From Italian detective stories to Chinese Bookbug, our listings have an international flavour this week. The Cameo offers you a new perspective on Arabian Nights, the Grassmarket Project brings you the tale of a Japanese cellist who opts for a most unusual change of career, the National Museum displays Stone Age Alpine jade and the Canongate Kirk hosts a choir all the way from Abilene, Texas. Closer to home, Neu! Reekie! and A Kind of Seeing’s We Are Edinburgh is a 3-Act Symphony for our city – and what a city it is. Have an interesting five days – and look out for our weekend listings later in the week. (But please remember to check all details with event organisers before setting out).
MONDAY 16TH MAY 2016
Christian Aid Week Book Sales continue at St Andrew’s & St George’s West Church, 13 George Street (11am-3.30pm Monday-Wednesday, 10am-7pm Thursday, 10am-3.30pm Friday), and Morningside United Church (11am-6pm Monday-Friday, 10am-5pm Saturday), Chamberlain Road (Holy Corner) all this week.
For Crying Out Loud: special screenings exclusively for parents, carers and their babies under the age of 12 months, with a maximum of two adults per baby. Baby-changing, bottle-warming and buggy parking facilities are available. Today’s film is Florence Foster Jenkins (PG): Meryl Streep and Hugh Grant star in the cinematic retelling of the life of the eponymous New York heiress who obsessively pursued her dream of becoming a great opera singer. 11am, Filmhouse, Lothian Road. Tickets cost £4.50/£3.50 per adult.
Bookbug Explorer – come and celebrate Bookbug Week 2016 ‘Around the World with Bookbug’ with songs, crafts and stories. For children aged 0-4 and their parents and carers. All welcome! 1.30-2.30pm Gilmerton Library, Newtoft Street. Also at 10.30am on Friday 20th May.
Picturehouses Toddler Time: exclusive short screenings for pre-school children and their parents and carers. Today: Bing Programme 7 (U): Bing is a groundbreaking television series for CBeebies that celebrates the noisy, joyful, messy reality of life when you’re a preschooler. Bing stories are small but they are full of the everyday dramas that all young children and the grown-ups in their lives will recognise. 11am, Cameo, Home Street. Tickets cost £3 per child, accompanying adult free.
Martin Donoghue: the Microart of Gems. As part of the 2016 Year of Architecture and Design, the Italian Cultural Institute is pleased to host the work of Martin Donoghue – come and look at gems through the lens of a microscope, which will allow you to admire and discover the inner beauty of some very precious stones. 
Gemmologist Martin started taking digital photomicrographs of gem inclusions in 2008. For this work he used the Nikon Coolpix 995 camera mounted on the Leitz Orthoplan research microscope; this combination allowed him to see and record the fascinating internal structure of gems. 10am-5pm Monday – Thursday, 10am-12 noon Fridays, Italian Cultural Institute, 82 Nicolson Street. Free admission. Ends 10th June 2016.
Open Eye Gallery: New Exhibitions. (1) Ann Oram – New Paintings: a show about seed heads, flora and field. This selection of works includes personal locations which have inspired Oram’s practice in recent times. Most of the subject matter comes from Fife, but also within the selection are landscapes from Tuscany and Northumbria; (2) Simon Laurie: New Works: the Glasgow based artist maps a new focus within his practice whilst maintaining the character of his signature still life works.‘These works have moved to pure abstraction, an opportunity for me to be free of the old disciplines and instead engage with the pure joy of painting shapes and forms….. I have always wanted my work to speak for itself, on one hand to be clear and concise and on the other to convey mystery and intrigue to the viewer within the many layered surfaces’;
(3) Alex Malcolmson – Ship to Shore: an exhibition of new works by the Harrogate based artist, featuring his signature construction pieces and further exploration into his subject matter. ‘Most of my pieces involve some kind of conversation about abstraction and figuration, between actual space and the illusion of space, between craft and art. The themes of ship and shoreline seem to provide fertile ground for this debate’. 10am-6pm Monday to Friday, 10am-4pm Saturdays, Open Eye Gallery, Abercromby Place. All exhibitions end 1st June 2016.
Tom Herbst – Designing and Visualising Gemstones: a talk about the craft of jewellery making. Tom Herbst is an amateur gemstone faceter, all-round rock enthusiast, and author of the two-volume book Amateur Gemstone Faceting. A research astrophysicist in his ‘day job’, Tom specializes in the design, construction, and scientific exploitation of novel astronomical instrumentation. Although he began collecting pretty rocks as a child, it was not until his mid-thirties that Tom realized that creating gemstones is within everyone’s grasp. A few faceting lessons and a homebuilt machine later, he was deep into the hobby and has never looked back. A reception will follow the talk. 6pm, Italian Cultural Institute, 82 Nicolson Street. Free but please book online here. Presented by Edinburgh College of Art and the Italian Cultural Institute.
