HOT NEW SKETCH DUO SETS SAIL FOR EDINBURGH

SHIP’S DEBUT COMBINES CALAMITOUS CHARACTERS, HILARIOUS SONGS AND DELIGHTFUL SURPRISES IN THIS MUSICAL STORY TELLING SKETCH SHOW

EDINBURGH FRINGESouthsider Pub (Venue 148)3-7 West Richmond Street,Edinburgh, EH8 9EF5-26 August (not 14, 21)2:10pmRunning time: 50 min

Cathy Young trained at the Royal Academy of Music and the Royal College of Music, before joining the English National Opera as a Harewood Artist. Aside from her singing career, she is an experienced actress, writer and comedic improviser, having appeared both on stage and screen. She is a core member of the improv team Geraldyne, who will also be performing at this year’s fringe.

A 45-year-old man has been charged in connection with the death of a man in the capital and is due to appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court today.

‎The incident happened at a house on Guardwell Glen, Edinburgh, just after 11pm on Saturday 29 July, when the 34-year-old was discovered with serious injuries.

Emergency services attended and the man was taken to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, however he passed away a short time later.

The Debut Solo Show Neighbours’ Pinhead

Featuring real on-stage stunts – it’s totally bananas!

Nathan Lang (Pinhead from Neighbours) brings his debut solo show to the Edinburgh Fringe: The absurd tale of The Stuntman, told through clowning, characters, mime, sketches, physical comedy and real onstage stunts. It’s totally bananas!

MORE ABOUT NATHAN LANG

Nathan Lang (born Nathan Godkin in Melbourne) played Pinhead on Australian soap Neighbours (1998-2000), as well as guest parts on many Aussie TV shows, before relocating to the UK and marrying Scottish actor Shelley Lang (River City). In 2009 he reunited with Neighbours star Mark Little (Joe Mangel) in a London fringe theatre production of Cosi. In clowning he has trained with John Wright, Spymonkey, Doctor Brown and Nola Rae. He is also highly skilled in stand-up, sketch, improvisation and Shakespeare.

Nathan is the host of London’s beloved alternative comedy night Lost Cabaret, co-founder of international clown theatre company Farce Forward, and half of sketch comedy duo Jon & Nath (Jon & Nath Like To Party also at Edinburgh Fringe).

He will soon be seen in Yorgos Lanthimos’ (The Lobster) highly anticipated feature film The Favourite (2018) with Olivia Colman, Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone.

TITLE:        The Stuntman

DATES/TIMES:       16th to 27h August at 13:30 (50 mins)

VENUE/TICKETS:  The Free Sisters (Venue 272) – Maggie’s Front Room

39 Cowgate Edinburgh EH1 1JS – FREE!

https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/stuntman

http://www.freefestival.co.uk/show.asp?ShowID=4977

Lots of people having fun in Holyrood Park earlier today when they took part in an untimed 5K when fun is all important.

Many raised money while doing so, wearing their charity vests and running across the finish line.

Police are appealing for information to help trace missing Marcin Rajkowski, aged 34, who was last seen on Mossgiel Walk, Edinburgh at 1am, Sunday 30 July.

Marcin is described as white, 5’6” tall, with blonde hair, wearing blue jeans, white t-shirt, black coat and grey trainers.

Marcin has links to the Livingston area.

Insp Trevis said: “We are conducting a number of enquiries in Edinburgh and Livingston as part of our efforts to trace Marcin and would urge anyone who may have seen him to contact us as soon as possible.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact Police Scotland on 101 quoting incident number ‎0314 of 30 July.

It’s just another Sunday morning for the Easy Sister goddesses: ill-advised Jägerbombs, lost tampons and wanking mermaids are behind them. But little do they know, something catastrophic, world destroying and likely to be dressed in a crotch-hugging pant suit, is about to cause havoc. Something the Easy Sisters must defeat despite their hangovers. Never underestimate the power of social media, modern dating, political correctness – and disco biscuits.  Sounds like an intriguing hour at tea-time awaits!

Venue: Royal Society of Edinburgh, 22 George Street (Venue 6) ǀ 14-28 August 2017 ǀ 5.15pm (60 mins)

 Tickets here

Civil Service Strollers got their Scottish Lowland League campaign off to a winning start and picked up three points on the road on Saturday at Gretna 2008.

The game started with both teams playing some good football and creating chances. In the opening fifteen minutes, Gretna were on top, but Civil settled in the game and started to pass the ball around well.

Just as it looked like the teams would go in level at the interval David Churchill fired Strollers in front. He picked up on a loose ball on the edge of the box and his shot nestled in the back of the net.

Into the second half and Churchill was again in the thick of the action, but this time received a red card for an off the ball incident. This spurred Gretna on, and they created some good chances, but Stuart Burnside in in the Strollers goal was equal to them.

The best came from Tommy Whitehead when he was picked the ball up in the box, and his shot from point blank range was stopped by the keeper.

Moments later Burnside again had to react quickly when a Jamie Hope shot looked like it was going in the top corner.

The big keeper had other ideas and managed to get a fingertip on the ball and push it over for a corner.

Andy Mair sealed the victory in the dying stages when his tricky run caught out the defenders, and he fired the ball into the net from the edge of the box.

Strollers Manager, Alex Cunningham, was happy with three points.  He said: “Raydale is always a hard place to come but the boys played well and I am delighted with the three points.”

Civil will host local neighbours Spartans FC on Wednesday night in the Lowland League at Christie Gillies Park with kick off at 7.15pm.

Hibs will face Ayr United in the last 16 of the Betfred League Cup.

Neil Lennon’s men qualified after winning Group D with ten points from four games.

Comfortable victories over Montrose, Arbroath and Alloa Athletic plus a point away to  Ross County was enough to guarantee top spot although not sufficient to be one of the our seeded teams.

The draw was made earlier this afternoon following the Dundee derby.

