A bumper selection this week, with everything from Italian films to Fairtrade breakfasts, International Women’s Day and the Wee Dub Festival.
Did you know that Pugwash was an international conference on science and world affairs – and not just a comic strip pirate? Me neither!
If you’d like to find out more, take a look at Thursday’s listings. Please remember to check details with organisers before setting out to any event.
MONDAY 29th FEBRUARY 2016
True Pilgrim: For Andy Hunter. A storytelling tribute to Andy Hunter, led by Donald Smith. Why are journeys always at the heart of stories? And why was Andy – with Donald – so committed to completing Pilgrim Guide to Scotland? Enjoy an evening of celebration and reflection, and lift a Quaich in honour of a fine storyteller and human being – a true pilgrim. Also featuring David Campbell, Bea Ferguson and Anne Hunter. 7.30pm, Netherbow Theatre, Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43-45 High Street. Tickets cost £6/£4 and may be purchased from the Box Office in person, by calling 0131 556 9579 or online here.
Fairtrade Fortnight starts today! This year’s theme is Sit down for breakfast, stand up for farmers – Martin Luther King famously said: ‘Before you finish eating breakfast in the morning, you’ve depended on more than half the world’, yet despite our dependence on farmers and workers for the foods, drinks and products that we love, millions of people across our world are still badly undernourished and desperately poor. There are lots of great events taking place throughout the city during Fairtrade Fortnight – support them and help to challenge the scandalous inequalities of unfair trade practices; read our article to find out more about what’s going on near you, and check Edinburgh Fairtrade City’s Facebook page for more updates.
Picturehouses Toddler Time: exclusive short screenings for pre-school children and their parents and carers. Today: Q Pootle 5 Programme 9 (U). Join the stars of Nick Butterworth’s hit CBeebies show as Q Pootle 5, Oopsy, Eddi, Stella, Ray, Groobie, Bud-D and Planet Dave tackle the everyday problems of the final frontier. With friendship at the heart of the series, Q Pootle 5 and his friends find fun and adventure wherever they go. 11am, Cameo, Home Street. Tickets cost £3 per child, accompanying adult free.
Waterstones West End: An Evening with Jasmine and Melissa Hemsley. Jasmine and Melissa, authors of The Art of Eating Well and new follow up Good + Simple, will discuss their nutritious yet delicious recipes using affordable ingredients and give advice on ways we can all live healthier and happier lifestyles; they will also answer audience questions and sign copies of their books. 7pm, Ghillie Dhu, 2 Rutland Street. Tickets cost £5 and are available from Waterstones here. For more information please call the shop on 0131 226 2666.
Live at the Café: every Monday Cabaret Voltaire gives an up and coming DJ a chance to get their foot in the door whilst also bringing in the top DJs in Edinburgh to ensure nothing but the best tracks are being played. Tonight in the Café: a late night bar set from Daniel Murphy. Bar open from 5pm, DJ set 10pm-3am, Cabaret Voltaire, Blair Street.
For Crying Out Loud: screenings for parents and carers and their babies under the age of 12 months. (Maximum of two adults per baby). Babychanging, bottle-warming and buggy parking facilities are available. Today’s film is Roman Holiday (U), starring Audrey Hepburn, Gregory Peck and Eddie Albert – for full details of this film, which forms part of Filmhouse’s Hollywood Blacklist programme, see Tuesday 1st March listing. 11am, Filmhouse, Lothian Road. Tickets cost £4.50/£3.
Southside Heritage Group: the group has been promoting the local history and architectural history of the South Side of Edinburgh since the 1990s. If you would like to join, just drop in to a meeting. 1.30-3.30pm, Southside Community Centre, Nicolson Street. £1.50 per session + membership of the Centre (£5 per year). For more information please contact the Centre on 0131 667 0484.
The Skylark Kids’ Movie: this week Azur and Asmar. Once upon a time there were two children nursed by the same woman; Azur, a blonde, blue-eyed son of a noblewoman and Asmar, the dark skinned and dark-eyed child of the nurse. As children they fight and love each other as brothers do; as grown ups, they become rivals when Azur is being haunted by memories of the legendary Djinn-fairy, and takes it upon himself to journey all the way to Asmar’s homeland to seek it out. Asmar also longs to find the Djinn-fairy, and only one of the two youths can be successful in the quest. 3.45pm, The Skylark, 241/243 Portobello High Street.
LGBT Health: Flirting. An informal session helping you to work out whether someone’s giving you the ‘come on’ or just being friendly. Get tips on how to send out the right signals to someone you are attracted to, and practice your skills in a fun, safe and supportive environment. 6.30-7.30pm (within weekly Drop-in, which runs 5.30-8pm), LGBT Health & Wellbeing, 9 Howe Street. For more information please contact George Burrows at george@lgbthealth.org.uk or by calling 0131 652 3281.
Grassmarket Picture House: The Human Stain (18). Coleman Silk (Anthony Hopkins) is a worldly and admired professor who loses his job after unwittingly making a racial slur. To clear his name, Silk writes a book about the events with his friend and colleague Nathan Zuckerman (Gary Sinise), who in the process discovers a dark secret Silk has hidden his whole life. All the while, Silk engages in an affair with Faunia Farley (Nicole Kidman), a younger woman whose tormented past threatens to unravel the layers of deception Silk has constructed. Based on Phillip Roth’s ‘angry, ungainly squall of a book, a clamorous defence of sexual vitality in an age of Puritan censoriousness and a lyrical inquiry into the mysteries of race, old age and recent American history’. 7pm, Grassmarket Community Project, 86 Candlemaker Row. All welcome, free admission: donations very welcome! The Grassmarket Community Project is a charity providing mentoring, training and education to participants, many of whom are amongst the most vulnerable of Edinburgh’s citizens, in a nurturing environment. It operates a community cafe, woodwork and tartan social enterprises, and a range of social integration and educational activities for members, aimed at enhancing life skills and developing confidence. To read about The Edinburgh Reporter’s afternoon at the Project, click here.
Modern Scottish Women Poets: the Modern Scottish Women exhibition (Modern TWO until 26th June) recovers from the margins of art history women who played an important part in Scottish art. Did women poets suffer the same fate? In this talk Susan Mansfield, writer and journalist, offers a chance to hear the stories of known, and lesser known, Scottish women writers, and enjoy their words. 12.45-1.30pm, Hawthornden Lecture Theatre. Scottish National Gallery, The Mound. Free and unticketed. Part of the Audacious Women Festival.
Write, Shoot, Cut: presented by Screen Education Edinburgh in partnership with Filmhouse and now in its fourth year, the Write Shoot Cut platform is dedicated to celebrating and showcasing independent short films from Scotland. At Write Shoot Cut you get the chance to become actively involved in the scene; if you are a filmmaker, or someone with an interest in Scottish film and a desire to see something out of the ordinary, then this is an excellent opportunity to connect with like-minded people, watch some great films, network afterwards in the bar and meet potential collaborators. Tonight’s films are: Nicholas Afchain’s Party On, Christopher Cook’s Black Night Broken, White Morning Woken, R Paul Wilson’s The Magic Box and Siri Rodnes Asking for It. 6.20pm, Filmhouse, Lothian Road. Tickets cost £6/£5 may be purchased from the Box Office in person, by calling 0131 228 2688 or online.
The Cramond Association: These Magnificent Men and their Flying Machines. Leonard Hart of the Aircraft Preservation Society will talk on the rebuilding of a Sopwith Strutter from scratch. 7.30pm, Millennium Room, Cramond Kirk Hall, Cramond Glebe Road. The Cramond Association is a thriving local community association dedicated to looking after the special nature of Cramond, Barnton and Cammo. It seeks to encourage people to take an interest in the area and to ensure the preservation, sound development and improvement of its features; it also plays a role in safeguarding and forwarding local planning issues. The Association runs a programme of monthly talks and social events and also has a History section running its own programme of talks with interesting speakers. Everyone is welcome to the meetings. Image: Proctor Enterprises.
