Latest news with #Lyceum
The National
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
Taggart star 'couldn't be happier' with new career in music
'Someone who was in the audience said they overheard someone near them saying: 'Aw, they years in Taggart an' she never sang once',' says the actor, fresh from her run as the scene-stealing mother to Dawn Sievewright's Roselynn in the hit stage production of Wild Rose at the Edinburgh Lyceum, where the quip was spilled. 'But actually that's not quite true. I was singing in a choir in my very first episode of Taggart.' That debut performance on STV's famous police drama may not have forced her to consider how she'd define herself, however it's a question she has waited a long time to be asked. 'I've been 21 years in Taggart and 21 in the theatre. But the amount of people who have said to me: 'I didn't know you could sing.' I suppose at a certain point in your life it's very hard to be revelatory because people know who you are, but I've always sung, just not in public. People have grown up with you, brought their kids up with you, and they just think: 'That's her from Taggart'. I'm totally happy with that.' She's happy to challenge it, too. Duff might have been a singer but she didn't have a platform to show it. As the woman from the stalls at the Lyceum observed, the singing detective she wasn't. Then came Christmas 2020. In the middle of the pandemic, with the impending strain of families held apart by socially distanced Christmas restrictions, she and Fife songwriter Cameron Barnes recorded a version of The Fairytale of New York, which transposed the context of Shane MacGowan and Kirsty MacColl's battling Manhattan lovers into a mother and son held apart by the government response to a global virus. Incredibly, their Pogues cover – a tearjerker ripe for the aggravated emotion of the time – scored a Top Ten position in the UK download chart, landing at No 6. 'I suppose that allowed folk into that part of my world,' she says, of becoming chart singer in her late 50s. 'But now that I have been singing with this band, I just love it,' she says. This band is Lacunas Music Society, an experimental collaboration between Duff and composer Malcolm Lindsay, with Inverclyde folk singer Yvonne Lyon. Lacunas means gap, the resonance between unfulfilled and realised ambition perhaps unintentional. The trio share lead vocals, harmonies and spoken word deliveries over layers of atmospheric soundscape. Having performed together just once, in Glasgow last November – a performance of music and complementary visuals so beguiling it belied any notion of debut – they'll embark on a mini-tour of Scotland in coming weeks, with an album due for release at the end of the summer. 'I like the fact that it's more a music society than a band,' laughs Duff. 'It's not so easy to pin down what our show is and I quite like it for that. It takes on the best parts of what we each do and I think that's what's lovely about it – we can be inspired by each other's world.' The experience has been as revelatory for her collaborators. Lyon had been a long time fan of Lindsay's compositions and met him at a memorial gig for a friend. 'I loved his album Solitary Citizen. We got talking about music at the memorial and it went from there. I really wanted to explore layers of composition,' says the Greenock-based singer, who juggled this project and another separate collaboration with Boo Hewerdine. (Image: Lacunas Music Society) 'Then when Malcolm said Blythe was interested I was star struck again. I grew up watching Taggart and she was one of the first strong female characters in my psyche, a big image in my mind growing up. It was exciting to get into a room and make some music together. She carries storytelling in her vocal performance so well.' For musician Lindsay, the connection with Duff dates to his time as a composer on Taggart, although they only met towards the end of the series' decades-long run. 'You'd be staring at the actors and actresses for six or eight weeks, so you feel like you know them,' he says. 'I had no idea Blythe wanted to do music. I didn't know her well enough to know she was musical. It was a very pleasant surprise to find out. You might think Blythe coming from an acting background into music means she would be a lesser player but it's the opposite. She's as much an influence as Yvonne or I which is a nice surprise. 'She brings a totally different attitude to the performance.' The project will return Duff to Edinburgh's live stage weeks after her acclaimed turn in Wild Rose, the musical version of Glasgow writer Nicole Taylor's stirring Britflick starring Julie Walters and Jessie Buckley. With the stage show widely expected to tour (it was originally conceived as a possible opener at the refurbished Citizen's in Glasgow until date clashes scuppered the plan), Duff is likely to be back on stage alongside Sievewright and Louise McCarthy soon. 'There's no three ways about it, the singers on Wild Rose are big singers who can belt it out with extraordinary range,' she says. 'I know I'm not that so I have to find the right platform with the right songs and with people who understand I am an actress who enjoys singing.' With Lacunas Music Society, she might just have found it, finally playing the role she always wanted: the singer in a band. 'I like the fact that it seems to be a revelation for folk,' she says. 'I'm fortunate the people I have been able to be in tow with have so many things they bring to the party. The more I sing, the more folk ask me to and I'm quite enjoying that. Maybe that's an ego thing but if people are having a good time and saying it for the right reasons then I'm tickled pink. I really couldn't be happier.' Love Loss Data by Lacunas Music Society is released in September. They play Edinburgh's Traverse on June 12, Glasgow's Cottiers on June 26 and Birnam Arts, Dunkeld, on June 28.
