Collaborating with creative minds, Scottish Ensemble have forged new paths over recent years blurring the boundaries between genres and artforms. In their latest cross-artform project Scottish Ensemble collaborate with Blind Summit to explore what puppetry can reveal about music.
Performing Arnold Schoenberg’s Verklärte Nacht (Transfigured Night) and Philip Glass’ Symphony No. 3 the musicians and puppeteers play together to blend sound and visuals in this experimental collaboration where puppetry and music lead each other in a fragile dance. Directed by Mark Down, this new work will defy the rules to reveal the unseen, unheard and unknown.
Performances take place on Thursday 13 February at Edinburgh’s Traverse Theatre (as part of Manipulate Festival), Friday 14 February at Dundee Rep and Saturday 15 February at Glasgow Royal Concert Hall’s New Auditorium.
Jonathan Morton, Artistic Director of Scottish Ensemble, said: “Collaborations which involve a different artform invite us to re-examine some of our habitual patterns of thought, behaviour and action.
“There is risk involved. And, more alluringly, the potential encounter with something special. At the start of this collaboration, I knew very little about puppetry, but I am drawn to the fact that puppeteers, like musicians, pick up inanimate objects and, somehow, breathe life into them. You can see this, and you can hear it in The Law of Gravity.”
Mark Down, Artistic Director of Blind Summit, said: “During the research and development sessions for this project it has been an absolute inspiration to be surrounded by live music all day, I wish I could have an ensemble at all our rehearsals.
“The puppeteers and musicians generated seemingly endless ideas, the challenge was how to edit and organise them to share with an audience. The Law of Gravity is of course what makes everything fall down, I hope we stay standing”
In another first for Scottish Ensemble the performances in Dundee and Glasgow will be audio described. Visually impaired audiences will be able to enjoy the production through a live verbal commentary describing the visual elements of the production, whilst being respectful to the music performed.
Tickets range from £11 – £22 and in Dundee and Glasgow are free for under 16s.
Tickets are available from https://scottishensemble.co.uk/programme/2024-25/the law-of-gravity/
ASPIRING dancers in Edinburgh are set to experience a transformative day of contemporary dance training with leading professionals.
Leading contemporary dance artists Errol White and Davina Givan, bring their acclaimed Elite Intensive to Dance Base on Saturday 18th January offering a rare opportunity to train with industry professionals.
As course leaders for The Scottish Institute’s (The SI) pioneering BA (Hons) Contemporary Dance degree, Errol & Davina will share their expertise through an immersive day of training, focusing on the creative processes and that define their celebrated repertoire.
This exclusive session will guide participants through company class, focusing on skeletal alignment, core stability, and fluid movement.
Dancers will also engage in choreographic exercises, delving into group work and solos from White & Givan’s repertoire, offering insights into professional company work and the artistry of contemporary dance.
The pair said: “The Elite Intensives are a fantastic way to connect with the next generation of dance artists. We aim to provide an inspiring and rigorous experience that offers a glimpse into professional training and performance.
“Embedding White & Givan as artists in residence within the Institute is a rare opportunity within the educational world for practicing artists and students to evolve together.
“Passion in sharing knowledge lies at the heart of what we do, and we are extremely proud to play an integral role in developing a new generation of dance artists.”
With over 25 years of experience collaborating as performance artists, Errol and Davina have built an acclaimed body of work that engages audiences on a physical and emotional level.
The duos appointment as artists-in-residence at The SI creates a unique bridge between professional practice and education, offering a opportunity to share their expertise and passion for dance with the next generation of dancers.
“The inclusion of sport science and the role it plays in the training of young dance artists at the Scottish Institute is vital, preparing them for a long and fulfilling future career as successful dance practitioners.” White & Givan added.
Dance Base is Scotland’s National Centre for Dance. As a creative charity it aims to see people across Scotland engaging in dance as an art form, a way to exercise and a way of life.
It supports Scottish dance artists to develop successful careers and develops opportunities for dance to be used to support people’s health and wellbeing.
The SI is set to welcome its first cohort in September 2025, making it the only higher education provider in Scotland to offer a course that is led by professional dance artists specifically tailored to contemporary dance.