‘Bye Bye, We Love You’: The Filmhouse pays tribute to The Thin White Duke; to Ziggy Stardust; to the mesmerising, transformative and unforgettable David Bowie. While his musicianship and iconic personas have left an incomparable legacy, his appearances on the big screen were sporadic, diverse and often quite astonishing. The Filmhouse staff have selected three of their favourite Bowie films; tonight: Labyrinth (U). Jennifer Connelly plays Sarah, a young girl who must travel through the Labyrinth to save her baby brother from the Goblin King (Bowie). Full of Jim Henson’s Creature Shop’s typically imaginative creature design, the film’s eye-popping sets, including the MC Escher-inspired castle, create a wholly believable world existing just behind the facade of reality. 6pm, Filmhouse, Lothian Road. Tickets may be purchased from the Box Office in person, by calling 0131 228 2688 or online. The next film will be Ziggy Stardust & The Spiders From Mars (PG), showing on Thursday 3rd March: ‘sit right down and await the gift of sound and vision…’
Fickle Friends + Monogram + Indigo Velvet. Fickle Friends’ upbeat summertime synth-pop has made them a firm festival favourite. This year they embark upon their first UK headline tour and will be releasing their debut EP Velvet. They are supported tonight by Glasgow-based post-pop band Monogram and Edinburgh tropical pop quartet Indigo Velvet. Over 14s only: under 16s must be accompanied by an adult. 7pm, Electric Circus, Market Street. Tickets cost £7 and may be purchased from Beyond Highlands here or on the door, sta.
Picturehouses Culture Shock: the best in cult and genre films. This week – Fargo & The Big Lebowski Double Bill (18): two celebrated films from Joel & Ethan Coen. 8.30pm, Cameo, Home Street. Tickets may be purchased from the Box Office in person, by calling 0871 902 5723 or online.
TUESDAY 1ST MARCH 2016
Making Bad Entertainment: The UNTITLED Project and Exhibition. The NGS Outreach Team, Robin Baillie and Richie Cumming, explain how the ‘next generation’ of young people adapted the techniques of the artists who featured in the 2014 nationwide GENERATION; 25 Years of Contemporary Art in Scotland exhibition to create their own art. 12.45-1.30pm, Scottish National Portrait Gallery, 1 Queen Street. Free and unticketed. Image: The Untitled: Alloa Participants Face the Future 2015.
Bookbug: for children aged 0-4 and their parents and carers. 10.30am today and every first and third Tuesday of the month, Stockbridge Library, Hamilton Place. All welcome: free.
Lunchtime Concert: A Miscellany of Scots Song. Frances Cooper (soprano), John Kitchen (piano) Roanna Tait (violin) and Katie Johnston (cello) perform arrangements of Burns songs by Stuart Murray Mitchell and other Scottish song arrangements by Beethoven, Haydn, Liddell and MacMillan. 1.10pm, City of Edinburgh Methodist Church, Nicolson Square. Free.
Terrorists in Long Dresses: the Scottish Suffragettes. Fanny Parker planted a bomb at Rabbie Burns’s cottage in Alloway. Arabella Scott tried to burn down Kelso’s racecourse stand. Frances Gordon set fire to a Rutherglen mansion. Maude Edwards stuck a hatchet in the King’s portrait in Edinburgh. These suffragettes were force-fed in jail while on hunger strike. With BBC Arts producer Serena Field, Ajay Close discusses the real people behind her novel A Petrol Scented Spring. 6pm, National Library of Scotland, George IV Bridge. Free but booking is required and may be made by calling 0131 623 3734 or via eventbrite here.
Filmhouse: The Hollywood Blacklist. To tie in with screenings of Trumbo (15) Filmhouse is showing films scripted by Dalton Trumbo, (one of the ‘Hollywood Ten’ arrested for refusing to name names during the anti-Communist witchhunts which plagued postwar America) plus Martin Ritt’s darkly comic 1976 film The Front, which was inspired by the techniques that those in Trumbo’s position used to outmanoeuvre the blacklist bans. Today’s film is Roman Holiday (U): 
Audrey Hepburn became a star (and a Best Actress Oscar-winner) with this film, in which she plays Princess Ann, weary of protocol and anxious to have some fun before she is mummified by affairs of state. On a diplomatic visit to Rome, Ann escapes her royal retainers and scampers incognito through the Eternal City. She happens to meet American journalist Joe Bradley (Gregory Peck), who pretends that he doesn’t recognise her and offers to give her a guided tour of Rome. Naturally, Joe hopes to get an exclusive interview, while his photographer pal Irving (Eddie Albert) attempts to sneak a photo. And just as naturally, Joe finds himself falling in love… The Oscar-winning screenplay for this classic was co-written by Dalton Trumbo, although he was initially uncredited due to his blacklisted status. 5.55pm, Filmhouse, Lothian Road. Tickets may be purchased from the Box Office in person, by calling 0131 228 2688 or online. The Front (12A) will be screened on 2nd March;
The Jonathan Mills Lectures: A Potted History of Festivals and Festival Making: Jonathan Mills explores aspects of the complex relationships between ritual and place, habit and space that throughout history have come to define an illusive, fragile, universal phenomenon – a festival. 5.20pm, Room O17, Edinburgh College of Art Main Building, Lauriston Place. Free and open to all.
Campbell’s Ceilidh: a 21st century old style shindig at which there’s no knowing what might happen! Mairi Campbell’s easy and fun approach will facilitate harmony singing for everyone, plus offerings from Mairi and participants in song, story or poems. We may meet in step dancing or have a ceilidh dance with live fiddle – each event is unique. No experience required. 7pm, Storytelling Court, Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43-45 High Street. Tickets cost £8/£6 and may be booked in person, by calling the Box Office on 0131 556 9579 or online here.
A Second World War Empire: Soviet Architecture, Socialism and Globalisation: Dr Richard Anderson, Lecturer in Architectural History (ECA), examines how the reconstruction of Tashkent after the earthquake of 1966 that left the city in ruins produced the most complete realisation of a Soviet governmental and administrative centre of the 1960s and ‘70s. As one site within a vast architectural system, Tashkent offers an opportunity to consider the images, forms and organizational infrastructure of a global socialist architecture. 5.30pm, Evolution House, Room 2.13, Edinburgh College of Art, 78 West Port. Free. Part of the Prokalò Postgraduate ESALA seminar series.
Picturehouses Discover Tuesdays: a chance to see something different and brilliant in this weekly slot. Today’s film is Janis: Little Girl Blue (15): following her 2015’s hit Amy, Oscar-nominated documentarian Amy Berg (West Of Memphis) delivers an equally heart-rending account of the original bad-girl rock, singer Janis Joplin. Like Amy Winehouse, Joplin died aged 27 of a heroin overdose before she could fully realise her wonderful potential. Although a seasoned performer with Texas bar bands, Joplin became a star fronting San Francisco’s powerful Big Brother And The Holding Company. Berg has resuscitated rare footage of Joplin’s early days as a feisty child, her self-discovery as a folk/blues singer and her increasingly pressurised stardom. Along the way Joplin made many romantic mistakes before finally descending into hard drugs. Poignant interviews and stunning performances, including her knockout rendition of Ball And Chain at 1967’s Monterey Pop Festival, affirm her legendary status. 6pm, Cameo, Home Street. Tickets may be purchased from the Box Office in person, by calling 0871 902 5723 or online.
