Tag: live performance

Performing arts students take centre stage in spring spectacular

Scotland’s freshest performers tread the boards at top Edinburgh venues

GIFTED STUDENTS at one of Scotland’s leading performing arts schools will take to the stage in a captivating spring showcase to flaunt their singing, dancing and acting skills.

In a series of highly entertaining performances, The MGA Academy will be showcasing the graduating class of 2023 as they perform well known shows including Jekyll and Hyde, Little Women and Jerry’s Girls alongside a Triple Bill of fantastic choreography, promising an unforgettable experience for audiences.

The Academy firmly believes in the educational value of students performing in front of live audiences and it is an integral part of its philosophy to offer the chance to put students’ learned skills into practice within a professional setting.

Marcella Macdonald, Principal of The MGA Academy, said: “Live performance is at the heart of everything we do here at the MGA Academy so we encourage all musical and theatre lovers to come along to watch the fantastic performances in the flesh.

“It’s so important for our students to have the opportunity to showcase their talents and for their family, friends and the general public to enjoy the fruits of their labour, especially after a challenging few years for the industry.

“We’re hoping to see a great turn out from the general public and they snap up tickets for one or more performances to support our students, who are some of the most exciting and driven young performers in Scotland.”

The spring showcase series will kick off on Thursday, 4 May with a radical reimagination of Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic Jekyll and Hyde, which will see the BA Hons Acting Class of 2023 portray the clash between civilised Victorian London and seedy Soho in a story of scientific experimentation.

Directed by Becky Hope Palmer, performances of the Edinburgh-inspired tale will be held at Assembly Roxy on Thursday, 4 May at 7.30pm, Friday, 5 May at 7.30pm, and twice on Saturday, 6 May at 2.30pm and 7.30pm.

For dance enthusiasts, a Triple Bill performance will be a showcasing of three exciting dance pieces devised by three different choreographers. While for those with a musical theatre interest can expect impressive performances of Little Women and Jerry Girls by MGA’s Musical Theatre cohort.

Marcella added: “The spring showcase is one of the school’s largest performance projects of the year and it really demonstrates the level of skills our aspiring performers have learned throughout their time with us – it is definitely not one to miss!”

The MGA Academy of Performing Arts was established in 2005 to provide a platform for aspiring performers to remain in Scotland while studying at a level equivalent to prestigious London colleges.

The performing arts school is Scotland’s only full accredited vocational college, holding Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA), Council of Dance, Drama and Musical Theatre (CDMT) and Imperial Society for the Teachers of Dance (ISTD) certifications and also has a partnership with Bath Spa University to offer full-time degrees.

Find out more about the events on offer and buy tickets here: https://www.themgaacademy.com/shows-and-events/productions/

Learn more about the MGA Academy here: https://www.themgaacademy.com/

Stanley Odd celebrate release of new album with live recorded performance from Leith Theatre

Stanley Odd  

The Last Night In (a music film): STAY ODD live from Leith Theatre 

Date: 8th May 2021 @ 8.30pm 

Presented by Handsome Tramp Records in association with Creative Scotland

Tickets available here: https://bit.ly/2QNoQra 

Scottish hip-hop mainstays Stanley Odd have announced they will be playing a unique performance  of their latest album STAY ODD from the iconic main auditorium of Leith Theatre.

The band formed in  Leith over a decade ago. Now, four albums and almost twelve years later, the six-piece are returning  to the place where their journey began for a celebration of live music – and of Staying Odd.  

The band are known for their electric live performances and, although we cannot dance together just  yet, have decided to bring their explosive live show to fans’ living rooms.

The event will be ticketed  however – recognising the uncertain times that we’re living through – fans have the choice of four price  options. The standard price is £10, but fans will be offered an option of £5 – or nothing at all – to  ensure the gig is as accessible to all. An additional option of £20 will also be available to folks who  want to show some extra support. 

The album itself, described by BUZZ Magazine as the band’s “most accomplished work yet,”, was  recorded over a four-year period and showcases the sound of a band who are nothing but confident in  their Oddness.

STAY ODD takes the listener on a journey through the global news cycle on a stolen  bicycle, to a place where lying politicians are at odds with iconic female figures, and tales of witches  are interspersed with classic hip-hop. Each track is as truly unpredictable as the last. 

The album dropped on April 12th after being teased for over a year with the release of lead single  Where They Lie in February, and then another every six weeks since July. This stunning music film of  the band live from Leith Theatre is made possible by Creative Scotland’s Sustaining Creative  Development fund. 

The Last Night In was born out of the same desire to engage with their fans.

Frontman Dave Hook,  aka MC Solareye, says of the show: “Playing in this beautiful, semi-derelict space – on the floor in the  middle of the room – sort of represents all of the empty venues around the country just now.

“The Last  Night In is a bittersweet celebration of live spaces as well as of STAY ODD getting played in full – start  to finish.” 

Connect with Stanley Odd: Facebook Instagram Twitter Bandcamp

Pictures: Danny Bonnar

Children across Scotland stage Shakespeare in lockdown

Children across Scotland stage Shakespeare in lockdown with Coram Shakespeare Schools Foundation 

Thousands of children from over two hundred schools nationwide will be performing the works of Shakespeare this coming week in a unique initiative, One Night of Shakespeare, to be broadcast online at 7pm on Friday 20 November.

Schools from across Scotland are taking part, including from Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Glasgow. 

In a year of unprecedented disruption due to the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdowns, Coram Shakespeare Schools Foundation (CSSF) has adapted its annual festival. Children and teachers have worked remotely and under Covid-secure conditions to rehearse performances that demonstrate their creativity and show that theatre lives, despite the closure of arts venues. 

The annual Festival is the flagship project of award-winning charity CSSF. In a usual year, after months of preparation, children perform on professional stages in arts venues up and down the country.  

Throughout the pandemic, the charity has worked to innovate and adapt its programme so that children can continue to gain the crucial life skills that the arts and performance give.

This has included creative online CPD sessions with teachers, sending specialist theatre practitioners into schools to run workshops, and providing a wealth of resources to enable teachers to guide their students through the Festival journey and become directors in their own right. 

Schools have responded with creativity and ingenuity, filming their performances, rehearsing in bubbles and online and finding innovative ways to persevere, providing their school and wider local community with moments of joy and celebration in what continues to be an otherwise dark time.  

Primary, secondary and special schools from right across the UK are participating and patrons of the charity including Harriet Walter, Hugh Dennis, Paterson Joseph, Alfred Enoch and John Heffernan are helping to celebrate the achievements of young people and their teachers. 

Ruth Brock, CSSF Managing Director, says: “This is a unique Festival in a unique year. Thousands of children from communities from every corner of the UK will lead the way and show us that out of the hardest times, children can show incredible resilience and creativity.

“Using our greatest writer, CSSF is giving children the skills and creativity they need for life and teachers the tools to accelerate learning. The arts prepare children for their future and help build a better society; this year, next year and far into the future.” 

One Night of Shakespeare is supported by a grant CSSF received as part of the Government’s £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund (CRF) to help face the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic and to ensure they have a sustainable future. 

Watch the live broadcast at 7pm on 20 November at 

shakespeareschools.org/livestream.