While the eyes of the sporting world focus on London, theatrical attention is focused on Edinburgh. With the fringe festival offering a bewildering choice of shows, it’s easy to get lost in the choice. Here Glen Pearce picks just five of the hundreds of shows on offer worth a visit for those dashing around the Scottish capital.

1) As Ye Sow – The Pleasance Dome

Horror is always difficult to pull off on stage, but Theatre of the Damned have cornered the market in giving theatregoers the fright of their lives. Stewart Pringle’s As Ye Sow looks at dementia and unreliable memory to create a work of suspense, guilt, fear and supernatural horror. The attention to the small details will leave audiences on the edge of their seats.

Runs 5th to 27th August

2) The Ballad of Pondlife McQuirk – Traverse at Scottish Book Trust

Edinburgh often seems awash with the avant garde, and you don’t really think of the fringe for family shows, but look closely and there’s plenty on offer for the next generation of theatregoers. School friendships are tested as the class bully takes a dislike to a new student. How do you stay true to your friends under pressure?

Runs 5th to 26th August

3) The Idiot at the Wall – Bedlam Fringe

English and Gaelic merge in Elspeth Turner’s debut play. Set on a Hebridean island in the wake of World War One, the traditional way of life struggle against the encroachment of the modern world. Accompanied by Gaelic songs of the period, the piece shows a world now all but lost to the modern world.

Runs 4th to 25th August

4) Doug Segal: How to Read Minds and Influence People – Gilded Balloon Teviot

Have you ever wished you could read people’s minds? Well Doug Segal could show you how – though of course no true magician ever reveals his secrets. Mixing ‘how does he do that’ tricks with a wicked sense of humour, Segal doesn’t need to use his power of suggestion to get the audience on side here.

Runs 5th – 27th August

5) Departure Lounge  - Paradise at St Augustines

Four hormonal teenagers, one delayed plane and a holiday that they’ll never forget – it may seem an unlikely subject for a musical but Dougal Irvine’s comedy musical seems to be well-received wherever it lands. After a critically-acclaimed run in Liverpool, InSTEP Theatre’s production now stops over at the Edinburgh Fringe with tales of sun, booze and – of course – lots of girls.

Runs 7 – 19th August

WHAT'S HOT - August 6th 2012, 5.0 out of 5 based on 1 rating

Tags: As Ye Sow, Bedlam Theatre, Departure Lounge, Doug Segal, Edinburgh, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Gilded Balloon, InSTEP theatre company, Paradise at St Augustines, The Ballad of Pondlife McQuirk, The Idiot at the Wall, Traverse