Blackwell’s Edinburgh Presents YA Author Rachel Caine: Rachel will be in the store to chat about the latest installment in the Morganville Vampires series, Midnight Bites, and Ink and Bone, the first book in a fantastic new series. 6.30pm, Blackwell’s, South Bridge. Free tickets may be obtained from the shop’s front desk, by calling 0131 622 8222, emailing events.edinburgh@blackwell.co.uk or via eventbrite here.
Screening Europe: a new season curated by Film Studies at the University of Edinburgh, introducing a varied selection of past and contemporary European films to celebrate and interrogate the history and aesthetics of cinema in Europe. Both members of the public and students are invited to an exciting series of introduced screenings that will chart the development of film across Europe. Tonight’s film is Eisenstein in Guanajuata (15): a preview of Peter Greenaway’s new film. Taking as his subject the revolutionary Soviet filmmaker Sergei Eisenstein and his trip to Mexico in the early 1930s, the film returns to Greenaway’s obsessions with sex, death and the artifice of cinema.This special preview screening is courtesy of Axiom Films and will be introduced by Dr David Sorfa, Senior Lecturer in Film Studies (University of Edinburgh). 6pm, Filmhouse, Lothian Road. Tickets may be purchased from the Box Office in person, by calling 0131 228 2688 or online. The next film in the series will be Jamón Jamón (18) showing on Tuesday 8th March.
Leith Folk Club: Dean Owens. Velvet-voiced Dean Owens is one of Scotland’s most acclaimed and established singer songwriters; his music has been described as Celtic Americana with a rocky pop edge, and draws a great deal from his Scottish roots, especially his home town of Leith. A gritty yet lyrical Scottish sensibility, delivered with a searingly soulful voice. Support: Meantime. 7.30pm, Victoria Park House Hotel, 221 Ferry Road. Tickets cost £8 and may be reserved by completing the online form here or texting the club’s dedicated booking line on 07502 024 852. Reserved tickets must be collected by 7.30pm on the night. Image; Di Holmes.
Morningside Heritage Association: Film Night. A screening of Geordie (U). 6.45 for 7.15pm, Morningside Parish Church Hall, 1 Braid Road/Cluny Gardens. Morningside Heritage Assocation was formed in 1982 to promote the study of the history of the Morningside area of Edinburgh. Annual membership costs £12 – please contact the Membership Secretary at memmha@gmail.com for details. If you would like to attend a meeting first, the admission fee of £3 will be deducted from your subscription if you decide to join.
Golden Hare Book Group: Spill Simmer Falter Wither by Sara Baume. In this highly acclaimed debut novel a misfit man finds a misfit dog. Ray, aged fifty-seven, ‘too old for starting over, too young for giving up’, and One Eye ‘a vicious little bugger, smaller than expected, a good ratter’; both are accustomed to being alone, unloved, outcast – but they quickly find in each other a strange companionship of sorts. As spring turns to summer, their relationship grows and intensifies, until a savage act forces them to abandon the precarious life they’d established, and take to the road. ‘Written with tremendous empathy and insight, in lyrical language that surprises and delights, this is an extraordinary and heartbreaking debut by a major new talent’. 6.30pm, Golden Hare Books, St Stephen St, Stockbridge. All welcome: for more information please call the shop on 0131 629 1396 or email mail@goldenharebooks.com. In April the group will discuss The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro.
John MacKay: Notes of a Newsman – Witness to a Changing Scotland. The STV news anchor revisits some of Scotland’s most captivating times in the last 30 years, sharing candid anecdotes from his latest book. MacKay looks back on his career and muses on the future of broadcasting in Scotland. 2-3pm, National Library of Scotland, George IV Bridge. Free but booking is required and may be made by calling 0131 623 3734 or via eventbrite here.
Southside Social Club: a tutor supported social club for the over-60s, providing interesting and entertaining talks, discussions and outings. A great way to meet new people and keep active. 1.30-3.30pm, Southside Community Centre, Nicolson Street. £1 per session + membership of the Centre (£5 per year). For more information please contact the Centre on 0131 667 0484.
Edinbal Dance Workshops: A Dance Tour of Europe. From social and energetic dances from Brittany or joyful group dances from the Basque country, to warm, exuberant Southern Italian dances or smooth couplings from France, this series will take you on a folk dance tour of Europe! Tonight: Set Dances from France. All workshops are independent from each other and are suitable for complete beginners, with a mixture of taught dances, social dancing and live music. Please wear soft shoes. 7pm, Storytelling Court, Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43-45 High Street. Tickets cost £5/£3 and may be booked in person, by calling the Box Office on 0131 556 9579 or online here. For more information please see www.edinbal.org.uk.
Filmosophy: Three Colours. This sixth season of Filmosophy focuses on Krzysztof Kieslowski’s stunning Three Colours Trilogy. The films – Blue, White, Red – which correspond to the colours of the French flag, are loosely based on the central tenets of the French Republic – liberty, equality, and fraternity. More than this, they are deeply philosophical cinematic treatises on love and loss and offer a prescient insight into the plight of present-day Europe. The films will be screened from newly restored DCPs and will be followed by an opportunity to discuss the issues raised. All films will be introduced by James Mooney, lecturer and course organiser for the University of Edinburgh’s Short Courses programme. Today’s film is Three Colurs: Blue/ Trois Coleurs: Bleu (15) (In French, Romanian and Polish with English subtitles): failing to find the courage to commit suicide after her husband and infant daughter die in a car crash, Julie (Juliette Binoche) decides to build a new, anonymous, and independent life, but she soons finds that freedom is not as easy to achieve as she had hoped. ‘Kieslowski’s film is an arresting study of notions of individual freedom in the modern world’. 6pm, Filmhouse, Lothian Road. Tickets may be purchased from the Box Office in person, by calling 0131 228 2688 or online. The next film in the series will be Three Colours: White/Trois couleurs: Blanc (15) on Wednesday 6th April.
Bi and Beyond Edinburgh: a fortnightly social gathering for people who identify as bisexual and non-monosexual. With organised social activities and refreshments provided, whatever your label or lack of label we welcome you. 7-9pm, LGBT Health & Wellbeing, 9 Howe Street. For more information please contact biandbeyondedinburgh@gmail.com.
The Scottish Gallery: New Exhibitions. (1) Distilled Tone: an exhibition co-curated by Scottish contemporary tapestry weaver Sara Brennan encompassing tapestry, jewellery, silversmithing, ceramics, furniture and glass. Distilled Tone includes new work by Sara Brennan and eleven other artists; it will explore colour, tone and material, showcasing both national and international work. (2) Diana Leslie: A Small Town. A sensitive collection of works based on Kirkwall and Stromness; the town where Leslie grew up and the town where she currently lives. It is her deep sense of belonging that allows Leslie to create these intimate, honest depictions of the Orcadian townscape & community. (3) Sir Robin Philipson: 100: A Centenary Exhibition. A major retrospective of the artist in the centenary year of his birth. Philipson was a significant and influential presence on the Scottish art scene for more than three decades, and was closely associated with other Edinburgh School figures such as Anne Redpath and William Gillies. He had numerous commitments throughout his life, including Head of School of Drawing and Painting at Edinburgh College of Art and eventually President of the Royal Scottish Academy, a post he held from 1973-1983. He was, above all, a practising painter, who, in spite of the demands upon him was still able to produce a distinguished, challenging and wholly original body of work. 10am-6pm Monday to Friday, 10am-4pm Saturdays, The Scottish Gallery, 16 Dundas Street. All exhibitions close 30th March 2016.
