A line-up of family shows, comedy and new writing has been announced for this year’s Macready Fringe, Rugby.

Macready Theatre will become a platform for new artistic talent at the end of July as it hosts a festival of creativity for all appetites. Artists and performers will take to the stage to preview their work before it transfers to Edinburgh Fringe, the greatest celebration of arts and culture on the planet!

The Macready Fringe line-up features:

Laugh Out Loud Theatre make their debut appearance at Macready Theatre on Friday 26 July with their family-friendly show Once Upon a Fairytale. When the pages of a storybook get glued together, the fairytale characters get all muddled up in this silly, engaging, pantomime-style show. Can you help the narrator unravel the fairytales and put everything back to the way it should be?

Have you ever wondered what it was like to be a Teletubby in the 90s? Nikky Smedley (the original LaaLaa) gets ready to bare all in this sell-out Edinburgh Fringe show Confessions of a Teletubby. Arguments and poo! Sex and swearing! Blood, sweat, tears and giant rabbits! Life on the set of Teletubbies might not have been quite as you imagined… This 16+ comedy show will have you howling on Friday 26 July.

Fancy sticking around for more comedic brilliance? Robin Boot will follow Smedley with his genius musical comedy show Rockomedy: Master of Punnets on Friday 26 July. You can expect guitar-wielding mayhem and puns galore in this, his 8th Edinburgh Fringe success.

Saturday 27 July sees the return of Flabbergast Theatre working with Floating Shed as they bring a raw multilingual, physical new play, Rebels & Patriots, that exposes the consequences army life has on the mental health of the teenagers enlisted. Who's a rebel? Who's a patriot? This story of friendship explores themes like protest against war, self-harm and what it means to be Israeli and peace-pursuing.

On Sunday 28 July we welcome back Threedumb Theatre, as award-winning actor Stephen Smith presents a one-man show exploring the life and loves of infamous Monet. His paintings are world-famous, but what do we know of the man behind the water lilies?  Montage of Monet lifts the lid on Monet’s two marriages, his thoughts on fellow impressionists and how he coped with his failing eyesight.

Macready Theatre are delighted to welcome back Stratford Productions on Monday 29 July as Mark Stratford presents the notorious mystery tale about the inexorable conflict between good and evil. In this faithful adaptation of The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Robert Louis Stevenson’s gripping narrative is brought vividly to life through a combination of powerful story-telling and masterful character creation.

To close on Tuesday 30 July at 7:30pm, Macready Theatre’s Offie-nominated Square Pegs Young Actor’s Company present their latest absurd piece 3 Couples, 2 Breakups, 1 Barbie and The Berlin Wall. This fast-paced, fun-filled story about growing up asks lots of questions about what it means to be human and in their own inimitable absurdist fashion, offers absolutely no answers whatsoever. 

On Macready Fringe, Theatre Manager Amie Barton-Young said:

"It is always a thrill to bring so much talent to our town and continue to celebrate the arts within our community. This year’s Macready Fringe is double the size of last year’s and will accommodate something for everyone as we put on a feast of family fun, outrageous comedy, and new writing for all to enjoy. Our little Theatre is a hidden gem in the centre of this historic town, so spread the word and book yourself a seat to some of the best professional entertainment on your doorstep."

To book tickets, visit www.macreadytheatre.co.uk