Citadel Arts to stage free panto

Citadel Arts Group, a Leith-based theatre and living memory company, are to perform ‘McScrooge’, a free family panto, at the Kirkgate Community Centre later this month …

We’re performing a pantomime, ‘McScrooge’on 20^th December at 1.30pm in the Kirkgate Community Centre. It’s a free show for all the community and to mark the launch of a book of living memories, ‘You Never Forget the Stories’ – reminiscences of Leith and beyond’.

All the participants live locally or have strong Leith connections. The group includes a Newhaven celebrity, Ron Cattell, who directed the Gang Show and the ‘Children’s Hour’ shows in the Ross Bandstand for years. Some of his fascinating stories are in the book.

We’re also inviting members of the Leith Drama Team, our youth drama group, to the show to lead the shouts of ‘He’s behind you!’ – it’s a traditional panto lasting just half an hour.

It would be great to see you!

Liz Hare

www.citadelartsgroup.co.uk

Scottish Ballet success for Waterfront dancers

Scotish Ballet success for local dance studio

Well done to Ballet pupils of Waterfront Dance studio in Granton!

This year four of the girls have successfully auditioned for places on the Scottish Ballet Junior Associate Scheme. Lara McMahon, Claire Nisbet, Lucy Garrity and Louise Black all travel through to Glasgow once a month to undertake intensive training at the Scottish Ballet Tramway Studios. Places on this prestigious training programme are very limited and competition comes from children all over Scotland.

Laura Saunderson, Fionn Hart and Amy Loughray have been offered parts in Scottish Ballet’s forthcoming production of Hansel and Gretel at the Festival Theatre. Rehearsals will soon be underway and their classmates are looking forward to going to watch them!

The girls all train at the Waterfront Dance Studio -for more information on classes visit:

waterfrontdancestudio.co.uk

Niki Forbes

Do you hear the people sing? People’s Festival offers arts alternative

Scunnered by the corporate commercialism of the Festival? Sick of being bled dry by the bloated beast that the Fringe has become? There is an antidote …

‘The Edinburgh Peoples Festival are determined to ensure that the world’s greatest arts festival is open to all citizens of the city. Our festival promises that, unlike the others, our program will remain within the financial reach of everyone, our shows will take place throughout the city (not just in EH1) and throughout the year and we will act primarily, although not exclusively, as a showcase for local talent.

We are committed to presenting the widest possible variety of high quality artistic productions and we aim to stimulate and challenge as well as entertain.’

Tickets are still available for tonight’s walking tour, a chance to dicover Edinburgh’s radical past, at 6.30pm and tomorrow’s showcase ‘The Stars Come Out to Gorgie’ – back at the BMC Club for a ninth year at 7.30pm.

See Edinburgh People’s Festival website for more details:

www.edinburghpeoplesfestival.org

Granton Campus to host ‘Great Big Art Show’

Students who have studied a wide range of creative courses at Edinburgh College are presenting their Art and Design work from Friday 7 to Thursday 13 June at Granton Campus in ‘The Great Big Art Show’.

Now in its fourth year ‘The Great Big Art Show’ will showcase the creative talents of students studying a wide array of artistic courses at the College – including Art and Design, Contemporary Art, Photography, Illustration, Textiles, Theatre Costume, Graphic Design to name a few and students from Access level through to Btec Foundation Diploma and HN level specialisms will be exhibiting at the Granton campus.

Edinburgh College has excellent facilities for those studying creative courses, with several specifically tailored spacious studios, equipped with the latest tools and materials required to produce a wide range of creative works. This is supported by fully qualified staff and strong links with employers, Industry and higher education institutions. Those interested in starting a career in the Creative Industries will be able to see the breadth of courses available and talk to current students first hand about their experiences and be inspired by their progression into further courses and employment.

Indeed this year students across all subjects are receiving a range of successful results into first and second year degree programmes across the UK and onto HN and specialist subjects within Edinburgh College and other Colleges in Scotland. Foundation Diploma students specialising in Sculpture have benefited from an articulation agreement with The Glasgow School of Art with six students progressing directly into second year of the BA (Hons) in Sculpture and Environmental Art this year.

