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Scotsman
16 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
The best EIF dance - Scotsman critic Kelly Apter previews the 2025 programme
Scotsman critic Kelly Apter on the dance highlights in this year's Edinburgh International Festival programme Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The Dan Daw Show Despite focusing on pain, shame and humiliation, there is a surprising amount of joy to be found in The Dan Daw Show. This acclaimed two-hander charts Daw's experience of living with cerebral palsy. Years of being told by doctors that his body was 'wrong', and of being taunted in the street with cruel slurs or patronising comments, have led to this 90 minutes of glorious empowerment. Fellow dancer Christopher Owen may seem to be in charge, as he carries out various dominant acts on Daw's body(see picture, right). But we are never left in any doubt that Daw is in complete control, in this funny, touching, occasionally challenging and highly entertaining show. The Lyceum, 2-4 August The Dan Daw Show Dance People The theme for this year's Edinburgh International Festival may be 'The truth we seek', but within the dance programme it could just as easily be collaboration, as all five pieces are born out of a creative coming together of two or more entities. Dance People is collaboration writ large, with the entire audience invited to take part. Founded in Beirut and now based in Lyon, Maqamat dance company is the brainchild of Omar Rajeh. He co-choreographed Dance People with Mia Habis, forging relationships with composers, architects, writers, activists and citizens along the way, and all of these people have helped shape what Rajeh terms a 'non-conventional performance gathering'. Exploring ideas of space – how it is used, how it is distributed – this world premiere is activism through art, and an exciting opportunity for us to use our bodies to have our voices heard. Old College Quad, 7-10 August Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Mary Queen of Scots Mary, Queen of Scots The relationship between Mary Queen of Scots and England's Queen Elizabeth I is a long-running source of fascination, and so much excitement surrounds Scottish Ballet's upcoming world premiere, Mary, Queen of Scots. Choreographer Sophie Laplane has created some great works for the company in the past (Dextera, Maze, Oxymore), and her collaboration with director James Bonas (who also worked on Scottish Ballet's production of The Crucible) is a hugely promising prospect. Festival Theatre, 15-17 August Breaking Bach
The National
2 days ago
- Business
- The National
Hedge fund boss buys Scottish island as last 2 residents leave
Fior Rona Ltd, a company set up by hedge fund manager Danny Luhde-Thompson and his wife Cressida Pollock last month, has bought the Isle of Rona in a private exchange with the previous owner. Found between Skye and Raasay, Rona is home to settlements along with deer and is covered in knee-deep scrub and bogs, which cover the 2400 acres of rocky landscape. The island also boasts a vast variety of marine life ranging from minke whales to sea eagles, and is surrounded by other islets, including Eilean Seamraig, Garbh Eilean which is connected to Rona at low tide, Sgeirean Buidhe Bhorlum, and A' Sgeir Shuas READ MORE: 10,000-acre Highland juniper forest gains special European status in UK-first Luhde-Thompson, who is a prominent financial backer of the Labour Party, announced the purchase of the island from a Danish couple Dorte and Arne Jensen, who bought Rona in 1992 for a sum just short of £250,000. The sale of the island coincided with the retirement of the last two residents of the island, as the couple Bill Cowie and Lorraine Shill have decided to leave after moving there in the early 2000s. The pair have worked as custodians of Rona for more than two decades after they moved there in 2002 but said the time is right to move on this Autumn. Speaking to the Scotsman 69-year-old Cowie said the mood still feels 'business as usual' on the island as he said: 'When we finally set sail out the harbour, that's going to be when we feel it after being here all these years,' he said. 'It's not just been a job living and working here. It's been part of our life for the last 23 years. 'But things move on and it's time for us to move on. We have reached a stage where age is against us and we can't do more of what it takes to run a place like Rona. 'We will miss the views.' Rona's natural beauty has remained mostly unchanged despite the booming tourism trade of its neighbouring islands like Skye, as it only has two holiday cottages, a lodge, a bothy, and a separate home built for the couple to live in. There is also a small museum which was constructed out of a ruin at a settlement site and some abandoned Ministry of Defence buildings to the north of the island. (Image: PR) There are no roads and no shops, but a venison larder and butchery have recently been built by Cowie, who has managed the red deer herd. A spokesperson for Ltd Adam Crookshank told the Scotsman: 'The island of Rona has been purchased by Fior Rona Ltd who will look to carry on the excellent work of the previous owners and custodians and will try to ensure that the natural heritage, including the island itself and the marine environment that surrounds it, continues to thrive under their custodianship. 'This will include carrying out baseline surveys to understand the current state of biodiversity and allow for the development of a considered plan to further protect and restore the natural habitats, and to measure progress over time.'
