Holly O'Mahony

Artists at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe are using extreme physical challenges—including drinking urine, repeating a song for an hour, performing in a hot sauna, running on a treadmill and exercising on Pilates benches—to create distinctive theatrical experiences. Performers describe the physical hardship as a form of artistic expression, and audiences have responded enthusiastically. The performances also expose risks including injury, exhaustion and illness, prompting artists and industry figures to call for safer, more sustainable conditions that preserve ambition without damaging performers.