2016 Edinburgh Fringe
Mark Thomas: The Red Shed
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Venue
15: Traverse Theatre
Admin
Multi award-winning comic/activist Mark Thomas performed his first gigs in The Red Shed in Wakefield, a 47-foot-long wooden hut that doubles up as a Labour Club. Three decades later he returns to celebrate its 50th birthday, entwining the story of his political coming of age with the tale of the people who inspired him. The struggle for hope and survival in a shed, a story of strikes, fights, dinner ladies and beer; friendship, love, memory and above all belief. Theatre, stand-up, journalism, activism and a small amount of help from the audience.
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Reviews
- What's On London
- The Scotsman
- Broadway Baby
- ThreeWeeks
- To Do List
- ScotsGay
- Spiked
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- Chortle
- The Arts Desk
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Press articles
Best reviewed Fringe shows 2016
A list of the comedy shows at the 2016 Edinburgh Fringe that got more than 10 top rated reviews. Mark Thomas leads the list.
British Comedy Guide, 5th September 2016Edinburgh 2016 - the year that comedy got less funny?
2016 may well go down as the year that comedy got serious.
Bruce Dessau, Beyond The Joke, 27th August 2016Si Hawkins Fringe Diary 2016
Si Hawkins saw a LOT of shows at the 2016 Edinburgh Fringe, and some of them were pretty darn good. Here he talks us through a few of this year's hits 'n' trends.
British Comedy Guide, 25th August 2016Mark Thomas wins The Stage Special Award
Mark Thomas has been awarded The Stage Special Award. The award, which will be presented to Thomas on Friday 26 August, honours his sustained excellence at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
What's On Stage, 25th August 2016Mark Thomas wins his third Fringe First
Mark Thomas has won a coveted Fringe First award for his Edinburgh show about his early stand-up career and political awakening.
Chortle, 19th August 2016TW:TALKS 18.08.16: Mark Thomas
To celebrate 21 years of ThreeWeeks covering the Edinburgh Festival, we launch TW:TALKS by interviewing five former cover stars. This week, Mark Thomas, who appeared on the cover of ThreeWeeks in our very first year, all the way back in 1996.
Chris Cooke, ThreeWeeks, 18th August 2016Mark Thomas interview (Link expired)
The latest in our series of Campervan Confessions from the Edinburgh Festival features comedian and activist Mark Thomas.
Alex Watson, WOW247, 17th August 2016Fringe performers swept up in 2016 political whirlwind
From the Brexit vote to the US presidential race, the tumult of the year's news shows how nimble - or lucky - artists need to be to stay relevant.
Mark Lawson, The Guardian, 16th August 2016Three to see on 16 Aug
Three to see at the Edinburgh Festival tomorrow...
ThreeWeeks, 15th August 2016Seven questions with... Mark Thomas
Summarised as "part theatre, part stand up, part journalism, part activism", Mark Thomas' latest show The Red Shed is the final instalment of a trilogy of critically acclaimed shows (Bravo Figaro, followed by Cuckooed), which sees him return to a labour club in Wakefield, a place Thomas credits for aiding him in developing his political conscience, as well as his public speaking skills. The satirical television show The Mark Thomas Comedy Product ran for six series, and is a prime example of the comic's passion for influential socialist comedy that encourages action, thus showing the importance of comedy for social development.
Becca Moody, Moody Comedy, 14th August 2016Three To See on 13 Aug
Three to see at the Edinburgh Festival tomorrow...
ThreeWeeks, 12th August 2016Interview with Mark Thomas
Mark Thomas video interview.
Edinburgh Festivals, 12th August 201690 seconds with: Mark Thomas
We chat to the activist and comedian about his latest show at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
Ben Hewis, What's On Stage, 9th August 2016Edinburgh festival 2016: the shows we recommend
Plan your Edinburgh schedule with this digest of our tips and reviews. Shows are listed by start time. This page will be updated daily throughout the festival.