Building on previous successes the ‘Great Big Art Show’ clearly demonstrates the growing reputation of Edinburgh College as a major creative power house and nurturing ground for Scotland’s future Artists and Designers.

The exhibition will be on display at the College from 9am to 4pm on Friday 7 June; from 10am to 4pm on Saturday 8 June and from 9am to 4pm from Monday 10 to Wednesday 12 June. The exhibition will be open until 8pm on the last day, Thursday 13 June.

For further information contact Programme Area Leader Art & Design Neil Manning

Email: neil.manning@edinburghcollege.ac.uk

New course will take music into communities

Edinburgh College is blazing a trail by offering Scotland’s first further education course in Music for Wellbeing, which promotes the enormous benefits of taking music into the community.

Research shows that music can have a wide range of health and social benefits, such as improving communication, managing stress, expressing feelings, enhancing memory – and even alleviating pain and promoting physical rehabilitation.

Jess Abrams, an American-born community musician, youth worker and singer, is leading the new course in Music For Wellbeing, which starts in August. Jess (pictured below, far left) said: “This is a fast-growing sector and will appeal to people with a love of music who want to use music as part of their livelihood.”

Community music projects take place in a range of settings, including arts centres, community centres, schools, hospitals and residential homes.

“There can be considerable social benefits for people taking part in community music projects, such as learning to create music as part of a group and working with others. Music can elicit emotion from people and we need to understand and manage that better. Playing music in a group is a feel good experience and triggers the same pleasure centres in the brain as eating chocolate. And as well as the health and social benefits, participants might learn some musical skills too!”

There are just 16 places available on the one-year course, a National Progression Award delivered with Skills Development Scotland that covers a very broad range of skills.

Jon Buglass, Head of Creative Industries at Edinburgh College, said the course was designed to widen the employment opportunities open to musicians. “We realised there were limited options – you might be in a function band or if you’re lucky, make it as a rock star. Yet there are lots of opportunities in community music – but no course to prepare people for that. It seemed sensible to design a course directly linked to employment opportunities.”

Mr Buglass developed the course with colleagues and SQA (Scottish Qualifications Authority). Although several Scottish universities offer modules in community music as part of broader courses, this is the first time an entire course in Scotland has been devoted to this specific area – and the first community music course offered by a college in Scotland.

“If you have well-developed musical skills, that’s great – but this course might also appeal to community and youth workers as it is as much about taking music into the community by using different personal skills,” said Jess. “You need to show confidence, leadership, team-working – and perhaps most importantly, to be able to build a rapport and relationships with different groups of people.

“Historically, community musicians have come up through a more grassroots approach to the field, but as the sector expands there is a growing demand for training. There is great value in learning by doing and the course will have a very strong work experience element. Students will spend at least 100 hours on placement, learning from people already working in community music.”

“There will be a strong emphasis on ‘before, during and after’,” added Jess. “Planning and designing community music sessions, workshops and events, evaluating their success and where improvements might be made as well as reflecting on our own practice.”

Jess, who is also the Development Manager for the Edinburgh Youth Music Forum, an organisation that works to support community musicians in continuing professional development, hopes the course can act as a catalyst to encourage even greater interest in community music. Jess Abrams has a long connection with North Edinburgh – some readers may remember Jess from her involvement in the acclaimed ‘Oyster Wars’ community drama production staged at North Edinburgh Arts back in June 2003.

Stevi Manning, Principal Officer Arts and Learning at City of Edinburgh Council, said: “This is an exciting new course offering fresh opportunities for people in Edinburgh who have a passion for music – and want to help others to both share that passion and benefit from it.”

To express an interest in the course, email info@edinburghcollege.ac.uk or apply online at www.edinburghcollege.ac.uk

Auditory Hallucinations. Eh?

Creative Electric have a new production touring Scotland that we thought you’d like to know about!

Auditory Hallucinations is an interactive theatre production that explores the comfort we find within our own heads.
Memories.
Moments.
Things that belong only to us.

