performance – Page 22 – The NEN

Exciting opportunities for young men

Exciting opportunities for young performers – if successful you’ll spend a week (all expenses paid) creating a show with Frantic Assembly in London. No previous experience is required: last year one of the lads worked on the motorways!

***New Glasgow & Edinburgh Workshops Announced***

Frantic Assembly’s Ignition is back! Are you male? Age 16-20? Risk-taking & energetic? Then look no further – this is for you!

We are excited to announce that we are joining this year’s search for the next generation of new young male performers from all over the UK!

Come to a taster session and try out Frantic Assembly’s fast, risk-taking style of physical theatre. No experience is necessary, just bring your energy! And if you like what you’ve tried, you can sign up for the Trial Workshops for a chance to be selected for the Ignition 2015 company.

During an intensive week, the company will learn new skills, create original work and perform to a live audience.

Think you have what it takes? Sign up for a taster or trial at Dance Base here: http://franticassembly.co.uk/ignition/

Ignition Taster workshops

Thursday 3rd September (TONIGHT!)
7-9pm Dance Base

Friday 4th September
1-2.30 Dance Base
3-5pm Leith Academy

Saturday 5th September
10-12 Vivace Theatre School, 243 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow
1-3pm Royal Conservatoire of Scotland-
5-7 Cumbernauld Theatre, Kildrum, Cumbernauld, North Lanarkshire G67 2BN

Please note that apart from Thursdays session where you sign up on the link above all sessions are drop in or you can reserve a place via Heather@dancebase.co.uk

Farewell then, Fringe!

After 50,459 performances of 3,314 shows in 313 venues across Edinburgh, the curtain falls and the house lights go up on the 2015 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

The Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society has announced that by yesterday afternoon – and with hundreds of performances still to take place – an estimated 2,298,090 tickets had been issued for shows across Scotland’s capital. The number of tickets issued reflects a 5.24% increase in comparison to tickets issued by the same point last year.

Kath M Mainland CBE, Chief Executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society said: “As this year’s Fringe draws to a close we can reflect on what a spectacular success it has been. Once again artists and audiences have travelled from across the globe to be a part of this unique cultural event.

“And with an estimated 2,298,090 tickets issued and many thousands of people attending the 800 free shows in the programme, I’ve no doubt every single person who watched a Fringe show, or experienced this wonderful festival city, will take away unforgettable memories.

“With incredible talent from 49 countries from all over the world taking part this year, the Fringe has once again demonstrated itself to be both truly international and profoundly Scottish. The 2015 season has firmly cemented Edinburgh’s reputation as the world’s leading festival city.“

Fringe Society Chair, Sir Tim O’Shea said: “On behalf of everyone who visited and enjoyed this year’s Fringe, I would like to thank all the creative souls, both onstage and backstage, who brought their work here. Their courage, creativity and sheer hard work is unrivalled anywhere in the world, and without them, the Fringe simply wouldn’t be possible.”

Fiona Hyslop MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Europe and External Affairs added: “This has been another incredible year for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The festival continues to evolve and work with the city to expand and offer more and more to audiences from across the world. The Edinburgh Festival Fringe demonstrates the innovative spirit that makes Scottish culture so vibrant.“

One new initiative this year was a scheme launched by the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society, in collaboration with the City of Edinburgh Council and Virgin Money aimed at providing complimentary tickets to Fringe shows for children and young people who are being cared for by City of Edinburgh Council.

The project called Access Fringe – Looked After Children made £173,172.00 worth of tickets from 233 shows in 38 venues available to children and young people whose circumstances would not normally allow them to participate in cultural activity.

Access Fringe – Looked After Children is a part of the Fringe Society’s commitment to making the Fringe accessible to all and is one of a series of initiatives over the years to come to tackle the physical, economic, social and geographic barriers that prevent people from participating.

