Tag: Festival Theatre

EIFF presents a Special Preview screening of Everybody’s Talking About Jamie

Edinburgh International Film Festival is delighted to announce that the 74th edition of the Edinburgh International Film Festival will host a unique screening of the eagerly awaited film adaptation of the award-winning hit musical Everybody’s Talking About Jamie.

The film will have its Special Preview screening at the Festival Theatre – a ‘coming home’ of sorts – where the stage musical was the last show to play before the March 2020 lockdown.

On Friday 20 August, the EIFF screening which will be accessed by the public using an EIFF first ‘Pay-What-You-Can’ model will be preceded by a unique and inclusive outdoor celebration event in St Andrew Square Edinburgh’s Talking About Jamie.

EIFF is also delighted to reveal that Jamie Campbell and his mother Margaret, the subjects of the original documentary that inspired the musical will be attending the screening and festivities.

Inspired by true events, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie is the film adaptation of the award-winning hit musical from London’s West End, about Jamie New (newcomer Max Harwood), a teenager in a blue-collar English town with a dream of life on stage.

While his classmates plan their livelihoods after graduation, Jamie contemplates revealing his secret career ambition as a fierce and proud drag queen. His best friend Pritti (Lauren Patel) and his loving mom (Sarah Lancashire) shower him with endless support while local drag legend Miss Loco Chanelle (Richard E. Grant) mentors him toward his debut stage performance.

But it’s not all rainbows for Jamie as his unsupportive dad (Ralph Ineson), an uninspired career advisor (Sharon Horgan), and some ignorant school kids attempt to rain on his sensational aspirations. In rousing and colourful musical numbers, Jamie and his community inspire one another to be more accepting, and to see the value in facing adversity stepping out of the darkness into the spotlight.

In true Jamie style Edinburgh International Film Festival is inviting everybody to an event to celebrate being themself at St Andrew Square, Edinburgh’s Talking About Jamie.

The evening will kick off with drag queen entertainment and cocktails. Those dressed to impress will be in with a chance of prizes for the best outfits.

Tickets are free to Edinburgh’s Talking About Jamie and must be booked in addition to tickets to the Special Preview screening at Festival Theatre.

The iconic Edinburgh square will also be home to EIFF’s Film Fest in the City, a series of free outdoor screenings delivered in partnership with Essential Edinburgh.

Everybody’s Talking About Jamie stars newcomer Max Harwood, Sarah Lancashire, Lauren Patel, Shobna Gulati, Ralph Ineson, Adeel Akhtar, Samuel Bottomley, with Sharon Horgan and Richard E. Grant.

The stage production’s director, Jonathan Butterell, makes his feature-film debut as director, with screenplay and lyrics by Tom MacRae, songs by Dan Gillespie Sells and a score composed by Sells and Anne Dudley. Mark Herbert, p.g.a., Peter Carlton, p.g.a., and Arnon Milchan are producing, with Yariv Milchan, Michael Schaefer, Natalie Lehmann, Daniel Battsek, Ollie Madden, Peter Balm, Niall Shamma and Jes Wilkins serving as executive producers.

The film features hit songs from the stage show including ‘And You Don’t Even Know It’, ‘The Wall In My Head’ and ‘Everybody’s Talking About Jamie’ as well as an exclusive new song ‘This Was Me’, performed by Holly Johnson, lead singer of Frankie Goes to Hollywood.

The original musical Everybody’s Talking About Jamie has quickly become one the most beloved musicals of recent years.

Premiering at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, before transferring to London’s Apollo Theatre, the production was an overnight success amongst audiences and critics, receiving rave reviews and garnering five Olivier Award nominations.

The show was also honoured at the UK Theatre Awards with Best Musical Production, with its star John McCrea named Best Musical Performer.

The stage show joyfully reopened its doors in May 2021 in London’s Apollo Theatre – the first musical in the West End to do so, before the UK tour recommences in September 2021 visiting 24 UK cities including Edinburgh’s Festival Theatre again from Tuesday 29 March to Saturday 2 April 2022.

