A Decade of the Fringe at the Home of Scotlands Stories
Edinburghs Scottish Storytelling Centre a year round multi-arts
venue celebrates its tenth Edinburgh Fringe programme. 14 fantastic
events showcase Scottish talent with an eclectic and colourful mix
of top quality theatre, poetry, music and, of course, live
storytelling.
Programme Manager, Daniel Abercrombie states: The Centres
programme is recognised for its quality family shows and this year
we have another superb mix for all the family. We have also
programmed a varied and exciting series of shows for adult
audiences that celebrate Scottish culture in an international
context. Throughout the programme there is a sense of community,
friendship and fun, which will offer entertainment and emotion.
We have sourced high quality art, produced by companies that fit
with our ethos and friendly venue, and we look forward to welcoming
you in August!
Venue 30 View Map | Event Images Squares (Larger images
available on request)
Storytelling/Spoken Word
Having captivated crowds with Starbird in 2013, the Centre is
delighted to welcome back storyteller Mara Menzies with Nzinga
Warrior Queen. This powerful one-woman piece was showcased at
Traverse Hothouse 2014 which highlights powerful home grown, grass
roots theatre. Mara transports us to 17th century Angola to witness
the fascinating true tale of Ana de Sousa Nzinga Mbandes rise from
slave's daughter to one of Africa's greatest leaders.
Though not overtly political or moralistic, its an entrancing
meditation on femininity, spirituality, and the thin line between
right and wrong, incorporating dance and percussion from by Yamil
Ferrer, previously of Ballet Folklorique de Cuba.
An incredible true story, powerfully told, in the intimate space
of the beautiful Scottish Storytelling Centre! (Mara Menzies)
Loud Poets are also back for the third year in a row with
another round of their fist-thumping, pint-drinking, side-tickling,
heart-wrenching poetry! Each night is different, with a live band
providing a musical backdrop for some of Scotlands most exciting
slam poets who want poetry to be embraced by the masses. Expect big
laughs, a few tears and a whole lot of loud, plus special guests
from the thriving spoken word scene.
The best home we could have for the Fringe and we cant wait to
be back in addition to being central, its such a cosy, welcoming
space and the staff are always so friendly. (Kate Ailes Loud
Poet)
The Centre is also delighted to host two special Fringe editions
of monthly storytelling night, Caf Voices, giving locals and
visitors alike a taste of the countrys storytelling talents or even
to offer up a story of their own. Join us on Thu 11 Aug for
captivating tales hosted by Dan Serridge from The Village
Storytelling Centre in Glasgow, or on Thu 18 Aug, where
award-winning musician, filmmaker and storyteller Roxana Vilk will
be our special guest host.
Childrens Shows
Roll up, roll up: Celestes Circus is back in town! This charming
puppet show is an engaging parent-child theatre experience that
captivated the Centres youngest audiences in 2014 and is brimming
with creativity and charm. Through retro puppets and simplistic
paper dolls, meet a high-wire hippo, a peek-a-boo cat and a lovable
seal performing for paper fish a delight for ages 0-5, not to
mention their parents and carers!
"Im delighted to return to the Storytelling Centre which is a
superb, intimate setting for your wee one's first trip to the
circus! (Celeste)
For ages 5 and up, Erin, Errol & the Earth Creatures offers
a fun and entertaining way to introduce children to important
environmental topics. Created by Glasgow based Modest Predicament,
follow the story of Erin, who sets out to find her lost brother and
meets some peculiar creatures on the way in this engaging blend of
storytelling, puppetry and live music, inspired by traditional
folklore and rural ways of life in times past.
The Centre is a fantastic space to encounter storytelling for
the first time, or feed a growing passion. It thrives at preserving
our storytelling traditions while continuing to encourage new
generations of artists to engage with the form, bridging the gap
between tradition and today. (Modest Predicament)
Will Pickvances acclaimed family show,Anatomy of the Piano (for
beginners)features at this year's Fringe as part of the Made in
Scotland showcase. The show takes audiences on an entertaining,
musical journey through piano history and space travel. Wills
infectious passion for music and his anarchic storytelling style
willenthral audiences of all ages.