Black People in Russia: An Evening with TV Journalist Yelena Khanga. Possibly the most recognisable face of black Russia, Yelena Khanga has epitomised the liberal wave that swept Russian television in the 1990s. As a host of a popular chat show about sex Pro Eto (About That) she has opened a new chapter in both Russian journalism and the country’s tumultuous history of race relations. She is the daughter of Lily Golden, the prominent African-American social activist, and an author of the critically-acclaimed book Soul to Soul: A Black Russian-American Family 1865-1992. Yelena Khanga is coming to Edinburgh as part of a series of joint events between the Princess Dashkova Russian Centre and Calvert 22 Foundation for a conversation about her life and career as a black journalist in the Soviet Union, the United States and modern Russia. 6pm, David Hume Tower, Lecture Theatre B, University of Edinburgh, George Square. Free tickets are available from eventbrite here. See also Things Fall Apart on Friday 4th March, Mark Nash’s presentation about the Calvert 22 Foundation’s London exhibition.
Filmhouse: The Hollywood Blacklist. To tie in with screenings of Trumbo (15) Filmhouse shows Martin Ritt’s darkly comic 1976 film The Front, which was inspired by the techniques used in films scripted by Dalton Trumbo (one of the ‘Hollywood Ten’ arrested for refusing to name names during the anti-Communist witchhunts which plagued postwar America) and other blacklisted writers to outmanoeuvre the blacklist bans. McCarthyism and Hollywood blacklisting is tackled by a number of the artists directly affected in this story of a small-time 1950s bookie who poses as a screenwriter to sell his friends’ works. 
He is The Front. Howard Prince (Woody Allen) is a struggling cashier/bookie in New York City whose blacklisted writer friend (Michael Murphy) comes to him for help. Upon agreeing to be named as the author of his TV scripts, he becomes a popular pseudonym for a number of other writers, and quickly becomes hot property with producers and editors… Featuring a director, screenwriter (Walter Bernstein) and performers (Zero Mostel, Herschel Bernardi, Lloyd Gough) who had themselves been listed, The Front is a fascinating personal project that features scenes and themes based on actual events from one of the darkest periods of American cultural history. 8.45pm, Filmhouse, Lothian Road. Tickets may be purchased from the Box Office in person, by calling 0131 228 2688 or online. Also showing at 3.45pm on Thursday 3rd March.
The Italian Play Society Proudly Presents Non Si Paga, Non Si Paga! (Can’t Pay, Won’t Pay!) (Performed in Italian). Known for mixing sharp political satire with wacky social farce, playwright Dario Fo is one of the most influential playwrights and performers in contemporary Italian theatre; he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1997. If stealing is objectionable in a society, is it not equally wrong to let the cost of living raise beyond people’s ability to pay? One of Fo’s most hilarious social farces Non Si Paga, Non Si Paga! centres on this challenging ethical question and the original backlash of two frustrated Italian housewives against skyrocketing prices, economic crisis and job redundancies. 7.30pm (doors open 7.15pm), Assembly Roxy, Roxburgh Place. Tickets cost £6/£5 and may be reserved in advance by emailing dariofoedin2016@gmail.com. Also at same time on Thursday 3rd March.
Campbell Normand Trio with Special Guest John Hunt: the swinging pianist always delivers a hugely enjoyable set – and tonight will be no exception – with rock-solid backing from bassist Ed Kelly and drummer Bill Kyle, plus a very special contribution from swing/blues vocalist/guitarist extraordinaire (and Tuesday Tea Time regular), John Hunt. 9pm (entry from 8pm), The Jazz Bar, Chambers Street. Admission £5/£4 on the door: please note this venue is strictly cash only.
Morningside Justice & Peace Group: Scientists against the bomb: Jo Rotblat and Pugwash – Nobel Peace prize winners. A talk by David Atiyah, MJ&P member and social entrepreneur. Sir Joseph Rotblat was a Polish physicist, the only physicist to leave the Manhattan Project on the grounds of conscience. A signatory of the Russell-Einstein Manifesto, he was secretary-general of the Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs from their founding until 1973 and shared, with the Pugwash Conferences, the 1995 Nobel Peace Prize for efforts toward nuclear disarmament. The Morningside Justice & Peace Group exists to promote informed opinion on matters of concern to the community at large. Meetings are held every Wednesday during the autumn and spring months; they are open to all and provide a view on a topic of national, international or local concern, followed by questions and discussion. 10.30-11.30am, The Open Door, 420 Morningside Road. A contribution of £1 per meeting is requested to cover costs. For more information please contact the Co-ordinator at b.darcy20@gmail.com.
THURSDAY 3RD MARCH 2016
Greyfriars at 12: All That Jazz. University of Edinburgh students and Ailsa Aitkenhead (piano) play a programme of music by Gershwin, Brubeck, Ravel and others. 12 noon, Greyfriars Kirk, 1 Greyfriars Walk.
Fairtrade Fortnight: Palcrafts and Hadeel invite you to an open meeting with talks, discussion, tastings and refreshments. Textile Designer Claire Anderson will talk about Women and Textiles, while Mohammed Hamada, olive farmer & Taysir Arbasi, director of Zaytoun (a social enterprise and community interest company founded in 2004 with the aim of creating and developing a UK market for artisanal Palestinian produce) will discuss how Fair Trade is bringing resilience to Palestinian farmers. There will also be a stall selling goods from Palestinian Fair Trade shop Hadeel (George Street). 6.45pm for 7pm, The Melting Pot, 3-5 Rose Street. All welcome! Read The Edinburgh Reporter’s article about Hadeel and its wide selection of crafts, foods, books and clothes here.
World Book Day: Stories with Lari Don. Award-winning author Lari is based in Edinburgh. She has written books for all ages, from picture books for little ones to retelling of Scottish stories such as the Tale of Tam Linn, exciting adventure stories (The Fabled Beast Chronicles) and a thriller for teenagers (Mindblind). She is a fantastic teller of stories, and a brilliant storyteller! Lari will be telling stories for children aged three to five. 9.30-1oam, Blackwell’s, South Bridge. Free tickets may be obtained from the shop’s front desk, by calling 0131 622 8222, emailing events.edinburgh@blackwell.co.uk or via eventbrite here.
Music Research Seminar Series: Dr Leanne Langley. Leanne is an Associate Fellow in the Institute of Musical Research at Goldsmiths, University of London. Her talk is entitled ‘Art Music: J.S. Sargent as Listener, Patron, Practitioner, Performer’. 5.15pm, Lecture Room A, Alison House, Reid School of Music, Nicolson Square. All welcome: please contact Dr Benedict Taylor at B.Taylor@ed.ac.uk if you have any queries. Storytellers On Film: Screening and Discussion. An opportunity to view a selection of films associated with the Scottish International Storytelling Festival and to join in a debate asking if traditional storytelling on film is a creative opportunity or a contradiction in terms. 7.30pm, Netherbow Theatre, Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43-45 High Street. Tickets cost £6/£4 and may be purchased from the Box Office in person, by calling 0131 556 9579 or online here.
Lunchtime Concert: Garden House School Girls Chamber Choir. 12.15pm, St Giles Cathedral, High Street. Free.
Ecumenical Friends Edinburgh: a group of men and women from various denominations who meet on Thursdays from September to March each year. They bring their own packed lunches and share a time of fellowship together, after which there is a speaker; over the months they cover a wide variety of topics. Meetings are open to anyone who wishes to come and it isn’t necessary to come every week. For a copy of the programme and details of venues contact katylaidlaw@talktalk.net. 12.30-2pm, St Andrew’s & St George’s West Church, 13 George Street.
North Edinburgh Young People’s Forum Awards: come and hear about the great efforts and achievements of young people in the North Edinburgh community. Refreshments will be served! 5pm (refreshments), 5.30-8pm (awards), North Edinburgh Arts, Pennywell Court, Muirhouse.
