GREYFRIARS CHARTERIS CENTRE. THE PLEASANCE on 24th NOVEMBER
The RHCYP’s Memorial Service in Greyfriars Charteris Centre, 138/140 Pleasance, Edinburgh EH8 9RR, offers space for personal or shared reflection for those who’ve experienced the death of a child.
People of all ages, all beliefs or none, are most welcome:
Work will soon begin on changes to help drivers navigate around Edinburgh’s Low Emission Zone (LEZ), including a new traffic layout on Morrison Street.
Lining work will start on 20 March as part of plans to make Morrison Street two-way to all traffic between the Morrison Link/Morrison Street junction and the Dewar Place/Morrison Street junction. This will provide a safe alternative route for non-compliant traffic while limiting congestion. The new layout will go live on 31 March, ahead of enforcement of the LEZ beginning on 1 June.
We’ll also be adding a right hand turn from Morrison Link to Morrison Street eastbound as well as changing signals and improving the pedestrian crossing at the junction of Morrison Street, Gardner’s Cresent and Dewar Place. This will include widening footways, removing guard railing and adding cycle parking and planters around Gardner’s Crescent.
Continuous pavements will be created at St David’s Place and St David’s Terrace on Morrison Street and traffic will no longer be able to turn left from Morrison Street westbound onto Gardner’s Crescent. This will allow more time for the green man, giving pedestrians travelling east and west higher priority.
Councillor Scott Arthur, Transport and Environment Convener, said: “By limiting the most polluting vehicles from the zone, the LEZ will play a central role in lowering harmful emissions in Edinburgh, which negatively affect our health and wellbeing.
“I’m pleased that compliance with the zone’s emissions standards has continued to rise over recent years, which will benefit all those living in and visiting the city. Our two-year grace period has helped people to prepare for and adapt to the changes coming into force on 1 June.
“The measures we’re currently putting in place will allow non-compliant vehicles to find an alternative route, while limiting congestion and road safety issues. However, as we approach the start of enforcement I hope to see compliance rates climbing even further, or people opting for cleaner, more sustainable modes of transport.”
Other changes to help give non-compliant vehicles a diversion route will be to allow traffic to turn right from Home Street to Brougham Street at the Tollcross junction, which will be in place from 27 March, and a new right turn filter from the Pleasance to Holyrood Road from 6 March.
At the end of 2023 entry signs were installed on the boundary of the LEZ to inform drivers they are driving within the zone and this spring Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras, which support enforcement, will be put in place.
A city centre LEZ was introduced in Edinburgh on 31 May 2022, along with LEZs in Glasgow, Aberdeen and Dundee, restricting the most polluting vehicles only and benefiting everyone’s health. In Edinburgh, a two-year grace period is in place, meaning no Penalty Charge Notice (PCN) charges will be issued during this time.
LEZ restrictions will apply to motor vehicles, except motorcycles and mopeds. Vehicles must meet the minimum emissions standards to drive within the zone, though national exemptions apply including for blue badge holders and emergency vehicles.
Edinburgh’s LEZ will issue PCNs, or fines, in line with Scottish regulations, from 1 June 2024. Full details on LEZ penalties are available online.
EIGHT Edinburgh Festival Fringe producing venues – Assembly, Dance Base, Gilded Balloon, Just the Tonic, Pleasance, Summerhall, Underbelly and ZOO – are coming together for the first time to launch an updated show ticketing and reviews platform, edfest.com – providing audiences with a central hub for easy booking, information and reviews of ‘the best curated shows on the Edinburgh Festival Fringe’.
With tickets now on sale, edfest.com provides a centralised booking and reviews hub providing access to 1,159 shows across comedy, dance, theatre, and music at 140 venues, featuring performers from 32 different countries.
