AroundTown
Three-Day Chinese Pole Workshop Sat 30 Apr, 5–8pm; Sun 1 & Mon 2 May, 2–5pm. £40 per day or £90 for the weekend. The Briggait, 141 Bridgegate, 402 5020. Moritz Linkmann leads a three-day course in this stunning circus discipline. You’ve got to be fit, though. FREE Knitorials Tuesdays, 6pm. The Yarn Cake, 148 Queen Margaret Drive, 946 5305. Weekly knitting tutorial/meet- up session for old hands and beginners. All the Young Nudes – Life Drawing Club Tuesdays, 8–10pm. £4. The Flying Duck, 142 Renfield St, 564 1450. A relaxed life drawing club, with music, in a bar. FREE Adult Art Workshop: Printing Portraits Wed 4 May, 10am–noon. Burrell Collection, 2060 Pollokshaws Road, 287 2550. Printing class. Booking essential. Wake Up and Breathe Thu 5 May, 7pm. £20 in advance; £25 on the night. Yoga Healing Glasgow, Studio 7, Mansfield Park, 22 Mansfield Street, 569 2421. A chance to learn about Transformational Breathing, a self-empowerment technique. Learn to Sew: Techniques Course Saturdays 7 May–11 Jun, 2–4pm. £180. Make It Glasgow, 3 Osborne Street, 07597 122809. A six-week intro for beginners. Aerial Skills Intensive Workshops Sat 7 & Sun 8 May, 2–5pm. £40 per day or
£60 for the weekend. The Briggait, 141 Bridgegate, 402 5020. Aerialist Sarah Holmes presents two classes: ascents, transitions, descents and sequencing on Saturday, with an advanced workshop on vertical expression on fabric and rope on Sunday. FREE Girl: A Community Project Thu 12 May, 1–2.30pm. Glasgow Women’s Library, Mitchell Library, 15 Berkeley Street, 248 9969. Adura Onashile and Ankur Productions explore the rules passed on from mothers to daughters. Booking essential. FREE GoMA Bites Sun 15 & Mon 16 May, 1–3pm. Gallery of Modern Art, Royal Exchange Square, 287 3050. An art workshop inspired by the sinister side of nursery rhymes. FREE Silk Painting Fri 20 May, 11am or Sat 21 May, 1pm. People’s Palace & Winter Gardens, Glasgow Green, 276 0788. Learn the delicate art of silk painting. Booking essential. FREE GWL Learners Forum Mon 23 May, 2pm. Glasgow Women’s Library, Mitchell Library, 15 Berkeley Street, 248 9969. Meet with other library-users and discuss what services and facilities would be useful to you. EDINBURGH
Activities & Events FREE Open Day at the Melting Pot Thu 28 Apr, 9am–9pm. The Melting Pot, 5 Rose Street, 243 2626. See Hitlist.
✽✽ Neu! Reekie! Fri 29 Apr, 7–9.30pm. £5 (£4). Scottish Book Trust, Sandeman
House, Trunks Close 55 High Street, 524 0160. See Hitlist.
✽✽ Beltane Fire Festival Sat 30 Apr, 9pm–1am. £6 in advance; £8 on the
PREVIEW POLITICAL CABARET ROCK THE VOTE Unholyrood, Voodoo Rooms, Edinburgh, Wed 4 May, 8pm, £5 (£4). Welcome to The Hotel Caledonia, Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, Thu 5 May, 1pm & 10pm, £6. Mayfesto: It’s A Dead Liberty!, Tron Theatre, Glasgow, Wed 4–Sat 7 May, 9.30pm, £10.
Perhaps injustices tend to hit harder when they’re closer to home; perhaps there’s just more meat; but periods of Tory government do tend to galvanize our satirists and create new relevance for political theatre. You may have noticed stirrings roundabout the election last year, from Andy Arnold reviving Mayfest as Mayfesto at the Tron, to David Greig’s hilarious one-off Gordon Brown: A Life in Politics on election night, but this year, as the realities of the cuts take hold, Scottish satire has got its teeth back, and they’re sharp. Come election time, a number of very well known Scottish faces will be lining up to prove it. At the Voodoo Rooms in Edinburgh, journalist Peter Geoghegan will be hosting Unholyrood – a mix of comedy, debate, music and political cabaret, featuring comedians Vladimir McTavish, and Susan Morrison (pictured), poet and rabble-rouser Tom Leonard and a live act going by the excellent name of The Sensational Alex Salmond Band, amongst others.
