CLICK HERE TO ADD YOUR EVENT

Simple Machines

In this satirical show where performance meets presentation, choreographer Ugo Dehaes demonstrates how he grows organic-looking robots in his basement, raises them and trains them to be dancers.

Simple Machines

About Simple Machines

In a world dominated by economic principles that strive to make everything as efficient and cheap as possible, Ugo decided to fire all his dancers, having researched how to breed and train his own robots. They are born from cocoons and then crawl across the table like strange caterpillars. Some get hair, others are tripping around like little dogs. Through artificial intelligence, he lets them come up with their own dance performance. As a result, Ugo’s job as choreographer also disappears…

Simple Machines is an attempt to make humans completely superfluous in the creation process. Welcome to the future.

After the performance the audience will be invited to explore an installation through which they can teach the robots new movements.

Age 8+

Sponsored Links

Local Motive Markets
Fayre Play
Wonder & Co
Hilton Glasgow

Other Events at Fruitmarket or Manipulate Festival

Music for Time

2nd February 2026

Join the Hebrides Ensemble on Monday 2nd February at Fruitmarket for an evening of extraordinary music that speaks across generations, exploring light, faith, and the unbreakable human spirit!

READ MORE

Manipulate Festival: Coffee With Sugar?

4th February 2026 - 5th February 2026

Using thousands of coffee beans, flying candyfloss, biographical fragments, historical sources, video art and live music, ‘Coffee with Sugar?’ is a visually striking performance!

READ MORE

Manipulate Festival: Size Matters

5th February 2026 - 6th February 2026

Blending puppetry, science, and surrealist theatre, Julia and Mamoru and their puppet doubles explore how time and perception shift with size.

READ MORE

Manipulate Festival: Don Quixote (is a Very Big Book)

7th February 2026 - 8th February 2026

In his new one-man show, Dik Downey (Green Ginger, Pickled Image, Opposable Thumb) weaves together the crazed delusions of Don Quixote with his own struggle against reality.

READ MORE

Manipulate Festival: The Wood Paths

9th February 2026 - 10th February 2026

Wood Paths is a celebration of humanity’s endless creativity and our desire to understand, to shape, and to find beauty in the mess.

READ MORE

Yoga in the Dark at Fruitmarket Gallery

6th March 2026

Treat yourself to a little self care magic at Yoga in the Dark's biggest and 'coolest' venues to date, the newly renovated Fruitmarket Gallery above Edinburgh Waverly Station!

READ MORE

Sponsored Links

The Chocolatarium
Escape The Past
ATG
Hostelworld
Edinburgh Dungeon

Similar events you might like...

Doctor Bonk’s Macarbaret

Doctor Bonk’s Macarbaret

Selected dates between 18th October 2025 - 19th December 2026

Dr Bonk, Scotland's silliest surgeon, presents the Macarbaret: a madcap hour of drag, burlesque, music, comedy, and medical mayhem!

READ MORE
Monster Cabaret

Monster Cabaret

Selected dates between 1st November 2025 - 5th December 2026

Join Madame Mabh for her haunted house party at the Banshee Labyrinth, featuring both classic cabaret acts and unusual happenings!

READ MORE
Stand Up Horror

Stand Up Horror

Selected dates between 15th November 2025 - 19th December 2026

Improvised, macabre tales featuring (voluntary!) members of the audience as actor, writer and tour guide Alex Staniforth invents a horror story every night at Stand Up Horror!

READ MORE
Kevin Quantum ‘Christmas Special’ with Guests

Kevin Quantum ‘Christmas Special’ with Guests

22nd December 2025 - 30th December 2025

Magician Kevin Quantum and special guests are back with astonishing illusions and big laughs in a riotously fun and magical Christmas show for the whole family at Church Hill Theatre!

READ MORE
Richard Wiseman

Richard Wiseman

27th December 2025

Have you got what it takes to sit through the most tedious show ever and receive a certificate verifying your extraordinary willpower?

READ MORE
Four Magicians

Four Magicians

27th December 2025 - 28th December 2025

Four of Scotland’s leading magicians come together for an evening like no other — minds will be read, laws of nature will be defied, and dad jokes will be told.

READ MORE
Tricky Ricky: Jingles All The Way

Tricky Ricky: Jingles All The Way

27th December 2025 - 28th December 2025

Back by popular demand! Scotland’s favourite trickster is jingling all the way into the festive season with a brand-new magic and comedy spectacular.

READ MORE
Making Magic workshop with Tim Licata

Making Magic workshop with Tim Licata

27th December 2025 - 28th December 2025

In this exciting hands-on workshop, young people aged 12+ will explore the world of card magic — not just the techniques, but the theatre behind it.

READ MORE
Insane Christmas Magic

Insane Christmas Magic

27th December 2025 - 28th December 2025

Insane Magic finally make their MagicFest debut, ending the year with a bang in a Christmas special packed with festive wonder, jaw-dropping illusions, and a sprinkle of fan-favourite classics!

READ MORE

Find other events in Edinburgh

Sponsored Links

Local Motive Markets
Fayre Play
Wonder & Co
Hilton Glasgow
The Chocolatarium
Escape The Past
ATG
Hostelworld
Edinburgh Dungeon

Popular Events

Panto 2025: Jack and the Beanstalk
Join Allan Stewart, Grant Stott and Jordan Young for the GIANT of a pantomime we've all BEAN waiting for!
Castle Of Light
Make Castle of Light: Fire and Ice part of your festive plans and enjoy the largest annual projection show in the UK when it returns for its sixth year!
Edinburgh’s Christmas: The Polar Ice Bar
Take some time to ‘chill’ at the Polar Ice Bar, the coolest bar in the city, where your table, chairs and glasses are sculpted entirely from ice.
Gyle Winter Wonderland
This year, the Gyle Shopping Centre is pulling out all the stops for the biggest and brightest Christmas experience yet!
Edinburgh’s Christmas: Christmas Market
One of the most iconic Christmas Markets in Europe, Edinburgh's Christmas Market returns to East Princes Street Gardens showcasing the best in artisan festive products and goods from local makers!

Popular Listings

Corn Exchange Haddington Edinburgh Playhouse Festival Theatre Edinburgh Howden Park Centre Livingston Kings Theatre Edinburgh National Museum of Scotland O2 Academy Edinburgh The Brunton Theatre, Musselburgh Traverse Theatre Usher Hall