The full draw is as follows :

St Johnstone v Partick Thistle

Hibs v Ayr United

Rangers v Dunfermline

Ross County v Motherwell

Falkirk v Livingston

Hamilton v Aberdeen

Celtic v Kilmarnock

Dundee v Dundee United

Games to be played August 8th and 9th

A police investigation is underway after the body of a 34-year-old man was discovered in Guardwell Glen at around 11pm on Saturday night.

Detectives believe that the incident appears to be isolated and officers will be on patrol to provide support to the public.

Witnesses are asked to contact the police.

Detective Inspector Bruce Coutts said: “Detectives from Edinburgh supported by the Major Inquiry Team are progressing all enquiries.

“We are appealing to anyone who saw anything in and around Guardwell Glen about 11pm on Saturday night to get in touch as soon as possible.”

Chief Inspector Mark Rennie said: “We are keen to reassure residents that, at this stage, the incident appears to be isolated.

“Officers will be carrying out enquiries and on patrol in the area over the next few days to provide support and information to residents.”

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact Police Scotland on 101.

Hibs’ youngster Fraser Murray believes that winning group D of the Betfred Cup will give him and his team mates confidence ahead of the forthcoming league campaign.

The highly regarded teenager has been in great form, earning plaudits from the fans as well as Head Coach Neil Lennon and he didn’t do his chances of starting next Saturday any harm with a goal against Alloa Athletic in yesterday’s 3-0 victory.

Murray also praised the contribution of his namesake, Simon Murray who notched the two other goals, taking his tally to seven already.

Speaking after the game to Hibernian TV, Murray said: ” It was good to get another goal. we’ve been doing well this pre-season in the cup with a few quite convincing wins.

“We have been playing well so we have nothing to fear going into the season. in the top flight in Scotland.

“It was good to win the group ahead of Ross County and that will give us confidence. I’m looking forward to the next round of the Betfred Cup and don’t mind who we play next.

“It’s been good to play alongside Simon (Murray). He never stops running and never stops working and he is always on the move so it’s good to have him play in front of me. and it was good to see Paul (Hanlon) back as well. It’s been a long time.”

A police investigation is underway after four men wearing balaclavas forced the shutters of the Day Today shop in Boswall Parkway just before 3am on Saturday before stealing property from within.

The men made off in a grey or silver medium-sized hatchback car along Boswall Parkway towards Crewe Road North.

Detective Chief Inspector Paul Grainger said: “The audible alarm was activated and their actions would’ve caused some noise at this time of the morning.

“We are looking to speak to anyone who heard anything or saw the incident or anything suspicious, or the car driving off.

“We believe that a black people carrier-type private taxi may have driven by as this incident happened. I would urge the driver or passengers to get in touch with us.”

TONY COWARDS: PUNDERDOG EDINBURGH FESTIVAL FRINGE 2017

Laughs aplenty from the king of one-liners.

Fresh from a hit debut run at Adelaide Fringe this spring, Tony Cowards returns to Edinburgh with his new show. Bursting at the seams with glorious gags, preposterous puns and witty one-liners, Punderdog is the follow-up to last year’s hilarious ‘Daft Pun’, jokes from which featured in the Top Jokes of the Fringe for The Scotsman, The Daily Mirror, The Evening Standard and The I newspaper.

Tony regularly contributes to a wide variety of national newspapers and international websites.  He supplies jokes for several greetings card manufacturers and his material has been used by major international brands such as Nestlé and Savanna Dry.   So, even if you’ve never heard of him, the chances are you’ve already laughed at one of his jokes.

Book a ticket, take a chance.  After all, everyone loves a punderdog.

TITLE:        Tony Cowards: Punderdog

DATES/TIMES:       3rd to 27h August (not 14th) at 20:05 (60 mins) | Previews 3rd/4th

VENUE/TICKETS:  Just The Tonic @ The Mash House (Venue 288)

37 Guthrie Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1JG

https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/tony-cowards-punderdog

Tony is an award-winning, established act on the UK comedy circuit.  His likable ‘everyman’ character and wide-ranging humour (mostly clean) means he’s able to play any crowd, from raucous late night comedy nights, to nervous, infrequent comedy-goers.

As well as performing, Tony is also a prolific writer; his credits include material for BBC Radio’s comedy shows ‘The News Quiz’, ‘The Now Show’, ‘Ian D Montfort is: Unbelievable’ and ‘Newsjack’. He is also the principal gag writer for Bristol based commercial radio station Jack FM (for which he won a silver Sony Award in 2013).

His Twitter account, chock-full of one-liners, has over 19000 followers.

Read more at: http://www.tonycowards.co.uk |  Twitter: @tonycowards |  FB: /TonyCowardsComedian

THE KAGOOLS: TUTTI | EDINBURGH FRINGE 2017

UK physical comedy duo, The Kagools, return to Edinburgh Fringe with their multi award-winning show, ‘Tutti’.

Fresh from a three-month tour in Australia and Asia, The Kagools are delighted to be returning to their ‘home’ Fringe, Edinburgh, with their now multi award-winning show Tutti.

Tutti premiered at Buxton Fringe Festival in July 2016, immediately winning Best Comedy Show. From there, it made its Edinburgh debut and went on to play to packed houses at other festivals across the UK. In February, the show made its first international tour-stop, with a run at Adelaide Fringe where it won the weekly Award for Best Comedy Show.

Since then, the show has been performed in The Gold Coast, Melbourne & Sydney, with Time Out Sydney naming it one of the Must See Shows of Sydney Comedy Festival 2017.  Following Australia, it enjoyed further performances in Vietnam, Singapore and Indonesia.

Discussing the show’s Edinburgh return, The Kagools said: “We’re so excited to be bringing Tutti back to Edinburgh. Over the past year, it’s developed almost beyond recognition and is a show of which we’re immensely proud.  It’s a nice thought that its journey will end where it began and we can’t wait to share the even bigger, better Tutti with Edinburgh audiences”

Directed by NZ comedian Javier Jarquin, Tutti is The Kagools second full-length tour show. It features the duo’s trademark combination of live action and interactive video, to create an anarchic, spontaneous experience that’s fun for everyone. An adult show, which children can also enjoy, Tutti has no language or age barriers, as the entire performance is wordless (though far from silent!).