Mirabelle Maslin: Talking about Infants and Children. The author discusses her new book, which opens up a whole new world for parents, grandparents and caregivers. 6-7.30pm, Kirkliston Library, 16 Station Road. Booking is essential and may be made by calling 0131 529 5510 or emailing kirkliston.library@edinburgh.gov.uk.
Grassmarket Community Cinema: Departures (12) (in Japanese with English subtitles). Daigo Kobayashi (Masahiro Motoki) has been playing the cello since childhood and has a job with a symphony orchestra in Tokyo. He is shattered when it is disbanded, and he reluctantly admits to his wife, Mika (Ryoko Hisosue), that he has gone deep in debt to purchase his cello. Looking for a new career, Daigo answers an ad to work in ‘Departures’, thinking it is part of the travel industry, but when he arrives at the office he learns that the ad has a misprint; it should have said working with ‘the departed’. 
The company owner, Sasaki (Tsutomu Yamazaki), a no-nonsense man of few words, is a master artist of ‘encoffination’ – the ceremonial washing, dressing and placing of the deceased into a coffin in the presence of the bereaved… 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.
Juniper Green Village Trust Public Meeting: Juniper Green Community Council (JGCC) invites you to a meeting to see if the residents of the area would like to form a village trust. The meeting will last no more than 90 minutes and its sole purpose is to discover if there is sufficient community spirit to join together for the benefit of all residents of the area served by JGCC – come along and raise your voice in your community for the common good. 7.30pm, Juniper Green Primary School, (please note change of venue owing to temporary closure of Village Hall for repairs), Baberton Mains Wynd, Juniper Green.
Folk Night: live music – if want to join in, bring along your voice or an instrument. 7.30pm, The Old Chain Pier, Trinity Crescent. For more information call 0131 552 4960.
Live at the Café: Cian McKenzie. DJ + photographer, pacman booths, craft beers, cocktails & pizza. Bar open from 5pm, DJ 10pm-3am, Café Voltaire, Cabaret Voltaire, Blair Street/Cowgate. Call 0131 247 4704 for more details.
Red Raw: The Stand’s long-running weekly beginners’ showcase is regarded as one of the best open mic nights in the UK. Catch up to ten new acts – some treading the boards for the very first time. Your chance to see the stars of tomorrow today – and watch out for older hands dropping in to try out new material too. With host Gareth Mutch and headliner Stuart Mitchell. 7.30-8.30pm, The Stand, York Place. Entry £2.
Studio Ghibli Forever: My Neighbour Totoro (U) (In Japanese with English subtitles). Hayao Miyazaki’s superbly animated tale is considered to be one of the best-loved family films of all time. The story follows Satsuki and Mei, two young girls who find their new home is beside 
a mystical forest inhabited by a menagerie of fantastical creatures called Totoros. They befriend O-Totoro, the biggest and eldest of them, and king of the forest. While the girls’ mother lies sick in hospital, O-Totoro takes them on a magical adventure and helps them to understand the realities of life. 8.30pm, Cameo, Home Street. Tickets may be purchased from the Box Office in person, by calling 0871 902 5723 or online.
Light and Shadow: Architecture On Screen. Architecture and design play an important part in our everyday lives, both consciously and subconsciously shaping, physically and visually, the towns and cities we live in and the everyday objects we use. Films have often used architecture as an integral character, setting the atmosphere and forming an essential backdrop to plot. As Part of the 2016 Year of Innovation, Architecture and Design, the Edinburgh Architectural Association in conjunction with Filmhouse have brought together a series of feature films and accompanying Scottish shorts that explore the role of architecture and design within film and beyond. 
This week’s films are 
Helvetica (PG), The Belly of an Architect (15), Metropolis (PG), Eames: The Architect and The Painter (12A), Unfinished Spaces (12A), Exhibition (15), Edinburgh’s Architectural History (collection of shorts) (U) and The Fountainhead (PG). Filmhouse, Lothian Road – please see Filmhouse website for dates and times. Tickets may be purchased from the Box Office in person, by calling 0131 228 2688 or online. Ticket deals are available for this season.
TUESDAY 17TH MAY 2016
Garden Buddies: fun gardening and recycled crafts for children. 3.30pm today and every first and third Tuesday of the month, Granton Library, Wardieburn Terrace. For more information ask in the library or call 0131 529 5630.
Lunchtime Concert: the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Chamber Singers. 12.15pm, St Giles’ Cathedral, High Street. Free.
Read All About It: an introduction to online media resources available at the National Library. This session includes demonstrations of a selection of resources and tips on how to search and discover the information you need. 10am, 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.
Lunchtime Concert. Brilliant pianist Alisdair Hogarth returns to The Brunton with a programme full of wonderfully romantic music: Smetana Three Polkas, Chopin Ballade No 3 and Rachmaninov Variations on a Theme of Chopin. Rachmaninov’s Chopin Variations are famous for their virtuosity and match perfectly the exquisite beauty of Chopin’s own music. 1pm, Venue 2, The Brunton, Ladywell Way, Musselburgh. Tickets: pre-concert soup & sandwich lunch + concert £13, concert only £7 in advance, £8 on the day: book by calling The Brunton on 0131 665 2240 or online here. Lunch bookings close the day before the concert.