The Herald Scotland
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Taggart star 'couldn't be happier' with new career in music
'But actually that's not quite true. I was singing in a choir in my very first episode of Taggart.' That debut performance on STV's famous police drama may not have forced her to consider how she'd define herself, however it's a question she has waited a long time to be asked. 'I've been 21 years in Taggart and 21 in the theatre. But the amount of people who have said to me: 'I didn't know you could sing.' I suppose at a certain point in your life it's very hard to be revelatory because people know who you are, but I've always sung, just not in public. People have grown up with you, brought their kids up with you, and they just think: 'That's her from Taggart'. I'm totally happy with that.' She's happy to challenge it, too. Duff might have been a singer but she didn't have a platform to show it. As the woman from the stalls at the Lyceum observed, the singing detective she wasn't. Then came Christmas 2020. In the middle of the pandemic, with the impending strain of families held apart by socially distanced Christmas restrictions, she and Fife songwriter Cameron Barnes recorded a version of The Fairytale of New York, which transposed the context of Shane MacGowan and Kirsty MacColl's battling Manhattan lovers into a mother and son held apart by the government response to a global virus. Incredibly, their Pogues cover – a tearjerker ripe for the aggravated emotion of the time – scored a Top Ten position in the UK download chart, landing at No 6. 'I suppose that allowed folk into that part of my world,' she says, of becoming chart singer in her late 50s. 'But now that I have been singing with this band, I just love it,' she says. This band is Lacunas Music Society, an experimental collaboration between Duff and composer Malcolm Lindsay, with Inverclyde folk singer Yvonne Lyon. Lacunas means gap, the resonance between unfulfilled and realised ambition perhaps unintentional. The trio share lead vocals, harmonies and spoken word deliveries over layers of atmospheric soundscape. Having performed together just once, in Glasgow last November – a performance of music and complementary visuals so beguiling it belied any notion of debut – they'll embark on a mini-tour of Scotland in coming weeks, with an album due for release at the end of the summer. 'I like the fact that it's more a music society than a band,' laughs Duff. 'It's not so easy to pin down what our show is and I quite like it for that. It takes on the best parts of what we each do and I think that's what's lovely about it – we can be inspired by each other's world.' The experience has been as revelatory for her collaborators. Lyon had been a long time fan of Lindsay's compositions and met him at a memorial gig for a friend. 'I loved his album Solitary Citizen. We got talking about music at the memorial and it went from there. I really wanted to explore layers of composition,' says the Greenock-based singer, who juggled this project and another separate collaboration with Boo Hewerdine. (Image: Lacunas Music Society) 'Then when Malcolm said Blythe was interested I was star struck again. I grew up watching Taggart and she was one of the first strong female characters in my psyche, a big image in my mind growing up. It was exciting to get into a room and make some music together. She carries storytelling in her vocal performance so well.' For musician Lindsay, the connection with Duff dates to his time as a composer on Taggart, although they only met towards the end of the series' decades-long run. 'You'd be staring at the actors and actresses for six or eight weeks, so you feel like you know them,' he says. 'I had no idea Blythe wanted to do music. I didn't know her well enough to know she was musical. It was a very pleasant surprise to find out. You might think Blythe coming from an acting background into music means she would be a lesser player but it's the opposite. She's as much an influence as Yvonne or I which is a nice surprise. 