Fringe at Panmure

2018

The opening year saw the launch of the Fringe at Panmure in collaboration with Heriot-Watt University's Edinburgh Business School. The Butcher, The Brewer, The Baker and Merryn Somerset Webb brought economists, politicians and finance gurus to the final home of Adam Smith. Financial commentator and Editor in chief of MONEYWEEK Merryn Somerset Webb debated all things Brexit, economy, politics and democracy.

2018

Adam Smith: The Invisible Hand featured four actors and a dramatisation of the life and works of Adam Smith, aptly performed in the house in which he lived and died. Jean Jacques Rousseau, Voltaire, Robert Burns and Margaret Smith – Adam Smith’s mother – encapsulated the journey that resonates from the eighteenth century to the present day.

2019

The Butcher, The Brewer, The Baker and the Commentator drew upon the same format as 2018 with the addition of British author and comedian Dominic Frisby. Dominic joined Merryn on hosting duties to discuss some of the most pressing current affairs of the time with industry professionals and experts alike. The panel answered your burning questions about money, economy and politics, encouraging audience participation.

Following such success in the opening year, Fringe at Panmure brought Adam Smith: The Invisible Hand back for another year. John Yule, writer and director on The Invisible Hand said: “There is little doubt that Adam Smith was not only a famous and influential thinker but a good man, whose concerns were for the ordinary people of Scotland and their welfare in an ever-changing society."

2019

The premier of Adam Smith: Father of the Fringe took place in 2019, aptly from the same room where Adam Smith finished writing his magnum opus. Dominic Frisby, author of Life After the State and Bitcoin: The Future of Money?, exposes the economics of the festival, and how it has proved the realisation of everything Adam Smith believed.

2021

Panmure House was delighted to host its first digital Fringe in August 2021. A new, global network of viewers enjoyed Adam Smith: Father of the Fringe by Dominic Frisby on-demand.

2022

Panmure House opened its doors for the first time in 2 years for the 2022 Fringe Festival. A raving success, bringing back some Fringe-goer favourites including The Butcher, The Brewer, The Baker and Merryn Somerset Webb whilst introducing some new shows, with some familiar faces. Dominic Frisby presented How Heavy?, a brief history of weights and measures and how they have defined civilisation, while John Yule, author of 2019's The Invisible Hand returned to Panmure with the world premiere of Carnegie, a professionally-acted exploration of the life and legacy of one of history's richest men.

2023

Celebrating the tercentenary of Adam Smith's birth, 2023 was a special year for Panmure House. In another successful year, Enquiry Concerning Hereafter, a play from the American playwright Duane Kelly exploring the relationship between Adam Smith and David Hume played to full houses following excellent reviews.

It was also the debut of our specially created program of lectures about Adam Smith and his impacts in lesser discussed areas, such as The French Revolution and his travels through Europe, all delivered by prominent scholars in the fields of Philosophy and Economics.

2023

Panmure House brought back some Fringe-goer favourites including The Butcher, The Brewer, The Baker and Merryn Somerset Webb and Dominic Frisby who delivered a tour de force show about precious metals and gold.

2023

The debut year for our Children's show Smithy's Scavenger Hunt. A family map-based quest to follow your adventure through the Scottish Enlightenment.

2024

Our biggest year yet saw six shows, including two by BBC Radio 4 regular and the new Panmure House performer for 2024, Simon Evans. Simon discusses Adam Smith and David Hume, and the second explores Philosophical thought from Smith to today. Alongside Simon, we welcomed Jesper Koll and his show on Japan—Capitalism That Works. His show is available to watch on our YouTube Channel.

2024

We also welcomed back Merryn Somerset Webb and her show The Butcher, The Brewer, The Baker and Merryn Somerset Webb for an extended run of four dates, Dominic Frisby and his show Shaping The Earth: A Light-Hearted History of Mining, and lastly our children's show Smithy’s Scavenger Hunt.