University of Edinburgh BMus Final Honours Recital: The Siggy Watts Trio. Drummer Sigurd Watt presents his impressive end-of-studies concert, playing original compositions along with David Series (guitar) and pianist Andrew Blair. 4.30pm, The Jazz Bar, Chambers Street. Free admission: all welcome.
Roberto Costantini in conversation with Raffaella Ocone. The detective novelist and former engineer will continue to explore the enduring success of the detective story with engineer, academic (Heriot Watt University) and detective story fan Raffaella Ocone. At the centre of the latest Costantini novel The Perfect Wife looms the figure of Michele Balistreri, already well known to readers of the acclaimed Commissario Balistreri Trilogy (The Deliverance of Evil, The Root of All Evil, The Memory of Evil, all published by Marsilio). 
Italian Cultural Institute, 82 Nicolson Street. Please book online here. For more information please call the Institute on 0131 668 2232. Image © Giola Chistè.
Shinty: An Infusion of Highland Blood. The National Library has an unparalleled collection of material relating to the ancient and noble game of shinty. The collection pays testimony to the way the sport has been played in Scotland’s capital, often with ‘an infusion of Highland blood’. In an illustrated talk, Dr Hugh Dan MacLennan — of Edinburgh University Celtic and Scots Department and the Academy of Sport — examines highlights and occurrences of the game in some unlikely settings. 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.
University of Edinburgh BMus Final Honours Recitals: (1) 6pm: Kathryn Humberstone (clarinet) plays Weber, Brahms and Debussy; (2) 7.30pm: Katie Johnston (violoncello) plays Brahms and Leighton. Reid Concert Hall, Bristo Square. Free admission: all welcome.
Picturehouses Discover Tuesdays: cult classics, art-house gems and riveting documentaries. Today’s film is Arabian Nights: Volume Two – The Desolate One (15) (in Portugese with English subtitles). 
No familiarity with the original Arabian Nights tales – nor with Volume 1 of director Miguel Gomes’s (Tabu) trilogy – is required to appreciate the darkly comic stories that comprise The Desolate One. Crista Alfaiate again narrates as Scheherazade, but the vignettes here are even more absurdist than in Volume 1. We visit a courtroom where the judiciary and the people it represents are clearly at odds, and a case involving the theft of 13 cows unravels to include a similar number of mail-order brides. This furious comment on Portugal’s legal system precedes an equally acerbic allegory about the decline of social cohesion as seen through the eyes of an unloved poodle seeking shelter on a rundown housing estate. Unremittingly enraged, and brilliantly entertaining. 6pm, Tuesday 10th May, Cameo, Home Street. Tickets may be purchased from the Box Office in person, by calling 0871 902 5723 or online.
Leith Folk Club: Caddy Cooper. Caddy Cooper is a West Australian acoustic blues, country and folk singer/songwriter, now living in the UK. ‘After her first incredible show here, we are VERY much anticipating this, her second appearance at the club. Armed with a guitar and an epic voice, Caddy gives a live performance guaranteed to leave you humming her tunes for days afterwards’. With support: Shan & Annie. 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.
Filmhouse: Growing Pains – a season programmed by Filmhouse’s Jessie Moroney, showing classic and contemporary films dealing with some of the more complex aspects of childhood and exploring the emotional turbulences experienced during our early years. Jessie hopes to create a space that encourages audiences, during post-screening chats, to share their own responses on how these films affect them now as adults, as catharsis or otherwise. Today’s film is Tomboy (U): the ten-year-old person with short hair that we are introduced to in the opening shots of Tomboy is known as Laure to her family, a daughter who can dress as she wants, and have a blue-painted bedroom in their new home. However, unbeknownst to her parents, Laure presents to the neighbourhood children as a boy named Mikäel. In the background of childhood play and love, the film navigates the difficulties of questioning gender and sexuality at a young age. Plus short: Take Your Partners (cert tba). It is hoped that there will be a post-screening Q & A with a guest from Take Your Partners. 6.15pm, Filmhouse, Lothian Road. Tickets may be purchased from the Box Office in person, by calling 0131 228 2688 or online.
WEDNESDAY 18TH MAY 2016
Hattie Pattisson, Babs Peese and Ingrid Nilsson: New Works. 9am-5pm, Wednesday to Sunday (closed Mondays and Tuesdays) Bon Papillon Gallery, Howe Street. Ends 17th June 2016.
Guided Tour of the National Library: a tour of the building and introduction to the Library’s collections and history. The tour will last approximately 45 minutes. Numbers are limited, so booking is essential. Please let NLS know if you have special access requirements. 10.30am, 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.
Vocal (Voice of Carers Across Lothian): carer support group. Come along to learn more about how to look after yourself while caring, how to get a break from caring and to get practical support to help you and the person you support. 1.30-3.30pm today and every Wednesday, Community Room, Currie Library, 210 Lanark Road.