Students will benefit from The SI’s state-of-the-art technologies and professional-grade studios, as well as access to the renowned Howden Park Theatre.
The degree will couple sport science and dance training and is poised to produce well-rounded, successful dance practitioners prepared for long and fulfilling careers.
Mark Langley, Principal of The SI, said: “Having White & Givan as artists in residence creates an extraordinary environment where practicing artists and students evolve together.
“Our students won’t just learn about the profession – they’ll be immersed in it, working alongside industry specialists, performing in professional venues, and developing their craft through a carefully structured progression from core techniques to professional practice.
“The Scottish Institute was created by professionals to educate the next generation of professionals, and this new BA (Hons) Contemporary Dance program exemplifies that mission.”
The Scottish Institute is Scotland’s only fully CDMT accredited performing arts institution, also holding accreditations from Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA), Council of Dance, Drama and Musical Theatre (CDMT) and Imperial Society for the Teachers of Dance (ISTD).
The session is free of charge, offering a rare opportunity for Scotland’s emerging dance talent to work closely with two of its most prominent contemporary artists.
It’s been another busy year taking theatre out on the road across Scotland and beyond. Moving memoirs brought to the stage, new twists on Country classics and jaw-dropping dramatic moments.
We have been touring to theatres, schools, community halls, art centres, hospitals, cinemas, libraries and festivals. As well as exhibitions, short films, documentaries, podcasts, residencies and more.
In 2024, we visited 62 venues across Scotland, and beyond.
Here are some highlights of the year from your national theatre…
We kick started the year celebrating young audiences and performers.
Cloud Man by Constellation Points/Ailie Cohen and Lewis Hetherington, presented by Scottish Theatre Producers. Going for Gold: Me and Linford Christie by Victoria Beesley, presented by Catherine Wheels.
Meanwhile Hannah Lavery’sProtestcontinued to inspire youth activism at the Traverse Theatre.
Co-commissioned and co-produced by Fuel, Imaginate and Northern Stage in association with National Theatre of Scotland.
In January we presented work in Edinburgh and toured to schools in Edinburgh, Grangemouth, Coatbridge, Bathgate, Aberfeldy, Dallas, Fort William, Kenmore, Pitlochry, Glasgow, Airdrie and Wishaw with Theatre in Schools Scotland (TiSS).
Cloud Man and Going for Gold continued their TiSS adventures.
“I’ve learnt that anything is possible. If I never came out my comfort zone I’d never have made these memories… Life changing.”
Thank U, Next participant.
We took up residency at Bellahouston Academy with 21Commoners Lucy Gaizely and Gary Gardiner to explore teen lives with a cast of 12-to-16 year olds with the extraordinary Thank U, Next.
A National Theatre of Scotland production in association with Bellahouston Academy, created by 21Common.
National Theatre of Scotland and Selkie Productions, Supported by Screen Scotland and Sky Arts.
We celebrated our 18th birthday!
We toured to Bellahouston and Glasgow, presented work in Edinburgh, Harrogate, London, Cambridge, Colchester, Coventry, Poole and Victoria, Canada and the Netherlands and visited schools in Dunkeld, South Queensferry, Cumbernauld, Grangemouth, Edinburgh, Oban, Dallas, Tain, Lairg, Orkney, Sanday, Westray and Stronsay with TiSS.
“A startling, unique, powerfully honest work.”
★★★★ – The Telegraph
Marc Brew and Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui’s raw and life affirming an Accident/a Life had its UK premiere at Tramway following a presentation in Holland.
A Marc Brew Company and Eastman co-production in association with National Theatre Scotland.
We brought the drama to Rockvilla with the BBC’s Bring the Drama creative careers event.
And we launched Caring Scotland, a wide-reaching nationwide Listening Project, led by artist and foster parent Nicola McCartney, to record the testimony of care-experienced people across Scotland.
A National Theatre of Scotland, Who Cares Scotland and National Library of Scotland project.
And Going for Gold ran its final furlongs with TiSS
In March we toured to Glasgow and presented work in Plymouth, Exeter and Newcastle and visited schools in Dumfries, Langholm, Edinburgh and Glasgow with TiSS.
