The Traverse Theatre has announced its Spring Season for 2012. The line-up is a varied one featuring past Edinburgh Fringe successes and international collaborations. Companies on the bill include Analogue and Grid Iron, presenting respectively, 2401 Objects, a piece about memory and identity first seen at this year’s Fringe, and the Bukowski-inspired site-specific Barflies from 2009 which was originally staged in The Barony Bar on Broughton Street. The theatre will also play host to Catherine Wheel’s delightful White, an inventive show aimed at children aged from two to four-years-old.

The 2012 season includes the Manipulate Visual Theatre Festival which takes place in February, a showcase of  physical theatre, puppetry and animation from Europe and further afield, and the Write Here mini-festival of readings, workshops and writing events, curated by Orla O’Loughlin, formerly of Pentabus Theatre, who joins the Traverse as Artistic Director in January.

Irish company Gare St Lazare perform a stage version of Samuel Beckett’s short story The End in February and in March Stellar Quines bring their Quebecois co-production ANA to the Traverse following its Montreal premiere. In May, the theatre plays host to Blue Raincoat’s version of  lonesco’s The Chairs. Later in the year, there will be a chance to see David Shrigley’s divisive operatic effort for Magnetic North, Pass the Spoon, and David Greig will curate a six-week season of A Play, A Pie and A Pint in response to the events of the Arab Spring.

The Traverse has also announced a 2012 tour of Australia for one of their biggest hits of recent years, David Grieg’s endearing musical two-hander, Midsummer, first seen at the theatre in 2008.

For tickets and further information, visit the Traverse Theatre website.