Girl Talk: a new book group for teenagers, with chat, crafts, fashion, film and lots more. First meeting tonight 6.30-7.30pm, Kirkliston Library, 16 Station Road, then on the third Wednesday of each month. For more information call 0131 529 5510, email kirkliston.library@edinburgh.gov.uk or message the library via its Facebook page here.
University of Edinburgh BMus Final Honours Recitals: (1) 6pm: Alice Macrae (violin) plays Tchaikovsky, Butterworth and Ravel (2) 7pm: Sophie McClements (piano) plays Bach, Beethoven and Brahms (3) Oliver Kember (baritone) performs works by Brahms, Vieuxtemps and Messiaen. Reid Concert Hall, Bristo Square. Free admission: all welcome.
Raise Your Glass! The Untold Story of Scottish Brewing Heritage. To complement the museum’s Raise Your Glass! exhibition, join John Martin for a talk on brewing heritage. After the talk there will be the opportunity to visit the exhibition. 2-3pm, Museum of Edinburgh, Huntly House, 142 Canongate. Free but advance booking is eseential as the maximum number for the tour is 30; please contact John Martin on 0131 441 7718 or email martin.j7@sky.com. This talk will also run on 16th June at 2pm.
Visually Impaired Tour and Workshop: Architecture at the Scottish National Gallery. A free descriptive tour and practical workshop for the visually impaired. 10am-3.30pm, Scottish National Gallery (meet at the Royal Scottish Academy, back entrance), The Mound. Free but booking is required; to reserve a place contact the Information Desk on 0131 624 6560.
Freemachines: music, coding, 3D printing and more for ages 12+. 5-7pm tonight and every Wednesday, Granton Library, Wardieburn Terrace. For more information ask in the library, call 0131 529 5630 or read the group’s blog here.
Music for a Summer Evening: Portobello Community Choir with The Brogues: folk and ceilidh music. 7pm, St Mark’s Church, 287, Portobello High Street. Tickets £6 on the door (under 16s free).
Sketchy Speaks: Poetry Open Mic. Poems, people, coffees by Cosima, snacky snacks, first-timers welcome, smiles and clapping… There will be some spaces available on the night but to be guaranteed a spot, email Suky Goodfellow at sukygoodfellow@gmail.com. 7-10pm, Sketchy Beats, 208 Great Junction Street, Leith. Free: donations welcome. BYOB.
LGBT Bi & Beyond: 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. Find the group on Facebook to hear what’s planned for the quarter, or for more information contact biandbeyondedinburgh@gmail.com. 7-9pm, LGBT Health & Wellbeing, 9 Howe Street.
Son of Dave + The Church: Benjamin Darvill, known by his stage name Son of Dave, is a Canadian musician and singer–songwriter, based in the UK. He was a member of Grammy nominated folk rock band Crash Test Dummies, in which he played harmonica, mandolin, guitar and percussion before returning to his Blues, Beat-Box and harmonica driven solo work in 2000. He releases his seventh studio album, this time a collection of cover tunes packaged up like the old K-Tel Super Hits compilations from the 1970’s. 
Daft Punk, Leadbelly, AC/DC, Paloma Faith, War, The Bar-Keys, John Lee Hooker and Rudimental all get given his tough harmonica and beatbox treatment, and are subject to his growling and loving vocals.‘The best and most energetic one-man show you’ll find.’ For over 18s only. 7.30pm, The Voodoo Rooms, West Register Street. Tickets £12.50 + booking fee from The Voodoo Rooms, Ripping Records, Tickets Scotland, or Ticketweb online here.
Work in Progress: a night of comedy with a difference – headline comedians trying out their brand new material – off notes & off adrenaline!! So come expecting nerves, a bit of chaos and a lot of laughs… but don’t come expecting a slick, finished comedy show on the cheap. This is strictly Work In Progress. The WiP project includes Daniel Sloss, Kai Humphries and Mark Nelson and occasional special guests. Over 18s only. 7.30pm, Red Lecture Theatre, Summerhall, 1 Summerhall. Tickets £3 + booking fee from the Box Office on 0131 560 1580 or online here.
THURSDAY 19TH MAY 2016
Chinese Mandarin Bookbug: a new group starts today! Rhymes and stories for children aged 0-4 and their parents and carers. 11-11.30am today then alternate Thursdays, Newington Library, Fountainhall Road. Please contact the library on 0131 529 5536 for more information.
Picturehouses Big Scream: screenings exclusively for parents and carers with their babies under 12 months. Today’s film is My Neighbour Totoro (U). (See Monday’s listings for description). 10.30am, Thursday 12th May, Cameo, Home Street. Tickets may be purchased from the Box Office in person, by calling 0871 902 5723 or online.
