Stop Playing Jacob's Ladder With My Spine
Stop Playing Jacob's Ladder With My Spine is a show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2026, performing at ZOO Southside. It has 22 performances listed, running from Fri 7 Aug, 21:35 to Sun 30 Aug, 21:35. The run has finished — every listed performance has taken place.
About this show
'There are ants in your drawers. There is food in your microwave. There is blood on the food. There are ants in the blood. They are watching you eat. You have a nosebleed.' Blending absurdist theatre, contemporary dance and creative captioning, HotCat Collective present their new show about loss of control, expectations within domestic settings, and what it means to rot in the face of sterilisation. Four dancers and a microwave invite you to embrace chaos despite the prying eyes. Don't hide. Come and see the beautiful colours on your mouldy fork.
Details
- Venue: ZOO Southside
- Space: Studio
- Genre: CIRCUS, Absurdist, Experimental
- Country: UNITED KINGDOM - ENGLAND
- Running time: 50 minutes
- Room size: about 70 seats (Studio) — the Fringe box office sells a share of the room, not all of it
- Performances listed: 22, of which 0 still to come and on sale
Accessibility
- Wheelchair access: level
- Access features: Step-free access, Accessible toilet, Captioned performances
- Venue notes: Accessible entry: Level access via rear entrance, 10 steps from street if not taking accessibility entrance. Wheelchair access type:Level Access Stairs: 6 - 10 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 1 published review and 32 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.
4.5 Stars. I have nothing but awe for the conceptual genius of Stop Playing Jacob’s Ladder With My Spine. The blend of dance, captioning, and theatre made for an artful performance so thought-provokingly weird I am…
Performance dates and ticket availability
- Fri 7 Aug, 21:35 — Already performed — £13.00
- Sat 8 Aug, 21:35 — Already performed — £13.00
- Sun 9 Aug, 21:35 — Already performed — £13.00
- Mon 10 Aug, 21:35 — Already performed — £13.00
- Tue 11 Aug, 21:35 — Already performed — £13.00
- Wed 12 Aug, 21:35 — Already performed — £13.00
- Thu 13 Aug, 21:35 — Already performed — £13.00
- Fri 14 Aug, 21:35 — Already performed — £13.00
- Sat 15 Aug, 21:35 — Already performed — £13.00
- Sun 16 Aug, 21:35 — Already performed — £13.00
- Tue 18 Aug, 21:35 — Already performed — £13.00
- Wed 19 Aug, 21:35 — Already performed — £13.00
- Thu 20 Aug, 21:35 — Already performed — £13.00
- Fri 21 Aug, 21:35 — Already performed — £13.00
- Sat 22 Aug, 21:35 — Already performed — £13.00
- Sun 23 Aug, 21:35 — Already performed — £13.00
- Tue 25 Aug, 21:35 — Already performed — £13.00
- Wed 26 Aug, 21:35 — Already performed — £13.00
- Thu 27 Aug, 21:35 — Already performed — £13.00
- Fri 28 Aug, 21:35 — Already performed — £13.00
- Sat 29 Aug, 21:35 — Already performed — £13.00
- Sun 30 Aug, 21:35 — Already performed — £13.00