'She brings a totally different attitude to the performance.' The project will return Duff to Edinburgh's live stage weeks after her acclaimed turn in Wild Rose, the musical version of Glasgow writer Nicole Taylor's stirring Britflick starring Julie Walters and Jessie Buckley. With the stage show widely expected to tour (it was originally conceived as a possible opener at the refurbished Citizen's in Glasgow until date clashes scuppered the plan), Duff is likely to be back on stage alongside Sievewright and Louise McCarthy soon. 'There's no three ways about it, the singers on Wild Rose are big singers who can belt it out with extraordinary range,' she says. 'I know I'm not that so I have to find the right platform with the right songs and with people who understand I am an actress who enjoys singing.' With Lacunas Music Society, she might just have found it, finally playing the role she always wanted: the singer in a band. 'I like the fact that it seems to be a revelation for folk,' she says. 'I'm fortunate the people I have been able to be in tow with have so many things they bring to the party. The more I sing, the more folk ask me to and I'm quite enjoying that. Maybe that's an ego thing but if people are having a good time and saying it for the right reasons then I'm tickled pink. I really couldn't be happier.' Love Loss Data by Lacunas Music Society is released in September. They play Edinburgh's Traverse on June 12, Glasgow's Cottiers on June 26 and Birnam Arts, Dunkeld, on June 28.
The Herald Scotland
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Best-selling book One Day to become new Scottish musical
David Nicholls' best-selling novel, which begins and ends in the Scottish capital, will be brought to the stage of the Royal Lyceum Theatre in Edinburgh next year under plans for its latest in a series of high-profile musical adaptations. Read more: Leading Scottish playwright David Greig, the Lyceum's former artistic director, is adapting Nicholls' book, which has sold six million copies and been translated into 40 different languages to date. The novel explores the twist and turns of the friendship and eventual relationship between the two main characters, Dexter and Emma, over the course of 20 years. The story unfolds after the pair meet for the first time at their Edinburgh University graduation party and revisits their lives each year on the same July day. The Royal Lyceum Theatre in Edinburgh will launch a stage musical version of One Day in February. (Image: Will Maidwell) One Day is the first major production to be confirmed by the Lyceum since it appointed a new artistic director, James Brining, who took up his post last month. Greig was approached just over a year ago about a One Day musical by producer Simon Friend, who had spent more than a decade trying to bring an adaptation to the stage. Greig is working with American singer-songwriters Abner Ramirez and Amanda Sudano - the husband-and-wife duo who record under the name Johnnyswim - on One Day, which will initially run at the Lyceum between February and April next year. Author David Nicholls is best known for his book One Day. Picture: Supplied The show will reunite Greig with Olivier and Tony-nominated theatre director Max Webster, who recently worked on stage adaptations of Macbeth and The Importance of Being Earnest, starred David Tennant and Ncuti Gatwa respectively, as well as the award-winning adaptation of Yann Martel's novel The Life of Pi, which was produced by Simon Friend. Greig and Webster previously worked together on a musical adaptation of the children's book The Lorax and also collaborated on a new version of the Shakespearean play The Winter's Tale, which the Lyceum produced in Greig's first season at the helm. The One Day musical is being billed as 'a celebration of love, fate, and the moments that define us forever, with a soaring original score, and the warmth, wit, and raw emotion of the novel that touched millions.' Ambika Mod and Leo Woodall starred in the Netflix series based on the book One Day. Picture: Ludovic Robert/Netflix Among the highlights of Greig's time as artistic director at the Lyceum was an adaptation of writer-director Bill Forsyth's classic Scottish film comedy Local Hero. Greig's previously adapted Alasdair Gray's novel Lanark, the Greek tragedy The Bacchae and Roald Dahl's classic children's book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory for the stage. Greig said: 'I was initially approached around this time last year by Simon, who had the rights to do a One Day stage adaptation. He had previously worked with Max and also knew James (Brining) very well from his time at the Leeds Playhouse. 