TITLE:      The Kagools: Tutti

DATES/TIMES:     3rd to 26h August (not 14th) at 17:15 (55 mins)

VENUE:                Just The Tonic @ The Caves (Venue 88)

253-255, The Cowgate, Edinburgh EH1 1NN

TICKETS:     https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/kagools-tutti

Read more at: http://thekagools.com/  |  Twitter: @TheKagools  |  FB: /TheKagools

After six years of austerity is it possible for an artist to make enough money for life’s little luxuries – like bread?

This is a funny, inspirational show by multimedia artist Paula Varjack looking at how artists manage to support their creative dreams. Using a blend of documentary-style interviews with live performance, Varjack playfully lifts the lid on what artists do to make ends meet. In doing so, SHOW ME THE MONEY provides a painfully honest, yet ultimately optimistic portrait of life in contemporary Britain as government cuts bite.

The focus of SHOW ME THE MONEY is on artists but it also looks at how the dreams you have as a child are challenged by the realities of becoming an adult, how the current economic climate has made making a living harder for all of us.

Deftly blending personal monologues, vigorous dance routines, music, sound bites and video of interviews with other artists, Paula Varjack asks how artists can make a living from their art. Does their career involve more retail than Shakespeare? Are they still living with their parents?
Do rich partners support their creative existence? Why do they get public funding, and what is it actually for? How does our society value art?

The show adds to the current dialogue around artist’s payment. Most artists and performers are freelancers with little or no job or financial security. They often have to take on other unrelated work to make ends meet and are continually asked to work for free – because it would be good for their career! Concern about the impact of government austerity policies on the arts and artists further puts the livelihood of the artist in jeopardy. Paula Varjack addresses these issues in a confessional, frank, honest way that is refreshingly upbeat with a feel good vibe.

SHOW ME THE MONEY is the fourth solo show from writer, filmmaker and theatre maker Varjack. Her work explores identity, the unsaid, and making the invisible visible. She makes work across disciplines, performance, theatre, documentary and spoken word. Her debut collection of prose and poetry Letters I Never Sent to You is published by Burning Eye Books. She has performed at various arts festivals including Berlin International Literature Festival and
Glastonbury. In addition to performing, she facilitates workshops with a wide range of age groups, using writing prompts and drama games to unblock creativity.

Born in Washington D.C. to a Ghanaian mother and a British father, she considers London to be
“home”.

Written & Devised by Paula Varjack, Dramaturgy by Martin Bengtsson.

Bedlam Theatre, 2-13 Aug (not 5, 6) 15.30  (55
mins)

Tickets here

Show Me The Money – Trailer from paula varjack on Vimeo.

GARY TRO: SUPERCALIFRAGILISTICEXPIGARYTROCIOUS | EDINBURGH FRINGE 2017

Stand-up Gary Tro explores how to find happiness when you’re incapable of seeing anything through to completion.

“This is a show for everyone who feels a lack of fulfilment.  This is a show for anyone who struggles with perseverance.  This is a show about commitment…maybe”

As seen on BBC iPlayer and as heard on BBC Radio 4, stand-up Gary Tro brings his hilarious, joyously angry, debut show, back to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival for the second consecutive year.

Discussing the show’s Edinburgh return, Gary said: “For centuries, philosophers have been teasing our intellects with questions such as, ‘If Tro does a show in Edinburgh and there’s no one there to see it, did it even happen at all?’   I had a great run last year, after 24 performances I left with a really slick show of which I was immensely proud.  And yet, I’d worked so hard on developing a great show, I had completely neglected the fact you have to promote it too (Who knew? Did I mention I had trouble seeing things through to completion?).  So, this year I’m determined to do SupercalifragilisticexpiGARYTROcious justice, by bringing it back with a better located venue, more marketing…and hopefully this time, an audience.”

If you’d like to help make Gary’s Edinburgh dreams come true this year by coming along to a show, he’d clearly be delighted.  Here are the full details:

TITLE:        Gary Tro: SupercalifragilisticexpiGARYTROcious

DATES/TIMES:       3rd to 27h August (not 14th) at 17:00 (55 mins)

VENUE/TICKETS:  Just The Tonic @ The Caves (Venue 88)

253-255, The Cowgate, Edinburgh EH1 1NN

https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/gary-tro-supercalifragilisticexpigarytrocious

Read more at: http://www.garytro.co.uk/  |  Twitter: @GTrizz  |  FB: /GaryTroComedy

Hearts 2 Dunfermline Athletic 2 (Dunfermline win bonus point after 3-1 win in penalty shoot-out)

Betfred Cup, Saturday 29^th July 2017 – Tynecastle 

The building of the new main stand at Tynecastle continues apace but the metaphorical roof fell in on Hearts in Gorgie on Saturday afternoon after another abject performance against lower league opposition. After the debacle of the loss to fourth tier side Peterhead on Tuesday evening, the Maroons salvaged a draw against Championship side Dunfermline Athletic before losing the subsequent penalty shoot-out. This mattered not a jot, however, as by the time Hearts managed to balloon a couple of penalties into the Roseburn Stand, they were already out of the Betfred Cup after finishing third in a section that contained two fourth tier clubs, a League One and a Championship side.  The humiliation was complete against a backdrop of angry Hearts supporters who made their feelings towards Hearts Head Coach Ian Cathro well and truly heard.

Cathro made three changes to the side embarrassed in the north-east on Tuesday. Arnaud Djoum and John Souttar returned while there was a surprise return for youngster Jamie Brandon. His inclusion was a result of Cathro’s decision to drop Jamie Walker from the squad altogether due to a ‘drop in performance and his focus’ according to the Head Coach. If Cathro was trying to prove a point it backfired in spectacular fashion.

The visitors started brightly and were determined to show they weren’t in awe of their higher league opponents. However, Hearts had the game’s first real chance in the second minute when Goncalves tried a long-range shot which was deflected wide.

The Pars were proving dangerous on the counter-attack and the impressive Cardle brought out a fine save from Hearts keeper Jack Hamilton.

