--- title: "Dickens: The Readings | Assembly Festival" meta: "og:description": "'There is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humour.' Dickens knew it then. We're counting on it now. Over 150 years since Charles Dickens last stood on an Edinburgh stage for his legendary Public Readings, now, his greatest works return – alive, unfiltered and different every day. Each performance pairs a fresh Dickens text with a Fringe performer: well-known faces, a surprise or two and the electric uncertainty of a story meeting its teller. You know his greatest stories but along with them there are so many more." "og:title": "Dickens: The Readings" "twitter:description": "'There is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humour.' Dickens knew it then. We're counting on it now. Over 150 years since Charles Dickens last stood on an Edinburgh stage for his legendary Public Readings, now, his greatest works return – alive, unfiltered and different every day. Each performance pairs a fresh Dickens text with a Fringe performer: well-known faces, a surprise or two and the electric uncertainty of a story meeting its teller. You know his greatest stories but along with them there are so many more." "twitter:title": "Dickens: The Readings" description: "'There is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humour.' Dickens knew it then. We're counting on it now. Over 150 years since Charles Dickens last stood on an Edinburgh stage for his legendary Public Readings, now, his greatest works return – alive, unfiltered and different every day. Each performance pairs a fresh Dickens text with a Fringe performer: well-known faces, a surprise or two and the electric uncertainty of a story meeting its teller. You know his greatest stories but along with them there are so many more." --- # Dickens: The Readings [**← **Back to What's On](https://assemblyfestival.com/whats-on) [ ![Dickens: The Readings](https://assemblyfestival.com/_vercel/image?url=https:%2F%2Fassemblyfestival.pazaz.studio%2Fassets%2Fd7384c3d-960b-4887-aa10-88259ec3a58f?width=360%26height=360%26format=webp&w=1536&q=100) # Dickens: The Readings **22 readings. 22 performances. 22 different journeys into the world of Dickens.** Nearly 160 years after his last appearance in Edinburgh, Charles Dickens’s celebrated readings return to the stage. In each performance, a different Dickens story, scene or character is brought vividly to life by one of the Festival’s favourite performers. The most famous author-performer of the Victorian age drew audiences who laughed, cried and sometimes even fainted at his readings. Now, his words once again take centre stage in a unique celebration of storytelling. Full line-up of performers and readings coming soon. 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