"Its great to be at the Storytelling Centre withAnatomy of the
Piano (for beginners).Their programme celebrates brilliant
storytelling in all its forms. Im looking forward to telling my
story on their stage and hopefully inspiring young explorers to fly
to the moon on their pianos." (Will Pickvance)
Theatre
After 8 successful Fringe runs of The Man Who Planted Trees at
the Storytelling Centre, Puppet State Theatre Company are back with
JRR Tolkiens Leaf by Niggle. Adapted from Tolkiens short story,
this enchanting production follows the tale of a frustrated,
amateur artist, portrayed by Richard Medrington, whose masterpiece
keeps on getting interrupted. A set of easels, bicycles and
heirlooms is cleverly woven into the story, with hauntingly
original compositions by Karine Polwart and Michael John
McCarthy.
This marks a new departure for us our first solo show since 2003
and first ever without puppets! Its great to be part of the Made in
Scotland Showcase again and at the Scottish Storytelling Centre,
which is without doubt my favourite venue. We hope old friends and
new ones will come to see Tolkiens miniature masterpiece." (Richard
Medrington)
Single mum, cleaner and hardest woman in Falkirk, Moira Bell
makes her long-awaited return to the Fringe after a six year break,
accompanied of course by her wee dog Pepe and her pal Babs. The
alter ego of author, playwright and performer Alan Bisset, The
Moira Monologues is inspired by stories and characters Alan
encountered growing up in the Falkirks Hallglen area, presenting a
hilarious take on Scottish culture.
Six years on from a sell-out run, people are still asking me to
bring Moira back, so Ive dusted off her knee-highs to reunite her
with her fans at the home of stories, as well as show new audiences
how this feisty character can please the crowd and get the laughs,
but also say a lot about class and women in society. (Alan
Bissett)
Winner of The Arches and Traverse Theatres Platform 18: New
Directions Award 2014, O is for Hoolet is a passionate, interactive
one-woman show about the Scots language which challenges
expectations and prejudices around minority languages. In this
lively and detailed performance, Ishbel McFarlane portrays several
historic Scottish figures and linguistic experts from Liz Lochead
to Robert Burns.
"The Scottish Storytelling Centre is absolutely the most natural
venue for O is for Hoolet. The show in large part is a storytelling
show, with me telling the tale of finding my mothers recording in
an archive at the University of Edinburgh. But more than that, the
Centre has been a champion of the Scots language, and linguistic
diversity in general, from its very beginning. It's a building
about hearing voices and valuing them, and that's what I aspire to
do in the show too. Varied voices are braw!" (Ishbel McFarlane)
John Knox House provides the atmospheric setting for Cradle
King, an intimate audience with Shakespeares patron, King James.
Mary, Queen of Scots son was a passionate and lifelong supporter of
the arts, which may have given him some respite from the horrors of
his life: an assassination attempt in the womb, his fathers murder,
his mothers execution... Written by Donald Smith and performed by
Robin Thomson, this raw virtuoso drama explores the tormented
monarch said to have provided the inspiration for Hamlet and
Macbeth. First performed in the Netherbow Theatre in 2003, it
triumphantly returns to the biggest open-access arts Festival in
the world as part of the Shakespeare400 year of celebrations.
Music, Comedy & Art
Last years Top Free Show on the Fringe (Daily Record) is back
for a limited run only! Improvised comedy games and sketches
culminate in an entirely improvised musical, delivered by Men with
Coconuts, accompanied by a pianist, of course, based on the debauch
workings of the audiences imaginations! Men With Coconuts are
comedians, actors and musicians of international acclaim, now at
home in Edinburgh.
Plus, a musical project full of spontaneous, impromptu
interaction as two musicians meet onstage without knowing what
theyll play, thus their catchy moniker, Nae Plans. Nominated for
Best Live Act of the Year at the Scots Trad Music Awards 2015, Adam
Sutherland (Fiddle) and Hamish Napier (Piano/Vocals) unleash their
no fear attitude to evolving traditional music with three chances
to catch their off-the-cuff talent that guarantees to have you on
the edge of your seat.
The Centres exhibition for August I am not a child showcases the
UKs hottest new urban artist, Dale vN Marshall, who wants to raise
awareness of mental health in the young, drawing inspiration from
the time he spent painting, talking and workshopping with teenagers
in Edinburgh, alongside local theatre group, The Acting Scene and
performance poet, Jenny Lindsay.
Dales multi-media work consists of a symbolic language of
abstract expression, text and mark-making, using materials ranging
from needles, threads, acrylic, wax crayons and watercolours to
tell his compelling story.