Jonathan Butterell, Director of Everybody’s Talking About Jamie said: “I am thrilled to be presenting Everybody’s Talking About Jamie at the Edinburgh International Film Festival as a Special Preview, a city that early spring last year, just before the national lockdown, embraced the stage musical so enthusiastically!

“I am also delighted to hear about the plans for Edinburgh’s Talking About Jamie celebrations and cannot wait to see Edinburgh putting its best frock on and get singing!”

Nick Varley, Lead Guest Programmer of Edinburgh International Film Festival added: “Has Sheffield ever looked so glamourous? Everyone’s Talking About Jamie has all the ingredients of a classic feel good musical, proving that being yourself and following your dream always triumphs over adversity.

“After a year of lockdowns we all need a reason to have fun and Jamie provides it in spades. We are delighted to present it as our Special Preview screening.”

Everybody’s Talking About Jamie will be exclusively released on Prime Video on 17th September 2021.

Join the Facebook event here.

The 74th edition of EIFF runs from 18 – 25 August 2021. The full programme will be announced on 28 July 2021.

#EdFilmFest

Free Theatre Auditions in Edinburgh This Weekend!

Renowned talent management and theatre training programme, Stagebox, is back in Edinburgh this month hosting free auditions at Festival Theatre this Saturday ()17th July 2021.

Stagebox Edinburgh launched in February 2021, providing the region’s rising stars with unrivalled talent management and performance training programmes.

Amongst a number of success stories nationwide, Stagebox client Abby Wallace from Edinburgh recently landed a prime role in the brand-new BBC comedy series, Dinosaur, as Young Nina.

But Abby is not the first rising star from Scotland; she follows in the footsteps of 11-year-old Stagebox client, Lexi Sheppard, who is currently filming for a Netflix movie musical and previously trod the boards as Young Cosette in Les Miserables on London’s West End.

If you know a young performer aged 8-18 years old who is looking to take their talent to the next level, Stagebox is inviting auditionees to take to the stage at the in-person audition workshops.

Successful candidates will enjoy the exclusive award-winning performance training programme in Edinburgh during the school holidays, as well as benefitting from the talent management at Stagebox.

Commenting on the upcoming auditions, Stagebox’s General Manager, Jasmine Quinlan Gardner, said: “We’re thrilled to return to Edinburgh following our May auditions in the city – as a widely-respected hub for the creative arts we are so excited to bring this opportunity to the region’s budding talents.”

Kirsti Bagger, Head Agent at Stagebox said: “We have completely removed Stagebox audition fees this year as we’re passionate about accessibility and inclusivity. Whether you’ve got plenty of experience or are a complete newcomer, anyone can audition to become a part of Stagebox – we’re simply looking for passion, ambition and star quality!”

These auditions are guaranteed to fill up fast and limited spaces apply.

To register your spot for the Edinburgh audition date, please visit Eventbrite.

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

*Auditions will be socially distanced in adherence with COVID-19 guidelines.

Raw Material and Capital Theatres present James IV – Queen of the Fight

Raw Material and Capital Theatres, in association with the National Theatre of Scotland, have announced a new large-scale production James IV – Queen of the Fight that will come to stages across Scotland in autumn 2022.

Scotland, 1504, seen fresh through the eyes of new arrivals, Ellen and Anne, two Moorish women who were expected to take their place at a royal court … but not this one. 

Both women now have to fight to find and keep a place in the dazzling, dangerous world of the Scottish Court of James IV. It’s a world where war is never far away, words of love and promises of peace are not what they seem and where poets might turn out to be more dangerous than any assassin. 

Rona Munro’s vividly imagined trilogy has already brought to life three generations of Stewart kings who ruled Scotland in the tumultuous fifteenth century to the acclaim of audiences and critics from Scotland to Auckland. 