In the 20^th minute the home side made the breakthrough. Kyle Lafferty found Don Cowie on the corner of the penalty box and the former Scotland man hit a diagonal shot which Pars keeper Murdoch couldn’t keep out and Hearts were a goal ahead.

If the Maroon Army thought they would settle back and enjoy a comfortable win they were sadly mistaken. Eight minutes later, Cardle was given far too much time and space to turn – John Souttar being the culprit – and the Pars man struck a fine shot past Hamilton to level the score.

Hearts almost went back in front soon after when Pars keeper Murdoch made amends for his earlier mistake to push a deflected header on to the crossbar.

Half-time Hearts 1 Dunfermline Athletic 1

The boos which followed Hearts up the temporary tunnel in the Wheatfield Stand at half-time intensified seven minutes into the second half when Dunfermline took the lead. Again, it was a defensive calamity and again it was John Souttar who was at fault. He allowed Smith to square the ball to McManus who fired past Hamilton to the joy of the travelling Dunfermline fans in the Roseburn Stand.

Thereafter, Hearts huffed and puffed. Don Cowie had a header saved by Murdoch before Goncalves invoked the wrath of the Hearts support when he had a great chance when through in the Dunfermline penalty box – but his effort on goal was pathetic to say the least.

With the news that Peterhead were 3-0 ahead at Elgin, Hearts were facing elimination. However, a lifeline was thrown with three minutes to go when Goncalves poked the ball over the line after Berra’s header to make it 2-2. But Hearts needed another goal to progress.

Incredibly, they almost got it when Carl Stockton had a glorious chance from three yards – but blasted the ball high and wide.

That was it. The game ended 2-2 and a meaningless penalty shoot-out followed which, inevitably, Hearts lost after woeful spot kicks from Cowie, Buaben and Martin.

Many Hearts fans had left Tynecastle long before the penalty shoot-out although some remained specifically to voice their understandable anger towards Ian Cathro. The Hearts Head Coach appeared to smile at the end of the game which didn’t help matters although he did speak of his anger and disappointment to the official Hearts website afterwards.

“We’re angry and disappointed, it’s just not good enough. To talk about the game, we scored when we were on top, they did well to come back into it. They started the second half better.

“At that point, we fell below our standards expected at a club like Hearts, and then John Souttar is involved in a mistake for the second goal. I will be taking responsibility for that. John probably should have come off at half-time, and that’s my error.

“The biggest thing that would get us back into the game was energy and urgency, and it could have been resolved, but across the piece it’s far from acceptable.”

It is an utter disgrace that Hearts have failed to qualify from this group. It is embarrassing and is the latest in a list of performances that, under Cathro, have been quite shameful.

Many Hearts fans have been against Cathro since the inept performances against Hibernian in last season’s Scottish Cup. It’s fair to say, though, that a fair number of continued to back the former Newcastle United assistant coach, citing that this season he would get his own players in and it would be a different Hearts team.

In the Betfred Cup it’s patently obvious Hearts are in reverse gear. A struggling performance against Elgin City, a less than convincing one against East Fife followed by two shocking performances against Peterhead and Dunfermline Athletic have led the majority of the Maroon Army to say ‘enough’s enough’.

Owner Ann Budge made some tough decisions when she took charge at Tynecastle just over three years ago. Another one needs to be made now. The Cathro experiment hasn’t worked. Time for change before the league season begins next Saturday. 

Hearts: Hamilton, M.Smith, Berra, Souttar (Nowak, 52′), McGhee, Brandon, Buaben (Stockton, 60′), Cowie, Djoum (Martin, 74′), Lafferty, Goncalves.

Dunfermline: Murdoch, Williamson, Martin, Morris, Ashcroft, Higginbotham, Wedderburn, McManus, Cardle, Paton, Smith (Lochead, 66′).

 Att: 8,404 

Referee: Craig Thomson 

Top Man: Jamie Brandon – at least the youngster looked like he cared.

Hibs progressed to the last 16 of the Betfred League Cup as Group D winners after a comfortable 3-0 victory away to Alloa Athletic this afternoon.

A Fraser Murray goal was followed by a Simon Murray double to secure the three points.

Head Coach Neil Lennon made five changes to the starting XI that hammered Arbroath in midweek.

Ross Laidlaw, Ryan Porteous, Liam Fontaine and David Gray all dropped to the bench along with Danny Swanson who was suspended.

Ofir Marciano, Marvin Bartley Dylan McGeouch, Darren McGregor and Fraser Murray came into the team.

Steven Whittaker moved from midfield to right back.

Vykintas Slivka and Deivydas Matulevicius started on the bench alongside Paul Hanlon who returned to the squad after a spell out with injury.

Teenager Fraser Murray opened the scoring from close range after a Simon Murray cross in the 18th minute.

Hibs doubled their lead on the hour mark when Fraser Murray won the ball in midfield before finding Martin Boyle on the wing and his inch-perfect cross was tapped home by Simon Murray at the back post.

The striker then wrapped things up with his seventh goal of the new campaign with a fine header from Lewis Stevenson’s cross which went in off the post.

Ross County drew with Arbroath leaving Hibs to of the group.

After the game a delighted  Lennon told BBC Scotland: “Fraser Murray’s  a great little player, we have high hopes for him.

“He is deceptive; he is quite slight but has good feet and not only scored the goal but laid on the second with a great pass.

“I thought Martin Boyle was outstanding again as well. He has taken his game onto another level at the moment. He beats people at pace and still finds the pass – he has really improved his game and I am delighted with him.

“I am so pleased with the players so far. They have done everything I asked of them and won again in convincing fashion.

“We are going into the season with a lot of optimism but the real test is ahead of us. We are playing a proven Premiership team next week [Partick Thistle] who finished sixth last season, so we are not getting carried away.

“We have still got bits and pieces to do but the core of the squad is good. They have performed well for the club over the last two years and we just want that to continue.

“Last season the pressure of getting promotion was a bit of a millstone around the players’ necks, and the Scottish Cup win [in 2016] was another millstone that has been lifted. So psychologically the club is in a very good place.”