Live Music Now: Granny Green. To mark International Women’s Day, Granny Green celebrate women in music. From the lullaby of a young Japanese girl to the quirky music of contemporary Scottish women composers, join the Grannies as they whiz around the world. 6-6.30pm, Scottish National Portrait Gallery, 1 Queen Street. Free and unticketed.
Mayfield Salisbury Thursday Club: a weekly programme of music, visual presentations, films, talks and demonstrations. Although mainly for retired people, visitors of any age are always welcome. This week: Jean MacGilchrist gives a talk on ‘Cycling in Malawi’. 2-4pm, Upper Hall, Mayfield Salisbury Parish Church, 1a Mayfield Road. Annual membership costs £4 per year and 50p a week is charged for tea; new members are most welcome, but you don’t have to be a member to come along. For more information please contact Florence Smith on 0131 663 1234. Image: www.travelmalawiguide.com.
Onomatopoeia – Its People and Surroundings: Book Launch. Artist Charles Avery, whose work is currently part of the NGS collection, will talk about Onomatopoeia – Its People and Surroundings, then meet attendees in the shop to discuss this new book, a portrait of the people and culture of Onomatopoeia, capital city, port and gateway to the Island. The book captures the work of Charles Avery’s long term project ‘The Islanders’. The Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art exhibited The Islanders: An Introduction in 2009. Enjoy live music with a complementary drink and canapés and receive 15% off purchases made on the night (Ts & Cs apply). The first fifty purchases over £10 will get a goody bag. The gallery will be open during the event until 7pm. 5-7pm, Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art ONE, Belford Road. Free and unticketed.
LGBT Health: ‘Naughty But Nice?’ A workshop for people to explore feelings and beliefs and their connection with various aspects of sexuality, particularly considering shame and guilt, which could shape our views of sex, and hold us back in our sexual and romantic lives. Come along to reflect on your views and experiences and work out what you would like from your sexual and romantic life; take some time to consider ways to become more fully the person you want to be. 1-4.30pm, LGBT Health & Wellbeing, 9 Howe Street. For more information please contact George Burrows at george@lgbthealth.org.uk or by calling 0131 652 3281.
Adventure Film Festival: 11 of the world’s most exciting action and adventure documentary films at 30 locations nationwide. Experience adventure as it happens around the globe in this 3 night programme, from being sling shot over the cliffs of Norway, riding horseback through the extreme terrain of Patagonia and jumping out of planes with the oldest female skydiver. Tonight’s films are The Last Explorers of the Rio Santa Cruz (PG), Burn It Down and Bjørnøya. 6pm, Filmhouse, Lothian Road. Tickets may be purchased from the Box Office in person, by calling 0131 228 2688 or online. The last programme in the Festival will be shown on 7th March.
‘Bye Bye, We Love You’: The Filmhouse pays tribute to The Thin White Duke; to Ziggy Stardust; to the mesmerising, transformative and unforgettable David Bowie. Tonight: Ziggy Stardust & The Spiders From Mars (PG), DA Pennebaker’s film of Bowie’s dazzling concert at the Hammersmith Odeon on 3 July 1973; framed by a smattering of behind-the-scenes footage, the bulk of the film concerns the actual concert, notable as the final time that Bowie would perform under the Ziggy Stardust persona – an announcement that, at the time, led many fans to mistakenly believe Bowie was retiring altogether. This ‘final’ performance features numerous songs from Ziggy Stardust, Hunky Dory, Aladdin Sane and other Bowie albums, as well as a cover of the Velvet Underground’s White Light/White Heat. ‘Unmissable on the big screen!’ 8.45pm, Filmhouse, Lothian Road. Tickets may be purchased from the Box Office in person, by calling 0131 228 2688 or online.
Classic Jazz Legends at The Outhouse: The John Burgess Classic Jazz Quintet presents a night of great tunes recorded by the unforgettable Bix Beiderbecke. 8pm (doors 7.45pm), The Outhouse, Broughton Street Lane. £7/£5 on the door.
Martin Kershaw Quartet: a night of absolutely top-notch modern jazz from some of the country’s most highly-rated players, fronted by SNJO featured soloist Martin Kershaw (sax), with Tom Gibbs (piano), Euan Burton (double bass) and outstanding drummer Alyn Cosker. 9pm (entry from 8pm), The Jazz Bar, Chambers Street. Admission £7/£5 on the door: please note this venue is strictly cash only.
FRIDAY 4TH MARCH 2016
The Astronomical Society of Edinburgh: First Light. After the Big Bang the universe expanded and cooled, and for a while there was only darkness – but then gravity caused the most dense regions of the universe to collapse and form the first stars and galaxies. In this talk Professor James Dunlop (Royal Observatory Edinburgh) will describe how recent advances in observational astronomy, especially the refurbishment of the Hubble Space Telescope, have enabled us to look back in time to within 500 million years of the Big Bang, and directly observe the emergence of the first galaxies. He will also explain how the next generation of facilities, including the long-awaited James Webb Space Telescope, can be expected to shed new light on how today’s highly-structured and beautiful Universe emerged from the initial chaos of creation. 8pm, Church Centre, Augustine United Church, George IV Bridge. Non-members welcome: admission free.
Potting Plants, Sowing Seeds – Spring is Sprung! One of a series of social sessions inspired by the Botanic Garden for people affected by dementia, their friends, relatives and supporters. 
Sessions include sensory activities, informal chat and refreshments. 10.30am-12.30pm, John Hope Gateway (meet at reception), Royal Botanic Garden of Edinburgh, Inverleith Row. Booking is required and may be made by calling 0131 248 2981. This event is part of the Garden Social Programme October 2015 – March 2016.
Open Door Men’s Club: the Senior Men’s Club meets each Friday – lunch is included and there is no charge. If you’re 60+ come and join the 21 men who met last week, have fun and find out their exciting plans, which include visits to a brewery and a presentation from one of Edinburgh’s original bobbies. 1-4pm, The Open Door, 420 Morningside Road. For more information please call The Open Door on 0131 447 9757 or email admin@theopendoor-morningside.org.uk.
23rd Italian Film Festival: the Italian Film Festival in Scotland offers the best of il cinema Italiano, currently on a high with the global and awards success of Paolo Sorrentino’s Youth. It is curated and co-founded by directors Allan Hunter and Richard Mowe and partnered by principal funder the Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Edimburgo, Filmhouse and Glasgow Film Theatre, plus supporters Valvona & Crolla Vin Caffé, Fratelli Sarti, Glasgow, and Menabrea beers. Tonight’s film is Don’t Be Bad/Non essere cattivo (15) (in Italian with English subtitles); a major discovery at Venice Film Festival, Don’t Be Bad was also Italy’s Oscar candidate this year. It is the last film from the late Claudio Caligari, with echoes of Scorsese and Pasolini in the story of two hedonistic best friends, small-time drug dealers from a working-class suburb in Ostia; 
one decides to break the cycle by committing to a conventional life of hard graft and a steady relationship, but the other is hellbent on self-destruction. 8.50pm, Filmhouse, Lothian Road. Tickets may be purchased from the Box Office in person, by calling 0131 228 2688 or online.
Snowdrop and Early Spring Interest Walks: join a Garden Guide on a walk to see the Garden’s wonderful collection of specialist snowdrops, and discover other early flowering plants that herald the onset of spring. For ages 14+. 11am-12.30pm, (meet at) John Hope Gateway reception, Royal Botanic Garden of Edinburgh, Inverleith Row. £5 per person, no booking required. Also at same times on Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th February.