Scotsman
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
The best EIF opera - Scotsman critic Ken Walton previews the 2025 programme
Scotsman critic Ken Walton picks his opera highlights from this year's EIF programme Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Book of Mountains and Seas Complementing Circa's unconventional take on Gluck's Orpheus and Eurydice is the UK premiere of Book of Mountains and Seas, a meditative reimagining by American-based Chinese composer Huang Ruo and Olivier Award-winning director and puppeteer Basil Twist of ancient Chinese myths dating from the fourth century BC. Conceived in 2021, originally as a vocal theatre piece for Paul Hillier and his ensemble Ars Nova Copenhagen, the work's Chinese texts tackle geological symbolism, elaborate monsters, philosophical and religious truths: in broader terms the relationship between humankind and the planet we occupy and our collective responsibility as caretakers of nature. Ruo's music draws inspiration from Chinese folk music and Western modernism, sung in Mandarin and fictional language by Ars Nova Copenhagen with two percussionists. Twist's puppetry has been described as 'iconic and visionary.' The Wall Street Journal hailed Book of Mountains and Seas as 'an immersive tapestry of sound and image'. The Lyceum, 14-16 August Book of Mountains and Seas Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Puccini's Suor Angelica Normally you'd find Puccini's Suor Angelica presented as the centrepiece of his operatic triptych Il trittico, with Il tabarro and Gianni Schicchi either side. Here, though, this tragic nun's tale (thus the all-female cast) is presented as an operatic entity in a concert that is also part of the London Symphony Orchestra's 2025 Festival residency. The big attraction, of course, is the man on the podium, Sir Antonio Pappano, now the LSO's chief conductor, formerly music director of the Royal Opera House. He's joined by a cast led by Armenian soprano Mané Galoyan (Suor Angelica) and Ukrainian mezzo Kseniia Nikolaieva (Principessa), supported by the Edinburgh Festival Chorus and RSNO Youth Chorus. The opera performance is prefaced by two orchestra pieces: Puccini's Preludio sinfonico and Victor de Sabata's symphonic poem Juventus (which is nothing to do with football). Usher Hall, 16 August Sir Antonio Pappano Mozart's La clemenza di Tito Now in its third year, Maxim Emelyanychev and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra's run of Mozart operas-in-concert is now one of the Festival's must-see events. This year they tackle the composer's last opera seria, La clemenza di Tito, which Mozart completed during a strategic break (money being the motive) from writing his final opera Die Zauberflöte. Going on previous form, Emelyanychev will find the kind of elemental dynamism guaranteed to give this slightly flawed work a run for its money. The cast is promising in itself, with the critically-acclaimed Italian tenor Giovanni Sala in the title role, American mezzo soprano Angela Brower in what was originally the castrato role of Sesto, multiple prize-winning Irish mezzo Tara Erraught as Vitlellia, Dutch mezzo Maria Warenberg as Annio and Italian bass-baritone Ildebrando D'Arcangelo as Publio. With the SCO and its red-hot chorus centred prominently on stage, the audience can expect a powerhouse performance. Usher Hall, 9 August
Scotsman
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
QMU delivers an encore of Fringe support with second year of Festival Village and awards sponsorship
Queen Margaret University (QMU), Edinburgh is once again stepping up to support the creative community during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, offering affordable accommodation to festival participants and co-sponsoring the Scotsman's prestigious Fringe First awards. Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Building on the success of last year's initiative, QMU will provide low-cost accommodation and rehearsal space to hundreds of performers, writers, directors and producers throughout August 2025. The University's Festival Village offers a welcoming, community-driven base for artists from around the world, helping to ease the financial pressures of participating in the world's largest arts festival. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad With capacity to host over 250 performers at its Musselburgh campus, which is in close proximity to Edinburgh city centre, the QMU Festival Village includes comfortable rooms, rehearsal facilities, social spaces, and access to catering and amenities - at well below market rates. This year, demand has once again been high, demonstrating the ongoing need for affordable, supportive infrastructure for the performing arts sector. Performers at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Rachel Athey, Head of Commercial Services at QMU, said: 'The Edinburgh Fringe is such a vibrant and important part of Scotland's cultural identity, and we want to support emerging talent by offering affordable, flexible accommodation during August. In line with the Fringe Society's focus on helping artists maintain their mental health during the Fringe, QMU's beautiful campus offers a haven of tranquillity - away from the hustle and bustle of the city centre, but only six-minutes away from Edinburgh by train. "After the success of last year, it's clear there's a real need for this kind of initiative - and we're proud to play our part in making the Fringe more accessible, inclusive, and sustainable for artists. We're looking forward to once again welcome performers from around the world to our Festival Village.' This year, QMU will also return as a co-sponsor of the Scotsman Fringe First awards alongside Stagecoach. First launched in 1973, the awards celebrate outstanding new writing premiered at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The awards have long been a launchpad for new talent, with previous winners including Rowan Atkinson and Stephen Fry. