arts – Page 6 – The NEN – North Edinburgh News

Free auditions in Edinburgh this weekend

· Sunday 10th April – Edinburgh Festival Theatre

Leading entertainment industry training programme and talent management. Stagebox, has announced audition dates taking place across the nation from April 2022.

The annual search sees experts audition passionate performers aged 8-18 years old from across the country (and internationally), offering successful members the chance to benefit from world class training and opportunities in a contemporary supercharged industry accelerator for musical theatre, television and film.

Last year’s auditions saw the Stagebox team meet thousands of performers from across the UK and beyond, and this year they anticipate similar interest. This year, auditionees will be able to select whether they are auditioning for an acting or musical theatre membership and their audition day will see them be put through their paces in this discipline.

Many young performers training at Stagebox have already landed dream roles on stage and screen, thanks to the expert training and management.

Stagebox has secured their clients major lead talent screen roles in Oscar nominated and Emmy award winning productions, including Peaky Blinders (Netflix), Sex Education (Netflix), Robin Robin (Netflix), Ted Lasso (Apple TV+), Avenue 5 (HBO), The Power (Amazon Studios), Pistol (Disney +), BAFTA anthology Superdad (Channel 4), Gentleman Jack (Netflix/HBO), Lagging (BBC) and many more.

Stagebox management clients also continue to star in West End and UK Tour musicals including Frozen, Matilda the Musical, School of Rock, Annie, The Grinch, Mary Poppins and Tina the Musical to name a few.

To further the opportunities for their clients, Stagebox Management has also brokered agency partnerships stateside, working alongside Innovative Artists, Paradigm Talent, Luber Roklin Entertainment, Gravity Hill, KMR, Maverick and more.

Commenting on the upcoming 2022 auditions, Stagebox’s General Manager, Jasmine Quinlan Gardner, said: “We are so excited to begin our nationwide search for the stars of today and tomorrow.

“We are proud of our inclusive, diverse and extraordinarily talented community and we can’t wait to meet those who will join us on the journey.”

Kirsti Bagger, Head Agent at Stagebox, adds: “At Stagebox, the training is second to none, preparing our young stars for careers on the stage and screen. 2021 was one of our most successful years ever with Stagebox Management clients wrapping on global award-winning feature films and television series and critically acclaimed theatre productions.

“We’re committed to making auditions for Stagebox free as part of our ongoing dedication to inclusivity in the arts. We only open for auditions once a year, and we’re excited to see our 2022 auditionees’ incredible new talent!”

These auditions are guaranteed to fill up fast and limited spaces apply. To register your spot for your preferred audition date, please visit the Stagebox website to apply.

To find out more about Stagebox, please head to: https//www.stagebox.uk/

*Auditions will adhere to all necessary COVID-19 guidelines.

£2 million support for Scotland’s international festivals

Expo fund recipients announced

Scotland’s major festivals are to benefit from a share of the Scottish Government’s £2m Festivals Expo Fund.

The funding has been awarded for events that run across the year including Edinburgh’s international, book, film and fringe festivals as well as Glasgow International Festival and Celtic Connections.

Since the annual fund was set up in 2008 it has given out over £30 million to support the development of Scottish-based artists and practitioners to create a legacy of important new work for a range of Scotland’s international festivals.

Funding this year will also support festival resilience plans following the Covid-19 restrictions.

Culture Minister Neil Gray said: “As many of our world-class festivals return to full operation following the pandemic, the Festivals Expo Fund plays an important role in building innovation across the sector.

“This helps to maximise the opportunities both nationally and internationally for emerging and established creative artists to showcase and tour their work at home and abroad.”

Sorcha Carey, Chair of Festivals Edinburgh said: “The welcome news today from the Scottish Government’s Festivals Expo Fund opens up a world of opportunity for our country’s artists and thinkers, by helping us invest in their talent and showcase their work on our world-renowned platforms.

“After two years of event restrictions and financial hardship for artists, freelancers and cultural organisations, including our festivals, this Expo investment lays a solid foundation for revival in our 75th anniversary year and speaks strongly of Scotland as a creative, outward-looking nation.”

Lorna Duguid, Multi-artform Manager at Creative Scotland said: “The support from the Scottish Government Expo fund is invaluable to Scottish artists and companies in enabling them to present work to international audiences and promoters.

“As Scotland begins to recover from the pandemic this opportunity to reconnect with audiences around the world is more important than ever as part of the recovery for the arts and creative sectors.

“The funding will enable the festivals to extend their reach and provide ambitious and innovative programmes for audiences at home and abroad.”

The 2022-23 Festival Expo Fund has a budget of £2 million. The fund is managed by Creative Scotland on behalf of the Scottish Government.