Hibs: Marciano, Whittaker, Ambrose, McGregor, Stevenson, McGinn, Bartley, McGeouch, F Murray, S Murray, Boyle. Subs: Laidlaw, Hanlon, Porteous, Gray,  Slivka, Matulevicius, Fontaine

LORNA SHOW IS AVA RAGE | EDINBURGH FRINGE 2017

The Debut Solo Show from one half of ‘That Pair’.

Stand-up, music and clown: Celebrating being none in a million.

One of half of critically acclaimed comedy duo That Pair and star of BBC Radio 4s Newsjack and Sketchorama, presents this dynamic debut hour about coming to terms with being average.

How do you make peace with the fact that you may never do anything extraordinary? Under the guise of her delusional alter-ego, Ava Rage, Lorna Shaw struggles to come to terms with being average in a world that rewards excellence. Aided by a loop pedal and vocal harmonies, she weaves neurotic sound bites with contemporary melodies to create a layered depiction of a woman attempting the momentous out of the mundane, in this hour of music, stand up and clown.

This debut solo hour is inspired by Lorna’s real feelings of being overwhelmed by choice and paralysed by indecision. Shaw said: “Out of an existential crisis came Ava Rage; an ordinary woman who has delusions of grandeur but no discernible talent and a severe case of social media inflicted FOMO. The truth is, none of us are extraordinary, and it’s how we choose to cope with that information that determines our destiny.”

Ava Rage is the creation of actor-comedian, Lorna Shaw, star of Newsjack and Expenses Only (BBC Radio 4), The Midnight Beast (E4) and BBC Comedy Feeds and one half of critically acclaimed duo That Pair (Soho Theatre, BBC Radio 4) who enjoyed sell-out runs at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival between 2012 and 2015.  Praise for That Pair:

In addition, Lorna is part of the leading London improv theatre, The Free Association and is debuting a children’s show at the Pleasance this year; Small Laces – a new comedy children’s band tackling the big issues for little ones.

TITLE:        Lorna Shaw: Ava Rage

DATES/TIMES:       3rd to 27h August (not 14th) at 20:05 (60 mins) | Previews 3rd/4th

VENUE/TICKETS:  Just The Tonic @ The Community Project (Venue 27)

86 Candlemaker Row, Edinburgh, EH1 2QA Tel: 0330 220 1212

http://edinburgh.justthetonic.com/performances.php?eventId=88:1122

Read more at: http://www.lornashawcomedy.com  |  Twitter: @Lornanotshaw |  FB: /LornanotShaw

“Three strangers meet in the middle of nowhere, in a Crossing Place far from the communications network of civilisation. In their meeting, the last untouched space is tarnished forever”.

The first ever English-speaking production, based on the poetry of Swedish Nobel Prize in Literature winner
Tomas Tranströmer.

The Crossing Place is a fast-paced, visual and highly physical piece exploring loneliness, anxiety and desire.

An abstract journey exploring the human’s relationship to nature, and himself, performed to Tranströmer’s poetry, and musical scores by Franz Schubert. Devised in Tallinn, Estonia.

After successful performances in Västerås (Sweden), Swedish-British theatre company Romantika will perform our production The Crossing Place at Summerhall (Venue 26) for the 2017 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Time: 22.30 – 23.30. Dates: 4th to the 27th of August.

Originally founded in Tallinn, Estonia, Romantika is a theatre, performance, and visual arts company based in London, UK. With performers and a creative team from both the UK and Sweden, Romantika aims to create unique, visually striking and transnationally accessible performance work that reflects our current time.

The director, Johan Bark (SWE) have previously worked for Robert Wilson (US), Arianne Mnouchkine of Theatre Du Soleil (FRA) and Song of the Goat Theatre (POL).

Additionally different team members, and cast, have created work in the US, England, Scotland, France, Italy and Sweden.

More information can be found at https://festival17.summerhall.co.uk/event/the-crossing-place-romantika/

Explosive Osama Bin Laden Show Returns To Edinburgh Fresh From US Tour

“Tonight, ladies and gentlemen,

I am going to show you how to change the world”

BIN LADEN: THE ONE MAN SHOW returns to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival from 2nd-28th August at C (Venue 34).

The world’s most notorious terrorist tells his story in BIN LADEN: THE ONE MAN SHOW a remarkable, provocative and multi-award-winning production from Knaïve Theatre. The twist? Bin Laden is 28 years old, White British and charming as cream teas in summer. After a critically acclaimed and highly successful American Tour, this ‘must-see’ production returns to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, where it originally premiered, from 2nd-28th August before beginning a UK tour that includes The Royal Exchange Theatre, The Sherman and The New Wolsey.

With populist rhetoric playing an ever-increasing role in Western politics, Knaïve Theatre’s Tyrrell Jones and Sam Redway pry apart what it is that draws us to follow demagogues, asking if the world’s most wanted terrorist might have been more persuasive than we ever imagined. They ask audiences to re-examine their own information and prejudices from a naïve perspective, just as the company have.

The award-winning hit of the fringes in San Diego and Hollywood, Bin Laden returned home to perform a sell-out show at the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester. Knaïve Theatre are now Supported Artists at the Exchange and have redeveloped the show with the help of the theatre’s creative team ready for a return to Edinburgh before the company’s first national tour.

Having provoked important and timely debate surrounding Middle East conflict and the War On Terror internationally, they will now bring that discussion to a national audience. Though they expected this story would become less relevant, current global tensions and recent events have galvanised an ever-increasing appetite for the debate they inspire.

Bin Laden was made in 2013 on a shoestring by Tyrrell Jones and Sam Redway. After previews in Buxton and London, it opened at Edinburgh and the show was awarded the first Broadway Bobby of 2013. It was in The List’s Top 5 Theatre Shows To See and received a host of first-rate reviews. Quickly, the show started selling out, and before long it was a hit. With the success of Edinburgh 2013 behind them, Tyrrell and Sam undertook formal training (Birkbeck MFA in Directing and RADA MA Theatre Lab respectively). They then redeveloped and toured the show, this time around USA with Arts Council AIDF funding.