Things Fall Apart: curator and scholar of art and film Mark Nash presents Calvert 22’s London-based exhibition Things Fall Apart. The exhibition, which is showing at the Calvert Foundation in London until 3rd April, is a collaboration with Iwalewahaus, University of Bayreuth and gathers the responses of contemporary artists to different aspects of Soviet and related nations’ interests in Africa, particularly focused on ambitions to influence the development of political structures through film and art. It takes its title from Chinua Achebe’s 1958 classic of post-colonial fiction, seen by many as the archetypal modern African novel in English, which reflects on the devastating impact of colonialism in Africa. The exhibition uses this association to focus on a similar loss of utopian perspective following the end of the Cold War and collapse of the Soviet Union and Eastern Bloc. Mark Nash’s presentation will be accompanied by a screening of Abderrahmane Sissako’s October (1993), a near-silent black-and-white film telling the story of Idrissa, an African student, and Irina, his Russian girlfriend, and depicting the difficulties of forming a relationship across the racial and cultural divides of the 1980s, between Mali and Moscow. 6.40pm, Project Room, First Floor, 50 George Square, University of Edinburgh. 
Free tickets may be booked via eventbrite here. Calvert 22 Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation whose mission is to support and share the contemporary culture and creativity of the new east – eastern Europe, the Balkans, Russia and Central Asia – enriching perceptions of the region and furthering international understanding.
Fraxi, Queen of the Forest. Asylon Theatre presents a beautiful and moving production for young audiences ages 8+ and their families. Inspired by ash die-back, the story follows the lives of Fraxi the ash tree and a boy called Woody, who become bound by an old folk ritual. 4pm, WHALE Arts, 30 Westburn Grove. Tickets are available from WHALE on 0131 458 3267.
Friday Recital: Morley Whitehead (organ) plays JS Bach Ricercar a 6 from The Musical Offering BWV 1079, and works by Franck, Jongen and Camil van Hulse. 1.10-1.40pm, Greyfriars Kirk, Greyfriars Place. Free. Part of the Concerts at the University Spring – Summer 2016 series.
Rhythms: a new exhibition by Mary Walters, Soosan Danesh, Tracy White, who explore the rhythms of the natural and urban environments, with each artist working from the starting point of repetitions or cycles in her own observations of surroundings both near and far. Patriothall Gallery, 1D Patriothall, off Hamilton Place, Stockbridge. For opening times please contact venue. Ends 18th March.
Anatomy #11: Kerching! Technicolour Rituals on the Altar of Cash. ANATOMY is a quarterly live art variety show of ‘fearless artists and cockamamie half-baked dogtales; pirates, film-warpers, grotesques, thumpers of technology, immersive weepers, levitating playwrights, jugglers of industrial salvage, puppet dancers and throat gymnasts’, with Cloud of Unknowing, Do It Theatre, Melanie Jordan, Heather Marshall, Rosa Postlethwaite, Lewis Sherlock and Two Tongue Theatre, hosted by Ali Maloney and Harry Giles. For ages 16+. 8pm, Anatomy Lecture Theatre, Summerhall, 1 Summerhall. Tickets cost £6 and are available from the Box Office on 0131 560 1580 or online here. For details of line up and call-out, see www.anatomyarts.co.uk.
Keith Edwards Quintet: ‘Hard Bop’ swinging arrangements by Keith Edwards (sax) with Donald Corbett (trumpet/flugelhorn), Robert Pettigrew (piano), David Bowden (bass) and Bill Kyle (drums). Sets include original compositions by trumpeter Corbett, some rarely heard jazz tunes, and pieces by British Jazz legend Tubby Hayes, and acclaimed Scots trumpeter Jimmy Deuchar. 9pm (entry from 8pm), The Jazz Bar, Chambers Street. Admission £5/£4 on the door: please note this venue is strictly cash only.
Wee Dub Festival 2016: a world-class celebration of Dub Reggae and Soundsystem Culture. The 6th edition of the Wee Dub Festival, the UK’s only metropolitan reggae weekender, takes place across 7 sessions in venues throughout the Old Town. It comprises soundsystem and club sessions, live gigs, workshops, a family social and more. You can purchase either a weekend pass for the whole event or tickets for individual sessions. Tonight’s events take place at La Belle Angèle, Hasties Close and The Mash House, Guthrie Street. Tickets may be purchased from Ripping Records, South Bridge, Tickets Scotland, Rose Street, The Smoking Fox, Home Street, Skiddle.com or direct from the festival here. Weekend passes £38, single session tickets from £10, all plus booking fee. For full details and line-up, click here.
Anima: An Exhibition about Human Soul. Icon (from Greek) means an image; a traditional icon depicts divine reality and can be created using many media and techniques, but most popular icons are painted on wood covered with thin layers of gesso using egg tempera, which is one of the oldest painting techniques. Using organic materials helps to connect with the creation and the Creator; it also encourages an artist to begin a relationship with the material and in consequence with the image she/he is depicting. There are many similarities in both glass and icon painting; they meet on many levels. Anima features work of two artists who practise different techniques and use different materials, but find common places in each practice; Basia Mindewicz and David Mola 
are showing their personal view of the same matter but each working with their own tools; the main aim of each piece is to portray a person’s soul. Public opening tonight 7pm, with a live performance from Torola, who sing polyphonic songs from the country of Georgia. The songs, from a variety of regions, are mainly traditional and some are very ancient. Torola (‘Skylark’ in Georgian) is led by David Tugwell. Exhibition continues 11am-6pm daily, St Margaret’s House, 151 London Road. Ends 20th March. Icon painting by Basia Mindewicz; glass by David Mola.
SATURDAY 5TH MARCH 2016
Fairtrade Festival : a free one-day family friendly festival event with stalls, free drinks and refreshments, storytelling, the Edinburgh Contemporary Choir and lots more! Tania Pintado, a young plantain farmer from Ecuador, has been invited to speak and give a presentation on the challenges her community faces and how Fairtrade has made a vital difference to their lives. The Lord Provost of the City of Edinburgh the Rt Hon Donald Wilson and Malcolm Brown from Scotmid will also be speaking and urging everyone to learn more and get involved in bringing about changes to unfair trading practices. 10.30am-2.30pm, Southside Community Centre, Nicolson Street. All welcome!
Comic Book Workshops: Edinburgh League of Comics returns! Learn more about character creation – then write and draw your own story. At the end of the sessions you’ll have your own comic book to take home. For ages 10+. 11am-1pm, Kirkliston Library, Station Road. Places are limited; to book a slot contact the Library via Facebook here, email kirklistonlibrary@edinburgh.gov.uk, call 0131 529 5510 or pop in and talk to library staff. A second workshop will be held at the same times on Saturday 12th March.
All 4 Paws: a free veterinary clinic for homeless or vulnerably-housed pet owners in the Edinburgh area. 1-4pm, Fort Community Centre, North Fort Street. Please note dogs should be on leads and cats in carriers.
Leith Market Vegan Quarter: the market is hosting a Vegan Quarter (alongside its usual traders) on the first Saturday of the month, starting today! Stalls confirmed so far are Consider it Chocolate, Cool Jerk Vegan, Grumpy, Missy’s Vegan Cupcakes, Ooyooh Milk, SGAIA Foods Ltd – Artisan Vegan Meats and Tiphereth Trading – with more to follow. 10am-5pm, Leith Market, Dock Place.
British Art Shows: free discussion-led tours of the British Art Show. Focus and content will change weekly. 2-2.30pm, Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art ONE (meet at the main entrance), Belford Road. No booking required. Image: Rachel Maclean © Rachel Maclean 2015. Courtesy the artist and Film and Video Umbrella.