Details of the 2022-23 allocations are as follows:

Operator(s)	Funding Awarded
Glasgow International Festival	£140,000
Edinburgh Jazz & Blues	£120,000
Edinburgh International Film Festival	£110,000
Edinburgh Art Festival	£140,000
Edinburgh International Festival	£110,000
Edinburgh International Book Festival	£110,000
Scottish International Storytelling Festival	£140,000
Celtic Connections	£110,000
Imaginate	£110,000
Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society	£550,000
Festivals Edinburgh	£200,000
Edinburgh Science Festival	£130,000
Hogmanay	£ 30,000

Stagebox’s free auditions to take place in Edinburgh this April

10th April – Edinburgh Festival Theatre audition date

Leading entertainment industry training programme and talent management, Stagebox, has announced audition dates taking place across the nation from April 2022.

Many young performers training at Stagebox have already landed dream roles on stage and screen, thanks to the expert training and management.

Commenting on the upcoming 2022 auditions, Stagebox’s General Manager, Jasmine Quinlan Gardner, said: “We are so excited to begin our nationwide search for the stars of today and tomorrow.

“We are proud of our inclusive, diverse and extraordinarily talented community and we can’t wait to meet those who will join us on the journey.”

These auditions are guaranteed to fill up fast and limited spaces apply. To register your spot for your preferred audition date, please visit the Stagebox website to apply.

To find out more about Stagebox, please head to: https//www.stagebox.uk/

*Auditions will adhere to all necessary COVID-19 guidelines.

Foysol Choudhury: Scotland needs a Culture Recovery

Shadow Culture Minister Foysol Choudhury MSP has set out his vision for a culture recovery as the Holyrood Parliament returns next week.

Whilst welcoming the recent announcement from the Scottish Government on additional funding, Foysol Choudhury said that a number of small community culture groups across Scotland were still struggling to gain access to crucial sources of finance.

Mr Choudhury also said that Scotland’s gets a big return for the small for a small investment and urges more investment in the sector.

Shadow Culture Minister Foysol Choudhury MSP said: ‘’Parliament returns after the Christmas break on Monday and there can be no doubt, as the omicron continues to spread, our Culture sector needs help more than ever.

“The arts and culture sector needs a long-term recovery plan that’ll respond and support the sector. It was one of the first to shut and will be among the last to fully open.

“People’s livelihoods have been decimated and too many have fallen through the cracks.

“Whilst the Government has announced funding which is welcomed, many are still facing barriers to gaining access to funding, particularly from our smaller, community cultural groups.

“We need to better recognise the role our cultural and creative industries have in contributing to our economy and society. Not many will know that just 0.2% of the Scottish budget is spent on culture. Scotland gets so much back for so little investment.

“We need protection for essential cultural, social infrastructure in our communities which includes our local museums, historical sites, libraries and archivist services.

“Scotland needs a genuine Culture recovery as we emerge from COVID-19 and as Shadow Culture Minister, I’ll hold the Government effectively and ensure Scotland’s culture sector not only recovers from the pandemic but truly prospers.

“When Scottish Culture prospers, Scotland prospers.’’

Hidden Door 2022: Call for Dance submissions

Hidden Door Festival returns in June, breathing life into a secret new location in Edinburgh. As the planning continues, we are now inviting submissions for our DANCE programme.

We’ve found a stunning, forgotten complex in the city centre which we plan to transform into live music venues and performance spaces for theatre, dance and spoken word, alongside pop-up bars and a multitude of art exhibition and installation spaces.

We are delighted to now be accepting submissions for our dance programme. This is an open call, inviting proposals for ambitious, innovative and experimental performances, works in development, and re-workings of shows that have already been performed.

The deadline for dance submissions is Monday 31 January – please help us spread the word and share this with the creatives in your life!

We’ll be revealing more about the venue and launching our calls for theatre, spoken word and local bands very soon – stay tuned!

Find out more and apply

£65 million to help ease impact of pandemic for culture and events

Details of a financial package worth £65 million for culture and major events have been confirmed by the Culture Secretary Angus Robertson.

The split of the funding is as follows:

for cultural businesses, organisations, venues and independent cinema support and grassroots venues – £31.5 million
National Performing Companies (for Christmas losses and touring fund re-purposing) – £2 million
Freelancers – £10 million
Events sector – £19.8 million
Museums, galleries and heritage – £1.7 million

Culture Secretary Angus Robertson said: “The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is once again causing disruption and uncertainty in the culture and events sector, who have already been hit so hard by its impact.

“We have been engaging with the sector about the impact of the Omicron variant and we are fully committed to supporting culture and events while they recover from the impact of the COVID – and we are aware of just how important they are to Scotland, and indeed the wider recovery from this pandemic.

“These additional funds will help protect the livelihoods of the people working in the sector – and allow us to give further support to freelancers, culture organisations, venues and our national performing companies.”

Creative Scotland’s Cancellation Fund for Creative Freelancers opens for applications this Thursday at 2pm.

