We'll Miss EU

Unbelievably, 2018 marks the last festival before Brexit. Fest takes a tour of each of the 27 EU member states, celebrating a festival that is truly without borders, and speaking to artists about what the future might hold

feature (edinburgh) | Read in About 8 minutes

By Fest

Published 04 Aug 2018

121329 original

Austria	Austrian comic and 2012 Funny Women finalist, Alice Frick now lives in London, where she organises a monthly comedy show, Laughing Labia.
Belgium	Cold Blood, at the International Festival, is a multimedia collaboration between dancer and choreograper Michèle Anne De Mey and filmmaker Jaco Van Dormael.
Bulgaria	Want to know what happens when a Bulgarian musician has a mid-life crisis? Then The Burning Gadulka is the show for you.
Croatia	Did you know: the Croatian Embassy is in London, but there is an honorary consulate in Edinburgh. Also, just like Edinburgh, Croatia has it's own international arts festival, the Dubrovnik Summer Festival.
Cyprus	Talk about imagining a world beyond borders: Forbidden Stories is a joint Greek-Turkish collaboration focussing on the separation of the island. Part of the institut Français showcase.
Czech Republic	Czech conductor Jakub Hrůša gives a performance of the Dvořák Requiem, with the Bamberger Symphoniker this year.
Denmark	What says Denmark more than stories about Vikings? Well, lots of things, maybe. But Svend-Erik Engh's stories in Walk the Oars are, nonetheless, thoroughly Danish.
Estonia	Over at the Edinburgh International Book Festival, Charlotte Square, Estonian Andrei Ivanov teams up with Polish writer Jacek Dehnel to talk about their novels based on the far reach of the Soviet regime.
Finland	There's more Finland than you can shake an antler at in the (brilliantly named) Finnish showcase, starttofinnish.fi.
France	It's got to be the Institut Français in Scotland's annual showcase, Viva le Fringe! Find the full programme at ifecosse.org.uk.
Germany	"Brexit is another step in growing nationalism and the decline of freedom. For us as independent artists the access to a festival, that has always been a home for boundary pushing and radical art that questions the society we live in, becomes more difficult." – bambule.babys, German performance collective
Greece	"I left Greece hoping I'd never in my life encounter a government full of incompetent, infighting idiots. But the way Brexit is being handled, it feels like I am back in Greece – only the weather is worse and I have to pay £8 for a kebab." – Greek comedian George Zacharopoulos
Hungary	Did you know: Scotland once had a Hungarian queen. Born into the Hungarian court, Margaret married Malcolm III, becoming Queen of Scots in 1070. She established the ferry to take pilgrims between Edinburgh and Fife – the original Queensferry crossing. Cheaper than a bridge, too.
Ireland	“Looking at the positive side I can only hope, given everything that we have in common, that the ties between our two nations grow stronger.” – Ryan Murphy, Irish musician with folk band Ímar
Italy	"No more I love yous. We heard there'll be a pop music embargo, it will be possible to lipsync Annie Lennox's songs only after express authorisation of the Queen. Rigid measures will be applied even on too vaporous wigs. This is our first time performing in UK. Our humble sweet dream, after 2018 with Alma, is to have also a second time, and to keep on stirring up people's ideas, making them laugh and think with our shows." – Nina's Drag Queens, from Milan, Italy
Latvia	Did you know: Edinburgh's Georgian masterpiece, the New Town, was built partly with timber imported from Riga, in modern day Latvia
Lithuania	"In our company, Fear No Colours Theatre, we have people of various European nationalities, ethnicities and descents working together under one roof to bring our contribution to Edinburgh’s art scene this year. Europe is vastly diverse in terms of traditions, perspectives and talents that people possess; however, political decisions made on the international level in recent years seem to suggest that the idea of sharing the uniqueness of our communities freely is somewhat losing its value." – Kristupas Liubinas who performs in To Have Done With the Judgement of God
Luxembourg	At this year's International Festival, the Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg are producing no less than four works. Quite an output for a nation of 600,000 people.
Malta	Did you know: Sir Walter Scott's last novel, written on his deathbed and unpublished until 2008, is The Seige of Malta. It was inspired by his own trip to Malta in 1831 on doctors' orders. It didn't work – Scott died in 1832.
Netherlands	"The Dutch comedy scene is very internationally orientated. We love gigging abroad and for us it has always been a great way to make friends. Many comedians we meet in Edinburgh are invited to perform the Netherlands, for example at the International Comedy Festival in Utrecht. It would be a shame to lose that connection!" – Dutch comedian Lisanne Fridsma
Poland	"Well, Brexit has given us an awful lot of material. It is terrifying, but we always find the funny side to everything (some harder to find than others). So: we're taking our cultural differences, our sense of humour and popping it all in a brand new show, Clingfilm." – Lilly Pollard (UK), Izabella Malewska (Poland) and Tutku Barbaros (Turkey), from Plunge Theatre
Portugal	"Like most of our drinking sessions, Brexit feels like the ultimate hangover for a night we wish had never happened. We are just hoping in the short term that a month of fun at the Fringe will wipe it from our memories!" – Darias Tabai from the Wishful Drinkers
Romania	I attend 2 other fringes annually that are outside the EU and the big difference I can see coming is a drop in producers. Much of our work comes from producers attending fringes and most of it from Edinburgh as the freedom of movement brings so many potential employers. Without that freedom I am sure there will be a massive drop in the amount of work we get outside of the Fringe as well as European spectators who might not want to jump through all the visa hoops for themselves and their children to a country that has decided, by marginal vote, to leave and created an unwelcoming atmosphere to visitors." - Iulia Benze from Romania, who performs in Bubble Show: Milkshake and the Bubble Flower
Slovakia	Did you know: Slovakian baritone Dalibor Jenis, who is currently playing the lead in Rigoletto at the Sydney Opera House, has performed at the EIF twice, starring in William Tell in 2014 and Macbeth in 2017.
Slovenia	In celebrating European collaboration, it's important not to forget competition. Slovenia is probably the main reason France, and not Scotland, won the world cup in Russia this summer. The 2-2 draw in Ljubljana punted Scotland out of the qualifiers in October last year. Robert Snodgrass' late equaliser just wasn't enough against the mighty Slovenes.
Spain	"Since the Brexit vote the responses to my act have been a like Spanish FIESTA & SIESTA: FIESTA (when Brexit jokes land) and SIESTA (when they don’t)." – Spanish comedian Sonia Aste
Sweden	"I think the most diplomatic way to put it is that Brexit surely won't help in any way." – Patrik Ågren, producer of Dogstar Theatre's 'Let's Inherit the Earth'
United Kingdom	"Cultural collaboration is central to Scotland’s open international cultural outlook and EU membership is a crucial part of this. Currently artists from around the EU work in Scotland, join our performing companies and enhance Scotland’s culture and creative sector. EU citizens travel freely to experience our unique culture and world leading festivals. Unfortunately, the UK Government’s approach to Brexit offers little reassurance for those worried about the impact that leaving the EU will have. I continue to be concerned about the impact it could have on Scotland’s cultural and creative companies who must be able to recruit the talent and skills they need from as wide a pool as possible." – Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Tourism and External Affairs, Scottish Government