Full line-up announced as Stephen K Amos takes over thespian chats in Princes Street Gardens
 Amos picks up after Skinner drops out By Thom Dibdin
Stephen K Amos is to take over hosting duties on Assembly Theatre’s daily Talk Show, following Frank Skinner’s withdrawal from the Spiegeltent show in Princes Street Gardens
Running through to Sunday 29 August, the hour long show features intimate conversations with such Edinburgh fringe luminaries as Steven Berkoff, most performed living playwright on the Fringe, who opens the series today, Wednesday 11 August with Linda Marlowe. Jason Byrne, takes over as a sub for Amos on 26 and 27 August.
A spokesperson for Assembly emphasised the Talk Show’s strong role in the venue’s 30th anniversary celebrations and its links with the various guests over those years: “Assembly’s aim has always been to support a programme of excellence and the remarkable talent of countless performers. … Continue reading Æ News – Amos to host Assembly’s Talk Show
New upgrades scheduled to be available by August 4
 The current version does not include a search facility for venue listings By Thom Dibdin
The Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society has announced that the free Fringe iPhone app released on Wednesday will receive substantial upgrades before the start of the Fringe.
As revealed exclusively in a review in the Annals of Edinburgh Stage, the app begins to make sense of the vast amount of data in the Fringe programme. However, the review expressed concerns that the app is still some way short of its true potential, particularly in its search facilities to access the 40,254 performances of 2,453 shows in 259 venues.
Gavin Dutch, managing director of Loc8 Solutions the Edinburgh-based company behind the app, told the Annals that many of the concerns would be addressed in an update released before the start of the Fringe.
Responding directly to the review, he said: “In fact we have already implemented solutions for quite a few of them, including venue search, and search of events at a specific venue. Finding your nearest show will also be much easier as in the update shows can be ordered by distance from your current location, or any other location you choose. … Continue reading Æ News – Edinburgh Fringe iPhone app to get upgrade
Holyrood Amateur Theatre Society stage rare production of Gray’s McGrotty and Ludmilla
 Alasdair Gray's poster for the production By Thom Dibdin
An amateur production of Alasdair Gray’s early play McGrotty and Ludmilla, to be staged this week at the Roxy Arthouse, has benefited from personal input from the playwright.
HATS, the Holyrood Amateur Theatre Society, are staging the production from tonight (Thursday) to Saturday. Loosely based on the Aladdin story, the play follows the adventures of the uncouth and unpolished young Scot Mungo McGrotty amongst the Machiavellian civil service mandarins of 1980s Whitehall. … Continue reading Æ News – HATS doffed to Alasdair Gray
The Annals of Edinburgh Stage puts the Edinburgh Fringe iPhone App through its paces
 The opening page of the new app By Thom Dibdin
The Edinburgh Fringe has launched its much anticipated iPhone app, allowing iPhone users to access the wonders of the Fringe programme, with its 2453 shows in 259 venues, direct from their mobiles.
At first glance its looking good, with quick access from the opening panel to Shows, Venues and My Fringe. Further investigation finds a few surprising drawbacks, however. Not fatal ones, it must be said, and certainly things which should be fixed in the next release.
Sitting at home in Edinburgh, the first thing to find out was the closest production to my front door on a random date: the evening of Thursday 12 August let’s say.
I just happen to know that would be the theatre show Decky Does a Bronco by Grid Iron, in Traverse @ Scotland Yard, nightly at 7.30pm, running from 5 to 21 August.
Finding Decky Does a Bronco is easy: tap shows, tap search and type Decky. Show found. scroll through to the 12th and tap – up comes the listing. Tap the wee star on the bottom and it has been added to my favourites for easy access later. … Continue reading Æ News Review – Edinburgh Fringe launches programme on iPhone app
Hit musical gets rewrite and professional production
 The original 2001 production at the Church Hill Theatre By Thom Dibdin
A stage musical by Edinburgh-based composer Julian Wagstaff takes its first steps towards the West End in September, when a new concert version of Wagstaff’s John Paul Jones will be performed by musicians from the Scottish Chamber Orchestra at the Queen’s Hall.
Wagstaff plans to use the concerts, on September 24 and 25, to raise the profile of John Paul Jones, which recounts the true story of the Dumfries-born lad who became a hero of the American Revolution and is known as the ‘father of the American navy’.
“I am delighted to be working with an ensemble of such quality and renown as the Scottish Chamber Orchestra,” Wagstaff told the Annals. “Their musicians will be joined for the concerts by the vocal ensemble Consort of Voices and guest soloists in what promises to be a wonderful night out for music and theatre fans alike.” … Continue reading Æ News – John Paul Jones sails again!