“Delightfully creative and warming show.”
★★★★ – The Reviews Hub
We shō’ed up for Independent Arts Projects with our support of Shō and the Demons of the Deep, written by Zoë Bullock, adapted from the work by Annouchka Gravel Galouchko and directed by Shilpa T-Hyland, which opened at Platform Glasgow.
An Independent Arts Projects (IAP) production in association with National Theatre of Scotland.
We celebrated surviving Thatcher’s Britain at the Mitchell Library, with Damian Barr and James Ley chatting to our Artistic Director Jackie Wylie as part of the Aye Write book festival.
We launched A Big Map for the Big Yin where we encouraged folks to leave their own homages to Scotland’s most beloved comedian, Billy Connolly.
In April we toured to Glasgow, Aberdeen, Shetland and Tobermory.
“Funny, moving and powerful in equal measure, it’s an expertly told story and it deserves to be a hit.”
★★★★★ – WhatsOnStage
Maggie & Me James Ley and Damian Barr’s epic adaptation of his celebrated memoir, directed by Suba Das took the Tron Theatre, Glasgow by storm.
A National Theatre of Scotland production.
Damian Barr returned to North Lanarkshire for a sell-out event at Motherwell Library.
“A poignant, colourful and hilarious performance.”
★★★★★ – Scottish Field
The mighty Dear Billy – Gary McNair’s love letter to the Big Yin from the people of Scotland returned with a run at His Majesty’s Theatre in Aberdeen.
A National Theatre of Scotland production.
And an Accident/a Life continued to astound audiences at the Steps Dance Festival in Switzerland, visiting Sierre, Bulle and Basel and at the Norfolk and Norwich Festival.
In May we toured to Dunoon, Dunkeld, Melrose, Wick, Dumfries, the Edinburgh International Children’s Festival, Inverness, Perth, Cumbernauld, Dundee, Aberdeen, Glasgow and Inverness and presented work in Switzerland and Norwich.
Damian Barr popped over to the National Library of Scotland to talk about taking his memoir from page-to-stage with Chitra Ramaswamy.
In June we toured to Inverness, St Andrews, Dundee, Northampton, Edinburgh and Manchester.
We invited local people to take to the stage at Springburn Auditorium for a joyous celebration of the North Glasgow region, led by our community artist in residence, Eoin MacKenzie with theNeighbourhood Variety Show.
A performance project by Eoin McKenzie as part of the National Theatre of Scotland’s Neighbourhood Project.
We announced that Kal Sabir was the winner of our South Asian short film commission with his forthcoming short filmKinaara.
And we aspired to get greener by launching the second edition of the Theatre Green Book.
In July we presented work in Glasgow.
The Fifth Steppreviewed at Dundee Rep Theatre, ahead of opening at the Edinburgh International Festival.
“Highly entertaining, often very funny, and sometimes brilliantly tense.”
★★★★ – The Scotsman
We provoked audiences with David Ireland’s sizzling two-hander, directed by Finn Den Hertog, marking a homecoming to Scottish stages for Jack Lowden, alongside Sean Gilder.
A National Theatre of Scotland production.
“this production is absolutely joyous – a truly magnificent story of two remarkable women.”
★★★★★ – Broadway World
We hoe-downed with Grid Iron, for Charlene Boyd’s June Carter Cash, The Woman, Her Music and Me, directed by Cora Bissett which opened at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe enjoying a sold-out run, winning a Fringe First, with a shout out for Parents in the Performing Arts too.
A National Theatre of Scotland and Grid Iron co-production.
Pamela Carter and Stewart Laing delved into the archive and pulled out Extraordinary Trash: A Theatre Essay featuring Adura Onashile as ‘The Archivist’ at the Edinburgh International Book Festival.
Dear Billyended its 2024 World Tour of Scotland and Salford by bringing joy to audiences at the Assembly Rooms during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Meanwhile, over in Glasgow, we headed down the canal to premiere Wonder Lands at Pinkston Gala Day, Roisin McLinden, our community artist in residence’s, film fusing community arts practice and cycling.
In August we toured to Edinburgh, Banchory, Glasgow and Dundee.
