SEX in advertising, a compassionate drugs policy and the dark side of the internet are among the more provocative topics that academics will be exploring at this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe, which starts later this week.
More than 40 researchers from universities across the UK – including Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Edinburgh Napier – will take part in the Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas for the three weeks of the festival.
They will blend research findings with comedy, in a series that will offer fresh perspectives on a range of topics and aims to engage audience discussions on important issues.
PhD student Kat Rezai, from Napier, will look at the implications of sexualised advertising and will ask if sexual themes in adverts sell products or influence behaviours.
The event by Edinburgh University’s Anna Ross – Doing More Drugs – will explore whether paying greater heed to drug users’ personal experiences might lead to policies which are built on compassion, rather than retribution and punishment.
Aberdeen University student Andreas Zaunseder will suggest that the dodgy side of the internet – the Dark Web – can help people to have more control over their privacy. He will argue that we can learn from the geeks and criminals usually associated with this anonymous space on the internet.
Other events in the series will cover doping in elite sports, issues around fake news and stigmas that surround discussing death.
The Cabaret of Dangerous
Ideas launched as part of the Festival Fringe in 2013 and is organised with support from the Fair Pley Production Company and the Beltane Public Engagement Network – an initiative across Edinburgh’s four universities that encourages researchers to engage with the wider public.
Stand-up comedian and Fringe veteran Susan Morrison, who will compere each show, said: “The Cabaret of Dangerous Ideas brings provocative ideas to the public, sparking conversations that challenge audiences and presenters alike. Lively, fun and stimulating, it is a wonderful show that entertains, engages and educates. ”
Meanwhile, a weekly support group for gay performers, producers, critics and backstage staff has been created for the Fringe.
The Edinburgh Fringe Queer Meet Up is the brainchild of performer Teddy Lamb, who said they felt “isolated” during their last experience at the festival in 2016.
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