Learning Disability Festival: come along to the Meadows to help celebrate the achievements of people who have a learning disability and the organisations who provide support to them. There will be people talking about their own success stories as well as information stalls and activities for everyone to get involved in. Organisations attending include: ARC Charter, Tiphereth, Pilrig Park School, CAN DO – 
Leonard Cheshire volunteering project, Volunteer Edinburgh, PEP – Pilton Equalities Project, Enable, All Together Edinburgh Charity Shop, Skillspath, SAM RADIO©, Bield Housing, Edinburgh Development Group, Shared Lives, People First, The Thistle Foundation, Collumcille, EPAG, FAIR, Inspire Crafts, Trust Rugby, Street Soccer and All Ability Bikes. 11am-3pm, The Meadows – beside the Pavilion Café. Hosted by the City of Edinburgh Council: for more information please call the Local Area Coordination Team on 0131 659 7842.
Playing Shakespeare: 400 Years of Great Acting. Literature and the Arts Curator Andrew Martin presents a concise history of Shakespearian acting, based on the National Museum’s extensive collections and the ‘Playing Shakespeare’ treasures display. The talk celebrates great Shakespearian names, from Richard Burbage to Benedict Cumberbatch, and commemorates William Shakespeare’s theatrical legacy 400 years after his death. 2pm, 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.
Easel Sketching in the Gallery – May: Sketching in the gallery, led by artist Damian Callan. A different subject each month and sometimes with a model. All materials supplied. 2-4pm, Scottish National Portrait Gallery, 1 Queen Street. Free; no booking required – ask at information desk for exact location. Also at same times on Friday 20th May.
University of Edinburgh BMus Final Honours Recitals: (1) 6pm: Alison Scott (soprano) performs works by Mahler, Musgrave and Fauré; (2) 7.30pm: Sally Leung (soprano) performs works by Beethoven, Guerney and Berberian Reid Concert Hall, Bristo Square. Free admission: all welcome.
Dogs’ Trust West Calder The Passion of Play. Play can be used as a high value reinforcement in dog training, although in order to use it effectively, a greater awareness of breed specific plays styles and communication must be first understood. During this seminar Alasdair Bunyan will discuss the importance of play, the various types of play styles and what may be deemed appropriate and inappropriate play.
He will also give his thoughts on motivation and how trainers and owners can successfully use play as a reinforcement to improve their dog’s training. Alasdair has been training and competing with dogs for over 30 years. He has in that time worked with John Rogerson, Strathclyde Police and was one of the first APDT assessors in Scotland. 
Alasdair now works for Dogs Trust as one of its Senior Canine Training & Behaviour Advisors; this role involves travelling the UK supporting and training rehoming centre staff and the general public in the rehabilitation of dogs. 7-9.30pm, Dogs Trust West Calder, Bentyhead, West Calder, West Lothian EH55 8LE. Tickets cost £15 (includes refreshments) and may be purchased via eventbrite here; for booking information please contact Kim by emailing kim.mcneill@dogstrust.org.uk or calling 07920 658 653.
Le Mystère de la Tonalité Locale: a talk in French by writer, poet and playwright Jean-Christophe Bailly, whose book Le Dépaysement: Voyages en France received the Prix Décembre literary award in 2011. What comprises a country’s identity? Why do we gladly return to it, whether we hail from it or experience it in passing? 
Why must it evolve in order to stay alive? Seeing a country as an opening, a range of possibilities, but not as a fortress, and visiting it as that range of possibilities – such was the momentum of Dépaysement, which recounts Jean-Christophe Bailly’s travels through France, some aspects of which he will present here. 6-7.30pm, Institut Français d’Ecosse, 13 Randolph Crescent. Free but please book in advance by calling 0131 225 5366 or emailing info@ifecosse.org.uk.
Magi Gibson and Maria Jastrzebska: A Place Our Mothers Talked About. Magi and Maria discuss Maria’s poems from the bilingual collection Cedry z Walpole Park / The Cedars of Walpole Park. Maria is a Polish born poet, editor and translator, the author of six poetry collections in English, recently including At The Library of Memories, and a literary drama Dementia Diaries. She was co-editor of Queer in Brighton (New Writing South, 2014). Magi Gibson is an award-winning poet; her full length collections are Graffiti in Red Lipstick, Wild Women of a Certain Age, and Kicking Back. She’s held three Scottish Arts Council Creative Writing Fellowships, a Royal Literary Fund Fellowship, and was Stirling Makar. Her new poetry collection will be out in 2016. This event will be in English. 6pm, The Saltire Society, 9 Fountain Close. Free, no booking required.
Robert Burns: Rough Cut. Meet the real, edgy Bard in crisis and contradiction but at full creative stretch; Rough Cut brings you Burns in the raw for the 21st Century. This intimate portrait of Burns premièred at the 2010 Edinburgh Fringe to critical acclaim. 
Based on Donald Smith’s controversial novel Between Ourselves it focuses on the pivotal crisis of Burns’ life and career – his stay in Edinburgh. Recreating his lost (or unwritten) diaries, we meet Edinburgh high and low through Burns’ eyes – encountering the familiar and unexpected. It’s the man behind the myth, but one who wears many masks. Written and directed by Donald Smith, with Gavin Paul as Robert Burns. 7.30pm, Netherbow Theatre, Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43 High Street. Tickets £10/£8 from the Box Office in person, by calling 0131 556 9579 or online here.