St Bride’s Family Cinema: see your favourite films for free! Adventure, excitement, fun and laughs – everyone welcome. Juice and choc ices are available to purchase in the interval at 50p each. This week’s film is Robin Hood (U). Please note that all children under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult. 10.30am-12.30pm (includes interval), St Bride’s Centre, Orwell Terrace, Dalry. Next week’s film is Shaun the Sheep (U).
Balerno Fairtrade Breakfast Challenge! The Balerno Fairtrade Village Group want as many people as possible to take part in the challenge during Fairtrade Fortnight, whether they’re eating breakfast at home or stopping off at Vanilla Pod, the kiosk by Harlaw Visitor Centre in the Pentlands, or meeting a friend for brunch in the Mill Café. Today there will be a late ‘breakfast’ with FT drinks and home-baking + stalls selling fairly traded products, activities for children, a presentation of prizes to pupils from Dean Park and more! To keep in touch, see the Balerno Fairtrade Village Group Facebook page. 10am-12 noon, Balerno Parish Church Halls, Main Street, Balerno.
Youth Performance Poetry Workshop: Anita Govan, performance poet and Stirling Makar, delivers the second of two performance poetry workshops for those aged 10-14. There will also be opportunities to be involved in a national poetry slam later in the year! 2-4pm, South Queensferry Library, Shore Road. To book a place Facebook message the library here, phone 0131 529 5576, email southqueensferry.library@edinburgh.gov.uk or just pop in to the library and speak to staff in person.
Winter Rhododendrons: the RBGE has the world’s largest cultivated collection of Vireya Rhododendrons.Why not come out of the cold and see what the tropics have to offer? Join a Garden Guide to hear more about these wonderful plants, many of which are in flower at this time of year, and learn about their habitats. For ages 14+. 11am-12 noon, (meet at) John Hope Gateway reception, Royal Botanic Garden of Edinburgh, Inverleith Row. £5 per person, no booking required.
23rd Italian Film Festival: the Italian Film Festival in Scotland offers the best of il cinema Italiano. Today’s film is The Invisible Boy/Il ragazzo invisible (12A): Oscar-winning director Gabriele Salvatores brings an Italian twist to the superhero movie in this highly entertaining family film. In the windswept city of Trieste, Michele is a typical thirteen year-old worried about bullies, embarrassed by his mother being a police officer and determined to impress his classmate Stella. One disastrously humiliating Halloween party has a silver lining in the discovery that he can become invisible; Michele’s status as the confident new superhero in town fills him with thoughts of revenge on the bullies and winning his girl, 
but great powers are accompanied by a growing sense of responsibility in this charming coming-of-age adventure. 1.10pm, Filmhouse, Lothian Road. Tickets may be purchased from the Box Office in person, by calling 0131 228 2688 or online.
LGBT Swimming: exclusive swimming for the LGBT community is back! Enjoy the use of Warrender Swim Centre’s fantastic 25 metre pool, sauna and gym. Join friendly staff from both LGBT Health and the Swim Centre and meet other LGBT people in a safe and supportive environment. 5-7pm, Warrender Swim Centre, 55 Thirlestane Road. If you would like to attend, please register online here or contact Jules Stapleton Barnes on 0131 523 1104/email jules@lgbthealth.org.uk. Free but a donation of £3 per session is suggested.
Blackwells Edinburgh Presents The World of Norm with Jonathan Meres. Enter The World of Norm! It May Contain Nuts, May Cause Irritation, May Require Batteries or May Be Contagious and Must Be Washed Separately. The World of Norm is an award-winning, laugh-out-loud series for fans of Diary of a Wimpy Kid and David Walliams, so don’t miss this chance to meet its most excellent and also very funny in real-life creator! 2.30-3.30pm, Blackwell’s, South Bridge. Free tickets may be obtained from the shop’s front desk, by calling 0131 622 8222, emailing events.edinburgh@blackwell.co.uk or via eventbrite here.
Eleanor Elks Herrmannsen/Tim Offredi: it all exists in doubles. An exhibition exploring our relationship to everyday objects, features and occurrences in the urban environment. Using these as starting points, the work investigates the idea of an ‘in-between’ space, 
the space between the categorisation of our perception and the reality that surrounds us. Through the process of representation and the act of making a copy, the works explores the notion of a multiple, and how the re-appropriation of an object or occurrence can alter our relationship to it. Private view tonight 6-8pm, then 12 noon-5pm Sunday 7th and Monday 8th March, Gayfield Creative Spaces, 11 Gayfield Square.
Portobello Loves Circus! Full Cirqle & Friends invite you inside to see what they’ve been working on during the last couple of months – a fun-filled evening of performances from acrobats, jugglers, aerialists & more! 6.30-8.30pm (doors open 6pm), Full Cirqle, 8-9 Baileyfield Crescent, Portobello. Tickets cost £10/£7, family ticket £30, members £5 (all plus transaction fee) and are available from eventbrite here. Full Cirqle is Edinburgh’s Centre for Circus Arts, opened in May 2015 for training, creation and development of circus and performing arts.
Out of Sight: a new exhibition by Emily Ritchie, Carolann Alexander, Heather Craig, Mary Trodden, Helen Dunwoodie, Pauline Sandberg, Marta Tycinska, Fiona Scroggie, Rachael Forbes, Johanna Rehman, Tessa Berring and Joanne Richardson. Opens tonight 6-8pm, Whitespace, 25 Howe Street. Ends 10th March 2016.
Michael Rattray at The Skylark: the Perth-based Scottish composer, singer and artist has played with Belle and Sebastian, Idlewild, The Vaselines and supported Edwyn Collins, played at T in the park, toured the UK as support for Sam Brown and worked with her on his album Smile at who you need to. His current album Human Life is available now. Michael is also an exhibiting artist. 9pm, The Skylark, 241/243 Portobello High Street.
Maria Fusco and Sam Riviere on Charlotte Prodger’s multi-monitor video installation Northern Dancer: Maria Fusco, writer and Reader at Edinburgh College of Art, Universtiy of Edinburgh, Sam Riviere, poet and current Writer in Residence at the University of Edinburgh, Daisy Lafarge, poet and writer, and Scottish musician Iain Morrison interpolate with Charlotte Prodger’s multiscreen and audio installation Northern Dancer. 2-3pm, RBGE Lecture Theatre, Royal Botanic Garden of Edinburgh, 20A Inverleith Row (NB not Inverleith House) Tickets cost £4.36/£3.30 and are available from eventbrite here. Part of British Art Show 8. Image: Charlotte Prodger, Northern Dancer, 2015. Courtesy of the Artist and Koppe Astner, Glasgow. Commissioned by The Block, London. Photo: Richard Bevan.
Wee Dub Festival 2016: a world-class celebration of Dub Reggae and Soundsystem Culture. Today’s events take place at The Liquid Room, Victoria Street, Studio 24, Calton Road and Red Dog Music, 1 Grassmarket. Tickets may be purchased from Ripping Records, South Bridge, Tickets Scotland, Rose Street, The Smoking Fox, Home Street, Skiddle.com or direct from the festival here. Weekend passes £38, single session tickets from £10, all plus booking fee. For full details and line-up, click here.
Gray’s Interim Show: ‘Gray’s 16’ – Gray’s School of Art 4th year painters’ – 6th annual Interim Exhibition again presents a body of work that showcases both the breadth and depth of painting practice that takes place within the department, whose painting course is currently ranked number one in Scotland, scoring 100% student satisfaction in this year’s National Student Survey. 10am-6pm, Gallery 1, St Margaret’s House, 151 London Road. Ends 20th March 2016.
Spring Craft Fair: 11am-4pm, Eric Liddell Centre, 15 Morningside Road. All welcome: admission free!