With the help of the children from Canal View Primary School in Wester Hailes the Dragon of Profit and Private Ownership made its way from Trinity Apse up the Royal Mile to officially declare the 2017 Edinburgh Art Festival open.

The dragon can be seen in Trinity Apse, Chalmers Close, EH1 1SS every day until 28 August from 10am to 6pm.

Bromwich and Walker are known for their large-scale sculptures and use protest, pageant and celebration in their work to reignite Utopian ideas.

Full programme of events and exhibitions here.

Photos John Preece.

The council are being accused of taking no action on weeds in the city but only a couple of days ago we spotted two of the eight council gardening staff attacking the weeds with glyphosate weedkiller in Canonmills.

There really are only eight gardeners to tackle the problem citywide, and so it appears that one application of weedkiller is all that any city weed can expect. This means that some are reappearing where the gardeners have already been at work.

Rain is not a problem we are told as it only needs about an hour to soak in and get to work, but it does take about three weeks before the weeds die off.

The weeds in Canonmills outside Earthy should be gone by the time the council discusses the ways of tackling the problem at the Transport and Environment Committee meeting on 10 August. You can watch the meeting online here.

The Botanics will be the place to go as the Amorphophallus titanum (titan arum), one of the world’s biggest and smelliest blooms, is about to flower for the second time in two years.

The bud, which is being measured by Botanics staff at 1pm each day, now stands at 179 cms.

A spokesperson said : “Excitement has been growing at the Garden since it was confirmed that the bud is a flower and not a leaf. A group of staff and volunteers, dubbed the ‘titan army’, are on permanent standby for the flowering. They will be on hand to assist visitors and share information about the plant.”

The garden will be open late on the first night of flowering. Details will come out soon!

The photograph (courtesy of RGBE) shows the plant when it flowered in 2015. Will the new flower this year be bigger than that – you will have to get down there to see (take a clothes peg….)

Visit the website or follow RBGE on Facebook and Twitter for regular updates.

Councillor Child is Labour councillor for the Portobello/Craigmillar ward.

 Dear All

Sorry, I have been a bit behind on these ‘weekly’ Updates, but it is Council recess and I do have five lovely grandchildren coming and going – need I say more?! Our grandkids have been fascinated by the jellyfish washed up on the beach so it was good to see this in the local media – including advice on what to do if you get stung:  https://stv.tv/news/features/1393878-know-your-jellyfish-stinging-lion-s-mane-wash-up-on-beaches/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

I know from my own childhood experience, growing up in a shop-keeping extended family, that retail gives you a lot of skills and experience that can be transferred to other career paths.  Nobody knows that better than Liam Smith, manager of Fort Kinnaird and the people that benefit from the skills and recruitment centre which Fort Kinnaird and Council support.  More here:https://www.fortkinnaird.com/news-events/were-helping-young-people-get-career-ladder

Portovelo, the local cycling club, is giving advance notice of a beginner’s ride to be held on Sunday 27 August. This is aimed at anyone who likes the idea of road cycling with a group, but hasn’t tried it before, or is put off by the idea of turning up to a ride aimed at more experienced cyclists.  The ride will start at 9 am and will be suitable for all – an ideal taster of what Portovelo is about.  Any questions or queries, contact Portovelo at [email protected].

Work is starting this Monday (31 July) on the construction of the townhouses on the site of St James Church Halls between Rosefield Street and Rosefield Avenue Lane.  First, areas of boundary wall need to be made safe and some trees removed.

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It’s lovely to read the Castlebrae Community High School’s summer newsletter with all the fantastic things going on in this fabulous secondary school, with lots of amazing opportunities for the young people who go there:  http://www.castlebrae.org.uk/cb/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/Newsletter-Summer-2017.pdf  Looking forward to the next session, going from strength to strength.  We four Councillors have had meeting with senior officers about the pressing need for the Council to prioritise a new school building for Castlebrae and to get on with the design, the site having already been identified next to Craigmillar Library.

Good to see progress with the project to bring beach wheelchairs to Portobello making progress. They are looking for volunteers, so do get in touch if you can help: Email:[email protected]

A date for next weekend: Craigentinny/Telferton Allotments Open Day is on Sunday 6 August! 2pm-5pm, £3 admission with teas, homebaking, produce & plants for sale.  I hope the sun shines on them!  More hre: https://www.ctallotments.com/single-post/2017/07/21/Community-Plot-a-great-local-asset and here:https://www.facebook.com/CraigentinnyTelfertonAllotments/posts/1291301657659401:0

Fascinating to read this study of the importance of the active travel route in Little France as part of the Central Scotland Green Network: http://www.centralscotlandgreennetwork.org/resources/publications/category/116-green-active-travel-route-case-studies?download=413:green-active-travel-little-france-park-edinburgh

Some of us wondered why the pavement is still dug up on Milton Road at the top of the junction with the Big W underpass path.  This is a Scottish Power defect dating from 22/05/17.  The repair  work is currently scheduled between 14/08/17 – 16/08/17.  The local roads manager has contacted Scottish Power to ask if they can bring this forward.

Check the Council website for news about roadworks.

There will be more roadworks !:  http://www.scottishwater.co.uk/about-us/media-centre/latest-news/sewer-upgrade-work-to-get-underway-in-duddingston.

It’s that time of year coming up again and Musselburgh Horticultural Society are holding their Annual Flower Show on Saturday 26 August  at The Brunton Hall, Musselburgh. Doors open at 1 pm with the Awards Presentation at 3.30 pm.  Flowers, Plants, Fruit, Vegetables,  Crafts, Photography and Children’s Exhibits, Cake and Candy , Refreshments, Tombola, and Free Children’s Face Painting. Do come and enjoy the day!

HERE + NOW have been running a Co-Design Summer School and public life hack throughout July with the help of three teams of volunteers. Yesterday, they invited people along see some prototypes and built installations exploring the potential for the Seafield section of Portobello Promenade and see in practice some ideas for the improvement of this space. They will be back at Seafield in September for an immersive experiential audio walk exploring the Seafield area as part of Art Walk Porty.