‘If there’s a “big idea” at all behind Unholyrood – besides having a
good time – it’s about opening up a public space for debate and discussion about politics in Scotland that doesn’t get tied up in party political knots,’ says Geoghegan, who came up with the idea after witnessing reactions to Gordon Brown: A Life in Politics and to Dublin’s long-running political cabaret night Leviathan. ‘That heady mix of comedy and politics felt like such a breath of fresh air. We’ve a long tradition of political satire in this country but we haven’t really tapped into it recently, until now.’
An integral part of that ‘long tradition’ are Wildcat and 7:84, the
theatre companies who gave voice to Scotland’s reactions to the worst excesses of Thatcher. Stalwarts of both companies will be back onstage at the Tron over the election period to reintroduce their work to a new generation in Mayfesto: It’s a Dead Liberty!, with sketches and songs from guests and writers including Alasdair Gray, Barbara Rafferty, Alan Bissett and Peter Arnott. The latter two names are also involved in David Greig’s multi-writer follow up to A Life in Politics, sketch show Welcome to the Hotel Caledonia, which will happen at the Traverse on election night, after which everyone decamps to the bar to see the results roll in. It might just be possible to make a difference. Or at the very least, laugh about it. (Kirstin Innes)
34 THE LIST 28 Apr–26 May 2011
night. Calton Hill, Waterloo Place, 473 2000. See Hitlist. Scottish Home Improvement & Self Build Show/National Home & Design Show Sat 30 Apr & Sun 1 May, 10am–4.30pm. £6.75–£8.50. Lowland Hall, Royal Highland Centre, Ingliston, 0844 481 8898. The answer to all your DIY needs. FREE Meet the Scientist: Give Us a Wave Sat 30 Apr–Mon 2 May & Sat 21–Mon 23 May, noon–4pm. National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, 0300 123 6789. Meet some friendly physicists full of fun facts about waves. Mad Charity Swishing Event Sat 30 Apr, 12.30pm. £10. The Voodoo Rooms, 19a West Register Street, 556 7060. Refresh your wardrobe for precisely zero pennies at this clothes-swap. FREE Edible Plants Sat 30 Apr & Sun 1 May, 1–4pm. John Hope Gateway Centre, Royal Botanic Garden, 20a Inverleith Row, 552 7171. Learn how to grow your own herbs. World Wars Experience Sun 1 May, 10am–5pm. £10.50 (£8.50; children £5; under 5s free). National Museum of Flight, East Fortune Airfield, 0300 123 6789. Living history presenters, military vehicles and demonstrations culminating in a jolly old street party. FREE A Slice of Life: May Day Special Sun 1 & Mon 2 May, 11am–1pm & 2–4pm. National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, 0300 123 6789. Meet historical characters. Blitz Ballroom Sun 1 May, 4–8pm. £12.50 (£10). Out of the Blue Drill Hall, 30–36 Dalmeny Street, Leith, 555 7100. WWII-themed vintage party, with swing dance classes, cabaret, retro hairstyling and black market crafts. FREE Jambula Tue 3 May, 6–8pm. Institute of Geography, University of Edinburgh, Drummond Street, 650 2624. A ‘presentation of works’ by artist Alice Ladenburg and geoscientist Dr Iain Woodhouse, and an introduction to REDD Horizon, a project aimed at reducing deforestation in Malawi. FREE Victoria’s Language Cafe Tue 3 & 17 May, 7pm. Victoria, 265 Leith Walk, 555 1638. Fortnightly language-learning meet-up. FREE Sofi’s Knitting Club Tue 3 May, 7.30pm. Sofi’s, 65 Henderson Street Leith,
555 1979. Friendly monthly session for all y’all purlers and garterers out there. Edinburgh College of Art Fashion Show Wed 4 May, 6.30pm & 8.30pm; Thu 5 May, 8.30pm; Fri 6 May, 7pm & 9pm. £15. Edinburgh College of Art, 74 Lauriston Place, 473 2000. Spot the next Alexander McQueen amid the annual glitz and glam. FREE Coup Red’s Select Wed 4 May, 6.30–8pm. Sofi’s, 65 Henderson Street Leith, 555 1979. See Hitlist. Knit Night Wednesdays, 8–9.30pm. Membership required. 24 Hillview Terrace, Corstorphine, 07799 686582. Social knitting meet-up, with tuition from Knitting for All.
