Perfomers Linus Karp and Joseph Martin to tie the knot in Pleasance Grand

Edinburgh Fringe performers Linus Karp and Joseph Martin are to get legally married on stage during this year’s festival.

The pair behind shows such as Gwyneth Goes Skiing will tie the knot on the Pleasance Grand stage on August 16 in front of an audience of festival-goers.

The couple – who have been together for ten years – believe this will be the first legal wedding with a paying audience in the festival’s 78-year history, as well as  the first LGBTQ+ wedding to be staged as part of the official programme.

Their ceremony takes place just hours before a  performance of their new show The Fit Prince (Who Gets Switched On The Square In The Frosty Castle The Night Before [Insert Public Holiday Here]), a queer parody of the holiday movie genre.

 In a joint statement, Linus and Joseph, co-founders of the theatre company Awkward Productions, said: ‘I do.’

Comedians Zoë Coombs Marr and Rhys Nicholson married each other on stage at the 2016 Melbourne International Comedy Festival in a ceremony MCed by Hannah Gadsby.

Though they signed papers, the wedding’s aim was to highlight marriage inequality – because both comics are gay and were prohibited from marrying their actual partners. Marriage equality legislation was passed the following year.

Published: 30 May 2025