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30 Years of Assembly |
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Assembly is now second only to the Traverse as the longest running Fringe venue. What we are has been made by all those that take part, whether friends, performers, press, members of the public or staff. Last year we celebrated 30 years of Assembly - it's quite a history: 2010
A record breaking 30th Anniversary year at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival for Assembly. Over 290,000 people came and saw 139 different shows performed at Assembly George Street, Assembly Hall and our new venue, Assembly at Princes St Gardens. As ever we presented the best in live music, theatre, cabaret, comedy and family shows to wow audiences of all ages, Assembly Festival’s 2010 anniversary programme has won critical acclaim and celebrated its illustrious 30-year history in style. Our shows received over 300 4 and 5 star reviews.
Accolades won this year include a Herald Angel Award for Just Macbeth, a Stage Award for Best Actor for Scott Kyle in Singin’ I’m No a Billy, He’s a Tim, a MTM:UK (Musical Theatre Matters) 2010 Awards Judges' Discretionary Award for Zambezi Express; The Edinburgh Spotlights Comedy Award for New Art Club: Big Bag of Boom and Do We Look Like Refugees?! Recieved a Scotsman Fringe First; Fringe Review’s ‘Outstanding Theatre Award’ and The Stage Award for Best Ensemble. A world wide audience saw SOAP! the Show, Simon Callow in Shakespeare The Man from Stratford, Alan Cumming, Jason Byrne,Circus Burlesque, Kevin Bridges, Hairy Maclarey, Julien Cottereau, Meow Meow, Guilty Pleasures and yet again, many many more! 2009 – what a year! Some would say, our biggest and best year to date. Assembly defied the doom and gloom of the recession with a jam-packed, award winning programme of incredible performances from over 90 shows. We won Fringe Firsts with The Event, The Hotel, Party, David Leddy’s White Tea and Morecambe and received over 40 5 star reviews! Audiences came from around the world to see Jason Byrne, Camille O ‘Sullivan, Tao, Adam Hills, Prime of Miss Jean Brodie and many many more! Roll on 2010! 2008 In 2008 Assembly continued to live up to it’s title of the ‘jewel in the crown of the Fringe’. We presented a varied and successful programme of theatre, comedy, cabaret, dance and music with over 1400 separate performances during the Fringe. In a successful year our shows also picked up 8 major Fringe awards including 3 Fringe Firsts; a Herald Angel Award; the Stage Award for Acting Excellence and the Total Theatre Award for Physical and Visual Theatre. Audiences thronged to see Brazilian dance sensations Bale de Rua, Michael Barrymore, Simon Callow, Jason Byrne, Ed Byrne, Camille O’Sullivan, Soweto Gospel Choir and many others. 2007 In 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 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 2003 |
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