Creative Electric were awarded Quality Production funding from Creative Scotland to create an interactive piece exploring memories. Inspired by an artists debate in Stockholm in February 2012, where the idea of collecting performance art and moments was discussed, the company decided to explore whether it was possible to own another’s moment and, in the case of verbatim theatre, their memory. The result is a little insight into a memory that the audience can share with performers. We’d love you to be a part of it.

Please note audiences are capped at a maximum of 15 people.

Audience members will be required to wear headsets.

Auditory Hallucinations is a part of Creative Electric’s emerging artists programme where the company aim to support artists at the early stage of their career with paid work and mentoring. This is the companies second emerging artists production.

‘Debutantes’ was produced in February 2012 and was performed in Edinburgh, Glasgow and at Stoff Festival Stockholm where it was nominated for the Audience Choice Award.

Performance Dates:

Howden Park, Livingston (Previews) 27th April 7 & 8pm

The Bongo Club, Edinburgh

30th April 8 & 9pm
1st May 8 & 9pm
4th May 2 & 3pm

The Old Hairdressers, Glasgow 7th May 7, 8 & 9pm 8th May 8 & 9pm.

Imaginate Fringe, Traverse Theatre Bar 12th May 12-6pm (adaption, installations running throughout the day, no ticket required)

The Space, North Berwick 14th May 7.30 & 8.15pm
Kelburn Garden Party 6th & 7th July. (included in festival ticket price)

Tickets £5.

Each performance can accommodate an audience of up to 15 people.
For reservations email Creative_electric@hotmail.com

To keep up to date with Creative Electric please add https://www.facebook.com/CreativeElectric

Muirhouse set to stage double arts event next Friday

Muirhouse is the place to be for culture vultures next Friday, with not one but two big arts events planned:

North Edinburgh Arts is hosting ‘Echoes’ on Friday 12 April at 7pm

A new version of Mamma Mia has been written by a community group fighting the city council’s plans to close Castlebrae secondary school.

The Abba track IT, will be sung by members of the Save the Brae campaign group during a performance of a play that they have written called Echoes, which will express their opposition to and frustration over the council’s proposals for the school next summer.

Among those taking part in the play is Kevin Finlay, chair of the Save the Brae group, who said: “I think if you go back in history, any local issues like this have been tackled by using arts to get points across.”

Around eight men and women, most of whom are members of Save the Brae will perform the 55-minute play at North Edinburgh Arts on Friday 12 April at 7pm.

Susan Heron, 54, plays Ina in the play – a fictional character who has lived in Craigmillar all her life and doesn’t want the school to close. Susan says the play was a “powerful statement of how Castlebrae school life was and is”.

Tickets are £3 or £2 Good Neighbours (GN) price. To book tickets please call Box Office on 0131 315 2151

and in the afternoon …

Travelling Gallery visits Craigroyston High School on Friday 12 April 1 – 4pm

with ‘feel-good’ art exhibition

The Travelling Gallery will be visiting Craigroyston High School on Friday 12 April, with its latest exhibition ‘Turquoise Heid’ on board. This curiously named exhibition is a busy group show of established and emerging artists from both home and abroad.

Working in a broad range of media including drawing, animation, film, sculpture, photography, performance, collage and painting, the exhibition will include artists who use a playful, childlike, feel good essence in their work, sometimes hiding darker depths but more often making us smile. The simplicity and low-tech nature of many of the artworks disguises sometimes complex processes and skills but also makes the exhibition instantly accessible to audiences of all ages.

’Turquoise Heid’ includes work by artists Matthew Barnes, Olivia Bee, Yeodoo Jung, Peter McDonald, Alex Millar, Jock Mooney, Kim Rugg, Yukako Sakakura and David Shrigley.

Visitors can also look out for artist Ellie Harrison’s Early Warning Sign which the Travelling Gallery is hosting in 2013 and which will sit outside the vehicle. Utilising the brazen marketing techniques of capitalism, the sign attempts to grab the attention of passers-by: to remind them of the consequences of excessive consumption and to force climate change back on the agenda. The harder the wind blows, the faster they go! www.ellieharrison.com.