The original trilogy opened at the Edinburgh International Festival in 2014 before touring Scotland and internationally, winning several awards. They were acknowledged as a landmark event in Scottish and UK theatre. Now comes James IV with Laurie Sansom directing once more. 

Co-produced by Raw Material, the award-winning, independent, producing company based in Glasgow, and Capital Theatres, Scotland’s largest theatre charity based in Edinburgh, the production will open at the Festival Theatre, Edinburgh in the autumn of 2022 before touring Scotland.    

Rona Munro said: “The first three James Plays – James I – The Key Will Keep the Lock, James II – The Day of the Innocents and James III – The True Mirror, were among the most exciting and the most satisfying theatre productions I’ve ever been part of.

“To be able to continue this work, with Laurie and with this team is, for me, to continue that excitement. My larger ambition is to extend the Stewart history of Scotland through James V, Mary Queen of Scots and to conclude with James VI who became James I of England.

“My hope is that I can make this history more accessible, make those invisible in history visible again and provide a representation of the most potent and telling truth of history- it was made by people like us.”

Laurie Sansom said: “It’s a great privilege to be returning to the world created by Rona in the first trilogy of James Plays.

“It was probably the most challenging and rewarding creative project I have worked on, and it’s now thrilling to be realising a long-held ambition to continue the story with the support of Raw Material, Capital Theatres and the National Theatre of Scotland.”

Fiona Gibson, CEO of Capital Theatres said: “I’m truly excited to be co-producing the next James Play with the highly talented duo that is Raw Material along with the support of National Theatre of Scotland.

“Gillian and Margaret-Anne have an eye for that special story that audiences just won’t want to miss.  As Scotland’s largest theatre charity, we are delighted to support independent producers and enable them to create new work for our stages.

“With this announcement we are also revealing a new artistic thread which will continue to enrich our work at Capital Theatres; broadening out our programming by taking a more active role in a select number of co-productions; allowing us to collaborate with a range of fantastic producing partners such as Raw Material and play a central role in the creative life of Scotland’s theatre sector.

“Having had a sneak peek during the initial development phase of James IV, we can’t wait to see what Rona and Laurie finally create.”

Gillian Garrity & Margaret-Anne O’Donnell, Raw Material said: “We are beyond thrilled to be working with Capital Theatres on this new production of James IV – Queen of the Fight by Rona Munro.  

“As independent producers we are acutely aware of the need for high quality Scottish plays that can perform on some of our largest stages.   This past year has been challenging across all parts of our sector and we look forward to heralding the return of our creative artists to venues and stages with the best stories and plays that will entertain and delight audiences across Scotland and beyond.

“Through a new co-producing partnership with the incredible team at Capital Theatres led by Fiona Gibson, a script by Rona Munro, direction by Laurie Sansom and support from the National Theatre of Scotland we are raring to go and very much looking forward to touring James IV to audiences across Scotland in autumn next year.”

Jackie Wylie, Artistic Director of National Theatre of Scotland said: “We are hugely excited to be supporting the next stage in Rona Munro’s ambitious and thrilling historical theatrical saga. We know that audiences will be delighted to have the opportunity to return to the Scottish court and to find out what happens next to Rona’s vividly imagined Scots Royals. 

“It’s brilliant to have Laurie Sansom at the helm and to welcome him back to Scottish theatre. We are also proud to be supporting an exciting new producing partnership between Capital Theatres and Raw Material which promises to bring much to audiences, artists and the sector”

More support for Capital Theatres

Three charitable arts organisations will receive a share of £3 million of additional funding as part of the ongoing emergency coronavirus (COVID-19) support for culture.

Capital Theatres – which operates the Festival Theatre, the King’s Theatre and The Studio in Edinburgh – will receive £800,000.

Aberdeen Performing Arts – which runs His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen Music Hall and The Lemon Tree – will receive £1.4 million.

