World premiere announced for An Officer and a Gentleman – The Musical

Jamie Wilson and Curve are delighted to announce the World Premiere of An Officer and a Gentleman – The Musical which will open at Curve, Leicester on 6th April 2018 before playing at theatres across the UK and in Ireland until 15th September 2018. An Officer and a Gentleman – The Musical will be playing at the UK’s largest theatre, the Edinburgh Playhouse, in a six night run from 2 – 7 July 2018. Continue reading World premiere announced for An Officer and a Gentleman – The Musical

Charity fundraising event at Festival Village

Residents and business-people from across Edinburgh and beyond are invited to come together for a special evening of food, drink and live music to raise money and awareness for local charities Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity, Kindred, and the Scottish Association for Mental Health (SAMH). Pop-up venue Festival Village: Waverley, located on the roof of Waverley Mall, is hosting the charity event supported by AIB (GB) on Tuesday 5thSeptember from 5pm. Continue reading Charity fundraising event at Festival Village

D Mains Pipe Band charity single makes castle rock!

A young local pipe band are doing their bit to bring Scottish traditional music to a wider audience by releasing their own version of Ed Sheeran’s Castle on the Hill. Davidson’s Mains & District Pipe Band first played the chart-topping hit in the freestyle category of the Scottish Schools Championship – and the performance attracted so many hits on Facebook that the band decided, with Sheeran’s approval, to record his song in the studio and raise money for charity. Continue reading D Mains Pipe Band charity single makes castle rock!

Edinburgh to welcome Grease The Musical

Grease is the word!  The original West End production of the electrifying musical, Grease, lights up the UK once again and visits the Edinburgh Playhouse from 11 – 16 September. The cast will be led by international pop star Tom Parker (The Wanted) in his first ever theatrical role, heart-throb Danny Zuko. Continue reading Edinburgh to welcome Grease The Musical

Fringe organisers reflect on ‘very special year’

After 53,232 performances of 3,398 shows in 300 venues across Edinburgh, the curtain falls and the house lights go up on the 2017 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. It’s been a record-breaking year, with almost 2.7 million tickets sold for the annual arts extravaganza.

Continue reading Fringe organisers reflect on ‘very special year’

It’s not funny: Edinburgh Fringe ‘on brink of revolt’

Edgy comics edged out to the fringes by ‘money-making mafia?’

Edinburgh Fringe is in on the brink of a revolt because it’s becoming too exclusive and mainstream. A group of comedians have joined forces to speak out about the festival which they believe to be catering for “white boys in skinny jeans and posh voices”. Continue reading It’s not funny: Edinburgh Fringe ‘on brink of revolt’

Thanks a million: Council finds more cash to support city festivals

Extra £1 million per year to ensure ‘future success’ of Edinburgh’s festivals

The City of Edinburgh Council is proposing to create a legacy funding package for the city’s Festivals in their 70th anniversary year. The Council has agreed to invest an additional £1 million every year for five years to protect the legacy and strengthen the future of the city’s 11 major festivals towards a joint fund proposed to Edinburgh’s Festivals and the Scottish Government. Continue reading Thanks a million: Council finds more cash to support city festivals

From Bollywood … to Blackhall!

MBE’s foodie Fringe show hits staid old Blackhall!

Tommy Miah’s Indian Street Food Festival got off to glittering start at Blackhall’s Raj Restaurant on Friday  last week with Bollywood star Sejal Sharma wowing audiences with her captivating traditional moves. Continue reading From Bollywood … to Blackhall!

STV and STV2 all set for Edinburgh Festivals

STV and STV2 Edinburgh Festival 2017_1_resized

STV and STV2 promise to bring viewers the best of this summer’s Edinburgh Festival, broadcasting live from The Dome in the city’s New Town every weekday from Wednesday 2 August and throughout the Festival. 

The extensive line-up of programming, presented by Jennifer ReochDavid Farrell and Ewen Cameron, with roving reporters George Ward and Zara Janjua, will showcase the very best on offer in music, theatre, comedy and arts, bringing that festival feeling to homes all over Scotland. 

This year’s Edinburgh Festival coverage on STV and STV2 will include: 

Edinburgh Festival 2017 Live: Every weekday at 1700 on STV2, this one hour programme is the ultimate guide to the festival with the biggest guests, best chat, live performances and top ticket tips, all from the heart of the capital with Jennifer Reoch and David Farrell. 

The Edinburgh Festival Late Show: Ewen Cameron brings his tongue-in-cheek late night chat show to the festival to get up close and personal with this summer’s top guests, weeknights at 2230 on STV2. 

Edinburgh Festival 2017: Jennifer Reoch and David Farrell present highlights from the week’s coverage, showcasing the very best from the world’s greatest arts festival every Monday and Friday at 2000 on STV, starting 7 August. 

As well as a dynamic mix of guests and performances, viewers of STV and STV2 will see the return of popular features including Shameless Punts, where performers are given a chance to promote their acts on screen, and Rickshaw Live, where George Ward is joined by one of the festival’s many thousand performers for a very entertaining ride round the Scottish capital. 

The extensive programming builds on the success of previous years’ festival coverage on STV, with top guests including actor Brian Cox, actress Juliette Binoche, impressionist Rory Bremner, authors Alexander McCall Smithand Julia Donaldson and comedians Patrick Kielty and Jason Byrne. In 2016, STV’s festival coverage reached over half a million viewers. 

Paul Hughes, Head of Programmes, STV, said: “The popularity of last year’s festival coverage created an unparalleled platform for the city and the festivals. This year we’ll bring viewers even more of what the festivals have to offer, from live guests and performances to features and reviews. 

“Our coverage will set out to reflect the Edinburgh Festival the way that audiences experience it, capturing not only the broad spectrum of shows on offer but also the fun and unbeatable atmosphere of this world famous event.” 

STV2 is available on Freeview channel 8, Sky channel 117 and Virgin channel 159. The channel is streamed online and available for catch-up via the STV Player.