A number of shows in this year’s programme pay specific tribute to notable people from our past. When You Fall Down - The Buster Keaton Story uses slapstick and songs to follow the personal and professional triumphs and trials of the silent movie star. Stan Laurel is remembered in ... And This Is My Friend Mr Laurel, a touching look at one of cinema’s great historical partnerships. Dietrich: Natural Duty is an intoxicating one-(wo)man cabaret show as Marlene Dietrich takes the stage to fight the war her way, with an irresistible mix of songs, sequins, sex and sympathy. The lifelong friendship between composer and war poet Ivor Gurney, and musician and the first female music critic, Marion Scott, is brought to life in Composer, Author, Soldier-of-a-Sort. In Loyal Company presents the incredible true story of missing WWII soldier Arthur Robinson.

Mental health and emotional well-being continue to be pressing issues addressed on the Fringe stage; A Clown Show About Rain fuses together clowning and physical theatre in a dazzling exploration of depression. Ephemeral Ensemble present Offstage a powerful show acting as a moving tribute to all performers who have died by suicide. Schizophrenia, depression and male suicide are tackled in Electrolyte, an explosive piece of gig-theatre from Wildcard Theatre, the winners of the 2018 LET Award. While the devastating effects of Alzheimer's is brought to the stage

in And Before I Forget I Love You, I Love You. The emotional hardships of those with learning difficulties are explored in Everything Is Going To Be KO. And, from the team behind the 2012 winner of the Amnesty International Freedom of Expression Award, comes Unspoken, bringing to light the lives interrupted and forever changed by war. These shows, and more besides, seek to explore and dispel classic attitudes to mental health through personal stories.

Innovative companies continue to push the boundaries of devised theatre using unique physical styles. This year is no exception; Theatre Temoin return to Edinburgh with Feed, bringing their vibrant visual style to the world of click-bait culture, fake news and cyber gluttony. The Bear uses dazzling puppetry, delicious music and dozens of laughs to create an unforgettable experience for the whole family. Carol Tambor Best of Edinburgh Award Winner Ovid's Metamorphoses sets breathtaking mythological tales of love and transformation against a WWII Britain backdrop with spectacular storytelling, puppetry, music and film.

Also bringing puppetry to life is the recipient of this year’s Charlie Hartill Theatre Reserve, the Pleasance’s fund for new theatre – in Freeman award-winning writer Camilla Whitehill exposes the fundamental and inextricable link between systemic racism and the decimation of the self, juxtaposing monologue with physical theatre, gospel singing and shadow puppetry.

This year, the Pleasance Theatre Trust are pleased to announce a new partnership with HighTide – HighTide: Edinburgh. Pleasance will be presenting the majority of work supported by the HighTide Edinburgh Mentoring Scheme. The brilliant recipients include Sparks, a hilarious and heartbreaking two-hander with music about the brain’s response to grief, and Busking It which draws on a singer's decade on the tube giving voice to passers-by and blending chance encounters with live music. Plus DugOut Theatre come together with HighTide to present Songlines by Tallulah Brown, a play with an original soundtrack from award-winning band Trills.

Many a classic has been revitalised and re-energised in Edinburgh and, in 2018, Trump meets Lear in the absurdly funny and biting political satire, Trump Lear, direct from its hit New York season. The all male, all silly troupe of Rubbish Shakespeare Company stage a hilarious Romeo and Juliet. A fast- paced retelling of Dracula has us join the first Romanian immigrant as he strikes fear into the male establishment with some surprising consequences. Young Pleasance evoke the glitz, glamour, and seedy underworld of 1920s Berlin in their exciting version of The Red Shoes.

Music and theatre converge in a number of electrifying pieces of gig theatre. For the Record brings a poignant mix of classic vinyl vibes and the unique poetic voice of Toby Thompson as we are led on a curious, moving and uplifting journey. Ad Libido explores Female Sexual Dysfunction through energising toe-tapping tunes. Paul O'Donnell entertainingly attempts to create the spectacle of a full-scale musical (hydraulic lifts and all) in We've Got Each Other. Amidst an electrifying live gig, Medea Electronica is a powerful and deeply moving retelling of the Greek tragedy, set in 1980s rural England. The Rockford Files is an appealing homage to 1970s TV private eye Jim Rockford, filtered through the lens of classic Ealing comedies and brilliant live Roots music.

The extra-terrestrials are journeying to Edinburgh to explore the Fringe. With the help of some historical abduction stories, a latex alien mask, and a bucket of flying saucers, Lights Over Tesco Car Park looks at alien reports over Tescos. Set in the depths of the Extra-Terrestrial Communications Agency, Signals asks how it feels to be lost in the cosmic ocean with just each other for company.

Pleasance Futures, the Pleasance’s artist development arm, are supporting new company Clay Party with Outside, an honest new comedy exploring humanity, love and the relationships between three friends dealing with life on the inside when the outside is crumbling. Previous recipients of the Futures ‘XYP’ strand Incognito return with the amazing Tobacco Road – winner of the Greenwich Partnership Award, telling the story of five resourceful youngsters attempting to carve out a place in the murky underworld of 1920s London. Another company born out of the Young Pleasance (‘YP’), the award-winning Spies Like Us present their version of Woyzeck, breathing new life into Buchner’s classic tale with their trademark inventive physical style. They also return with Our Man in Havana – back by popular demand, it will leave you gasping for an ice-cold daiquiri.

Other great theatre shows on sale today include: Courtroom Play: A Courtroom Play featuring an all-star cast of Fringe comedians, Drenched which draws inspiration from the classic Cornish folktale The Mermaid of Zennor, Finding Fassbender by Off-West End nominated Lydia Larson, No One Is Coming To Save You – a story of hope in the wait before dawn, It’s Not a Sprint by NOVAE Theatre (sister company to Idle Motion) and critically-acclaimed comedy troupe Kill the Beast’s Director’s Cut. Don’t forget Ladykiller - a blood-soaked morality tale about social responsibility, zero-hours contracts and victimhood; the acerbic wit, punchy dialogue and intricate spoken word of Narcissist in the Mirror; Sisterhood which asks what kind of world we are leaving to our daughters of the digital age; Danielle Ward’s The Half, The Journey which marks the theatrical debut from acclaimed stand-up Stuart Law; Unconditional – a joyous celebration of doing whatever it takes to be equal; and Velvet which is written and performed by Old Vic 12 shortlisted actor/writer Tom Ratcliffe. Plus award-winning Big Bite-Size Breakfast Show return to the Fringe for their 12th year along with Bite- Size Plays present: Neverwant. 

Pleasance also continues to build on their strong focus on children’s theatre. Songs co-written by kids’ favourite Jay Foreman are given centre stage in The Story Beast: Myths, Monsters & Mayhem. John Hegley: Morning Wordship invites you to join in the morning chorus of clappy, clippy, cloppy, floppy, flappy sing song and poem pong. Especially for babies and children aged 0-3 years and their grown-ups is MamaBabaMe - a beautiful dance, physical theatre and live music experience that welcomes even the tiniest of folk. The fantastic family musical adventure of Animalphabet The Musical uses high-energy actors, colourful puppets, amazing characters and fantastic songs; each show will contain BSL interpretation and the company will also be offering relaxed performances and touch tours.

Tickets for all shows here are now on sale here.