Kids
FREE James and the Giant Peach Sat 5 Mar, 2–3pm. Mitchell Library, North Street, 353 8000. Roald Dahl’s classic adventure is 50 years old – celebrate with story, puzzles, games and crafts. Ages 7–11. Part of Aye Write! FREE Aliens Love Underpants Sat 5 Mar, 2–3pm. Mitchell Library, North Street, 353 8000. Close encounters of the ‘pantastic’ kind with stories and games. Ages 3–6. Part of Aye Write! FREE Toddlers Tales Sun 6 Mar, noon–1pm. Mitchell Library, North Street, 353 8000. Physically active storytelling. Ages 3–5. Part of Aye Write! FREE The Brain Boggling Family Book Challenge Sun 6 Mar, 2–3pm. Mitchell Library, North Street, 353 8000. Themed rounds, picture rounds, and the ever popular Book Bingo. Suitable for family teams (ages 7+). Part of Aye Write! FREE Horrid Henry Gets Rich Quick Sun 6 Mar, 2–3pm. Mitchell Library, North Street, 353 8000. Horrid Henry visits and indulges in some jokes, games and chocolaty fun. Ages 7–10. Part of Aye Write!
✽✽ Julia Donaldson: Zog and Co Sat 12 Mar, 10.30–11.30am. £8 (£6;
children £3; family ticket £14). Mitchell Library, North Street, 353 8000. Stories and songs with Julia Donaldson, followed by a signing. Part of Aye Write! Tall Tales at the Tron Sat 26 Mar, 10–10.50am. £6 per adult + child. Tron Theatre, 63 Trongate, 552 4267. Fun, interactive storytelling session for ages 3–5.
Music ✽✽ Children’s Classic Concerts: Celtic Fling Sun 6 Mar, 3pm. £10 (£6). City Halls, Candleriggs, 353 8000. See photo caption, page 75.
Theatre & Comedy Diving Belle Sat 5 Mar, 2pm. £5.95 (children £4.95). Scottish Mask and Puppet Centre, 8–10 Balcarres Avenue Kelvindale, 339 6185. Dive into the magical world of Belle’s Carousel Cafe.
✽✽ Glasgow Kids Comedy Club Sun 6 Mar, 3pm. £4. The Stand, 333
Woodlands Road, 0844 335 8879. More intrepid comics entertain the toughest audience around. Age 5+. Part of Magners Glasgow International Comedy Festival.
✽✽ By The Seat Of Your Pants Tue 8 Mar, 11am & 1.30pm. £4.
Eastwood Park Theatre, Rouken Glen Road, Giffnock, 577 4970. See Hit List. Family Story Time: The Gingerbread Man Sat 12 & Sun 13 Mar, 10.30am & 12.30pm. £5 (family ticket £15). Scottish Youth Theatre, The Old Sheriff Court, 105 Brunswick Street, 552 3988. Storytelling theatre from Scottish Youth Theatre. Ages 0–7. Pinocchio Sat 12 Mar, 2pm. £5.95 (children £4.95). Scottish Mask and Puppet Centre, 8–10 Balcarres Avenue Kelvindale, 339 6185. Puppet adaptation. The Chuckle Brothers: Barry Potter and his Full Blood Brother Sat 12 Mar, 2.30pm. £16.25 (£15.25). King’s Theatre, 297 Bath Street, 0844 871 7648. Slapstick laughs with Paul and Barry.
✽✽ By The Seat Of Your Pants Fri 18 Mar, 10.30am. £8 (£4.50).
Platform, The Bridge, 1000 Westerhouse Road, Easterhouse, 276 9696. See above. Three Wishes Sat 19 Mar, 2pm. £5.95 (children £4.95). Scottish Mask and Puppet Centre, 8–10 Balcarres Avenue Kelvindale, 339 6185.Mystical folk tale. Followed by Can’t You Sleep Little Bear?. The Princess and the Pea Wed 23 Mar–Sun 10 Apr (not Mon). Until Sun 3 Apr 10.30am & 1.30pm; Tue 5–Sun 10 Apr also 4pm. £7.50 (family ticket £34 for five people). Scottish Youth Theatre, The Old Sheriff Court, 105 Brunswick Street, 552 4267. Adaptation of the Hans Christian Andersen fairytale. Ages 3–7. The Emperor’s New Clothes Sat 26 Mar, 2pm & 4pm; Sun 27 Mar, 3pm. £5.95 (children £4.95). Scottish Mask and Puppet Centre, 8–10 Balcarres Avenue Kelvindale, 339 6185. A puppet version of the tale featuring live music.
