed by April Hope Miller, the show unfolds in real time as a young woman seeks sanctuary — and finds connection in the most unexpected of places. Developed with support from Ask for Angela and shortlisted for the Charlie Hartill Award, this is a moving, urgent piece of storytelling for the post-#MeToo generation.
Follow: @flush_onstage @launchboxproductions
Cara and Kelly are Best Friends Forever For Life
Wednesday 23 July, 8:30pm – Seven Dials Playhouse | Saturday 26 July, 8:30pm – Omnibus Theatre, London Book Seven Dials | Book Omnibus
Edinburgh: 30 July–25 August (not 12), 15:20 – Pleasance Courtyard (Bunker 3) | Book Edinburgh Run It’s 2013, and Cara and Kelly are 14 — inseparable, unstoppable and blissfully unaware of what’s about to shift their world. Mojola Akinyemi’s darkly comic two-hander is told from the viewpoint of the perpetrators — not the victims — as it unpacks girlhood, complicity, and the slow creep of right-wing ideology in Britain. With magnetic performances from Isobel Thom and Scarlett Stitt, this is a deeply unsettling and beautifully written piece that’s impossible to ignore.
Follow: @tigersnotdaughters #CaraAndKellyAreBFFs4L
House Party
Thursday 18 & Friday 19 July, 7:00pm – Seven Dials Playhouse, London | Book London Preview
Edinburgh: 30 July–25 August (not 12, 21), 15:20 – Pleasance Courtyard (Attic) | Book Edinburgh Run
Why doesn’t anyone throw house parties anymore? In this energetic, politically-charged solo show, Chakira Alin brings us dance, comedy, and heartbreak, soundtracked by Charli XCX and Miley Cyrus. Drawing on personal experience of homelessness and gentrification in East London, House Party examines the spaces we lose and the communities that vanish with them. It’s a celebration of joy as resistance and a call to reclaim the dancefloor. The show was selected as part of the 7from7 artist development programme by Seven Dials Playhouse, in partnership with Pleasance Theatre Trust. Follow: @chakiraalin @quitethecowboy #HousePartyPlay
Lioness
Saturday 19 & Sunday 20 July, 7:30pm – Canal Café Theatre, London | Book London Preview
Edinburgh: 30 July–25 August (not 13), 11:15 – Pleasance Courtyard (Cellar) | Book Edinburgh Run Goalkeeper Marnie is juggling periods, penalties and patriarchy — and that’s just on match day. Kate Coulson’s funny and frank solo show looks at the overlooked realities of women’s football, from grassroots to the Women’s Super League. Lioness is a timely, tender tribute to resilience, community, and the unpaid hustle of female athletes fighting for space — and respect — on and off the pitch.
Follow: @madeyoulookprods #Lioness
medium dead
Thursday 11 July, 7:00pm – Playhouse East | Book Playhouse East
Wednesday 17 July, 8:45pm; Friday 19 July, 3:15pm & 8:45pm – Riverside Studios, London | Book Riverside
Edinburgh: 1–24 August (not 6, 11, 18), 16:50 – ZOO Playground 2 | Book Edinburgh Run
Bennie works in the afterlife, writing suicide notes for the newly dead. But when she’s handed Anthony Bourdain’s file, everything changes. Written and performed by Eleanor Shaw, medium dead is a darkly comic and deeply compassionate exploration of loss, meaning and grief, set in the surreal world of posthumous admin. Unflinchingly honest and surprisingly tender, it’s a bold debut from a sharp new voice.Follow: @mediumdeadplay #mediumdeadplay
The Essence of Audrey
Sunday 27 July, 3:00pm – The Tabard Theatre, Chiswick, London |Book London Preview
Edinburgh: 30 July–25 August (not 13), 11:15 – Pleasance Courtyard (Cellar) | Book Edinburgh Run
Stage and screen actor Helen Anker steps into the world of Audrey Hepburn in this poised and personal tribute to the Hollywood icon. Blending storytelling, memoir and moments of charm, The Essence of Audrey traces Hepburn’s journey from stardom to humanitarianism, offering an hour of elegance and insight — a soft, stylish start to your Fringe day.
Follow: @helenanker1 @the_essenceofaudrey #TheEssenceOfAudrey
The Crawl
Saturday 26 July, 7:00pm – Seven Dials Playhouse, London | Book London Preview
Edinburgh: 30 July–25 August (not 13, 20), 12:05 – Pleasance Dome (10 Dome) | Book Edinburgh Run
Two swimmers, one race — and absolutely no water. The Crawl is a family-friendly, wordless physical comedy from two Lecoq-trained performers that transforms a poolside rivalry into a hilarious and touching exploration of ambition and vulnerability. Fast-paced, visual and joyously weird, this is a show for all ages that celebrates what lies beneath the surface.
Follow: @thecrawl.show #TheCrawl
Cara and Kelly are Best Friends Forever For Life
Wednesday 23 July, 8:30pm – Seven Dials Playhouse | Saturday 26 July, 8:30pm – Omnibus Theatre, London Book Seven Dials | Book Omnibus
Edinburgh: 30 July–25 August (not 12), 15:20 – Pleasance Courtyard (Bunker 3) | Book Edinburgh Run
It’s 2013, and Cara and Kelly are 14 — inseparable, unstoppable, and blissfully unaware of the ideological forces already shaping their futures. In this unsettling and deeply compelling new play by Mojola Akinyemi (longlisted for the Bruntwood Prize), a toxic friendship spirals into something much darker, examining the rise of covert radicalisation among white middle-class British girls. Starring Isobel Thom (title role in I, Joan at Shakespeare’s Globe) and Scarlett Stitt (The Great, Hulu; The Baby, HBO), this gripping two-hander peels back the veneer of teen innocence to reveal complicity, denial and the long tail of ideology. A vital and viscerally performed piece of new writing that lingers long after lights down.
Follow: @tigersnotdaughters #CaraAndKellyAreBFFs4L
These are the artists daring to break the mould, tell their own stories, and bring something new to the table – often on a shoestring – the Fringe at its very best. Whether you’re looking for belly laughs, political fire, or lyrical storytelling, there’s something happening in a black box theatre near you. Catch them in London now — or queue in Edinburgh later.