'I felt that One Day was a very Edinburgh story. They needed somewhere to develop the adaptation. We had already done Local Hero and were doing Wild Rose. I felt that One Day would really work in Edinburgh and it would be a lovely musical for the Lyceum to do next. I felt it could be a real win for everybody. 'It has all worked out very well, we're all really thrilled that it's going to be happening at the Lyceum and we really hope we can pull it off.' Greig's final show at the helm of the Lyceum was a musical adaptation of the hit Scottish feature film Wild Rose, about a troubled country singer dreaming of a new life in Nashville. Nicole Taylor, who wrote both the screenplay and stage adaptation of Wild Rose, was also the lead writer of the One Day series. Greig said: 'The One Day series was a phenomenon when it came out, but I didn't watch it. It hadn't long been out when I got the musical gig, so I wanted to be careful that I didn't copy anything. I'm convinced I will adore the series because I adore Nicole's writing, but I felt I needed to keep a bit of distance to keep my mind clear. 'The strange coincidence over the last year was at the same time Nicole was coming to me for advice about how to write a stage musical and I have been going to her for advice about how to write a stage version of One Day.' Greig can trace his One Day roots back to when he and Nicholls studied drama together at Bristol University in the 1980s and both in a student production at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 1988. The production of the 17th century tragedy Sejanus His Fall, was directed by Matthew Warchus, who would go on to replace Kevin Spacey as artistic director of The Old Vic theatre in London. Nicholls' time in Edinburgh that summer is said to have inspired the author to write the book, which opens in 1988. He said: 'We performed in the Fringe play in the room on the top floor of a venue on Chambers Street. There were eight of us on stage dressed in our underwear. I've no idea why, but I guess it sold tickets. I think that is when David fell in love with Edinburgh. 'It has felt strangely fated that I would not only get the chance to work on a story with which I've felt a kind of closeness, but also be able to celebrate the Edinburgh-ness of the story and open it at the Lyceum. 'A musical is a chance to reinvent and think about something in a different way. You have to sort of find a logic for its existence. There was something for me about One Day being rooted in the Edinburgh moment when Emma and Dexter meet, but also its ending, on Arthur's Seat.' Greig said he had jumped at the chance to adapt a book which he had 'adored' when he read it, but admitted its episodic structure made it 'tricky' to bring to the stage. He said: 'One of the absolute joys of the book is how it approaches time passing, how it affects us and shapes us, and how were sort of the same people but also totally different as we age. 'David hit on an absolute truth, which is that time is a character in our lives. When I read One Day I totally knew who Dexter and Emma were and what they were experiencing. There is something really lovely about being able to explore that in real-time on stage. 'David writes about romance and love as we experience it in our real lives. It is deeper, stranger and harder.' Greig said both Sudano and Ramirez, who began writing songs together after meeting in Nashville more than 20 years ago, have been 'obsessed' with One Day since they both read the book. He said: 'Abner and Amanda have been one of the huge energies behind the musical happening. They feel the story is very close to them. Their songs are bringing honestly, vulnerability, beauty and heart to the show, which is allowing me as the writer to let the dialogue be as a dry and ironic as it is in the original book. 'Hopefully the show will have everything people want from it. It won't be sloppily sentimental because the book isn't sloppily sentimental, but it will have real emotion.'