Other highlights in 2015 included the participation of a total of fourteen new venues across the city. These included the return of the famous St. Stephen’s Church in Stockbridge under the banner of Momentum Venues, Underbelly launching their Circus Hub on the Meadows in the city’s southside and SpaceUK debuting a new three floor venue called SpaceTriplex in The Prince Philip Building on Hill Place.

The Fringe Society unveiled two new commercial partnerships in 2015; with Airbnb and the Caledonian Sleeper. Both these relationships offered new opportunities for Fringe participants and audiences.

The Royal Mail celebrated this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe by issuing a special postmark, applied to stamped UK mail from 07-31 August. Royal Mail’s postmarks are reserved for special occasions and are used to recognise significant events, historical anniversaries or support of charity. It was the first time in the Royal Mail’s 500 year history that a festival has been featured on a postmark.

Award-winning comedian and theatre-maker Bryony Kimmings delivered the 2015 Fringe Central Welcome Address to participants, organised by the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society. The welcome address, designed to welcome and inspire participants, was attended by a record number of people. Bryony Kimmings, an Associate Artist at Soho Theatre and a Fringe participant herself, encouraged participants to take advantage of over 85 free events hosted throughout August, to help develop performance skills, expand networks and advance careers.

A wide range of awards were on offer throughout the festival organised by a range of organisations. Euan’s Guide, the disabled access review website launched their Fringe awards, acknowledging a show and a venue for their outstanding efforts to include disabled audiences at this year’s Fringe.

AWARDS … the full list

Allen Wright Award
Winner – Griselda Murray Brown
Special Commendation – Holly Williams
Special Commendation – George Sully

Amused Moose Comedy Awards
Winner: Richard Gadd – Waiting for Gaddot (Banshee Labyrinth)
People’s Champion: Jess Robinson – The Rise of Mighty Voice (Pleasance)

The Asian Arts Awards
Winner – Best Production: The Cherry Orchard: Beyond the Truth – Theater Margot (Korea) (C Venues)
Winner – Best Directing: Ms. Shubhra Bhardwaj – Ticket to Bollywood – Ferriswheel Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. (New Town Theatre)

Brighton Fringe Award for Excellence in association with Sweet Venues
Winner: Police Cops – This Theatre – Zoo Venues

The Broadway Baby Bobby Award
Winners: Captain Morgan 1: The Sands of Time and Captain Morgan 2: The Sea of Souls – Ben Behrens / Tap Tap Theatre (Pleasance)
Richard III – Brite Theatre – Just Festival
Luke McQueen: Double Act – Luke McQueen / The Invisible Dot Ltd. (Pleasance)

Carol Tambor Best of Edinburgh Award
Winner: Key Change – Open Clasp Theatre Company in association with Live Theatre (Summerhall)

Dave’s Funniest Joke of the Fringe
Darren Walsh (Pleasance)

Edinburgh Comedy Poster Awards
Panel Prize: Tom Parry – Yellow Tshirt (Just the Tonic)
Audience Award: Michael Stranney & Olaf Falafel – Expect the Unexporcupine (Cowgatehead)

Euan’s Guide Accessible Fringe Awards
Winner: The Solid Life of Sugar Water (Pleasance)
Runner Up: Wendy Hoose by Johnny McKnight (Assembly Rooms)
Accessible Venue Award: Dance Base

The Foster’s Edinburgh Comedy Awards
Best Comedy Show – Sam Simmons – Spaghetti for Breakfast (Underbelly)
Best Newcomer – Sofie Hagen – Bubblewrap (Liquid Room Annexe)
Panel Prize – Karen Koren

Fringe Review Outstanding Theatre Awards
The Frantic Canticles of Little Brother Fish (Bedlam Theatre)

2015 Fringe Sustainable Practice Award
Lungs (Summerhall)
Pip Utton…Playing Maggie (Assembly Rooms)

The Herald Angel Award

Winners – Week 1
Correction (Zoo Venues)
Fake it till you Make it (Traverse Theatre)
Little Devil Award:The artists and facilitators of Underbelly Circus Hub