Burns
Critically acclaimed during the 2010 Edinburgh Fringe, Gavin
Paul returns with his fantastic portrayal as Robert Burns: Rough
Cut. Written by Donald Smith and inspired by his controversial
novel, Between Ourselves, peer beyond the man behind the myth and
meet the real, edgy bard, in crisis and contradiction during his
pivotal stay in Edinburgh, effecting his life and career forever.
Expect infectious excitement, lyrical wit and a passionate yet
tormented protagonist.
The sell-out show of BurnFest 2016, Burns for Beginners returns
for two specials at the Centre, which has been dubbed the show
about Burns that Burns would want to see! The key poems and songs
are performed to a cracking live musical accompaniment, along with
discussion, context, and English subtitles so this is the show
about Burns that really is for everyone lifelong fans, those
totally new to the work and everyone in between.
Venue 30 View Map | Event Images Squares (Larger images
available on request)
For tickets, interviews, images etc. please contact:Lindsay Corr
| Marketing and Communications
[email protected] | 0785 335 2741Sophie
Cameron | Marketing and Communications Development Officer
[email protected] | 0131 652 3272
Notes to Editors:About the Scottish Storytelling CentreThe
Scottish Storytelling Centre is the home of Scotlands Culture. It
is a vibrant arts venue with a seasonal programme of live
storytelling, theatre, music, exhibitions, workshops, family
events, and spearheads two traditional arts Festivals TradFest
Edinburgh in the spring and the Scottish International Storytelling
Festival in the autumn. www.scottishstorytellingcentre.co.uk About
Made in Scotland Made in Scotland is a curated showcase of Scottish
performance on the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, supported through the
Scottish Government'sEdinburgh Festivals Expo Fund. The full
programme of theatre, dance and music, and further information can
be found at www.madeinscotlandshowcase.com
Listings
CELESTE'S CIRCUSFri 5 - Sun 28 Aug (not 10, 17, 18, 22-25) |
10.30am (35mins)8 (6) | 0-5yrsPreview: Thu 4 Aug | 6 (4)241: Mon 8
& Tue 9 Aug
ERIN, ERROL, AND THE EARTH CREATURESFri 5 - Sun 21 Aug (not
17-19) | 11.30am (1hr) 7 (5) (20 Family of 4) | 5+
Preview: Thu 4 Aug | 6 (4) (16)
241: Mon 8 & Tue 9 Aug
ANATOMY OF THE PIANO (FOR BEGINNERS) Fri 5 - Sun 28 Aug (not 17,
22-24) | 1pm (55mins) 9 (7) 28 Family of 4) | 6+Preview: Thu 4 Aug
| 7 (5) (20)241: Mon 8 & Tue 9 Aug | Signed: Wed 10 Aug
NZINGA WARRIOR QUEEN Fri 5 - Fri 19 Aug (not 10) | 3pm (1hr 5)10
(8) | 12+Preview: Thu 4 Aug | 7 (5)241: Mon 8 & Tue 9 Aug |
Signed: Mon 15 Aug
LEAF BY NIGGLEFri 5 - Sun 28 Aug (not 10, 15, 22, 23) | 5pm (1h
15) 10 (8) (32 Family of 4) | 10+Preview: Thu 4 Aug | 6241: Mon 8
& Tue 9 Aug | Signed: Wed 17 Aug
ROBERT BURNS: ROUGH CUTFri 5 - Sun 28 Aug (not 15, 22) | 3.30pm
(1hr 10) 9 (7) | 14+Preview: Thu 4 Aug | 7 (5)241: Mon 8 & Tue
9 Aug
THE MOIRA MONOLOGUES BY ALAN BISSETTSat 20 - Mon 29 Aug | 3pm
(1hr)12 (10) | 14+
MEN WITH COCONUTSFri 5 - Thu 11 Aug | 7pm (1hr) 10 (8) |
14+Preview: Wed 3 & Thu 4 Aug | 8 (6)241: Mon 8 & Tue 9
Aug
O IS FOR HOOLETFri 12 - Mon 29 Aug (not 15, 22) | 7pm (1hr 15)
10 (8) | 14+
CRADLE KINGFri 12 - Sun 28 Aug (not 15, 22) | 7.30pm (1hr) 10
(8) | 14+
LOUD POETSFri 5 - Mon 29 Aug (not 15, 22) 9pm (1hr)10 (8) |
14+241: Mon 8 & Tue 9 Aug