Mandala Drawing Session: Mark Dennis hosts his third Mandala drawing class. Mark will show you the steps and guide you through drawing your very own design. A mandala is a spiritual and ritual symbol in Indian religions, representing the universe. In common use, ‘mandala’ has become a generic term for any diagram, chart or geometric pattern that represents the cosmos metaphysically or symbolically; a microcosm of the universe. You will need to bring a pencil, pen, compass, ruler, protractor and eraser. 7pm, Sofi’s Bar, 65 Henderson Street. £5 (includes quality drawing paper). Booking is required and must be made before 17th May by calling into Sofi’s any day after 2pm; payment must be made on booking and is non-refundable.
LGBT IDAHO Event: Suicide Prevention. Unfortunately LGBT people are more likely than the general population to be impacted by suicide. 
To mark IDAHO (International Day Against Homophobia), join LGBT Health & Wellbeing, LGBT Youth Scotland and Choose Life to creatively explore how we can collectively prevent suicide in the LGBT community. 7.30pm (doors open 7pm), LGBT Youth Scotland, 40 Commercial Street, Leith. For more information please contact Alison Wren at LGBT Health & Wellbeing, Howe Street by calling 0131 652 3283 or emailing alison@lgbthealth.org.uk.
Café Voices: Stories of Fionn and the Grey Magician – with guest storyteller George Macpherson from Skye. George will also be launching his new book The Old Grey Magician: A Scottish Fionn Cycle, published via Luath Press. The Centre’s monthly storytelling session, with an open-floor section for storytellers to tell their own tales, all in the relaxed surroundings of the Storytelling Court. 6pm (book launch), 7pm (Café Voices), Storytelling Court, Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43 High Street. Tickets £5 from the Box Office in person, by calling 0131 556 9579 or online here.
LGBT Film Night: Carol. A 1950’s themed community film night and discussion; along with the screening of Todd Haynes’ Oscar nominated Carol, lecturer in English and Scottish Literature Dr Carole Jones (University of Edinburgh) will be discussing your reactions to the film and the significance of Patricia Highsmith’s 1952 romance novel that inspired it. Nibbles and hot drinks provided. 6.30-9.30pm, Walpole Hall, Chester Street. Free but please book online here. For more information please contact Jules Stapleton Barnes at LGBT Health & Wellbeing, Howe Street, on 0131 523 1104 or by emailing jules@lgbthealth.org.uk.
Jeff’s 50th Birthday Bash: Jeff (of The Jeff Sniper Group and Shock & Awe) is turning 50. Come help him celebrate – with Isaac Brutal, The Jeff Sniper Group and Shock & Awe. 7-10pm, Henry’s Cellar Bar, Morrison Street. £3 per person: all proceeds will go to SAMH, Scotland’s leading mental health charity.
Taupe + Steve Kettley’s Odd Times + Thus: Taupe is a Newcastle upon Tyne based trio specializing in razor-sharp polyrhythmic play, exploratory improvisation and raw, high energy live performance. Odd Times have been steadily been making a name for themselves in jazz clubs and festivals around Scotland. 
The quartet’s music is contemporary jazz, with references to world rhythms and Steve Kettley’s extensive work in the theatre. THUS is an ever-evolving music project coordinated by Sean Quinn. Over 18s only. 7.30pm, The Voodoo Rooms, West Register Street. Tickets £6 + booking fee from Brown Paper Tickets here.
RCS Student Big Band: in this year of Shakespeare celebrations, students from the jazz course at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, in a 15-piece Big Band directed by trombonist/jazz tutor Chris Greive, perform the stunning Duke Ellington/Billy Strayhorn suite Such Sweet Thunder. This project is part of a collaboration with the RCS Dance Dept which will see new choreography unite the two art forms in a series of performances in June. Enjoy this exceptional RCS Big Band performance of ‘one of the most remarkable orchestral pieces in all of American music’ (Spellman, NPR) plus other great works from the Ellington Orchestra library. 9pm (entry from 8pm), The Jazz Bar, Chambers Street. £5/£4 on the door: please note this venue is strictly cash only.
FRIDAY 20TH MAY 2016
Bookbug Explorer – come and celebrate Bookbug Week 2016 ‘Around the World with Bookbug’ with songs, crafts and stories. For children aged 0-4 and their parents and carers. All welcome! 10.30am, Gilmerton Library, Newtoft Street.
Stone Age Jade from the Alps: a new exhibition. The rare and exquisite jadeitite axeheads found around the Scottish countryside have long puzzled archaeologists. How did these beautiful Neolithic axeheads end up in Scotland, so far from their origins in the North Italian Alps around 6,000 years ago? Now, thanks to a French-led project involving National Museums Scotland – Projet Jade – the fascinating story of these precious ceremonial objects can be told. 
Linking the ancient world with the modern, the exhibition will also feature a sculpture inspired by one of the axeheads, created by contemporary sculptor Tim Pomeroy. 10am-5pm Exhibition Gallery 4, Level 1, Grand Gallery, National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street. Free. Ends 31st October 2016.