Winners – Week 2
Penny Arcade: Longing Lasts Longer (Underbelly)
Aceh Meukondore (C Venues)

Winners – Week 3
Herald Archangel Award: Maureen Beattie for The Jennifer Tremblay Trilogy (Assembly Festival)
Herald Angel Award: Cathal McConnell
Little Devil Award: Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour (Traverse Theatre)

Holden Street Theatres Award
A Gambler’s Guide to Dying (Traverse Theatre)
Labels (Pleasance)

The Malcom Hardee Awards
Comic Originality – Michael Brunstrom
Cunning Stunt Award – Matt Roper
Act Most likely to make a million quid – Laurence Owen

The Scottish Arts Club Award for Best Scottish Play

Swallow – Stef Smith (Traverse Theatre)

The Scotsman Fringe First Awards

Winners – Week 1
A Gambler’s Guide to Dying (Traverse Theatre)
Going Viral (Summerhall)
The Christians (Traverse Theatre)
Swallow (Traverse Theatre)
The Deliverance (Assembly Festival)
Underneath (Dance Base)
The History of the World Through Banalities (Summerhall)

Winners – Week 2
Light Boxes (Summerhall)
Raz (Assembly Festival)
Citizen Puppet (Pleasance)
Labels (Pleasance)
Tar Baby (Gilded Balloon)
Trans Scripts (Pleasance)
The Great Downhill Journey of Little Tommy (Summerhall)

Winners – Week 3
A Girl is a Half-formed Thing by Eimear McBride (Traverse Theatre)
Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour (Traverse Theatre)
Penny Arcade: Longing Lasts Longer (Underbelly)
What I Learned From Johnny Bevan (Summerhall)
A Reason to Talk (Summerhall)

Primary Times Children’s Choice Award
The Voice Thief (Summerhall)

So You Think You’re Funny?
Luca Cupani: Still Falling (Heroes @ Bob’s Blundabus)

The Stage Awards for Acting Excellence

Winners – Week 1
Molly Vevers – Ross and Rachel (Assembly Festival)
Aoife Duffin – A Girl Is A Half-Formed Thing (Traverse Theatre)

Winners – Week 2
Andy Gray – Willie & Sabastian (Gilded Balloon)
Sean Michael Verey – Tonight with Donny Stixx (Pleasance)
1972: The Future of Sex (Zoo Venues)

Winners – Week 3
Ensemble from Police Cops – This Theatre (Zoo Venues)
Maureen Beattie – The Jennifer Tremblay Trilogy (Assembly Festival)
Ensemble from UKIP! The Musical (theSpaceUK)
Lizzie Clarke – Molly (Pleasance)
Ensemble from Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour (Traverse Theatre)

Total Theatre Awards

Emerging Company/Artist: The Beanfield (theSpaceUK)
Physical/Visual Theatre: Oog (Dance Base)
Innovation/Experimentation & Playing with Form: Can I Start Again Please (Summerhall)
Portraits In Motion (Summerhall)
Total Theatre & The Place Award for Dance: Vertical Influences (Assembly Festival)
Total Theatre & Jacksons Lane Award for Circus: B-Orders (Underbelly) and
Smoke and Mirrors (Assembly Festival)

Commiserations to those productions and performers who did not pick up an award this year – although given the length of the above list, there can’t be too many of you!

Dancing with wolves

Local youngsters shine in dance performance

Liminal Dance Company brought their Red and the Wolf to North Edinburgh Arts on the latest leg of a Scottish tour – and, together with local young people, took an appreciative audience on a magical journey.

Choreographer Gemma Williams and professional dancers worked with a locally-based community cast of young people aged 8-16 in a series of workshops which culminated in a live performance of the work on Wednesday evening.

Inspired by the Little Red Riding Hood fairtytale, Red and the Wolf tells the much-loved story through music, movement and dance and took the audience – who were not merely passive observers, but became part of the performance – on an ever-changing, fantastic journey.

