Latest news with #Langtry
Edinburgh Reporter
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Edinburgh Reporter
Bold, beautiful and scandalous – Lillie Langtry is back in Edinburgh
Brilliant actress, phenomenal beauty, mistress of the Prince of Wales – Lillie Langtry was an international Victorian superstar celebrity. Indeed, her stardom in America began when she was spotted onstage in Edinburgh and snapped up to go to the States – and when she arrived in New York the traffic stopped and the stock exchange closed. A town in Texas was even named in her honour. And now she's back in Scotland's capital and you have the chance of an audience with Mrs Langtry at this year's Fringe in Wilde Women. In the past she trod the boards at The Lyceum – programmes still exist from the 1880s – but today she is appearing at Greenside's Fern Studio on George Street. Krista Scott's one-woman play takes us back to 1900 when Langtry's career is in decline and when he close friend Oscar Wilde is condemned to social disgrace after he was convicted of 'indecency' offences related to his affair with Lord Alfred 'Bosie' Douglas. But Lillie has a plan – she wants to revive both their reputations and careers by writing a new play in which she reprises all of Wilde's most illustrious female characters – Cecily, Salomé, Mrs Cheveley, Mrs. Erlynne from Lady Windermere's Fan and naturally, Lady Bracknell. She is nervously awaiting a telegram giving his approval. Wilde Women sees Langtree explain, in fascinating detail, the background to the characters and to her's and Wilde's lives – and delivering a multitude of classic lines. Full of wit and insight into two of the most influential figures in the arts world of their day, the solo play emphasises the transformative impact of Wilde's writing on the presentation of women in theatre and literature. Scott says: 'Oscar Wilde had a profound effect on the representation of women onstage in the modern age. 'He launched the trend to feature strong, independent women as protagonists in dramas and in comedies, a trend picked up by George Bernard Shaw, Henrik Ibsen, August Strindberg and others. 'Without Lady Windermere's Fan, a play he wrote for Lillie Langtry, G.B. Shaw would've never written Mrs. Warren's Profession, which in turn examined the propagation of prostitution. 'Much of the development of psychologically complex women's roles in today's theatre can be traced back to Wilde's work. 'I also hope the audiences will come to appreciate the dazzling wit and beguiling irony embedded in his rhetoric and want to find out more about Oscar Wilde after seeing the play.' Scott started researching Wilde and the roles he created for women nine years ago – as she discovered more about his life she grew increasingly interested in his relationship with Langtry. Both were regarded as highly unconventional figures, sometimes feted by fashionable society and at other times damned. Langtry was the mistress of the Prince of Wales, later King Edward VII, sometimes sharing a 'love nest' in Scotland. She became the first socialite to appear on the professional stage, starring in She Stoops to Conquer in 1881. Scandals and the squandering of huge sums of money saw her fortunes fading as the dawn of the 20th century beckoned. Like this: Like Related
The Herald Scotland
29-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
We should celebrate Oscar Wilde as a mould-breaking feminist
One a playwright adored by society and then destroyed by its hypocritical condemnation of his homosexuality; the other the first socialite to appear on stage, who captivated and scandalised in equal measure (this included her affair with the Prince of Wales – complete with sojourns in a Scottish love nest). They were powerhouses for change. Wilde gave us the self-actualised female protagonist who apologises to no one. What's more he approached the female characters in his plays from all different angles. Some are martyrs (The Duchess of Padua), some are righteous warriors (Vera); some are ridiculous (Lady Bracknell), some are conniving (Mrs Cheverly) or vindictive (Salomé); some are philosophical (Mrs Allonby), some are frivolously shallow (Mabel Chiltern); many buck conventional domesticity and reliance on a husband; all are fiercely independent thinkers, like his own mother, Lady Jane Wilde, a poetess 'who was considered to be the most ardent and hot-headed of Irish Nationalists'. It's difficult to overstate how important this was for modern theatre and literature. Soon other playwrights followed suit by portraying women as individual beings untethered to husband or family. George Bernard Shaw wrote