June Carter Cash saddled up and hit the road for a sold out tour across Scotland, including opening the Outwith Festival, and ending its journey at Findhorn Bay Festival.
We welcomed Gus Gowland as our first Resident Composer.
In September we toured to Glasgow, Dunfermline, Kirkcudbright, Stranraer, Arran, Oban, Ullapool, Findhorn Bay.
Thank U Next enriched young lives at Cumbernauld Academy with the next troupe of talented young performers taking to the stage at Lanternhouse.
A National Theatre of Scotland production in association with Cumbernauld Academy, created by 21Common.
A National Theatre of Scotland and All the Queens Men project in partnership with Eden Court Theatre and Luminate
We marked Care Experienced Week with a special in conversation event at National Library of Scotland, with artist Juano Diaz and sent our project facilitators around the country to listen and gather testimony from care experienced individuals.
We embraced Gothic horror at Halloween with a special free screening of TheStrange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde with a post-show chat from the lead creatives at the National Library of Scotland at Kelvin Hall.
In October we toured to Cumbernauld, and presented work in Glasgow, Livingston, Sweden and Norway.
We paid tribute to the much loved and missed Beldina Odenyo with the powerful Tero Buru at Platform, Glasgow, directed by Julia Taudevin.
A Leah McAleer project, produced by Disaster Plan in association with the National Theatre of Scotland.
We Pushed the Boat Out with our support for new commissions at Edinburgh’s spoken word festival, at the Storytelling Centre.
And we made gingerbread men with pupils in schools across the country as the playful Ginger went on tour with TiSS.
Created by Tortoise in a Nutshell, created in association with Platform and Lyth Arts Centre.
In November we toured to Glasgow and Edinburgh and visited schools in the Isle of Lewis, North Uist, Kinross, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Blackridge, Livingston, Orkney, Sanday, Westray, Stronsay, Shetland, Aberdeen, Bellshill, Cumbernauld and Oban with TiSS.
Jack Hunter and his deeply personal and political One of Two ended its important TiSS tour.
Presented by Independent Arts Projects.
We celebrated Scottish playwriting by supporting Fergus Morgan’s podcast –A History of Scottish Drama in Six Plays featuring NTS shows, Black Watch, Men Should Weep and TheCheviot, The Stag and The Black, Black Oil.
Produced by the Scottish Society of Playwrights in association with Bespoken Media and the Traverse Theatre.
In December, we toured to schools in Tain, Alness and Culloden with TiSS.
A YEAR IN REVIEW
Throughout 2024 we:
Toured to 62 venues across Scotland and beyond
Visited 62 schools with Theatre in Schools Scotland
Added 2 new shows and resources to our Education Portal
Hosted 15 First Nights events connecting with 275 Participants
Delivered 74 accessible performances
Continued to reduce our carbon footprint
Won 3 awards at the UK Theatres Awards, Audio Production Awards and Scotsman Fringe First and were nominated for 12 more!
Please do read our Annual Report and Financial Statement for 2022 to 2023 here.
A standing ovation for the hundreds of actors, creatives, artists, technicians and freelancers that worked with us this year. Full creative credits are available for each project and production via the links above.
With thanks to…
Our funders, friends and followers, our audiences and allies, our participants and partners, our co-producers, cheerleaders and communities.
And all our wonderful donors and supporters.
None of this would be possible without your generosity and goodwill!
We send our thanks to the Board too for their ongoing enthusiasm, guidance and governance.
We are really looking forward to getting out round Scotland in 2025 – our full season will be announced in January 2025.
We hope to see you at your local theatre this year!
With love from all the team at the National Theatre of Scotland.
Citadel’s tour of McScrooge by Alan Mountford directed by Mark Kydd came to an end with a performance at Blossom Tree Nursery.
We took the mini-panto into a community centre, a school, two dementia clubs, Leith Dockers Club, two care homes, and the Dementia Arts Festival!
Thanks to People’s Post Code Lottery and Garfield Weston Foundation, Ashley Barlow, Jim Bryce, Mark Kydd and Roddy Simpson brought lots of festive joy to audiences aged from two to 102!
