Why do storybook donkeys know about earthquakes? Only one way to learn the answer; this August join The Science Storyteller Iris van Zelst at the Edinburgh Fringe on a journey of scientific curiosity! From the pages of the well-known children’s classic ‘The House at Pooh Corner’ by A. A. Milne, to the mysteries of earthquakes deep beneath our feet, this debut science theatre show will explore how powerful forces shape our world in some surprising ways, with fun songs along the way!

When a certain sad donkey unexpectedly mentioned an earthquake in A. A. Milne’s famous children’s book from 1928, seismologist and science communicator Iris van Zelst was thrust on an exciting curiosity-driven journey of earthquake exploration, which she will perform as The Science Storyteller for the first time at Dynamic Earth for the 2026 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Suitable for anyone from 8 years old and up, the Science Storyteller show combines geoscience, storytelling, music, and performance to create an engaging learning experience for the whole family.

Supported by the University of Edinburgh School of GeoSciences and funded by the European Geosciences Union (EGU) Special Activity Fund, geophysicist Dr Iris van Zelst created the show with Dr. Matthew Kemp to help introduce a whole new audience of children and families to curiosity-driven learning, a cornerstone of scientific research. “I absolutely love the Edinburgh Fringe and bringing my own show to it has been a long standing dream of mine!” Iris said when talking about her plans for the show. “The fact that I now get to do my own show thanks to EGU by combining my passion for theatre with my everlasting, even greater passion of science is therefore literally a dream come true! I am excited for people to learn about some of my actual research, while also singing some real bangers of songs about seismology!"

The show will run from 7-21 August 2026, more information is available on the Edinburgh Fringe website.

SHOW LISTING:
The Science Storyteller 7-21 August, 11.00 BST (50min)
Venue: Salisbury Suite, Dynamic Earth, Edinburgh EH8 8AS

More information
The European Geosciences Union (EGU) is Europe’s premier geosciences union, dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in the Earth, planetary, and space sciences for the benefit of humanity, worldwide. We are a non-profit, interdisciplinary, learned association of scientists founded in 2002, with headquarters in Munich, Germany. The EGU publishes a collection of diverse scientific journals, which use an innovative, interactive and open access format, and organises a number of events, meetings and outreach and education activities. The annual EGU General Assembly is the largest and most prominent European geoscience event, attracting over 20,000 researchers from all over the world. The EGU Special Activity Fund is a competitive fund launched in 2025 to support high-profile, ‘out-of-the-box’ not-for-profit activities with high visibility and large impact, that were not currently covered by any existing EGU funding. For more information, visit www.egu.eu