Yahoo
04-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
We need a return to civility and respect in politics. Here's how we get there
Whether you're a child of the '80s or not, you've likely seen the images: Republican President Ronald Reagan smiling with his arm around Democratic Speaker of the House Tip O'Neill. They disagreed often — even vehemently. But there was respect at the heart of their relationship. The way our elected leaders talk to one another in public has changed dramatically: bitter partisanship, public name-calling, villainization of political opponents. The practice of building and maintaining relationships, regardless of political beliefs, has deteriorated. Civil discourse is no longer a priority, and we are worse for it. As citizens, we follow the example of our elected officials. We shout. We cancel. We unfriend. We've been taught not to talk about religion or politics, so we have zero practice discussing difficult topics with genuine respect and curiosity. The result is a deeply fractured culture that mistrusts people with different points of view. We can't agree on how to advance or even operate the very institutions we rely on to keep us safe, healthy and prosperous. Forty-five years ago, a group of young Texans from business, professional and academic circles came together to convene the various segments of the state in a nonpartisan, nonpolitical and non-adversarial setting to address the problems confronting Texas. The result: The Texas Lyceum. Today, the Lyceum endures and brings together Texans across political ideology, identity, geography and sector. Earlier this year the Lyceum launched a Campaign for Civility calling on elected officials at the local, state and federal levels to adopt core values that have stood the test of time; principles that are the cornerstone of our democracy: • To engage in civil discourse on critical public policy issues facing our communities. • To seek to understand before being understood. • And to exercise the ability to disagree without being disagreeable. The annual Texas Lyceum Poll, which was released this past week, shows that Texans are ready for this campaign: • 69% of survey respondents believe it is possible for people to disagree about politics respectfully and that nasty exchanges are avoidable. • Elected officials were cited by the poll respondents as the entity most responsible for causing divisions among Americans (42%). More so than social media (28%), cable news channels (13%) and other countries (4%). This Campaign for Civility is a call to all Texans — and especially elected leaders — to model the art of listening, understanding and engaging to find solutions. Here are some tactics to consider: • Befriend people across the political spectrum and engage with them on the issues you care about. • Remind yourself of our shared values. It's easy to perceive the other side as the enemy, when in reality, most Republicans and Democrats strongly agree on the importance of most values. • Be willing to acknowledge points of agreement. When engaging with people you disagree with, acknowledge where there's overlap. • Diversify your media diet with media sources from the right and the left, plus both local and national outlets. Your political opponent is not your enemy. There must always be room for diverse perspectives. But how we argue matters as much as what we argue. Relationships must always transcend political lines, and that happens when we care more about the person than their politics. We have an opportunity to rededicate ourselves to the traditions of civility, respect and the enduring quest to give the best version of ourselves back to our great state and move our country forward. Crayton Webb is president of The Texas Lyceum and CEO of Sunwest Communications in Dallas. Danielle Rugoff is a director of The Texas Lyceum, vice president of its Campaign for Civility and founder and CEO of Purple Lexicon. This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: We need a return to civility. Here's how we get there | Opinion
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Fewer Texans see immigration as helping the U.S., poll finds
Compared to 2017, more Texans see immigration as harmful and want undocumented immigrants deported, according to a poll released Tuesday by the Texas Lyceum, a nonpartisan leadership training group. Immigration was the top issue facing Texas, survey respondents said — though they reported mixed views on specific impacts. Rising prices and border security were a close second and third, according to the Lyceum's annual poll, which collected responses from 1,200 adults in the Lone Star State, about 69% of them registered voters. Texans were evenly split, at 32% each, on whether immigration helps the United States more than it hurts, or hurts more than it helps. Another 30% said it was a little bit of both. Those views have shifted sharply since 2017, when 62% of respondents said immigration helps more than it hurts. Twenty-seven percent said it hurts more than it helps that year, and just 6% said a little bit of both. This year, a significantly higher portion of people, 68%, said they believed President Trump would deport undocumented immigrants compared to 2017, when 50% said that would happen, according to the poll. In the poll, 44% said they want him to do so — up from 31% in 2017. And while 29% of those who responded said they were extremely concerned with illegal immigration, 63% also said they believed undocumented immigrants fill jobs American citizens don't want. When it comes to personal finances, meanwhile, 41% of respondents said they were worse off than a year ago, and another 36% said their situation was the same. Just 23% said they were better off. The Lyceum also polled people on how well they felt they were being represented: 55% approved of Gov. Greg Abbott's job performance, up from 49% last year. Both Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Attorney General Ken Paxton — who is running for a U.S. Senate seat — earned 42% approval, while 46% of Texans polls approved of how well of a job the state legislature is doing. Disclosure: Texas Lyceum has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here. The poll was conducted from March 28 to April 4, via phone and the internet. The overall margin of error was 3 percentage points. And while Texans were split on many issues, there was at least one statement that drew a majority of support: 68% said they would rather see their political leaders compromise and find middle ground on key issues, rather than stand their ground. Tickets are on sale now for the 15th annual Texas Tribune Festival, Texas' breakout ideas and politics event happening Nov. 13–15 in downtown Austin. Get tickets before May 1 and save big! TribFest 2025 is presented by JPMorganChase.
