A performance inspired by US whistleblower Edward Snowden, a song cycle by Alexander McCall Smith and a play about a dystopian earth with no resources are all part of the Scottish artists and companies at this year's Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

 

Twenty one companies and artists are taking part in this year's Made in Scotland programme, a series of shows backed directly by the Scottish Government in a scheme organised by the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, the Federation of Scottish Theatre and Creative Scotland.

Made in Scotland's show are funded by £590,000 from the government's Expo Fund, and the scheme is now in its 7th year.

Projects in the showcase include Stellar Quines' trilogy of works by Quebecois writer Jennifer Tremblay, Silver Darlings, a song cycle which sees writer Alexander McCall Smith join forces with composer James Ross, Vanishing Point's Tomorrow, an international co-production with partners in Moscow and Brazil, and Scottish Dance Theatre's YAMA which draws on rituals practised in the mountains of Japan.

The musical and visual piece inspired by Snowden has been created by Matthew Collings.

Colling's work, with Magnetic North is called A Requiem for Edward Snowden, to be performed at Stockbridge Parish Church, and will "focus on a number of themes which are extremely relevant to our lives in the 21st century: loss of faith and security, invasion of privacy and personal sacrifice."

It is a large scale live audiovisual performance piece which features electronic sound, acoustic instrumentation (clarinet and string section) and visuals.

Mr Snowden became a wanted man when his leaks brought to light secret National Security Agency documents which revealed widespread US surveillance of phone and internet communications.

He is staying in Russia where he was given asylum.

Mike Vass's In the wake of Neil Gunn at The Acoustic Music Centre at St Brides is inspired by a sea voyage around Scotland's West coast, a route sailed by author Neil Gunn in 1937.

Independence at Summerhall is a Fringe debut for new music group Ensemble Thing and is described as an "autobiographical exploration of cultural and personal identity in Scotland from the perspective of its composer, an English-born Scottish-Italian whose grandfather, John MacCormick, was instrumental in the founding of the Scottish National Party."

The Made in Scotland programme was launched by Edinburgh MSP Marco Biagi said: "This year's Made in Scotland programme of Scottish theatre, dance and music is an opportunity to showcase the incredibly rich and diverse range of performers and companies Scotland has to offer.

"A number of the projects launched at last year's festival have since toured the world and been performed in places as far afield as Brazil, New Zealand, Egypt and Australia. These connections are putting Scotland's rich heritage on the map and boosting our international reputation.

"The Scottish Government's £590,000 investment into this year's programme will build on 2014's strong track record and will deliver even more exciting, memorable and moving performances to audiences from around the world."

Fiona Hyslop, culture secretary, said: "The eyes of the world are on Edinburgh and our investment through the Festivals Expo Fund is providing a platform for Scottish talent to make the most of the opportunities presented by the festival.

"Over the past few years, Made in Scotland has generated huge interest in Scottish arts and culture and this year's programme shows Scottish creativity and ambition in abundance."

John and Zinnie Harris's The Garden at the Traverse Theatre is set in a time when humanity has run out of resources.

Living on the 10th floor of a "high-rise block" people discover hope in the form of a strange tree growing through the floor of their kitchen.

Based on an original short play of the same name by Zinnie Harris, this new operatic version was commissioned by Sound festival and premiered in Aberdeen in 2012.

Jo Clifford's Queen Jesus Plays at Summerhall is described as a "unique and extraordinary show combines theatre with storytelling, spoken word and ritual."

Vanishing Point's Tomorrow at the Traverse is a "stunningly original meditation on needing care and needing to care. "A young man suddenly finds himself in an alarmingly unfamiliar place, where everyone has his best interests at heart but he is not allowed to leave."

Claire Cunningham's Give Me a Reason to Live at Dancebase is inspired by the work of medieval painter Hieronymus Bosch and is described as "a live memorial to the disabled victims of the Nazi euthanasia program and the current disabled victims of the present UK governments so-called 'welfare reform'."

Kath Mainland, chief executive of The Fringe said: "The Made in Scotland showcase is a key platform for Scottish artists and companies at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, allowing them to present their work alongside international companies and raise their profiles in front of influential contacts in the arts industry and the media from around the world.

"Every year it's exciting to see the incredible opportunities Made in Scotland provides to the artists to take their work beyond the Fringe and tour internationally."