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad As part of the renewed partnership with the Scotsman, four QMU students will also gain hands-on experience in arts journalism and digital media production through internships with the newspaper during the festival. The students will support the Scotsman's arts coverage - from producing red-carpet-style interviews with Fringe First award winners to assisting arts correspondent, Jane Bradley, with her daily Fringe video diary. The students include Quinn Lorimer and Vanida Ashell Fernandes - BA (Hons) Film and Media students - and Arran Donnelly and Simra Aslam - BA (Hons) Theatre and Film students - all of whom are bringing fresh energy and perspectives to one of the world's most exciting cultural events. QMU's continued involvement in the Fringe aligns with its broader mission to support Scotland's creative economy and nurture emerging talent. The University offers courses in performance, drama, film, media, and arts management - producing graduates who regularly participate in and contribute to the festival - and is home to a vibrant community of practitioners and academics in the performing arts and cultural sector.
Edinburgh Reporter
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Edinburgh Reporter
Queen Margaret University opens Festival Village for second year
QMU has a rehearsal space for performers, writers directors and producers which is open during the whole month of August. The university set this space up last year and are now building on the success to offer a welcoming community driven base for artists. The university has space in its Festival Village for 250 artists at the Musselburgh campus which has good transport links to the city centre. There are comfortable rooms all at a reduced market rate. This year demand has again been high. Rachel Athey, Head of Commercial Services at QMU, said: 'The Edinburgh Fringe is such a vibrant and important part of Scotland's cultural identity, and we want to support emerging talent by offering affordable, flexible accommodation during August. In line with the Fringe Society's focus on helping artists maintain their mental health during the Fringe, QMU's beautiful campus offers a haven of tranquillity – away from the hustle and bustle of the city centre, but only six-minutes away from Edinburgh by train. After the success of last year, it's clear there's a real need for this kind of initiative – and we're proud to play our part in making the Fringe more accessible, inclusive, and sustainable for artists. We're looking forward to once again welcome performers from around the world to our Festival Village.' This year, QMU will also return as a co-sponsor of the Scotsman Fringe First awards alongside Stagecoach. First launched in 1973, the awards celebrate outstanding new writing premiered at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The awards have long been a launchpad for new talent, with previous winners including Rowan Atkinson and Stephen Fry. As part of the renewed partnership with the Scotsman, four QMU students will also gain hands-on experience in arts journalism and digital media production through internships with the newspaper during the festival. The students will support the Scotsman's arts coverage – from producing red-carpet-style interviews with Fringe First award winners to assisting arts correspondent, Jane Bradley, with her daily Fringe video diary. The students include Quinn Lorimer and Vanida Ashell Fernandes – BA (Hons) Film and Media students – and Arran Donnelly and Simra Aslam – BA (Hons) Theatre and Film students – all of whom are bringing fresh energy and perspectives to one of the world's most exciting cultural events. QMU's continued involvement in the Fringe aligns with its broader mission to support Scotland's creative economy and nurture emerging talent. The University offers courses in performance, drama, film, media, and arts management – producing graduates who regularly participate in and contribute to the festival – and is home to a vibrant community of practitioners and academics in the performing arts and cultural sector. Sir Paul Grice, Principal of QMU, said: 'As a university, we are committed to supporting the future of performance, storytelling, creativity, accessibility, and opportunity – values that lie at the heart of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Through initiatives like our Festival Village and our continued sponsorship of the Fringe First awards, we are proud to help nurture the next generation of creative talent. These projects reflect QMU's wider mission to champion the arts, contribute to Scotland's cultural economy, and ensure that the magic of the Fringe is open to all.' Like this: Like Related