We are delighted to announce that on Saturday, November 23rd, we will be hosting two free taster sessions for our new performance groups – 10am – 12pm & 1pm – 3 pm – at The Out of the Blue Drill Hall, Edinburgh.
With these sessions, we want to create a fun, safe and supportive enviroment for people to engage in interactive drama activities, where like-minded people can meet and feel comfortable to experiment and perform.
We are looking for individuals to participate and provide valuable market research and feedback. Whether you’re a seasoned performer or just curious about drama, this is a fantastic opportunity to explore your creative side and help shape our future programs.
To register, email us at fablesstagecommunitytheatre@gmail.com or give us a direct message on Facebook and Instagram. Places are limited, so please book in advance.
We look forward to seeing you then and thank you so much for your help!
Written and performed by Martin O’Connor Directed by Lu Kemp
Musical Director and Composer – Oliver Searle, Sound and Video Designer – Rob Willoughby, Set and Costume designed by Emma Bailey and Rachel O’Neill
1 April to 2 May 2025
A Scotland-wide tour opening at Melrose, touring to Glasgow, Edinburgh, Ullapool, Stornoway (Isle of Lewis), Portree (Skye), Dornie (Lochalsh), Cumbernauld, Oban, Helensburgh, Lerwick (Shetland) and Inverness.
Opening Performance at Corn Exchange, Melrose on 2 April 2025
The story of the greatest literary hoax of all time.
In 1760 Scottish poet James Macpherson set the world ablaze with stories of the third-century Scottish bard, Ossian. This tartan-trimmed tale of Highland history spread far and wide, capturing the imagination of thousands– but was it built on a deception?
In 2025 Scottish poet Martin O’Connor decides to revisit Macpherson’s epic and begins to question his own relationship with Scottish culture. The sporrans, the stags, the shortbread – do these ‘gift-shop’ images of Scotland hold us back or bring us forward? What does it mean to be authentic, and is the truth sometimes better told in a lie?
Through The Shortbread Tin is a new show, performed in Scots, with Gaelic songs, which explores Scottish culture, myths, history and identity.
Martin will be joined on stage by three female Gaelic choral singers, singing original songs composed by Oliver Searle.
Audiences are invited to join Martin and Macpherson on an oral odyssey spanning centuries of Scottish history, exploring the myths we tell each other and the stories we tell ourselves.
BACKGROUND TO OSSIAN
In 1760 Highlander Macpherson published Fragments of Ancient Poetry to great critical and commercial acclaim. The poems were collected from oral sources around Scotland and were presented as the work of a third century bard, Ossian, soon dubbed The Homer of the North.
There soon followed two other publications, Fingal and Temora, and together they set the Scottish and European literary world alight. The ‘Ossian effect’ soon saw a rise in interest in Scottish and Highland ways of life and an increase in tourism and cultural interest.
The impact of Ossian was immediate and permanent, even if the individual poems eventually fell out of fashion. But soon after publication, debates over Ossian’s aesthetic and moral ‘legitimacy’ surfaced, which plagued the writer and the impact and legacy of the work.
Martin O’Connor is an award-winning theatre-maker, performer and poet from Glasgow. He is interested in exploring ideas of voice and identity through theatre and poetry, with particular interest in Scots, Gaelic and verbatim. He won Scots Performer of the Year Award at this year’s Scots Language Awards.
He was granted a Gavin Wallace Fellowship in 2018, hosted by Playwrights’ Studio Scotland and the Lyceum Theatre, marking the first stage in his research into James Macpherson and Ossian.
He makes work for solo performance as well as with, and for, other people. He was the National Theatre of Scotland Writer in Residence in 2020. Previous projects include Turntable (MJ McCarthy/Red Bridge Arts), Mark of the Beast (Martin O’Connor/Platform), Togail Nàisean/ Building a Nation (Glasgow Life).
Martin O’Connor, writer and performer said: “I’m looking forward to staging this work after many years of research and development, and I can’t wait to begin working with Lu and the rest of the creative team to tell this story.
“I have been fascinated with the history of Ossian and Macpherson since I started learning Gaelic and since I have rediscovered my Scots voice, and it gave me a jumping off point to explore all things linguistic, cultural and historical about Scotland, and my own upbringing.