I have been in touch with Lothian Buses plc about a few of their drivers’ inconsiderate (but perfectly legal) parking overspill form their Seafield depot in the local surrounding streets.  Lothian Buses have put up notices and talked to drivers about the need for the company’s staff to be good neighbours and have a bit more consideration for us locals as they come and go.

All day parking in Aldi car park might have sparked some local management action to curb parking there. The Council’s Planning Committee approved the amount of parking at Aldi with a condition that they allowed a facility for linked trips to the beach and other local Portobello shops. Aldi seemed to be reneging on that when the local management tried to restrict the time people could park.  Following discussions with planning and a bit of Local Councillor and Portobello Community Council pressure, this has been resolved by Head Office.  The new signage and leaflets state that 2.5 hours parking is allowed and that this is for ‘Local Shoppers Only’.  Aldi’s planning agent, Steve Robb says: “This will therefore allow customers to also visit the wider town centre within that timeframe and complies fully with the parking management document, approved by Committee.”

A new blog here is going to prove a useful source on information as the old Portobello High School site takes shape into a new St John’s Primary School and a new Park – Treverlen Park.  More here:http://www.treverlen.org.uk/home/blog/

It’s Festival season and I am on the look-out for local connections:  We have a fabulous pupil-run main Festival venue at Castlebrae Community High School – very exciting! (see the link to their newsletter above)  and Tribe Porty Youth Theatre are going uptown to put on their show at the Fringe.

You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown at theSpace on Niddry St (Venue 9)

Tribe Porty Youth Theatre bring Schulz’s beloved comic characters to life in this crowd-pleasing classic that will keep the entire family entertained. Come sing and play along with Charlie Brown and the whole Peanuts gang through a series of hilarious vignettes and catchy songs. After tremendous success and raving four-star reviews, this is TPYT’s eighth year at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. With James McAvoy and Irvine Welsh as official patrons, it’s clear that the members of Tribe Porty Youth Theatre have an extremely bright future ahead of them. ‘Excited for their theatrical futures’ (ThreeWeeks). TO BOOK.

Have a great weekend!

Maureen

Councillor Maureen Child | Labour Elected Member | Portobello/Craigmillar (Ward 17) | The City of Edinburgh Council | City Chambers | High Street | Edinburgh | EH1 1YJ | Tel 0131 529 3268 | Mobile 07718 666 481 |  Twitter @MaureenChild1 | Facebook Maureen Child for Portobello/Craigmillar

Award-winning spoken word artist, Leyla Josephine is set to take audiences on a journey through the apathetic attitudes of millennials, as she debuts her new show ˜Hopeless  at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival.Through quick-fire poetry and dark humour Leyla asks whether we can really make a difference or if in fact everything is broken beyond repair. ‘Hopeless’ is Leyla’s first Fringe show, you can expect a fiery collision of theatre and spoken word all tied together with a powerhouse performance.

While working on the show, Leyla wanted to do something which might make
her feel more hopeful about the future.

She decided to repeat the journey her great, great Grandfather made from Ireland to Scotland as an
economic refugee. On the 19th of July, she will attempt to walk 53 miles in a day. She will be walking rain or shine, night and day, raising money for UK Action For Refugees. Unfortunately, her only training so far has been late night drinking and Zumba classes.

It’s not clear yet if she s going to make it but hopefully she’ll learn a thing or two about moving forward even in bleak circumstances.

You can donate to UK Action For Refugees here https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/leylajosephine

Hopeless shines light on these miserable times and will try to stir up hope even in the most cynical of audience members.

Leyla Josephine is a theatre maker and poet based in Glasgow. She has won numerous accolades for her work including The 2014 UK National Poetry Slam held at The Royal Albert Hall by Hammer and Tongue. In that same year, she won Rally and Broad’s Cultural Commonwealth Slam.

This year she has won The Golden Gun Award at Bang Said The Gun, Loud Poets Grand Slam and was a finalist for The Roundhouse Slam.

She has performed across the world, with shows in New York, London and most recently Prague where she toured with Loud Poets at The Prague Fringe.

In addition to her debut Edinburgh Fringe appearance, Leyla will be taking her show to Canada this Autumn. She has a large online audience and following with some of her videos reaching over 15000 views.

Tickets here

 Avenue Stage Presents Fish Food

Long before he was President, he really liked to buy hotels.

It’s 1990 in Boston. Like the Berlin Wall, Joe Bacon’s life has been reduced to rubble. On the day of his father’s long-overdue burial at sea, a bizarre interview leads to a job in the basement of the Plaza Court Hotel.  Celebrity financier Avery Grand (bestselling author of that 1980s classic The Deal Is Everything) has promised a facelift for this faded beauty, but furniture and fine wine are disappearing at an alarming rate.  Joe finds a ready-made dysfunctional family among his rather unhinged co-workers, who will go to extreme lengths to protect their livelihoods. But will scuttling around town with unmarked bags of cash really help him get ahead?

Has delighted audiences with its quirky characters and its nostalgic look at the fashions and mores of the late eighties.  From shoulder-padded jackets to telephones with cords, FISH FOOD takes us back to an era when talk was cheap and capitalism was (almost) sexy.

Tickets and information at www.avenuestage.org

Listings Information: FISH FOOD, by Avenue Stage

Venue: Paradise in The Vault (V29)

Dates:  4th – 19th Aug 2017 (not 13th)

Times: 11.25, 5th-19th Aug (1 hour)

              19.25 on 4th Aug

Tickets: £7.00/£5.00

Box Office: 0131 510 0022

Online: www.avenuestage.org

In Edinburgh you might be more tempted to go for a roll and something or other, but there are now several places where you can pretend you are in New York and order bagels instead.

BEARDED BAKER

The lovely Rowan Walker (yes he does have a beard!) has opened up his now cafe supplying doughnuts and hand-baked bagels on Rodney Street.

There are lots of fillings to choose from like smoked salmon, cream cheese clava brie and onion chutney. And this baby the Bacon Avocado Tomato on a bagel. The bonus is that if they have run out of bagels then you will just have to have a doughnut…..

