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 Episode 2 of Podcast 13, Ian and Vanesa take you inside World Stage Design 2025, an international gathering of scenographers, artists, and researchers shaping the future of performance.
Ian shares his perspective as a seasoned participant, and reflects on how this year’s WSD compares to previous editions, while Vanesa brings her first impressions as a playwright and producer, discovering this global creative community.
Together, they discuss new collaborations, inspirations from the Scenofest Research Symposium, and how events like WSD connect to the work happening at Venue 13.
Episodes
- Episode 2 – Venue 13 at WSD2025 in Sharjah UAE + Space Cat by Lewis Hetherington
In our very first episode, we celebrate the launch of Podcast 13 by completing the Climate Change Theatre Action 2025 project with the final three plays: SCARY-Scary by Klae Bainter, UNDERTOW by Keith Barker, and We’re Running Out of Chairs by Kirby Vicente. Alongside these readings, co-directors Ian Garrett and Vanesa Kelly reflect on the whirlwind of Venue 13’s debut season. - Episode 1 – What Happens When Two People Decide to Have a Venue (and a Podcast)
In our very first episode, we celebrate the launch of Podcast 13 by completing the Climate Change Theatre Action 2025 project with the final three plays: SCARY-Scary by Klae Bainter, UNDERTOW by Keith Barker, and We’re Running Out of Chairs by Kirby Vicente. Alongside these readings, co-directors Ian Garrett and Vanesa Kelly reflect on the whirlwind of Venue 13’s debut season. - Introducing Podcast 13
View on Zencastr Podcast 13 launches with a special teaser episode, completing Venue 13’s ambitious presentation of all fifty plays from Climate Change Theatre Action 2025. Recorded at the Edinburgh Fringe, this debut captures the energy of a month filled with theatre, food, and conversations about sustainability and community. The… Read more: Introducing Podcast 13