The Travelling Gallery is a custom-built, mobile, contemporary art space inside a big beautiful bus. Supported by Creative Scotland, the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation and the Museums and Arts Division of the City of Edinburgh Council, the Travelling Gallery brings high quality contemporary art exhibitions and events to schools and communities throughout Scotland.

North Edinburgh Arts has arranged for the gallery to be open to the public on Friday afternoon at Craigroyston High School. The Travelling Gallery’s visit has been supported by the City of Edinburgh Council’s Children and Families Department.

See www.travellinggallery.com for all the details or ‘like’ on Facebook

Bingo! Citadel play brings the ‘house’ down!

PORT OF LEITH RESIDENTS ENJOY CITADEL ARTS GROUP PERFORMANCE

Sheltered housing residents at Port of Leith’s Jameson Place and St Nicholas Court complex were entertained to an unusual play presented by Citadel Arts Group recently. ‘Bingo!’ written by retired engineer Alan Mountford, not only included a real game of the popular activity, but demonstrated how people can get quite possessive about the seat where they usually sit – especially when they are playing bingo.

The cast of Caroline MacKellar (Betty), Sharon Erskine (newcomer, Morag) and Mark Kydd (careworker and amateur bingo caller) treated the audience to afternoon of fun and entertainment.

Liz Hare, Artistic Director at Citadel Arts Group, said: “Citadel Arts Group gives older writers the chance to see their work professionally performed in a variety of settings including libraries, pubs, theatres, schools and centres for elderly people. We regularly perform for Port of Leith Housing Association residents who thoroughly enjoy our performances, but I think this was their favourite as they also got the chance to play bingo!”

Elaine Edwards, Scheme Co-ordinator at the Port of Leith Housing Association’s Jameson Place Sheltered Housing Complex, said: “Our residents had a great time. Many of them used to be keen bingo players, so it’s nice when there is something for them to relate to and get involved in.”

Murder in Blackhall!

Blackhall St Columba’s Parish Church is the place to be for murder mystery fans this month when the St Columba’s Dramatic Society performs ‘Curtain Up On Murder’ from 21 – 23 November.

Tickets are now on sale for the comedy murder mystery, which is set in a theatre at the end of a pier.

Performances are on Wednesday 21, Thursday 22 and Friday 23 November at 7.30pm, doors open at 7pm.

Tickets, which cost £6, are available from the Church Office, cast and Drama group members and also on the internet from their website www.scds.co.uk

City of Edinburgh Music School Open Day this Saturday

The City of Edinburgh Music School at Broughton High School, East Fettes Avenue will throw open it’s doors on Saturday (3 November) to welcome people in to see for themselves what makes this renowned school so popular and successful. Between 10.30 and 12.30 students, staff and parents will be on hand to answer questions and demonstrate various activities that take place throughout a normal week.

The City of Edinburgh Music School is unique. It is the only specialist Music School that covers the whole age range from 4 to 19 and is totally funded by the Scottish Government, so it does not charge any fees. Entry is by audition and the gifted children selected receive specialist tuition in all aspects of music while based full-time at newly built state-of-the-art facilities in Flora Stevenson Primary and Broughton High Schools.

The school was selected to become the first UK All Steinway School of Excellence in the UK and has 25 Steinway pianos – at least one in every teaching space. There are also professional standard recording studios, rehearsal rooms and performance spaces seating up to 500.

Students from the school were recently invited to perform at the 2012 Olympic Celebrations in London, accompany the National Youth Orchestra of Iraq’s first British tour with Julian Lloyd Webber, take part in both the International and Fringe Festival and have also been featured on national radio and television programmes!

Sir Simon Rattle, CBE is the patron of the Music School. Financial assistance is given for travel if students live further afield, and there is also a trust fund to provide scholarships and resources for specialist music students.

With all the advantages of expert individual tuition and the social mix of a large, successful state school – each child’s gift for music is developed in a well-balanced and happy environment.

For more information contact:

Tudor Morris (Director) 0131 332 7805

www.edinburghmusicschool.co.uk

musicschool@broughton.edin.sch.uk