76 THE LIST 3–31 March 2011
some hands-on activities. Star of the Theatre Sat 26 Mar, 10.30am–12.30pm & 1.30–3.30pm. £4. Museum of Childhood, 42 High Street, 529 4142. Help make a puppet theatre, then perform in a wee play. Booking essential. Ages 5+. FREE Ghostly Ladies and Gentlemen / Shadow Puppets Workshop Sat 26 Mar, 10.30am–12.30pm & 1.30–3.30pm. Museum of Edinburgh, Huntly House 142 Canongate, 529 3963. Create a creepy shadow puppet from card and fabric, to perform tales of Edinburgh’s ghostly past. FREE Watch Out Toads About Sun 27 Mar, Times vary. Holyrood Park, 652 8150. Help the park rangers transport toads across Holyrood’s roads to their spring breeding grounds, with games and activities after. Booking essential. Mother’s Day Sewing Workshop Sun 27 Mar, 2–3.30pm. £12. Kiss the Fish Studios, 9 Dean Park Street, Stockbridge, 332 8912. Make a pretty lavender-filled bird for Mum. Some sewing skills required. Ages 7+.
Books & Storytelling Polly’s Pink Pyjamas Fri 4 Mar, 3.30–5pm. £3 per child. Christ Church Centre, Morningside Road, 447 1917. Songs, activities and a reading from Vivian French. Come dressed in pyjamas. Ages 3+. Tickets from The Edinburgh Bookshop. FREE The Blackwell Children’s Book Group Mon 14 Mar, 5.45pm. Blackwells, 53–59 South Bridge, 622 8222. An hour of friendly book chat for 8–11 year olds. This month it’s The Boy with the Bronze Axe. Email childrens.edinburgh@ blackwell.co.uk to join. Tiny Tales: Animals Tue 15 Mar, 10am & 11.30am. £5. Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43–45 High Street, 556 9579. Animal-themed stories, rhymes and interactive fun for tots. Ages 6 months–3 years. Story Space: St Patrick’s Day Thu 17 Mar, 11am. £6. Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43–45 High Street, 556 9579. Storytelling with games, songs and actions to fire the imagination. This week’s theme is spirits and leprechauns. Ages 2–5.
✽✽ Saturday Stories Sat 26 Mar, 11.30am. £5 (£4; family ticket £15). Traverse Theatre, Cambridge Street, 228 1404. Storytelling from Andy Cannon, from the silly to spooky. Ages 5+ and their families.
Music The Quicken Tree Thu 17 Mar–Sat 19 Mar, 6.30pm. £7 (£5). Royal Botanic Garden, Arboretum Place, 248 2979. A musical stroll through the Botanics, produced by Trinity and Piriehall primary schools and Edinburgh University Music in the Community. Children’s Classic Concerts: Bongos and Brass Sun 20 Mar, 3pm. £10 (£6; children £6; family (2 adults, 2 children) £29). The Queen’s Hall, 87–89 Clerk Street, 668 2019. See photo caption, page 75
Theatre ✽✽ By The Seat Of Your Pants Sat 5 Mar, 7.30pm. £11 (£9; children
£6). Brunton Theatre, Ladywell Way, Musselburgh, 665 2240. See Glasgow. Peter and the Wolf Sun 6 Mar, 2pm. £7 (£5; family ticket £20). The Pleasance Theatre, 60 Pleasance, 650 4673. Young Peter journeys to visit his grandfather at the edge of the dark and mysterious forest. Ages 5+.
✽✽ Caged Thu 24 Mar, 10am & 1.30pm; Fri 25 Mar, 10am; Sat 26 Mar, 2pm & 3.30pm. £6 (family ticket £22). Brunton Theatre, Ladywell Way, Musselburgh, 665 2240. See preview. Cloud Man Sun 27 Mar, 2pm. £7 (£5; family ticket £20). The Pleasance Theatre, 60 Pleasance, 650 4673. Storytelling, puppetry and visuals. Ages 5+.