Some notable performers and shows in the 2022 edfest.com line up are:
Assembly: Choir of Man, Beats on Point, Friendsical, Love Loss & Chianti and Queenz
DanceBase: Ballet Ireland, Scottish Dance Theatre, Dan Daw Creative Projects
Gilded Balloon: Late’n Live, Maisie Adam, Leith Social, Henry Naylor, Jack Docherty
Just The Tonic: Jimeoin, Tom Stade, Aliya Kanani, Jack Gleadow, Anthony Deveto
Pleasance: Freedom Ballet of Ukraine, Sophie Duker, Ben Hart, Tim Vine, SK Shlomo
Summerhall: Learning to Fly, Life is Soft, Mama Love, Talisk, Efterkland
Underbelly: La Clique, Rhys Nicholson, Dragons & Mythical Beasts, Circa: Humans 2.0, Unfortunate: The Untold Story of Ursula the Sea Witch
ZOO: Night Dances, Runners, Rocky, Sad Book, Far Gone, Every word was once an animal
The new edfest.com website has been designed to give audiences a more bespoke experience, allowing them to search and find shows they will love.
Companies and venues will update information on a regular basis and the public will be encouraged to review shows and share with their friends. The new experience gives ticket buyers a more rounded view of what’s on offer, replacing what word of mouth and poster clippings have done in the past.
Speaking on behalf of the eight edfest.com venues, Jim Hollington, CEO of Dance Base, comments: “The last two years have been incredibly hard for everyone in the arts and entertainment sector. It’s therefore critical that this year’s Edinburgh Fringe is a success, to protect the future of our own organisations, of the performing artists who make the Fringe, and of our contribution to the city of Edinburgh overall.
“As producing venues, we invest a huge amount of time, energy and money curating and producing some of the best entertainment in the world and bringing that to Edinburgh. Whilst the pandemic created numerous challenges, it did allow us to stop and think about how we could collaborate and do things better.
“Across the eight edfest.com venues we share a similar vision and so it made sense for us to pool our sales and marketing resources to drive efficiencies across our own operations and ultimately make things easier for customers. Our box offices will also all be linked and audiences will be able to buy for multiple venues.
“Crucially this year we are going on sale earlier than usual to increase the sales window for bookings and generate much needed revenue.
“Putting the last two years behind us we would like to encourage everyone from Fringe loyalists who turn up every year, to Edinburgh locals and first timers to visit edfest.com, book some spectacular shows and once again enjoy the best possible Edinburgh Fringe experience this August. We can’t wait to get going!”
Providing children from the earliest age with access to high quality children’s theatre while offering a dedicated space for under 10s and their families to relax is the mission of the Pleasance Kidzone.
Started in 2009 as a way of supporting the children’s theatre programme, the Kidzone has led to an explosion in children’s activities at the Pleasance over the last eight years. In 2015 ticket sales for Children’s shows exceeded 40,000 compared to only 4,000 when it started in 2009. This year, 18 different children’s shows feature in the Pleasance programme.
The Pleasance remains the only venue in Edinburgh to offer a completely dedicated child-friendly area. The Kidzone features a giant inflatable igloo theatre, home to a varied and largely interactive theatre programme, a cafe serving child-friendly food, a nappy change, pram shelter and weather-proof art pods where children (and adults) can engage in imaginative and fun arts and crafts activities.This year, Kite-making, face-painting and grizzly monster-making are just a few of the workshops taking place in a new workshop tent adjacent to the art pods.
Pleasance Kids Coordinator Candida Alderson said: “We created the Pleasance Kidzone to give parents and children a hassle-free and inexpensive way to experience the Fringe.
“Deciding which shows to see, worrying about food, where you’re going to put your pram and change a nappy, as well as working out how you’re going to keep the kids occupied between shows, are all big concerns when you’re planning a family day out on the Fringe. We are easy to get to, and have all the things you need, close at hand, which hopefully ensures a great Fringe Day Out for the whole family.