Mrs. Warren's Profession soon after seeing the opening performance of Wilde's Lady Windermere's Fan, and the similarities in social politics and the nonconformist mother roles are undeniable. August Strindberg and Anton Chekhov subsequently adopted the style of creating more psychologically complex female characters at the turn of the 20th century. The direction of Western theatre and literature irrevocably shifted. Wilde gave audiences a multitude of memorable characters and quotes such as Mrs Cheverly's quip in An Ideal Husband: 'The strength of women comes from the fact that psychology cannot explain us. Men can be analysed; women… merely adored.' Contrasts between the sexes are a common theme in his social comedies: In A Woman of No Importance, Mrs Allonby ironically argues against the conjecture that wives' frivolity were what made marriages unhappy: 'How can a woman be expected to be happy with a man who insists on treating her as if she was a perfectly rational being?... We have always been picturesque protests against the mere existence of common sense. We saw its dangers from the first.' Something else I realised in the nine years I've spent researching Wilde was that his impact on the role of women wasn't restricted to fictional worlds. His relationship with Langtry was crucial to her rise to stardom, and she in turn influenced his poetry and playwriting. He dedicated poems to her and based the character of Mrs Erlynne in Lady Windermere's Fan on Langtry's life experience. And Langtry's life and personality were every bit as outsized as Wilde's characters. Both deserve wider recognition. This is something I hope to contribute to at the Edinburgh Fringe with my one-woman play Wilde Women which celebrates how they strengthened women's voices on the stage using humour, grit and grace. Krista Scott is the writer and performer of Wilde Women, which she is presenting at the 2025 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. She is a well-known actor, director and dialect coach and Professor of Theatre at Texas Christian University in the USA.
Yahoo
23-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Avalanche Energy hits key milestone on the road to a desktop fusion reactor
For every technology, there comes a tipping point where it switches from theory to possibility. Robin Langtry believes that Avalanche Energy has reached that point. Avalanche recently operated its desktop fusion machine for hours on end while maintaining 300,000 volts, a figure the startup predicts will allow it to build a reactor capable of generating more energy than it consumes, the holy grail for any fusion company. Where other fusion companies need powerful magnets to generate energy, Avalanche's design uses intense electrical currents to draw fast-moving ions into tight orbits around an electrode. As the density and speed of the ions rises, they begin to collide and fuse, releasing energy in the process. 'Getting to really high voltages is the key thing,' Langtry, Avalanche's co-founder and CEO, told TechCrunch. And given that the company is building small reactors — targeting anywhere from 5 kilowatts to several hundred kilowatts — the density of that voltage, 6 million volts per meter, is important. 'That's the real unlock for us,' he said. With that sort of force, Avalanche expects it will be able to generate a large number of neutrons at low cost, which can be used to make radioisotopes and to evaluate materials for use in fusion reactors. The company was recently awarded $10 million from Washington State to build FusionWERX, a testing facility that other fusion companies and researchers can book time to study their own fusion technologies. Money for the grant comes from proceeds from the state's carbon marketplace. 'You can test your hardware, and then you get to leave with full ownership of your IP at the end of the day,' Langtry said. Sales of radioisotopes and rentals of the FusionWERX facility should make Avalanche profitable in 2028, he said. Langtry is forecasting that the company will generate $30 million to $50 million in revenue in 2029. With a path to revenue, and having hit the 300,000-volt milestone, Avalanche is rumored to be raising a Series A round. Langtry wouldn't comment specifically on the company's fundraising activities, though he did say that it's lining up the money needed to fulfill the 50% cost-match requirement of the Washington State grant. 'We've already got a pretty good chunk of it lined up,' he said. Raising money to launch FusionWERX is 'goal number one right now,' he added. 'Then all the other stuff is going to fall in place as those pieces start getting built.'
