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You Are Here | F E S T I VA L F E AT U R E S
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W H E R E A M I ? The EIF has broadened its scope with You Are Here, an adventurous new ‘festival within a festival’ exploring many of the questions affecting our lives and communities today. Kate McGrath, the curator of this provocative season, tells Gareth K Vile what audiences can expect
engaging
W ith 14 main stage productions, 265 artists from around the world and four strands with multiple approaches to both audiences and artists in dynamic conversations, You Are Here has the fl avour of an important new direction for the Edinburgh International Festival. Curated by Kate McGrath of Fuel, a production company which has supported some of the most exciting and challenging performances of the past 15 years, under the aegis of both the Royal Lyceum’s David Greig and International Festival director Fergus Linehan, this festival within a festival has both the high production values associated with the EIF but also a more eclectic and provocative edge.
‘We are interested in artists that are really engaging with audiences, who are looking socially, politically and culturally at the world around us today, and creating work that has different perspectives on where we fi nd ourselves now, and where we might be going,’ says McGrath. ‘The form and the scale of the works are diverse, from one person work in development as part of the Departure Lounge strand to a big Left to right: Cas Public’s 9, Hear Word!, Jackie Kay
ensemble piece on the Lyceum main stage or an orchestral piece in the Usher Hall, but they share a contemporary connectedness.’ The four strands of the programme are split between the expected main stage performances, more informal work in The Departure Lounge (the Lyceum Rehearsal Studio) – including readings and conversations between artists and audiences – professional development which allows Scottish and international artists to exchange ideas and enhance their skills, as well as a series of community projects.
its There appears to be a broad agenda within You Are Here to address the disconnect between Edinburgh and festivals, encouraging a comprehensive experience for potential audiences that goes beyond simply consuming performances, towards re-examining the status of the EIF and its relationship to the host city and the country’s cultural communities. ‘The other part of that theme is the audience,’ McGrath continues. ‘I am interested in work that is seeking to engage the audience, to share ideas and celebrate live performance.’
The main stage strand is an intriguing mixture of the familiar (Guardian favourite Kate Tempest, contemporary dance from Cas Public, the National Theatre of Scotland presenting >>
31 Jul–7 Aug 2019 THE LIST FESTIVAL 33