Creative Scotland’s Chief Executive Iain Munro said: “We are very grateful for this significant increase in emergency funding from the Scottish Government which reflects the severity of the challenges being faced by Scotland’s culture sector.

“Our Cancellation Fund for Creative Freelancers is live, with applications open from 6 January, and more information on support for organisations and venues will follow as soon as possible.”

VisitScotland Director of Events Paul Bush said: “The Scottish Government’s commitment of £19.8 million for Scotland’s events sector is welcome news as the industry continues to deal with the latest challenges presented by the pandemic and the Omicron variant.

“EventScotland is currently working with the Scottish Government and the Event Industry Advisory Group (EIAG) to determine the best way of distributing the funding to ensure we get support to those in need across the sector, and details on this will be shared shortly.”

Funds worth £27 million for culture and £17 million for events were announced by the First Minister on 29 December.

This was additional to the £20 million of business support funding for culture and events that First Minister announced on 14 December.

£21 million for culture and events

Additional funds for organisations and freelancers

A £21 million support package to support cultural and events organisations and freelancers experiencing cancellations due to the rapid spread of the new Omicron variant has been announced.

This is to help manage the significant impact of the new guidelines around social distancing and the limitations on the number of people who can attend events.

The £21 million is from the £100 million package announced by the Scottish Government last week to compensate businesses affected by events cancellations and includes an additional £1 million from existing events sector funds.

The funds will be allocated as follows:

£10.2 million for cultural organisations and venues to be administered by Creative Scotland
£2.8 million towards the wider events supply chain to be administered by EventScotland.
£8 million for the Cancellation Fund for Creative Freelancers to be administered by Creative Scotland.

Creative freelancers can apply for between £500 and £2,000 from the cancellation fund which opens at 2pm on Thursday, 6 January 2022.

Details on who is eligible for the fund and how to apply will be available on Creative Scotland’s website this afternoon.

More information and guidelines on the other funds administered by Creative Scotland and EventScotland will be published in early January.

Culture Secretary Angus Robertson said: “Culture and events continue to be among the sectors hardest hit by COVID-19 as the emergence of a new variant is once again causing disruption and uncertainty.

“The steps we’re asking the public to take to minimise the spread of the virus are having a severe financial impact on the sector at a time when they were just beginning to recover from previous waves of the coronavirus.

“In the past few weeks, both myself and Culture Minister Jenny Gilruth have been speaking to freelancers and representatives from culture and events organisations to ensure they get immediate support to meet their needs.

“This £21 million in additional funding is vital to support culture and events organisations and protect the livelihoods of the people who work in the sector.”

Iain Munro, CEO, Creative Scotland said: “This additional emergency funding for Scotland’s culture sector is very welcome.

“This afternoon, we’ll publish guidance about the first tranche for creative freelancers who’re experiencing immediate financial hardship due to the loss of income because of cancellations and deferrals caused by the pandemic.

“Applications will open on Thursday 6 January, and will be followed by further details of how and when to apply for the emergency support for organisations.

“The Covid-19 rollercoaster seems never ending but we will work hard with the sector to pull together again and overcome the challenges that this new wave of the pandemic presents to ensure we are able to gather in cultural spaces to enjoy Scotland’s rich, diverse and world-renowned art and creativity, and to celebrate all that they bring to our lives, in so many different ways.”

Paul Bush OBE, VisitScotland Director of Events said: “The additional £2.8m in emergency funding for Scotland’s events sector is welcome news as it deals with the latest challenges presented by the Omicron variant.

“EventScotland will work with the Scottish Government and the Event Industry Advisory Group (EIAG) to determine the best way of distributing the funding to ensure we get support to those in need, and will share further details on this in the new year. We will also work with them to look at future funding programmes to ensure the industry can return and rebuild when the time is right.”

Calling all artists – get involved with Hidden Door 2022

Hidden Door will return in 2022, breathing life into a secret new location in Edinburgh. We are now inviting visual artists to get involved.

For next year’s festival we’ve found a stunning, forgotten complex in the city centre which we plan to transform into live music venues and performance spaces for theatre, dance and spoken word, alongside pop-up bars and a multitude of art exhibition and installation spaces.

We’ll reveal more about our new venue in the new year, but for now we are inviting submissions to our visual art programme; seeking innovative and striking projects across a variety of artistic disciplines.

Our main aim is to create opportunities for artists so we are particularly looking for projects that allow artists to develop their practice and encourage new graduates and emerging artists to apply. We do however welcome applications from artists at any stage in their career.

Each project selected will receive a fee of £500 towards the artist’s time plus project expenses, as well as free access to the festival.

The deadline for visual art submissions is Monday 24 January – please help us spread the word and share this with the creatives in your life!

We’ll be launching our calls for other art forms in the New Year.