The Guardian, 9th August 2016Political comedy isn't dead
Serious issues are back on the stand-up agenda. Here are the Fringe's hottest topics.
Stephen Armstrong, The Sunday Times, 7th August 2016Edinburgh festival shows - in pictures
The Edinburgh festival 2016 offers everything from comedy to hard-hitting political theatre, circus shows and hi-tech hybrids - and the debut appearance of one very young performer indeed.
Murdo MacLeod, The Guardian, 6th August 2016Podcast: Mark Thomas in the Red Shed
Mark talks about his new Edinburgh play, Mark Thomas: The Red Shed. It's the story of a very special venue in Wakefield, where he developed his political and comedy chops. (This interview has been shortened for time - the uncut version will be available via the OntheMic website soon.)
Martin Walker, Broadway Baby, 6th August 2016Fringe: our pick of the bunch
Little ripples. That's how it starts. Little ripples getting bigger. And then suddenly you're eye to eye with a dinosaur. The Edinburgh Fringe is the T-Rex of arts festivals and it has a way of creeping up on you. For ages it's a faint shape on the horizon, reassuringly far away, and then it pounces.
Natasha Tripney, The Stage, 4th August 2016Comedians recall their first gigs
Shappi Khorsandi felt as if she'd walked on the moon. Isy Suttie watched a man change a dressing on a wound as she spoke. Omid Djalili fell off the stage. So how did the first gigs of Paul Merton, Susan Calman and other top comics go?
Chris Wiegand and Anna Menin, The Guardian, 1st August 2016Fringe shows celebrate the culture of the club
Even outsiders, however, have to belong somewhere, as three very different Edinburgh Festival Fringe shows may demonstrate this year. In The Red Shed, Mark Thomas presents a loving homage to the forty-seven foot wooden hut that forms the Wakefield Labour Club, where he cut his stand-up teeth.
Neil Cooper, The Herald, 29th July 2016Seeing red
This Fringe is arguably more political than ever. Stewart Pringle talks to the artists who've had enough.
Stewart Pringle, Fest Mag, 20th July 2016Fringe: Ten theatre shows for comedy fans
It's hard to credit it sometimes, but there are actually sections of the Edinburgh Fringe programme that aren't comedy. Here are some of the picks from the theatre section that would be of interest to comedy fans, even if they are not all comedies.
Chortle, 19th July 2016Fringe 2016 - shows with some politics in them
Many shows explore political themes in 2016, a year that has the potential for significant political change with the forthcoming referendum on EU membership in the UK and presidential elections in the USA.
Phyllis Stephen, The Edinburgh Reporter, 11th June 2016Performances
| Date | Time | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| 6th Aug 2016 | 14:30 | Traverse Theatre |
| 7th Aug 2016 | 18:15 | Traverse Theatre |
| 9th Aug 2016 | 13:15 | Traverse Theatre |
| 10th Aug 2016 | 16:15 | Traverse Theatre |
| 11th Aug 2016 | 19:00 | Traverse Theatre |
| 12th Aug 2016 | 10:30 | Traverse Theatre |
| 13th Aug 2016 | 13:15 | Traverse Theatre |
| 14th Aug 2016 | 16:15 | Traverse Theatre |
| 16th Aug 2016 | 13:15 | Traverse Theatre |
| 17th Aug 2016 | 16:15 | Traverse Theatre |
| 18th Aug 2016 | 19:00 | Traverse Theatre |
| 19th Aug 2016 | 10:30 | Traverse Theatre |
| 20th Aug 2016 | 13:15 | Traverse Theatre |
| 21st Aug 2016 | 16:15 | Traverse Theatre |
| 23rd Aug 2016 | 19:00 | Traverse Theatre |
| 24th Aug 2016 | 10:30 | Traverse Theatre |
| 25th Aug 2016 | 13:15 | Traverse Theatre |
| 26th Aug 2016 | 16:15 | Traverse Theatre |
| 27th Aug 2016 | 19:00 | Traverse Theatre |
| 28th Aug 2016 | 10:30 | Traverse Theatre |