Eden Court Highlands – Scotland’s largest single-site arts venue – will receive £800,000.

The funding is part of the £185 million package of targeted COVID-19 funding announced by the Scottish Government last month.

Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop said: “This funding will help to secure the future of three of Scotland’s important independent performing arts charities, protecting jobs and addressing some of the financial pressures they are facing.

“These venues all receive UK and international touring work of major scale, make a significant contribution to the economy and support a network of arts organisations, artists and creatives at the heart of our cities and regions.

“The Scottish Government has allocated more than £120 million of additional funding to support culture and heritage since the start of the pandemic and we will continue to listen to the needs of the sectors.”

Chief Executive of Aberdeen Performing Arts Jane Spiers said: “This funding will go a long way towards helping us survive, thrive and play our part in the cultural and economic recovery of the North-East.

As an arts charity with a high reliance on earned income and over 500 show cancellations to date through 2021 and into 2022, it provides us with a vital lifeline. 

“This new funding recognises the unique scale of the challenge facing large scale theatres and concert halls, the significance of culture to the region’s economic future and the vital role Aberdeen Performing Arts plays in civic, cultural and community life.

“We wouldn’t be here today without all the financial support we’ve been able to access to date from the Scottish Government, from our local authority and generous donations from audiences. It means more than words can say. We can’t wait to welcome everyone back when it’s safe to do so.”

This additional support takes the overall emergency COVID-19 funding from the Scottish Government to £2.38 million for Aberdeen Performing Arts, £2.07 million for Eden Court Highlands and £1.55 million for Capital Theatres.

Lottery cash to keep capital’s theatres afloat

Capital Theatres, Scotland’s largest theatre charity, has received £168,000 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to support its three venues – Festival Theatre, King’s Theatre and The Studio, through this period of closure.

This vital funding, which will help maintain the iconic buildings in a safe condition, has been made possible thanks to National Lottery players.

This funding from the Heritage Emergency Fund will go towards covering essential costs such as electricity, gas, IT, insurance and maintenance of the theatres whilst they are closed. It will also go towards a small element of staff salaries for those who are responsible for ensuring the venues are secure and maintained whilst closed, and who will plan how we can adapt our venues to safely reopen our venues when we are allowed to do so.

At least 90% of Capital Theatres’ income is generated from ticket sales and trading income, meaning that the sudden closure meant an immediate loss of the two main sources of income.

To date Capital Theatres has refunded 52,900 tickets with a value of over £2.5m. The postponement of the panto until 2021 will result in a further £2.3m loss of income. 

It is currently campaigning to receive emergency support to the same level as other publicly supported theatres which would allow Capital Theatres to play its part in the renewal solution for Edinburgh and Scotland.

Beyond its 3 key venues the organisation provides local community health and wellbeing benefits through an extensive programme currently adapted to run virtually, delivers a key element of Edinburgh’s year-round cultural offer for local citizens and retains 230 jobs in the city’s cultural sector.

Kate Smith, Director of Development at Capital Theatres said: “Capital Theatres, Scotland’s largest theatre charity, is responsible for the Festival Theatre, King’s Theatre and the Studio. When we closed our venues in March due to Covid-19 we saw a 90% reduction in our income from loss of ticket sales. 

“This vital funding from the Heritage Emergency Fund will help maintain our buildings in a safe condition. On behalf of everyone at Capital Theatres we would like to thank National Lottery Players.”

The funding, made possible by National Lottery players, was awarded through The National Lottery Heritage Fund’s Heritage Emergency Fund. £50million was made available to provide emergency funding for those most in need across the heritage sector.

The UK-wide fund aimed to address both immediate emergency actions and help organisations to start thinking about recovery.

Ros Kerslake, Chief Executive of The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “Heritage has an essential role to play in making communities better places to live, supporting economic regeneration and benefiting our personal wellbeing. All of these things are going to be even more important as we emerge from this current crisis.