The 42
09-07-2025
- Sport
- The 42
'We'd to say to Finlay, mate, you're allowed to be a kid. He was so driven'
IT WAS A cold, wet, windy night at Ravenhill in December 2005. The Australian Schoolboys were in Belfast for a clash with the Ireland U19s. A try from Quade Cooper and a conversion by Kurtley Beale helped the Aussies to a win over an Irish team that included Keith Earls and Cian Healy. The visitors' coach, Pat Langtry, was in the changing room afterwards when a security guard came in to tell him there was someone outside who wanted a word. Langtry went out to find an Australian couple with their kids. They introduced themselves as Andrea and Roy Bealham and said they were in Ireland to visit family in Enniskillen. 'Andrea said to me that the boys, Finlay and Sean, were mesmerised by two of our players, Jack Lam in particular, but also David Pocock,' says Langtry. 'So she asks, could they meet them?' So it was that 14-year-old Finlay came into the changing room and met the players before the Bealhams headed merrily on their way. It was around a year later when Langtry bumped into them again, this time back at St Edmund's College in Canberra, the school where he was head of rugby. The Bealhams were in for an interview because their sons were enrolling. 'Do you remember us?' said Roy. And so it was that Langtry got his hands on Finlay Bealham as a 15-year-old. The young Canberra man wanted to kick his rugby development on by joining 'Eddies,' which is renowned for producing professional players. Yet little could anyone have known then that Finlay would one day return to Canberra as a British and Irish Lion. Quade Cooper tackles Tommy O'Donnell in Belfast in 2005. Lorraine O'Sullivan / INPHO Lorraine O'Sullivan / INPHO / INPHO ********** Bealham's family are key to his rugby story. He had huge support from his parents, who ferried Finlay to and from whatever training sessions he needed to be at as a teenager. Bealham made the ACT schoolboys team and played for the Australia Schools A team. Andrea and Roy were there every step of the way. 'He was just a really good kid, as was his younger brother,' says Langtry. 'He had a really supportive family and they're often the forgotten backbone.' If it wasn't for Sadie Ferris, his maternal grandmother, Bealham wouldn't have ended up playing for Ireland. She was a native of Enniskillen in County Fermanagh and came from good sporting stock. The famous boxer Gordon Ferris was her nephew. Sadie married a man called Harry Gill, and Andrea was their daughter. They lived in England for some time, but Andrea moved to Australia in the 1970s. When Harry passed away, Sadie returned to Enniskillen. Over in Canberra, Andrea married Roy Bealham and they had their two boys and a girl, Skye. One of the Bealham lads was named after a famous rugby player. Scotland back row Finlay Calder was the captain of the Lions' tour to Australia in 1989. Calder was brilliant as the tourists won the series 2-1. That left an impression and when they had their first son in 1991, the Bealhams decided to call him Finlay. That, surely, is a good omen for this Lions tour. Advertisement The Bealhams loved trips back to Enniskillen to see Sadie. Finlay was especially close to his grandmother, and she has been a big inspiration in his career since passing away in 2012. Representing Sadie is a huge point of pride for Bealham. And so is representing his own little family. Bealham's wife, Galway native Sarah, and their one-year-old son, Galway native Jaoquin, are in Australia to support him on this Lions tour. Finlay with his parents after not seeing each other for two-and-a-half years during Covid. James Crombie / INPHO James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO ********** Langtry, who remains involved with St Edmund's rugby and spent 20 years working with the Australian Schools set-up, knew pretty quickly that Bealham had something about him. 'He was a big, strong boy,' says Langtry, who also spent three years in Ireland coaching the senior team in Christian Brothers College, Cork. Bealham had been playing lots of rugby league with the Queanbeyan Blues up until his switch to St Edmund's. When it came to union, Bealham had been moving between the back row and front row, but they soon got him to focus solely on propping. Bealham was good enough at league to play for the Canberra Raiders U16s but by the end of Year 10, the equivalent to fourth year in Ireland, he had to make a decision. Training for both union and league involved too much contact every week. Union won out. Langtry coached Bealham with the U16 team in Eddies and then his development was helped by the First XV head coach Neil Roberts, a forwards specialist. As everyone in Irish rugby knows, Bealham is a quirky character. That was the case in school too. The 42 The 42 'I do remember he was mad on that WW whatever it is, the wrestling,' says Langtry with a laugh. 'He was always showing blokes at school the latest wrestling hold and watching it on YouTube. He'd have kids in the break room, practising wrestling holds on them.' Bealham's bushy, wild hair was eye-catching and his teachers often told him to tidy it up, but he wasn't listening. Langtry isn't a bit surprised to see Bealham rocking corn rows these days. What stood out most to Langtry, though, was Bealham's determination and work ethic. Indeed, they often had to tell him not to do as much gym work and extra training, or to chill out with his strict diet. 