It was a fascinating experience, a real adventure, and all credit to the young participants Gemma Williams, Justine Lim, Christina Duncan, Abigail Courtney, Katherine Rennie, Jiaya Aui, Gabrielle Glean, Staney Mckay, Ferdie Mckay, Sorcha Minto, Julie Dorozynska, Freya McNicoli, Inez MacIntosh and Rhona Payne who really put their hearts and souls into the performance. Bravo!

Next stop for Red and the Wolf is Musselburgh’s Brunton Theatre (11 – 15 August)

Rehearsals under way for Red and the Wolf

Some of our local young people have been hard at work at North Edinburgh Arts this week, working with professional group Liminal Dance on a new dance production they will perform in public next Wednesday evening.

Red and the Wolf by Liminal Dance is an immersive dance theatre performance working with locally based community cast of young people.

The work explores movement and dance through storytelling and suggestion based on the familiar source of the story Little Red Riding Hood.

The audience will be taken on a unique ever changing journey as the story unfolds. Participants have been exploring movement, dance and storytelling with professional artists who have helped them explore their own creativity and imagination to create a truly unique experience for dancers and audience.

Over July and August Liminal dance will be working in partnership with the Aberdeen International Youth Festival, Citymove Dance Agency, Aberdeen, Woodend Barn, Banchory, North Edinburgh Arts, Edinburgh and The Brunton Theatre, Musselburgh.

The project is led by Gemma Williams, Choreographer and artistic director of Liminal dance, She is interested in producing new ways to produce dance work which involves young people directing shaping and making the work alongside her.

This project is open to up to 25 young people each week, ages 8 – 16. The company will take them through a series of workshops and creative sessions looking at storytelling, developing and using their imagination, improvisation, dance technique and choreography. At the end of the week the group will present a final show created from the various workshop sessions.

The project is designed to be accessible to any level of participant as part of the same process, with opportunities to use, extend and develop their artistic experience whatever level it may be.

Red and the Wolf is designed to explore movement and dance through storytelling and imagination with a group of young people working and performing with professional artists. The project will create unique journeys for the participants as they are given the freedom and tools to develop their own roles, becoming a creative cog in an ever changing collective journey.

Liminal Dance are currently working with participants at North Edinburgh Arts , with their performance on Wednesday the 5th of August at 7.00pm

People involved in local performance:

Liminal Dance Company:

Choreographer Gemma Williams

Dancers Justine Lim and Christina Duncan,

Audio and visual Artist technician Jason Lim

Production Advisor Matthew Hawkins

Community Cast at North Edinburgh Arts:

Katherine Rennie, Jiayi Li, Stanley and Ferdie McKay, Julie Dorozynska, Freya MnNicoll, Inez MacIntosh, Sorcha Minto, Gabrielle Glean

Red alert at North Edinburgh Arts

Red and the Wolf: there’s still time to get involved …

Musical Director? Choreographer? Join the A-Team!

A-Team Productions are seeking a musical director and choreographer for their 2016 production, Next Stop: Broadway.

Rehearsals span October through February, twice a week on Wednesday and Sunday evenings.

This year we are not in a position to pay our Musical Director therefore this is a voluntary opportunity open to someone who has the time to commit to auditions, rehearsals and production week.

Do you know someone who has got what it takes? Can you please spread the word and let relevant people know.

Candidates should email

ateamproductionsmanagement@live.com

with a cover letter and CV.

A-Team productions are a not-for-profit organisation based in North Edinburgh, run by a team of experienced volunteers. Our ethos is simple: to provide a platform for young people ages 11-18 to construct and perform one musical per annum.

Kind Regards

Sean Quinn

Chair, A-Team Productions

ateamproductionschair@live.co.uk

www.a-teamproductions.org

Theatre opportunity for young people at North Edinburgh Arts

Red and the Wolf: An exciting theatre opportunity for North Edinburgh’s young people – and it’s free

Red and the Wolf by Liminal Dance is an immersive theatre performance working with a locally-based community cast of young people aged 8-16 years, in partnership with North Edinburgh Arts.