Edinburgh Napier University: More Than a Degree Show… ‘It’s a sea of talent. It’s blood, sweat, and tears. It’s the Edinburgh Napier University “More than a Degree Show”’. See first-hand the talents of Napier’s emerging artists, designers, filmmakers, performers, photographers, journalists and more from the School of Arts and Creative Industries and the School of Computing. The Degree Show will offer an events programme celebrating creativity at its finest, including screenings, creative workshops (some for children) and performances, talks by staff who are leaders in the fields of art, creative industries and computing, special guest speakers and guided tours. 
For full information please see http://www.napier.ac.uk/about-us/events/degree-show-2016. 10am-5pm today, Saturday 21st and Sunday 22nd May, 11am-7pm Monday 23rd, Tuesday 24th, Wednesday 25th and Thursday 26th May, 11am-5pm Friday 27th, 10am-5pm Saturday 28th & Sunday 29th May, Edinburgh Napier University Merchiston Campus, 10 Colinton Road. (Some events will take place at other venues).
Museum Socials: Locomotives. A series of relaxed and informal sessions offering anyone living with dementia, along with their relatives, friends and supporters, an opportunity to explore a different part of the museum each month with NMS learning staff. This month will focus on train travel and locomotives, from the full-size Ellesmere, built by Hawthorns and Co. of Leith in 1861 for a colliery at Leigh, Lancashire, where it worked until 1957, through to working scale models spanning the 19th and 20th centuries. 10.30am-12 noon (meet at the Tower entrance at 10.15am), National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street. Sessions are free and include a cup of tea. To book your place please call 0300 123 6789.
In Focus: The Young Vermeer and Christ in the House of Martha and Mary: Christ in the House of Martha and Mary (c.1654-5) is an exceptional work from the very beginning of Vermeer’s career as a painter, dated shortly after his marriage and conversion to Catholicism. In this lecture, Andrew Paterson, art historian, will explore its making and meanings, and its relationship to the later development of Vermeer’s art. 12.45-1.30pm, Hawthornden Lecture Theatre, Scottish National Gallery, The Mound. Free and unticketed.
Collective Hush: if you keep meaning to put sometime aside for reading and writing poetry each week, bring your lunch (if you like) and join this silent, drop-in group reading/ writing/ making time every Friday in The Space. Sharing the silence, everyone can work together to achieve their artistic and poetic goals. 12 noon-2pm, Scottish Poetry Library, Crichton’s Close. Free, drop-in, donations welcome.
Hardin-Simmons University Concert Choir: the choir is visiting Scotland from Abilene, Texas and will perform a programme of choral classics by European and American composers, including African-American spirituals. 7.30pm, Canongate Kirk, 153 Canongate. Free: donations to Christian Aid welcomed.
Artesfera Collectiv Presents Ritomoclectic Vol II: an energetic combination of live performances and DJs promises an eclectic mix of rhythms with Latin / Balkan / Caribbean / African / Soul / Electronic / Swing flavours. Artesfera Collectiv aims to provide a platform for the creative grassroots arts scene in Edinburgh; it encourages artistic collaborations to create new and exciting projects, thus making the Edinburgh arts and music scene more ‘happening’. Tonight’s line-up is Samedia Shebeen (DJ set), Anansi (Live), Sankofa (beats) and the Founders of Artesfera (DJ set). 11pm-3am, Henry’s Cellar Bar, Morrison Street. £3 on the door; all proceeds will go to Artesfera Arts Fund.
Real Talk: An Evening of Storytelling About Mental Health. Real Talk is back after a wonderfully successful first evening of storytelling about mental ill health and wellbeing. Come one, come all for an evening of storytelling, connection and honesty. Real Talk crafts a safe space to speak about one of our most beautiful assets, our minds! The power of storytelling will be leveraged to help speakers connect to their narratives around mental health while offering attendees an opportunity to gain insight and understanding into individual experiences. 7pm, Storytelling Court, Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43 High Street. Tickets £5 from the Box Office in person, by calling 0131 556 9579 or online here.
Music for a Summer Evening: Dalkeith & Monktonhall Colliery Brass Band. 7pm, St Mark’s Church, 287, Portobello High Street. Tickets £6 on the door (under 16s free).
Rally & Broad: ‘Ye Dancin’? A cracking bill of spoken word, song and lyrical delight with writer, filmmaker and performance maker Paula Varjack, cabaret pop band Black Doves featuring the flamboyant vocalist Jamie Black and keyboardist Dean Darkie, singer-songwriter Kirsty Law, poet and Inky Fingers co-founder Harry Giles and performer and poet Sam Small. 7-10pm, The Bongo Club, 66 Cowgate. Tickets £5 in advance here, £6 on the door (sta).