“It’s become a popular Fringe destination for families, many of whom returneach year, because we programme top class children’s theatre from around the globe for all ages, and run lots of creative and imaginative activities to occupy the kids between shows, so that the adults can sit for a while and read the papers, chat to other parents (it’s the best place to pick up word-of-mouth show suggestions) and enjoy the hustle and bustle of the Courtyard, without feeling that they’re getting in the way. It’s very easy to spend a whole day with us, and not feel too frazzled by the end of it!”
One of this year’s highlights – model-making workshops from renowned Aardman model maker, Jim Parkyn, who will also be creating an ongoing installation, with the help of performers and passers-by, on Beside, the venue next door to the Kidzone. Pleasance Kids also makes its pop-up debut at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre, with two very special interactive shows for young children, from Edinburgh-based Starcatchers, and the renowned Bootworks Theatre.
CHILDRENS SHOWS
Little Red is clever. Little Red is bright. Little Red will find a way to beat you in a fight. Olivier-winning producer Paul Taylor-Mills and the writing duo behind the success of The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13 ¾ bring their musical hit Red Riding Hood to Pleasance Beyond for a limited run. The same Taylor-Mills is behind the much-loved take on Dr Seuss’s The Cat In The Hat which comes back to Pleasance One for undoubtedly another sell-out run.
The Showstoppers, Olivier-winning West End improvisation group, bring their children’s show back to the Fringe and it promises to be one crazy adventure filled with music and laughter! Children aged 0-5 can also enjoy Moo on the Fringe, an interactive music session on The Green.
Pleasance Kids presents a pop-up venue within the Edinburgh International Conference Centre this August, which hosts two special interactive shows: Hup andThe Many Doors of Frank Feelbad. For the very little ones, Scottish based, pioneering organisation Starcatchers in association with the RSNO and Pleasance Kids present Hup, taking both babies and grown-ups alike on an unforgettable music journey. How do we cope when things go missing? From Bootworks Theatre, who brought the highly-acclaimed The Incredible Book Eating Boy, comes The Many Doors of Frank Feelbad – Frank has lost his Mum and uses everything from a scavenger hunt to dub-step to find her.
Equally superb in dealing with a difficult matter is Follow Me, the story of Nansi who has just become a big sister for the first time and, worrying her world will change forever, escapes to an imaginary world. Future Perfect by Small Storiesrevolves around Dominic who goes back in time to change the past and make his future perfect.
Acclaimed Edinburgh based Drama Specialists, The Acting Scene are running interactive drama workshops based around a brave snail on a life-changing adventure, whilst a different snail also embarks on an adventure on the tail of a humpback whale with her seafaring father in Tall Stories’ wonderful production ofThe Snail and The Whale, based on Julia Donaldson’s popular book. Mermalade is not a tale of a Little Mermaid but of a mermaid on a quest to make sense of a cryptic note and a pearl she was left with – brought to Edinburgh by Manhattan Children’s Theatre and following its successful show The Last of the Dragons last year.
The theme of the sea continues in Jellyfish, an inspiring story of a family sharing a house with a giant glowing jellyfish which uses puppetry and original music to explore the topic of parenthood and mental health. Ribber Ribbet Croak is a playful story of Grandma and Grandpa Frog who leave their pond to plan for a big surprise. This interactive show by Moulded Theatre uses puppetry, Makaton (language programme using signs and symbols to help people communicate) and music and is suitable for children of all needs.
Also on a quest – to rescue his kidnapped friends – is Captain Flinn in Les Petits Theatre’s Captain Flinn and The Pirate Dinosaurs 2: The Magic Cutlass. This is a sequel to Primary Times Children’s Choice Award-winning part one.
The Pleasance’s favourite regulars are also back: Aardman’s animator Jim Parkyncomes to The Green with series of model-making workshops for children and adults alike – creating a mini masterpiece to feed into The Amazing Scene Machine and celebrating Aardman’s 40th birthday is The Amazing Scene Machine Does Aardinburgh! where audiences will help create a very special 3D painting of Edinburgh featuring some of Aardman’s stars including Morph, Shaun the Sheepand Wallace and Gromit.
