Strong Maltese presence at Edinburgh Festival Fringe

From stand-up comedy to educational theatre and musical cabaret, Maltese performers are out in force this summer at the largest arts festival in the world. The Edinburgh Festival Fringe, which runs throughout August in the Scottish capital, features more than 53,000 performances from 62 countries, with audiences treated to a feast of comedy, theatre, dance, circus, cabaret, exhibitions, children’s shows, musicals, opera and spoken-word events. The Fringe began in 1947 when eight theatre companies turned up uninvited to perform at the inaugural Edinburgh International Festival and retains its ‘open-access’ spirit as it enters its 70th edition, with anyone welcome to perform as long as they can secure a venue – and an audience. “It’s not for the faint of heart,” said Malcolm Galea, whose children’s play The Complete History of Europe (More or Less), performed with actor Joseph Zammit, is one of several Maltese performances at this year’s festival. “Pretty much every second person you’ll encounter is a supremely talented performer, writer, musician or whatever, so it’s unimaginably difficult to stand out. Having a family show limits our audience, but there are slightly fewer shows...