At the heart of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Venue 13 has always been more than just a stage—it’s a launchpad for bold voices, boundary-pushing performances, and international exchange. Podcast 13 extends that spirit into the digital space, offering listeners a behind-the-scenes journey into the world’s largest arts festival and the global creative networks it inspires.
Each episode features conversations with artists, producers, and cultural leaders who have made Venue 13 their home, exploring how theatre, performance, and live art intersect with community, technology, and climate consciousness. From intimate stories of artists’ first Fringe experiences to deep dives into the future of sustainable cultural production, the podcast captures the energy and experimentation that define the venue.
Whether you’re a festival-goer, an emerging artist looking for insight, or simply curious about how performance can shape the way we understand our world, Podcast 13 opens the doors to one of the Fringe’s most artist-centered spaces.
In this episode, Ian and Vanesa take you on the next stage of their UAE adventure! After World Stage Design 2025 in Sharjah, Ian delivered a talk at NYU Abu Dhabi, exploring “Somewhere in Time: Ghosts, People, Sites, and Signals.”
Together they reflect on Ian’s presentation, touring the university’s incredible Red Theater, Blue Hall, and Black Box, and engaging with the curiosity around sustainable, hybrid, and ecological design.
Plus, they share their experience at TeamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi, a 17,000 m² immersive art space where light, water, sound, and motion respond to your presence whilst sparking ideas about participation, performance, and the future of stage design.
All this as well as bringing you the reading of their weekly CCTA play. This week you heard Earth Duet, by E.M. Lewis.
Episodes
- Episode 3 – teamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi and NYUAD + Earth Duet by E.M. Lewis
Ian and Vanesa continue their UAE journey after World Stage Design 2025, reflecting on Ian’s NYU Abu Dhabi talk and exploring the university’s performance spaces. They also visit TeamLab Phenomena Abu Dhabi’s vast immersive environment, sparking ideas about ecological and hybrid design, and share this week’s CCTA reading, Earth Duet by E.M. Lewis. - Episode 2 – Venue 13 at WSD2025 in Sharjah UAE + Space Cat by Lewis Hetherington
Ian and Vanesa take you inside World Stage Design 2025, sharing seasoned insight and first-time impressions from this global gathering of scenographers and artists. They reflect on collaborations, inspirations from the Scenofest Research Symposium, and how WSD’s creative energy connects to their ongoing work at Venue 13. - Episode 1 – What Happens When Two People Decide to Have a Venue (and a Podcast)
In the first full episode of Podcast 13, Ian Garrett and Vanesa Kelly conclude Climate Change Theatre Action 2025 with readings of works by Klae Bainter, Keith Barker, and Kirby Vicente. They also reflect on Venue 13’s debut as a fully vegan Fringe venue, the premiere of A.I. Campfire, and sustaining year-round conversations on theatre and climate. - Introducing Podcast 13
Podcast 13 launches with a teaser episode completing Venue 13’s presentation of all fifty Climate Change Theatre Action 2025 plays. Recorded at the Edinburgh Fringe, it captures a month of theatre, food, and sustainability conversations, introducing a series of weekly play readings, artist interviews, and explorations of how the arts shape our shared future.