'He was always looking for feedback and he could take good, hard coaching,' says Langtry. 'He was just a doer. 'A lot of times we had to say to him, mate, you're allowed to be a kid. But he was so driven. He didn't have to be pushed into it or anything like that. He was just one of those kids who had goals in his head. And look where he is now.' The gym in St Edmund's College. The 42 The 42 One of the things that has been prominent in Bealham's game with Connacht and Ireland has been his handling skills. Langtry reckons Bealham's rugby league background helped in making him comfortable at offloading, while the programme in St Edmund's involves a major focus on catch-pass skills at every level. The young prop was also an avid student of the game, watching lots of footage, meaning he could read play well. That wasn't always the case with young front rows. Langtry says Bealham is a 'very deep thinker' on the game. His group in Eddies also included Colby Fainga'a, who was in the year ahead of him and later ended up being Bealham's Connacht team-mate. Fainga'a was a similarly hard trainer and had big aspirations. St Edmund's College is a powerhouse. The likes of George Gregan, Matt Giteau, the three other Fainga'a brothers – Saia, Vili, and Anthony – and Robbie Coleman are among the pro union players to have come through the school. Current Canberra Raiders head coach and all-round rugby league legend Ricky Stuart is another Eddies old boy. The First XV changing room at St Edmund's College. They can field up to 25 teams per season, meaning their biggest game days kick off at 8.30am. Their 'Heritage Round' meetings with Marist College Canberra are akin to a rugby festival. It's a fee-paying school, although the rugby facilities aren't fancy. They have strong links with the Brumbies and Raiders. St Edmund's are good at other sports too, with students able to study 'sports development' as an actual school subject. That brings an academic element to their sporting pursuit as they learn about nutrition, S&C, and more during classroom hours. It's not a bad start for an aspiring pro athlete. And Langtry explains that Bealham epitomise a quality that St Edmund's is all about. 'Grit,' says Langtry. 'He just worked hard.' ********** Grit was a quality Bealham needed when he left school. He was loosely part of the Brumbies' pathway, but his next step was to join the Canberra Vikings club. Wallabies such as Joe Roff, Christian Lealiifano, Justin Harrison, Radike Samo, Noah Lolesio, Ben Mowen, Scott Sio, Tom Hooper, Manny Edmonds, Len Ikitau, Darcy Swain, and Joe Powell, as well as the All Blacks tighthead Tyrel Lomax, have played for the Vikings. 'The Zoo' players' bar at Canberra Vikings. Ex-Leinster wing Darragh Fanning also played for the club across two stints when they were still called the Tuggeranong Vikings. Bealham started with the Colts, the U20 side, but moved up into the adult sides too. 'He had that strength and he had that physical development as well,' says Langtry. Despite impressing people in the club, Bealham didn't get a call from the Australia U20s and there was no academy place with the Brumbies, who weren't convinced he was big enough to be a pro player. So having always felt a strong connection with Ireland, Bealham and his dad sent video clips of him in action to the IRFU's Allen Clarke and Irish U20s boss Mike Ruddock. Finlay was invited over to Ireland in 2010. At first he was with Ulster, but they decided not to sign him. Yet another rejection. Bealham considered moving back home, but he played for the Ireland U20s in 2011 and Connacht's Nigel Carolan saw something in him. So it was that Connacht offered Bealham a new home with an academy deal. His senior Connacht debut came in 2014, then a first Ireland cap in 2016, and now he's on the Lions tour. The main stand at Viking Park. 'That was tough for him. For a young kid to move to the other side of the world, take up residency in Ireland and Galway and and write his own story on the back of his work ethic, we're so proud,' says Langtry. While the hope was that Bealham would play for the Lions in his native Canberra today against the Brumbies, those who know him were just happy to have him back in town. Bealham hasn't forgotten his roots. Two years ago, he sent an Ireland jersey back to Langtry in St Edmund's as a token of appreciation. 'I was so, so grateful for that and we'll get that put up in the school,' he says. 'That meant a lot to me.' Now, they're hoping to see Bealham play a big role for the Lions in the coming weeks as this tour heats up. 'The greatest thing for me is to see a young kid like Finlay, standing there in the freezing cold in a raincoat at Ravenhill in December in 2005, and then, you know, he's playing for the British and Irish Lions,' says Langtry. 'He's played at the World Cup, and it's all on the back end of his work ethic. Maybe St Edmund's played a small part in that, I don't know, but he gets everything he deserves. 'He's a great kid, great family and, mate, we're so proud of him.' Pat Langtry at St Edmund's College. The 42 The 42