Find out more and apply

The Ripple Project to open it’s doors for a day of happiness

WELLBEING OPEN DAY – SATURDAY 16 OCTOBER 9am – 4pm

People living in cities around the world care about their mental health and the mental health of their fellow residents; they also know that urbanization – living amongst masses of people with its related stressors and burdens – can often be toxic to mental health and well-being.

Edinburgh is no different to any other global city BUT the areas The Ripple Project works in – Restalrig, Lochend and Craigentinny – are different to other parts of Edinburgh.

Low and insecure income and problem debt, unemployment and poor quality housing has consistently been associated with an increased risk of common mental health problems, loneliness and social isolation only adds to this already bleak picture.

As part of their wellbeing programme, on Saturday 16^th October the Ripple Project is offering local residents the opportunity to stop, look after themselves and try something new. Activities on offer FREE of CHARGE include Reiki, massage, singing, drumming, capoeira, creative art, reflexology and many others.

Cat Robertson, Wellbeing Co-ordinator said “This is a day where people can come and take stock, try something different and think about the things that matter. So often we forget to do things that just make us happy”

The Ripple Project is a grass roots community that has a strong track record spanning over 20 years of tackling poverty and inequality by working with local people to help them to help themselves.

Based at the Restalrig Lochend Community Hub since 2010, the charity normally provides daily activities including a community café, a youth service, a wellbeing project, a community shop, a programme for volunteers and support for people to make and sell their own items.

The Ripple Project also writes and delivers a community newspaper into 6000 homes every 3 months.

Their Community Hub at Restalrig Road South is open 5 days and 4 evenings a week – 8am to 8pm as well as occasional weekends. The Ripple Project has a small staff team, with the rest of the activities delivered by over 100 volunteers who commit to and give us over 5,500 thousand volunteering hours per year.

Rachel Green, Director of The Ripple said: “The Ripple is the place in our community that people come to chat with others, to have a healthy meal and to take part in exercise, learning and other social activities.

“So often we see people who do not see anyone from one day to the next or just need help with some something small that is bothering them. We get to know people and they get to know us, we know when they don’t turn up or when somethings wrong.

“We work together to help each other and try and make our area a better place to live and work in.”

To find out more about The Ripple Project please visit www.rippleproject.co.uk

Second creative and community hub for Granton Waterfront

A vacant industrial unit in Granton Waterfront is to be transformed into a vibrant creative and community hub by arts charity Edinburgh Palette.

This is another addition to the City of Edinburgh Council’s sustainable and dynamic £1.3bn vision for the area.

The Council has approved a lease of the premises on West Shore Road to the charity, which supports the arts by bringing vacant buildings back to life, so they can provide affordable studio space. The Council’s also supporting the project by providing a year’s free rent.

The project will provide affordable shop space for local retail and hospitality businesses, animating the pedestrian promenade. It will also support the creative industries, the third sector, freelancers and micro-businesses, providing sought after high-quality studio space.

When developed the building’s grounds will greatly enhance the public realm and greenspace in the area and will support active travel to and through the site. Other activities planned are play-based recreation and cultural events and the project will also provide improved access to the Waterfront.

The project comes on the back of the recently announced lease to leading arts charity Wasps who are moving into the fully refurbished Granton Station and a project with Edinburgh College to light up the gasholder in the area.

Depute leader, Cammy Day, said: We announced our ambitious £1.3bn plan to sustainably regenerate this area last year and it’s fantastic to see real progress is being made on the ground.

“Our plan is for Granton Waterfront to provide quality new sustainable development and a place where people can work, play, learn, enjoy culture and live in high-quality homes. The site on West Shore Road will become a draw for the local community as well as visitors to the area, providing jobs and a boost to the local economy as well as supporting so many groups like social enterprises, sports clubs, health and wellbeing services and other community organisations.

“We’ve worked with Edinburgh Palette across the city for a number of years and they’ll make a great addition to the area alongside Wasps. I look forward to supporting them in their new enterprise and seeing all their hard work come to life.”

Development Manager at Edinburgh Palette, Andrew Chainey, said: Edinburgh Palette is delighted and extremely grateful for the phenomenal support received from everyone at the City of Edinburgh Council. Our operational team and long-term contractors can’t wait to deliver on our new home at West Granton Shore.

“We’ve been overwhelmed by interest in the project at 20 West Shore Road from all corners of the community including the creative and craftmaking world. The possibilities are as breathtaking as the views of the Forth from West Granton Shore.”

The site located on West Shore Road will form part of a growing creative, cultural and arts cluster in Granton Waterfront.

This includes the National Museums Collection Centre; National Galleries of Scotland’s Granton Art Centre (along with The Art Works, NGS’ planned new facility); Edinburgh College’s Granton campus (including its art and design faculty and the Performing Arts Studio Scotland); as well as the new 600 sqm Granton Station enterprise hub.