Short Filmhouse season preps audiences for EIF
By Thom Dibdin
 It's Bliss, Opera Australia's production The Edinburgh International Festival are linking up with the Filmhouse next week for On Screen, On Stage, a short season of four films which tie in with productions in this year’s EIF.
The innovative season, running from Sunday 18 through to Sunday 25 July, is described by Filmhouse as “a short season of films to whet your appetite for the upcoming Edinburgh International Festival’s 2010 programme”.
On Screen, On Stage includes two Scottish premieres. Susanna Boehm’s 2009 documentary Porgy and Me follows the cast of the New York Harlem Theatre on their European tour of Porgy and Bess. Following the company from city to city – where they attract stares from startled Austrians – the film draws out the parallels between the opera and the real life experiences of individual singers in a series of deeply personal conversations. … Continue reading News – On Screen On Stage
Police called to murder scene – Women of Troy implicated
 By Thom Dibdin
The reality of using found spaces for theatre productions came home to Edinburgh’s Random ACT theatre company last night during their preview of The Women of Troy at the Metropolitan Bar on Picardy Place.
Members of the public walking past the bar on Wednesday night were so concerned by the noises eminating from the bar that they called the police and no amount of protestations from cast or director could calm them down.
Random ACT director John Naples-Campbell said: “we had ran it without any problems at all and then tonight three people, who heard shouting from the bar, called the police, banged on the fire door shouting ‘we’ve called the police’.”
Having succeeded in opening the firedoor, … Continue reading Theatre Without Walls
By Thom Dibdin
 Morven Donald, aged 13, from Park Mains High School in Erskine has been announced as the winner of the Edinburgh Fringe’s annual schools competition to design the Fringe poster.
Morven’s design was judged the best from over two and half thousand entrants to the competition, which is now in its thirtieth year. The design is not confined to the official Fringe poster, but is also on souvenir postcards, magnets, mugs and t-shirts.
Congratulating Morven on her win, Edinburgh Festival Fringe Chief Executive, Kath M Mainland, said: “the image is vibrant, colourful and full of energy – everything that the Fringe is.”
The winning poster, together with a selection of the short-listed posters will be on display at the Museum of Childhood from June 10th.
Mainland added: “It was encouraging to see such a high number of entrants this year, more than two and a half thousand from across Scotland, which shows a thriving enthusiasm for art amongst Scottish youngsters. The standard was extremely high so well done to all those who entered.
“Thanks also go to the teachers and pupils for all time and effort they put into entering the competition, Mackie’s of Scotland for helping to make this whole competition possible and the Museum of Children for hosting the exhibition.”
The Festival party season comes early for younger culture-vultures
By Thom Dibdin
It's Bliss in the EIF IN crowd - Opera Australia's 'Bliss'. Photo credit: Branco Gaica The Edinburgh International Festival is staging a pair of free pre-Festival events this month, aimed at stimulating interest in its year-round education programme – and appealing further to the under-40 year-old Festival goer.
The first of the events takes place on Friday June 18 at the Hub when Sally Hobson, the EIF’s Head of Programme Development, will talk about the festival’s year-round outreach work. Titled New Worlds, New Horizons, the lecture will also be attended by EIF Director Jonathan Mills, who will be talking about his thinking behind this year’s EIF programme.
The second event is being held on June 23rd at the Roxy Art House, when the EIF launch IN, their new initiative for culture lovers in their 20s and 30s. The scheme will augment the existing 50% discount on all tickets for under-18s and those in full-time education, as well as the £8 on-the-day tickets for under 26 year-olds.
Although the club costs £20 to join, members of IN will be offered a whole raft of offers, from “hot tickets to exclusive VIP parties and behind the scenes events” to invitations to preview performances and discounts on selected performances. … Continue reading Be IN with the EIF’s Party People
Siege Perilous return to GRV with Elvis act
 Elvis has entered the building - photo by Gary Daniell By Thom Dibdin
Siege Perilous returns to the GRV next week with Caroline Dunford’s new play Suspicious Minds, the first in a new programme of five small-scale theatre productions from the company.
The new programme has been made possible by a grant in-kind worth £3000 from Edinburgh-based photographer Gary Daniell. As a first-time sponsor of an arts organisation, this has leveraged a further £3000 grant from Arts & Business, according to Siege Perilous Artistic Director Andy Corelli. … Continue reading Return of the King
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