“It seems that not many people know about Ossian and Macpherson, the hoax that he created, and the impact that it had on him and wider Scottish culture, so I am very excited to be staging this work and telling this tale at a time when we are still asking big questions about our country and identity.”
Through the Shortbread Tinis directed by Lu Kemp, a theatre director and dramaturg with a distinctive reputation for her work in new writing. Lu was Artistic Director of Perth Theatre between 2016 to 2023.
Her tenure was notable for supporting the creation of new work by Scottish artists and community engaged productions. As a freelance director, Lu has worked for The Citizens, The Royal Lyceum Theatre, National Theatre of Scotland, Artangel, London,The Tricycle, Almeida and The Royal Shakespeare Company.
Edinburgh Multicultural Festival goes on tour! This fall we will be visiting libraries in the Edinburgh North neighbourhoods with our featured artists.
This Saturday, 26 October, Muirhouse Library will be hosting Morgan Njobo who will bring a South African flavour to your day with his signature signing and drumming performance and workshop.
Morgan Njobo, Edinburgh Multicultural Festival director, is a versatile artist, a singer, composer, musician, choreographer, dancer, director and producer known for traditional and modern African and World Music performances and productions. Morgan has worked with many communities across Edinburgh hosting vocal, music and dance workshops across the city.
In collaboration with The University of Edinburgh, Queen Margaret University and Dancebase, Theiya Arts will bring an experiential arts-academia symposium to the city this October,followed by three November performances of new intersectional feminist performance work in Edinburgh and Glasgow
Dance Base, Edinburgh – 7th October 2024, 1- 4pm
Assembly Roxy, Edinburgh – 1st November 2024, 12 – 5.30pm
Southside Community Centre, Edinburgh – 9th November, 1 – 4pm
Venue TBC, ‘Focus on South Asian Arts’ event collab. The Work Room – 15th November (AM – time tbc)
Civic House, Glasgow – 15th November, 5.30 – 7pm
Theiyā Arts Dance Collectivein collaboration withThe Centre for Biomedicine, Self and Society at The University of Edinburghpresent a new interdisciplinary mixed media performance – Maiden | Mother | Whore – exploring the complex relationships between women, social structures, health and social policies, and institutions.
Maiden | Mother | Whore will be performed for the public in November: first in Edinburgh, at the Assembly Roxy (1 November) and the Southside Community Centre (9 November), before a final performance at Civic House in Glasgow (15 November).
Prior to the November performances, on Monday 7th October there will be an experiential symposium in collaboration with The Centre for Biomedicine, Self and Society at The University of Edinburgh, Centre for Applied Social Sciences at the Queen Margaret University, and Dancebase, Edinburgh.
This symposium aims to offer a unique space for multi-disciplinary critical discourse, knowledge exchange, and relational introspections of arts and academia.
Drawing on women’s embodied experiences and narratives, Maiden | Mother | Whore is a thought-provoking mixed-media performance that delves into the tensions between individuals and collectives, agency and power, and patterns of oppression and resistance.
The work seeks to investigate the polarised roles and positioning of women and their impact on subjectivities, both collective and individual, through the lens of Transnational Intersectional Feminism.
The audience are invited to become part of the creation of the performance, contributing to and furthering the dialogue between academic and artistic communities, as the performance evolves in response to their engagement with the piece.
An interactive, multi-media show using projection, live music, spoken word, and South Asian classical-contemporary dance, Maiden | Mother | Whore urges all to consider the relationship between self and society and what it means to exist in a gendered body today.
Maiden | Mother | Whore emerged as a result of a creative partnership between Theiyā Arts Dance Collective and academics from the Centre for Biomedicine, Self and Society and is supported by Creative Scotland and Dance Base, Edinburgh.
Established in 2008, Leith-based charity Strange Town uses theatre and the arts as a creative catalyst to nurture talent and increase access to opportunities for all children and young people, whatever their background or experience.
Founded by local Directors Steve Small and Ruth Hollyman, together they set up Strange Town with a mission to increase access to life-enriching experiences in the arts for everyone, offering accessible activities, a range of bursaries and financial assistance for young actors who are at an early stage in their careers but often find the financial outlays prohibitive to launching their careers.