The B.A.T – bacon, avocado and tomato, with a little smear of mustard mayo too. Probably our new most popular bagel! Served daily, ’til 3pm. Who’s up for lunch? #edinburgh #scotland #canonmills #bagel #lunch #cafe coffee #coffeeshop #bakery #fresh #bacon #avocado

A post shared by The Bearded Baker (@beardedbakerscot) on Jul 5, 2017 at 4:45am PDT

THE BEARDED BAKER 46 Rodney Street | Opening Hours Monday to Friday 07.30 to 17:00 Saturday and Sunday 09:00 to 16:00

You can also get Bearded Baker bagels across the city at a variety of outlets including Leo’s Beanery at 23a Howe Street.

BROSS BAGELS

The newest bagel in the bag is at Bross Bagels. About to open on 1 August we can’t yet give them a review, but the photo makes them look lovely!

FILAMENT COFFEE

All they sell here is coffee/not coffee and bagels. So don’t even try to ask for anything else. Well actually you can have a piece of chocolate cake if you’re good.

Who needs the sun when your window display is this radiant? The weather might be hecka dreich today, but don’t let that put you off coming down to check out this fresh new graphic our pal Duncan the sign wizard whipped up for us! Sample more of his killer art @alldaysigns. So clean, so fresh. Thanks dude! ✨✨✨ We are here til 19:00 to aid you with all of your caffeine, vitamin and vibe needs, fam. Peace! #specialitycoffee #thisiscoffee #thisisedinburgh #socleansofresh #alldaysigns #killer #font #sign #windowart #graphic #supportlocal #localtalent #dreich #supportscottishcoffeeculture

A post shared by Filament Coffee (@filament_coffee) on Jul 11, 2017 at 3:54am PDT

Filament Coffee 38 Clerk Street EH8 9HX | t 0131 281 5140 |Opening hours 07:30 to 19:00

For three shows only, The Girls From Oz, a trio of ex pat West End talent and their honorary “Ozzie” pianist, will perform their show at this years Edinburgh Festival Fringe. They have created a winning, one-of-a-kind cabaret act featuring songs by Australian artists such as Kylie, Men At Work, John Farnham, AC/DC and Peter Allen, but sung as you’ve never heard them before!

The Girls From Oz have given these songs their own unique twist with arrangements inspired by the likes of the Andrew Sisters who were popular in the swing era of the 1930s and 1940s. There is certainly a vintage vibe about the group, but they don’t limit themselves to this in any way as this show also includes more modern sounding arrangements, dancing, some instrumental multitasking and plenty of laughs.

The Girls From Oz are made up of Kara Lane (Mrs. Banks in ‘Mary Poppins’, Magenta in ‘The Rocky Horror Show’), Sally White (‘Jesus Christ Superstar’, dancer alongside ‘The Tap Dogs’) and Ashleigh Fleming (Christine in ‘Phantom of the Opera’, Sister Sophia in ‘The Sound of Music’) and are joined by their northerner pianist, Karen Newby.

Kara says: “Edinburgh is my favourite city in the world. A lot of my ancestors are from around the area so I’ve always had a special place for it in my heart. We aim to make our show attractive to anyone, it’s not just for Aussies! We may even have a little surprise that should please both the locals and visitors… The show is entertaining and glamorous, but at the heart of it are 3 down-to-earth Aussie girls, so we certainly don’t take ourselves too seriously… There’s some tap dancing, gorgeous costumes and plenty of beautiful close harmonies with our pianist joining in to create a 4th harmony for a lot of the songs as well”.

The style of the venue is sure to provide a perfect accompaniment to the group with its nineteenth century features and cabaret style seating with table service – it’s one of Edinburgh’s most stunning venues. Food and drinks can be pre-ordered when booked directly through the venue (01312257202 / www.arbikieclub.com).

Venue: The A Club, THE MERCHANTS HALL – 22 Hanover Street, Edinburgh, EH2 2EP. Tickets: £15 Dates and Times: Saturday 12th August, 15:45 (1hr) Tuesday 15th and Wednesday 16th August, 18:15 (1hr) Tel: 01241 830770 Website: www.arbikieclub.com

Winner of the 2017 Assembly Roxy Theatre Award (The ART Award), Scribble is a piece of new writing about mental health and supernovas from Andy Edwards, directed by Amy Gilmartin.

Edinburgh-based actor and graduate of Edinburgh Napier University, Alan MacKenzie, has joined their production in the lead role of Ross. Alan’s previous theatre credits include Movie Time (Mull Theatre), Friends Electric (Visible Fictions), and most recently Sea Wall (Heroes Theatre) at the New Diorama Theatre as part of the Incoming Festival. Alan also took on the title role in Hamlet at Bard In The Botanics in 2014.

The production is a two-hander and the creative team are taking an innovative and ambitious approach to casting the play by featuring a different actor playing the supporting role in each performance. He will be joined each day by a different performer selected from a group of actors, which includes graduates from prestigious drama schools across the UK and multiple award-winners. Each actor taking on the supporting role will be performing for the first time each day script unseen with no rehearsals beforehand.

This means that as a piece of work Scribble is never finished because the treatment of mental health is a continual, ongoing process. The creative team took this decision in response to NHS statistics which show that approximately 1 in 4 people experience a mental health problem at some point in their lifetime.

For them, this approach has two aims: firstly to represent the changing nature of individual mental health on a daily basis, and secondly to represent the range of people affected by mental health problems across society by working with actors from a variety of backgrounds. The performance will be different every day because our mental health can be different every day.

Scribble was developed last year under the guidance of Rob Drummond (Bullet Catch, In Fidelity) when Andy was selected for the Playwrights’ Studio Scotland Mentoring Programme. Development of the script was supported by the Tom McGrath Trust, and an early draft of the play directed by Amy was presented as a rehearsed reading at the Traverse Theatre’s 2016 Hothouse season for emerging Scottish talent.

Scribble is supported by The ART Award – a brand-new Award funded by Assembly Festival for developing Scottish performance companies in the 2017 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Tickets here