Explore movement, dance and storytelling
Perform with professional artists
Create your own unique performance
Open to all, no experience necessary
@ North Edinburgh Arts
Places are FREE

Rehearsals on:

Thursday 30 July
Saturday 1August
Monday 3 August
Tuesday 4 August
Wednesday 5 August

Rehearsal times: 10-5pm (except Saturday, 10-1pm)

Performance on Wednesday 5 August, 7pm

To book places and tickets: 0131 315 2151 / admin@northedinburgharts.co.uk

North Edinburgh Arts
15a Pennywell Court
EH4 4TZ

www.liminaldanceuk.com
facebook.com/redandthewolf2015

See St David’s ‘Joseph’ at North Edinburgh Arts this week

Craigroyston art exhibition opens at North Edinburgh Arts

Craigroyston Primary School Art Exhibition 2015

Every year, the pupils at Craigroyston Primary amaze and surprise everyone with their fantastic array of art and this year is no exception (writes Helen Cameron). From patterns and plants to seas and sunshine, and everything in between, the pupils have done it again this year and put on a fabulous show!

For a wee change the venue this year is the North Edinburgh Arts Centre so anyone popping in for a coffee or meeting friends can wander round and marvel at all the pupils’ work. It will be on display for the next few weeks, is free of charge and everyone is welcome to go and view.

The children are hoping to reach a wider audience by using this venue, certainly it is easy for anyone in the area to drop in either on your own or even better bring a friend! Hopefully lots of you will manage along and spread the word about all the local talent!

Many thanks to the staff at the Centre for their help and support in mounting the exhibition and preparing advertising material.

Helen Cameron

NOTE:

The exhibition opened in style at North Edinburgh Arts last night with great musical performances by the school’s Glee Club (including a very impressive ‘Don’t Stop Believin’ – a cappella, too!) – and the talented new woodwind players.

See below for some opening night pictures – and there are lots more on our Facebook page

Do visit the exhibition – you won’t be disappointed! DP

It’s Showtime!

Local group make a song and dance about charity fundraising

Edinburgh-based theatre group Showcase, which has raised more than £220,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support, is celebrating its 25^th anniversary this year.

They are staging three performances of their production ‘Showcase 25’ this weekend in the King’s Theatre when they hope to take the total raised to a show-stopping £250,000.

The group, which has performed in the Church Hill Theatre every year since 1990, with all profits going to Macmillan, boast a wide repertoire of songs and styles.

Director Andy Johnston said: “Showcase is an enormously talented group of singers and dancers – there is literally no musical style they can’t conquer. In the past they have tackled everything from Led Zeppelin to the Sound of Music, all performed in the trademark ‘big choral’ Showcase sound.”

Showcase President Susan Galloway added: “We like to think of ourselves as one big family. And we genuinely believe that every person that walks through the door of the theatre and buys a ticket to one of our shows is contributing – they’re helping make a difference to someone’s life. As far as we’re concerned, that’s the reason we exist.”

Macmillan’s Edinburgh Fundraising Manager Jayne Forbes said: “The support that Showcase has given Macmillan is nothing short of astounding. We are so grateful to them and everyone who goes along to their shows.

“We help people in many ways, from specialist nurses and doctors, to help and advice for people who have financial worries as a result of their cancer diagnosis, none of which would be possible without the support of people in Edinburgh. This is a really special anniversary for Showcase, and I’d urge local people to go along to a show. You are guaranteed an entertaining few hours, safe in the knowledge your ticket money is supporting a wonderful cause.”

Showcase 25 takes place on Friday 29 and Saturday 30 May (matinee and evening performance) in the King’s Theatre. Tickets are from £15 and available from www.edtheatres.com/showcase