Veteran performers shine at Edinburgh Fringe

A fringe year that defies youth bias as aging stars and late bloomers take the stage with bold new shows.

Edinburgh Fringe Shines as Veteran Performers Lead the Spotlight

Miriam Margolyes returns to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe with an expanded Dickens based show, performing at Pleasance and drawing crowds alongside a growing cohort of performers aged well into their 70s and 80s. The festival is housing veterans such as Margolyes, Andy Linden, Vivienne Powell and Christine Thynne, who are staging new works that push physical and artistic boundaries while defying expectations about age.

Margolyes speaks of the energizing effect of a live audience even on long careers, while Linden reflects a lifelong profession that feels earned rather than owed. The programme this year also features Powell and Thynne in projects that emphasize late life creativity and personal risk, alongside Linden’s Baxter vs the Bookies. The fringe’s evolution toward mature voices sits beside ongoing questions about health, pacing, and sustaining energy across a demanding run.

The fringe is shifting how audiences imagine age in the arts. A surge of late life debuts and long careers challenges the stereotype that talent evaporates with time, and that has implications for funding, rehearsal time, and health support for performers. At the same time, the spotlight on elder artists can collide with the realities of physical work on stage, necessitating practical support from producers and venues. The friction between celebrating experience and managing risk will test the festival’s ability to balance artistry with sustainability.

The political moment also seeps into the fringe, reminding readers that fame does not shield public figures from backlash. Miriam Margolyes has faced criticism for her Gaza comments, illustrating how activism and art intersect in a space that prizes freedom of expression but also reacts quickly on social media. As the fringe grows more competitive, the industry faces a choice about backing diverse, older voices and protecting artists from online scrutiny while preserving the honesty that makes their work resonant.

Highlights

Art has no expiration date.