✽✽ Caged Thu 31 Mar, 7pm; Fri 1 Apr, 10.30am. £14 (£6–£10). Traverse
Theatre, Cambridge Street, 228 1404. See preview.
PREVIEW ADAPTATION CAGED Brunton Theatre, Musselburgh, Thu 24–Sat 26 Mar; Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, Thu 31 Mar–Fri 1 Apr
What’s in a name? Seemingly a great deal when it comes to selling a show, as Catherine Wheels theatre company discovered when they started work on their new fairytale adaptation, Caged. ‘We were originally going to call it Beauty and the Beast,’ explains
artistic director, Gill Robertson, ‘but that was a problem because people naturally make assumptions about what type of show they’re going to see. This is definitely a re-telling of it, which is why it’s called Caged. It will be great fun and exciting, but it’s not the Disney version, there are no dancing teapots.’
Instead of enchanted dinnerware, Robertson and her team have focussed on the friendship between the main characters, as it evolves from dislike and revulsion to love and acceptance. ‘It’s about two people, who are obviously very different, negotiating their relationship,’ says Robertson. ‘The Beast starts off disgusted by who he is, wanting love but being so ashamed of himself – while Beauty is very constrained by expectations of being the good girl. So both characters undergo changes and influence each other. She has to accept him for who he is, and he’s got to accept himself.’
An emotional journey which may well have adults in the audience shedding a tear, but what about younger ones less attuned to the subtleties of the human condition? ‘It’s ultimately got to be a really exciting story for them,’ says Robertson, ‘that’s what pulls them through. I think there are lots of messages in there about learning to adapt and to accept difference, but I don’t like messages – it’s just got to be a really good story, and to have those fairytale and magical elements.’ (Kelly Apter)
EDINBURGH Activities & Fun Own a Pony Day Fri 4 Mar, 1.30–4pm. £7.50. Gorgie City Farm, 51 Gorgie Road, 337 4202. Muck out a pony, groom and tack them up, and maybe have a ride. Booking essential. Ages 6–12. FREE Street Dance & Street Arts Saturdays, 10–10.45am & 11am–noon. North Edinburgh Arts Centre, 15a Pennywell Court, 315 2151. Hip-hop and street dancing, followed at 11am by cool arts and crafts, for ages 8–14. Drop-in Pottery Sessions Sat 5 Mar, 11am–1pm. £7 (£6) for mugs; £4 (£3) for tiles and coasters. Gorgie City Farm, 51 Gorgie Road, 337 4202. Decorate a pottery piece with your choice of colourful glazes. FREE Botanical Drawing: Tree Leaves Sat 5 & Sun 6 Mar, 1–4pm. Royal Botanic Garden, Inverleith Row, 248 2909. Leaf-drawing workshop led by one of the RBGE’s illustrators. Ages 5+. FREE Family Tours Saturdays, 2pm. National Museum of Scotland, Chambers
Street, 0300 123 6789. A 15-minute tour designed with families in mind. FREE Art Cart Sun 6 Mar, 2–4pm. National Gallery of Scotland, The Mound, 624 6200. Family-focused activities, inspired by works from the collection. Ages 3–12. FREE Wonderful Woodlands Sat 12 & Sun 13 Mar, 1–4pm. Royal Botanic Garden, Arboretum Place, 248 2979. Animal mask-making and a woodlands quiz. Ages 3+. FREE Portrait Detectives! Sun 13 Mar, 2–4pm. National Gallery of Scotland, The Mound, 624 6200. Historical crime-solving, as part of the Portrait of a Nation exhibition. FREE Bags of Art Sun 20 Mar, 2–4pm. Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, 75 Belford Road, 624 6200. Explore the collections and create amazing works of art. Ages 3–12. FREE Spring Flower Show Children’s Exhibition Sat 26 & Sun 27 Mar, 10am–4pm. Royal Botanic Garden, Arboretum Place, 248 2979. See the entries for the children’s Eco Schools Daffodil Competition and take part in