✽✽ Unholyrood: An Evening of Scottish Political Cabaret Wed 4
May, 8pm. £5 (£4) in advance; £6 on the door. The Voodoo Rooms, 19a West Register Street, unholyrood.com. See preview, left, and Hitlist. The Great Lafayette Festival Sat 7–Mon 9 May, times vary. Prices vary. Edinburgh Festival Theatre, 13–29 Nicolson Street, 529 6000. A weekend of events celebrating the great magician. There’s a Paul Daniels stage show on the Saturday night, and talks, tours, workshops and an exhibition throughout the weekend. Reel Festival Sat 7–Sat 21 May, times vary. Prices vary. Various venues, reelfestivals.org. Film screenings, poetry readings, music and a special festival edition of raucous literary cabaret The Golden Hour all come together in this celebration of multi-cultural awareness. See picture, opposite. FREE Voluntary Arts Week Celebration Event Sat 7 May, 11am–4pm. Festival Square, Lothian Road, voluntaryartsweek.org Music, song and dance, and hands-on and demo craft sessions in celebration of volunteer groups across the country. Voluntary Arts Week continues around Scotland until Sat 14 May. Home Sat 7 May, 6.30pm. £6–£10 donation on the door. Old St Paul’s Hall, 63 Jeffrey Street, rosie@doodlehut.com A community club night, featuring chill-out zone, a small craft market, a children’s zone and more. FREE It’s Raining Hats and Dogs at the City Art Centre Sat 14 May, from 11am. City Art Centre, 2 Market Street, 529 3993. A day of activities including hat- making, a hatwalk, and art talks. Part of the Festival of Museums. Beyond the ‘Magic Sponge’ Sat 14 May, 12.30–4pm; Sun 15 May, noon–4pm. £5 as part of museum admission (£3; family ticket £15). Surgeons’ Hall Museum, Nicolson Street, 527 1649. Learn about sports medicine. Part of the Festival of Museums. FREE A Renaissance Fashion Show Sun 15 May, 2–4pm. Museum of Edinburgh, Huntly House 142 Canongate, 529 4143. Renaissance fashion catwalk show, followed by afternoon tea. Part of the Festival of Museums.
✽✽ Words For Sale Sun 15 May, 7–10pm. By donation. Axo Gallery, 59
Queen Charlotte Street, 557 1460. See Hitlist. FREE ‘Time gentlemen, please!’ - The Yard Ape by Colin Lowe, Roddy Thomson and Sarah Lucas Mon 16 May, 12.45–1.15pm. Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, 75 Belford Road, 624 6200. A chance to investigate The Yard Ape, a life-size replica of a corner of a London pub. FREE Edinburgh Biodiversity Weekend Sat 21 May, 1–4pm. John Hope Gateway Centre, Royal Botanic Garden, 20a Inverleith Row, 552 7171. Opening of the city-wide Biodiversity Week, with children’s activities and details of volunteering opportunities. FREE Living History: From Court to Combat Sun 22 & Mon 23 May, 12–4pm. National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, 0300 123 6789. Historical re- enactments and flaunting of weapons and costumes from 16th-century Scotland. Traverse Theatre A&E Quiz Mon 23 May, 8pm. £1 per person. Traverse Theatre, Cambridge Street, 228 1404. Arts and entertainment quiz with no sport allowed. FREE Sofi’s Clothes Swap Wed 25 May, 7pm. Sofi’s, 65 Henderson Street