Buggers
Buggers is a show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2026, performing at Pleasance Courtyard. It has 25 performances listed, running from Wed 5 Aug, 13:20 to Sun 30 Aug, 13:20. The run has finished — every listed performance has taken place.
About this show
London, 1963. When painter Francis Bacon meets petty criminal George Dyer – a hedonistic, sexually charged union takes hold. But as cracks in George’s mental health begin to appear and Francis’ ego becomes impossible, their passionate and sadomasochistic relationship descends into a black hole only one of them will survive. This haunting psychodrama imagines visceral fragments of the lovers’ turbulent relationship – from its lustful beginning to its shattering end. By Alistair Hall. Directed by Alice Wordsworth.
Details
- Venue: Pleasance Courtyard
- Space: Upstairs
- Genre: THEATRE, New writing, LGBTQ+
- Country: UNITED KINGDOM - ENGLAND
- Running time: 60 minutes
- Room size: about 91 seats (Upstairs) — the Fringe box office sells a share of the room, not all of it
- Performances listed: 25, of which 0 still to come and on sale
Accessibility
- Wheelchair access: lift
- Access features: Step-free access, Accessible toilet, Hearing loop
- Venue notes: Accessible entry: Queue in cobbled courtyard. Access to space via locked lift, please notify venue ahead of your visit if you require use of the lift and ask at Info Shed upon arrival for access. Wheelchair access type:Lift (Building Lift) Stairs: 20+ Number of stairs is provided as guidance and is not in addition to any wheelchair access type (lift/ramp etc) stated above.
What the reviewers said
We have captured 10 published reviews and 10 audience reviews for this show from the Edinburgh Festival Fringe’s own listing. The excerpts below are the reviewers’ words, not ours — follow each link for the full review.
Buggers meets every criterion of a must-watch at the Fringe and cuts through the WIP noise with crystal-clear execution.
— The Student (5 out of 5 stars)
Francis Bacon distorted the human figure on canvas. Buggers asks what happened when that same capacity for distortion entered one of the most important relationships of his life. 5 Stars
This is a short, sharp two-hander about painter Francis Bacon (Hall) and his muse George Dyer (Peter Clements) that deftly escapes from under the shadow of its cinematic predecessor and quickly finds its own identity.
— The List (4 out of 5 stars)
Performance dates and ticket availability
- Wed 5 Aug, 13:20 — Already performed — £9.00
- Thu 6 Aug, 13:20 — Already performed — £9.00
- Fri 7 Aug, 13:20 — Already performed — £15.00
- Sat 8 Aug, 13:20 — Already performed — £15.00
- Sun 9 Aug, 13:20 — Already performed — £15.00
- Mon 10 Aug, 13:20 — Already performed — £15.00
- Tue 11 Aug, 13:20 — Already performed — £15.00
- Wed 12 Aug, 13:20 — Already performed — £13.00
- Thu 13 Aug, 13:20 — Already performed — £13.00
- Fri 14 Aug, 13:20 — Already performed — £15.00
- Sat 15 Aug, 13:20 — Already performed — £15.00
- Sun 16 Aug, 13:20 — Already performed — £15.00
- Tue 18 Aug, 13:20 — Already performed — £13.00
- Wed 19 Aug, 13:20 — Already performed — £13.00
- Thu 20 Aug, 13:20 — Already performed — £13.00
- Fri 21 Aug, 13:20 — Already performed — £15.00
- Sat 22 Aug, 13:20 — Already performed — £15.00
- Sun 23 Aug, 13:20 — Already performed — £15.00
- Tue 25 Aug, 13:20 — Already performed — £13.00
- Wed 26 Aug, 13:20 — Already performed — £13.00
- Wed 26 Aug, 14:40 — Already performed — £13.00
- Thu 27 Aug, 13:20 — Already performed — £13.00
- Fri 28 Aug, 13:20 — Already performed — £15.00
- Sat 29 Aug, 13:20 — Already performed — £15.00
- Sun 30 Aug, 13:20 — Already performed — £15.00