“Thanks to money raised by National Lottery players we are pleased to be able to lend our support to organisations such as Capital Theatres during this uncertain time.”

Like Capital Theatres, other charities and organisations across the UK that have been affected by the unprecedented impact of the coronavirus outbreak are being given access to a comprehensive package of support of up to £600 million of repurposed money from The National Lottery.

This money is supporting some of the most vulnerable people in our communities and span the arts, community, charity, heritage, education, environment and sports sectors.

Thanks to National Lottery players, £30 million is raised every week for good causes, including heritage of local and national importance. By playing The National Lottery, people up and down the country are making an amazing contribution to the nationwide-response to combatting the impact of COVID-19 on local communities across the UK.

The National Lottery Heritage Fund’s Heritage Emergency Fund is now closed for applications.

To find out more about how The National Heritage Emergency Fund is supporting the sector at this time please visit: 

https://www.heritagefund.org.uk/responding-coronavirus-covid-19

To find out more about the National Lottery Good Causes, visit: 

www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk/coronavirus-pandemic-response

Edinburgh Theatres to close

A STATEMENT FROM CAPITAL THEATRES 

We would like to reassure our customers that we are closely monitoring the Coronavirus (COVID-19) situation and adhering to guidance issued.

The advice of the Scottish Government is that events involving more than 500 people should not take place, with effect from Monday 16 March 2020.  This applies to mass events across all sectors – including sporting events, cultural events, and religious gatherings.

Capital Theatres can announce that we will be cancelling or postponing all performances at the Festival Theatre, The Kings Theatre and The Studio throughout March and April as an initial measure.  This will come into effect from Monday 16 2020 at 12 noon.

Customers who have tickets for performances during March and April will automatically receive a full refund over the coming weeks.  Our box office staff will contact customers directly if there are any issues, please bear with us as we work through the refund process at this challenging time.

We are currently working to reschedule cancelled performances to dates in the autumn and will keep all customers up-to-date as quickly as possible regarding this.

Please refer to our website and social channels for further updates over the coming weeks.

We greatly appreciate the support of our audiences at this testing and anxious time. It is a fast-moving situation; we are monitoring it closely and will keep you posted.  We are hopeful that things will get back to normal soon and we hope to see you return in the not too distant future, stay safe.

FUSE event at Festival Theatre

There’s an Open Day at the Festival Theatre on Nicolson Street for care experienced families on Sunday February 1st.

This is an opportunity to take part in a FREE takeover day with a host of arts activities to engage the whole family. Light buffet lunch will also be provided.

If you would like any more information, please contact Cat Sheridan on catrin.sheridan@capitaltheatres.com

Glue attacks at city centre venues

Police Edinburgh are appealing for information following vandalism attacks on the National Museum of Scotland and the nearby Festival Theatre.

The incidents took place in the Museum last Friday (24 January) and again the following day, while a similar attack has since been reported at the Festival Theatre on Nicholson Street.

In all of the incidents glue was applied to areas of the venues’ toilets.

Inspector Trish Robertson, of the West End Community Policing Team, said: “Thankfully nobody has been seriously injured as a result of these incidents, however these thoughtless acts were extremely irresponsible and could have potentially harmed young children.

“Officers are conducting a thorough investigation and I would urge anyone with any information, of who may have seen something suspicious, to contact Police via 101, quoting incident 2808 of 27 January.”

Spinning Songs: local intergenerational choir to perform at Festival Theatre

A GROUP of North Edinburgh retirees are set to take to the stage at one of the city’s major venues with the help of a local primary school. Continue reading Spinning Songs: local intergenerational choir to perform at Festival Theatre

Costume for Stage and Screen students bring pantomime style to Festival Theatre

A group of Edinburgh College Costume students are displaying their work in a new exhibition at Edinburgh’s Festival Theatre which delves into pantomime costume throughout the ages. Continue reading Costume for Stage and Screen students bring pantomime style to Festival Theatre