Also returning is The Guardian’s cartoonist Harry Venning with Release Your Inner Cartoonist and the irreverently funny I Hate Children Children’s Show, as well as the much-loved Art Pods on the Green. And staying along an interactive theme Pleasance Kids has commissioned kite-making workshops from Go Fly Your Kite, Grizzly Monster-making activities with our extraordinary resident designer, Paul Garner and Make-Up Workshops with remarkably gifted regular Kidzone face painter Lynn Fraser (Fantoosh).
PLEASANCE FUTURES
Pleasance Kids is part of Pleasance Futures, the development arm of The Pleasance Theatre Trust. The Pleasance’s enduring mission is to provide a launch pad for the very best emerging talent and the brightest of new ideas. In 2016 The Pleasance Theatre Trust will provide over £125,000 of direct financial support to up and coming talent both on and off stage through a number of Pleasance Futures projects.
Pleasance Kids aims to nurture a love of the creative arts from an early age, using it to inspire and engage children to learn. This year, Pleasance Kids is seeking funding to programme theatre from around the UK, specifically supporting topics in the Curriculum for Excellence, initially into primary schools in the Edinburgh and the Lothians. To kick this off, from 15th August, Pleasance is offering schools a specialBack to School ticket offer, with the added opportunity of performers visiting schools to run a workshop or activity after the show (for schools who have booked 20 or more tickets) for free.
Tickets available at:
www.pleasance.co.uk or by phoning 0131 556 6550
Manhattan Children’s Theatre presents
MERMALADE
World premiere
Based on the children’s book by Clare Cockburn-Martin
Illustrated by Anna Welsh
Directed and adapted for the stage by Laura Stevens
A Little Mermaid she is not.
A fast paced, interactive comedy. A universal quest. A play for all ages
Left with a cryptic note, a pearl, and three annoying oysters for company, MERMALADE is determined to make sense of it all. She’s brave enough to approach the biggest forces in the universe. She’s strong enough to confront those that get in her way. But is she wise enough to find her answer?
Add three life size Oysters as narrators, cameos from the Moon, Sun, Stars, Thor (God of Thunder), a beach setting, a splattering of pop music and one strong-willed 11-year-old girl that never quits and what do you get?
Unlike traditional fairy tales, MERMALADE’s story holds no moral decree. In the Socratic Spirit, the show offers more questions than answers with WHY? being at the top of the list.
Why does everyone tell me what to do and feel?
Why is a pearl so special?
Why do I have to keep asking “WHY?”
“If you’re tired of Once upon a time same old, same old, you should visit Manhattan Children’s Theatre for The Last of the Dragons.” – New York Times
“The idea of a damsel in distress being rescued by a handsome man has been around for so long, we hardly notice it’s there. Which is exactly why it’s so damaging as a stereotype. So hurrah for Manhattan Children’s Theatre for joining a burgeoning list of storytellers re-dressing the balance.”
wow24/7 **** review of The Last of the Dragons
“This is a tale of bravery, intelligence and unexpected NEW traditions. Beautifully set for the stage and directed by Laura Stevens (…) with an all-Edinburgh cast, this show will delight young and old.”
Families Edinburgh on The Last of the Dragons
Manhattan Children’s Theatre offers complimentary tickets for local youth groups for the preview dates of MERMALADE (3-4 August). Also, on non-performance days the show will be visiting local Edinburgh schools.
Laura Stevens, who recently moved to Edinburgh from her native New York, co-founded Manhattan Children’s Theatre in 2002 and directed over 30 plays since, including theatrical productions for very young audiences (Little Tales, based on folk tales from around the world). Between 2002 and 2011, MCT welcomed over 250,000 audience members through its doors. Laura’s production of The Last of the Dragons debuted at Fringe in 2015 to rave reviews and toured to Biggar in Scotland and Warsaw in Poland to sold-out audiences.
Now Scotland-based, the mission of Manhattan Children’s Theatre is one of providing affordable, high quality theatre entertainment to audiences in Scotland, children in particular.
Mermalade