Ceilidh Collective Scottish Women’s Aid and Rape Crisis Scotland 40th Anniversary Ceilidh. A fundraising ceilidh hosted by the Belle Star Band; over three and half hours of dancing, with all the traditional Scottish burls and reels and some free dancing time, plus the regular bar with local beers, organic wines, single malts, juices and a crazy winnable raffle and a slideshow. 7pm-12 midnight, The Wash House, 3 Adelphi Grove, Portobello. Tickets £6.50 (various concessions available) from The New Leaf Co-Op, Argyle Place or Ceilidh Collective here. The Ceilidh Collective has been organising events since February 2003, raising unrestricted funds for social and environmental charities and grassroots organisations.
The Loop Hole: a night of live music made with loop pedals! A variety of sounds, a range of styles; come get caught in the loop! Line-up tbc. BYOB (corkage applies). 7pm, Sketchy Beats, 208 Great Junction Street, Leith. Free: donations welcome.
FestivALE3: Summerhall’s Beer, Spirits and Food Festival – multiple bars inside & out and street food trucks; Barney’s, Williams Brothers, Fallen Brewing Co, six°north, The Bar of Unearthly Delights, Pickering’s Gin, The Rum Surgery, Cocktails & Drams, Thistly Cross Cider, Rost, Fresh Revolution, Jones & Son reBBQ, Shrimpwreck, Sweet. Meet the brewers, distillery and brewery tours. Live music, DJ’s, beer tokens and merchandise from the Beer Bank. For over 18s only. 5.30pm-12.30am today then 12 noon-5pm and 6pm-12 midnight on Saturday 21st May, Summerhall, 1 Summerhall. Tickets £5 per session from the Box Office on 0131 560 1580 or online here.
Tinderbox Frontiers Concert: Supa & Da Kryptonites + Special Guests. Frontiers is a city-wide programme of music and creative workshops for young people.
It has a focus on providing opportunities for people who may not otherwise access them, and on bringing together a diverse mix of ideas, experiences and creative voices. Tinderbox’s vision is a cultural landscape where young people have a place & a voice and where their views, experiences & ideas are listened to and valued by society. 6.30pm (doors 6pm), North Edinburgh Arts, Pennywell Court, Muirhouse. Free – donations on the door.‘You don’t need to be involved or even musical to experience and understand its creativity, it just blows everything you think about orchestras & young people to bits’ (Jack, 16 years old); ‘For the first time I feel that people want to listen to what I have to say’ (Tom, 16). If you wish to find out more about Tinderbox and its Frontiers Music Collective, (for ages 10-25, all levels of experience from beginner to top musicians) visit the website here or email admin@tinderboxproject.co.uk.
We Are Edinburgh (15): Filmhouse presents a special new commission inspired by Mark Cousins’ recent cinematic love letter I Am Belfast. Neu! Reekie! have teamed up with live cinema maven A Kind of Seeing to bring their highly acclaimed multimedia format to Filmhouse. We Are Edinburgh is a 3 Act City-Symphony featuring never before seen archive footage of Auld Reekie, live poetry and spoken word, set to original musical scores. This unique event features live performances by Don Paterson (poet, musician, TS Eliot Prize Winner), Jenni Fagan (author, poet, Granta Young British Novelist), and local electronic dance pioneers Finitribe. Conceptualised & composed by Kevin Williamson, Michael Pedersen & Shona Thomson. 8pm, Filmhouse, Lothian Road. Tickets cost £15 and may be purchased from the Box Office in person, by calling 0131 228 2688 or online.
Washed Up At The Skylark: Flotsam from the Shores of Dance. A night of broad beats by the beach, this time with a stalwart of the Edinburgh scene, Filthy Rich. Rich will be joined by host The Toxicologist; expect reggae, funk, soul, headz, electronica, big beat, house, techno and whatever else they feel like playing (‘although considering the combined age of your DJ’S is about three hundred and three don’t expect many new releases’). 9pm, The Skylark, 241 High Street, Portobello.
Soulacoaster: Get your groove on for a night of live music with Soulacoaster, Edinburgh’s 12 piece soul band whose set is packed with classic hits made famous by legends such as the Blues Brothers, Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder and The Commitments. Over 18s only. 7.30pm, The Voodoo Rooms, West Register Street. Tickets £7 on the door.
Sun Juice: Edinburgh bass/vocals legend Dave Ellis and ex-NZ sax player Doug Tiplady bring in their superb 5-piece, playing fresh original material, with funky, groovy swing and bouncy, appealing Balkan/Klezmer sounds, featuring Rich Harrold (keys), guitar ace Graeme Stephen, and driving funky drums from Davide Rinaldi. 9pm-12 midnight (entry from 8pm), The Jazz Bar, Chambers Street. £5/£4 on the door: please note this venue is strictly cash only.
Gilchrist: dancefloor-filling funk from vocals-fronted Edinburgh 8-piece with trumpet/sax/trombone horn section, ‘a talented bunch … fantastic performances with an excellent blend of new and older songs’ (Radio Saltire). Plus Funk DJ. 12 midnight-3am (entry from 11.30pm, band 12.45am), The Jazz Bar, Chambers Street. £5/£4 on the door: please note this venue is strictly cash only.