In Light, In Shade: a new mixed exhibition of paintings, ceramics, glass and jewellery, including work by Karl Stern, Helen Acklam, Jonathan Hood, Aine Divine, Lucy Jones, Rosalind Walker, Moy Mackay, Miriam Vickers and Lindsey Lavender. Opens today, 10am-5pm, with refreshments, then 10am-5pm Thursday-Saturday, 12 noon-5pm Sundays (closed Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays), The Velvet Easel Gallery, 298 Portobello High Street. Ends 28th June 2016.
Films at the Scottish Parliament: All Quiet on the Western Front (PG). Based on the Erich Maria Remarque novel of the same name, All Quiet in the Western Front is hailed as one of the greatest anti-war films ever made. A group of German school boys are talked into enlisting at the beginning of the war by their jingoistic teacher; the story is told through the experiences of the young German recruits and highlights the tragedy of war through their eyes as they witness death and mutilation. Preconceptions of the rights and wrongs of conflict and the enemy disappear as the recruits are left angry and bewildered at what they experience. The film is widely seen as exploring the gulf between the concept and reality of war. A post-film discussion panel will take place immediately after the screening, with Ann-Christin Simke (Goethe-Institut, Glasgow), Professor Stephan Malinowski, Lecturer in Modern European History (University of Edinburgh) and Sean Martin, film-maker, author and academic from Screen Academy (Edinburgh Napier University). 1-3.30pm (panel discussion 3.30-4pm), Scottish Parliament, Holyrood. For more information and to book please call 0131 348 6933 or email eventsandexhibitions@scottish.parliament.uk.
Linlithgow Jazz Club – Sound of Seventeen; an Edinburgh based 17-piece Big Band with three singers. 7.30pm, (doors open at 7), Queen Margaret Hall, Blackness Road, Linlithgow. Tickets cost £8. Tea and coffee are provided and you are free to bring your own drinks (and glasses) and snacks. For further information see the club’s website here or email them at info@linlithgowjazzclub.co.uk.
Edinburgh Trans Women: a support group aimed at transsexual women at any stage of transition, women who are transgender and live as women full-time or part-time or those who are questioning their gender identity. ‘We look forward to meeting you and prefer you to email us the first time you want to visit. This helps with security and lets us get ready to welcome you’. 7.30-9.30pm, LGBT Health & Wellbeing, 9 Howe Street. For more information please email info@edinburghtranswomen.org.uk.
Limbo: ‘consistently great live music in a well produced environment’. Tonight’s special guests are Kirsten Adamson + candythief + Grampa + Black Spring DJs. Having launched her debut album in November 2015, Kirsten Adamson now embarks on a full UK tour, kicking off at Limbo. Kirsten comes from an historical musical background in Scotland, growing up her two main influences were Kate Bush and her father’s band, Big Country. In 1998 her father relocated to Nashville, Tennessee, where she would spend her summers, and it was here that she first picked up a guitar; her forthcoming album encompasses her eccentricities with class and originality. She is an undiscovered artist that must be heard! Candythief (aka Diana De Cabarrus) is ‘refreshingly distinctive and unusual, supplying an vital alternative version of the female artist. 
The new material has the unusual compositional hallmarks typical of Candythief arrangements along with anthemic melodies; deft, distilled lyrics and driving rhythms’. The Black Spring DJs (aka Hobbes and DC), are the duo behind Limbo – they warm up the room, join the dots between acts and keep the party going afterwards. For over 18s only. 7.30pm, The Voodoo Rooms, West Register Street. Tickets cost £8 in advance from eventbrite here or £10 on the door, sta: all prices are subject to a booking fee.
Motown Night: put on your gladrags and dancing shoes and grab a dance partner – resident DJ Calum will be putting on ‘a show you will not want to miss!’ (playing 9pm-1am). 8pm-1am, Joseph Pearce’s, Elm Row.
SUNDAY 6TH MARCH 2016
International Women’s Day: a multicultural celebration of women, with music and dance, workshops and stalls, massage, henna painting, a keynote lecture, volunteering awards, a raffle, tea and cake and more. Speakers include Fatou Baldeh, anti FGM activist and winner of last year’s award for Inspiring Change. 
2-5pm, City of Edinburgh Methodist Church, Nicolson Square. Free, open to all, family friendly.
Art Maker – March: join the Art Maker Club and make your own masterpieces with artists Tessa Asquith-Lamb and Louise Fraser. For ages 4-12. 2-4pm, Scottish National Gallery, The Mound. Free and unticketed. Supported by the Friends of NGS.
Filmhouse Junior: films for a younger audience. This week: Penguins of Madagascar (U): discover the secrets of the greatest and most hilarious covert birds in the global espionage biz. Skipper, Kowalski, Rico and Private join forces with undercover organisation The North Wind to stop the villainous Dr Octavius Brine from destroying the world as we know it. 11am, Filmhouse, Lothian Road. Tickets cost £4 per person, big or small.
Picturehouses Vintage Sundays: classic films back on the big screen. Today’s film is Psycho (15): a welcome re-release of perhaps the most influential of all horror films. Alfred Hitchcock’s stunningly realised tale of gruesome murders and sly verbal sparring at the Bates Motel. Bernard Herrman’s famed all-strings score enriches the film considerably and provides some of the most famous music in cinema history. 1pm, Cameo, Home Street. Tickets may be purchased from the Box Office in person, by calling 0871 902 5723 or online.
Wee Dub Festival 2016: a world-class celebration of Dub Reggae and Soundsystem Culture. Today’s events take place at The Bongo Club, Cowgate. Tickets may be purchased from Ripping Records, South Bridge, Tickets Scotland, Rose Street, The Smoking Fox, Home Street, Skiddle.com or direct from the festival here. Weekend passes £38, single session tickets from £10, all plus booking fee. For full details and line-up, click here.
The Epic House of Cards Competition – with prizes! Victoria Bar, 265 Leith Walk.
23rd Italian Film Festival: the Italian Film Festival in Scotland offers the best of il cinema Italiano. Tonight’s film is Call Me Francesco/Chiamaremi Francesco-Il Papa della gente (12A): best known for Festival favourites My Brother Is An Only Child and Our Life, director Daniele Luchetti tells the early years of the future Pope Francis in Call Me Francesco. Opening in Buenos Aires in 1960, it covers the story of Jorge Mario Berdoglio from his days as a technician in a food lab to his time as provincial superior of the Jesuits in Argentina during the country’s brutal military dictatorship. This is a compelling, thoughtful portrait of a man of compassion and principle whose faith is defined by the times in which he lived and the people he encountered. 8.15pm, Filmhouse, Lothian Road. Tickets may be purchased from the Box Office in person, by calling 0131 228 2688 or online.
St Giles’ At Six: Edinburgh Academy Musicians. A programme of music by Fauré, Widor, Handel, Baermann, Eric Whitacre, Paul Harvey and Adrian Budgen. 6pm, St Giles Cathedral, High Street. Free; retiring collection.
Nitekirk: one evening each month, Nitekirk provides a creative, drop-in experience of church. This ministry, rooted in Greyfriars Kirk and supported by its local ecumenical partners, seeks to create a welcoming sacred space for all. The church will be lit with candles, the atmosphere contemplative. There will be a time of reflection, gentle music and, throughout the sanctuary, places of activity – pictures to consider, Scripture, prayers and poems to read, something to feel with your hands, art supplies to focus your creativity. People come and go as they like, joining in songs and quiet conversations or sitting in silence and enjoying the space. ‘A place of welcome, a space for stillness, a pause on your journey, an open door’. 5-8pm (drop-in), Greyfriars Kirk, Greyfriars Place. For more information please contact nitekirkedinburgh@yahoo.co.uk