The organisation has expanded across the last 15 years and now reaches over 2,000 local young people every year. Activities include youth theatre classes, holiday programmes, a touring company and agency support for young actors.
The charity has helped develop the careers of some of the Capital’s best-known local talent including Tallulah Greive and Lewis Gribben.
Strange Town proudly creates work of the highest quality that is both daring and entertaining, tackling subjects of importance to young people’s lives, such as consent, climate change anxiety and knife crime, vitally involving and commissioning emerging writers.
The charity will mark the finale of their fifteenth year with a special three-night run of their acclaimed play ‘HER’, written by award-winning playwright Jennifer Adam.
Initially touring secondary schools across the city, HER is an important play about the damaging effects of gender inequality, the truth about consent and asks; “how can you be the change you want to see in the world when you feel like the world is fighting against you?”
Steve Small, co-Founder of Strange Town, said: “We are so proud of the activities and support we have delivered across the last fifteen years.
“Edinburgh is well-known as an epicentre for creative talent and opportunity; we have just had one of the busiest ever Fringe festivals where our city comes alive with performance and celebration of the arts, yet for many young people living here all year round these opportunities just do not exist.
“Arts organisations are struggling to sustain their support. We are seriously under-funded in this country and without programmes like ours, young people, especially those from socio-economically deprived backgrounds would be unable to benefit from the life-enriching experiences of participating in youth theatre.
“When young people join Strange Town, they are given the opportunity to connect with others in-person, to have fun, build key life skills, grow in confidence and feel a sense of belonging. Many would never contemplate a career in the arts without our support.
“Our touring company productions are carefully created to engage to spark discussion and debate around difficult subject matter. We are delighted that we’ve been given the opportunity to revive ‘HER’ this October and encourage all local people, theatre-goers and those keen to learn more about us, to come to a show and help support our work across the next 15-years.”
Strange Town’s Touring Company will perform ‘HER’ at the Tech Cube in Summerhall for three-nights only Tues 8th – Thurs 10th October.
Open to everyone age 14+, ticket can be purchased on the Summerhall website. All proceeds go towards the charity’s vital work with young people living across Edinburgh.
Edinburgh’s pupils continue to be among the best performing in Scotland
Results from the SQA Insight report shows Edinburgh’s learners are performing better than their virtual comparators in 14 out of 15 key measures, with 7% more pupils gaining at least one Advanced Higher than in other areas in Scotland.
Edinburgh learners are also out-performing their virtual comparators in Literacy and Numeracy for all stages and levels.
A virtual comparator is a sample of students from other areas of Scotland who have similar characteristics to a school’s students.
The news builds on the SQA exam results in August showing levels of attainment for pupils across Edinburgh remaining above those achieved before the Covid pandemic.
Insight provides teachers and lecturers with a summary of how learners have performed in their exams and coursework for each subject at National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher level over the past year.
Councillor Joan Griffiths, Education Convener for the City of Edinburgh Council, said: “This has been another positive year for our pupils. I want to congratulate them, as well as all our teaching and support staff. Their hard work has certainly paid off and praise should go to them as well as all the parents and carers who have supported the children.
“I welcome the results from the SQA Insights report. We have invested heavily in improving the skills of our workforce and I am confident that our staff will continue to improve the quality of teaching and learning to meet the needs of the city’s young people.
“Let’s not forget there is no wrong pathway for our young people as everyone’s learner journey is different. School is about ensuring all our young people are able to fulfil their potential by attaining the highest level of achievements possible and by receiving the best possible experience.
“We want all our learners to find their pathways into the world of higher and further education, employment or training and to narrow the gap between those living in different areas of affluence.”
Course reports – written by principal assessors and principal verifiers – are published to give an insight into how learners performed, detailing which areas of the course assessment where learners performed well, and which areas proved to be more demanding.
Principal assessors and other senior appointees are experienced teachers and lecturers who work with SQA to produce the course reports and highlight examples where candidates have performed well in their external assessments.
The reports also contain advice for teachers, lecturers, and training practitioners on preparing learners for the coming year’s assessments, as well as statistical data relating to grade boundaries.
