KIDS
Magical Mayhem Wed 20 Mar, 7.30pm. £5.50 (adults £5.95). Scottish Mask and Puppet Centre, 8–10 Balcarres Avenue, Kelvindale, 339 6185. Magic and comedy with Alex the Magician, Michael McCurry and Jango Starr. Books & Storytelling FREE The Further Tale of Peter Rabbit Storytelling Fri 22 Feb, 1.30pm. Scotland Street School Museum, 225 Scotland Street, 287 0500. Beatrix Potter’s beloved animal characters brought to life. FREE Daniela Sacerdoti Sat 23 Feb, 5–7pm. Waterstones, 153–157 Sauchiehall Street, 332 9105. The author signs copies of her new novel, Tide. Tall Tales Sat 23 Feb & 9 Mar, 10–11am. £6 per child + adult. Tron Theatre, 63 Trongate, 552 4267. Interactive storytelling session. Ages 3–5. Tiny Tales Wed 6, 13 & 20 Mar, 10– 11am. £6 per child + adult. Tron Theatre, 63 Trongate, 552 4267. Stories and play for ages six months to two years. Family Storytime: Tales From Around The World Sat 23 & Sun 24 Feb, 9 & 10 Mar 10.30am & 12.30pm. £5 (under 2s free; family £15). Scottish Youth Theatre, The Old Sheriff Court, 105 Brunswick Street, 552 3988. Tales for families with children under seven years. FREE Walking Tours: Myths and Legends Sun 24 Feb, 2pm. Burrell Collection, 2060 Pollokshaws Road, 287 2550. Learn about the myths and legends that are associated with this time of year. FREE Epic Tales Inspired by Fabulous Exhibits Sat 9 Mar, 1pm. Provand’s Lordship, 3 Castle Street, 276 1625. Storytelling based on the museum’s exhibits. FREE Epic Tales Inspired by Fabulous Exhibits Sat 9 Mar, 1pm. St Mungo Museum of Religious Life and Art, 2 Castle Street, 276 1625. See above. FREE Discover! Prairie Tales Sat 16 & Sun 17 Mar, 1.30–4pm. Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum, Argyle Street, 276 9599. Storytelling session about life in the old West.
Music The Singing Kettle: Rumble in the Jungle Sun 10 Mar, noon & 3.30pm. £12.50 (family £46). SECC, Finnieston Quay, 0844 395 4000. Join the team on an adventure into the jungle. Theatre & Dance Brier Rose Sat 23 Feb, 2pm. £5.50 (adults £5.95). Scottish Mask and Puppet Centre, 8–10 Balcarres Avenue, Kelvindale, 339 6185. Tale based on the Brothers Grimm version of Sleeping Beauty, brought to life. The Three Little Pigs & Lots of Tails Sat 2 Mar, 2pm. Sun 3 Mar, 3pm. £5.50 (adults £5.95). Scottish Mask and Puppet Centre, 8–10 Balcarres Avenue, Kelvindale, 339 6185. The Three Little Pigs, The Billy Goats Gruff and Goldilocks, all told via puppetry.
✽ Madagascar Live! Fri 8 Mar, 6.30pm. Sat 9 Mar, 11am, 3pm & 6.30pm. Sun
10 Mar, noon & 4pm £20–£50. SECC,
EDINBURGH & GLASGOW EATING& DRINKING Guide
COMING SOON
68 THE LIST 21 Feb–21 Mar 2013
COMEDY THE SOFT PLAY AREA The Bungo Bar & Kitchen, Glasgow, Sun 17, 24, 31 Mar
Comedian Chris Addison (see interview, page 12) once recalled the gig-ruining actions of a couple who brought their restless toddler to his Fringe show. While their pleas that a babysitter bailed on them at the last minute fell on unsympathetic ears, the Glasgow International Comedy Festival is offering a solution to parents who want their stand-up fix with a nipper in tow. The Soft Play Area is the brainchild of Andrew Learmonth, with the
backing of Bruce Morton, his Greater Shawlands Republic comedy cohort. Learmonth himself is the dad of an 18-month-old and, during the test run of this show in October, she voiced her opinion in the way only a baby can.
‘She doesn’t find me funny at home, so I didn’t think she’d find me
funny on stage,’ notes Learmonth. ‘But when I went on she immediately started crying. Maybe it was because she’d seen my set before.’ For the three forthcoming GICF sessions, Learmonth and Morton have
secured a number of Scottish comedians who have recently become parents. But whether the stand-ups are seasoned guardians or slowly getting accustomed to walking around like sleep-deprived zombies, everyone needs to treat these gigs differently from a normal night at the comedy coalface.
‘Essentially, you do stand-up in drunk rooms,’ says Learmonth. ‘And
here we are at three o’clock in the afternoon and the audience is going to be incredibly sober and with their child. There will be some trepidation because when a comic is told not to do something you automatically want to do it. So when you’re in a room full of toddlers and you know you can’t swear or talk about anything too difficult, it’s very hard not to.’ (Brian Donaldson)
Finnieston Quay, 0844 395 4000. See preview, page 67. The Witch, The Wizard and Little Red Riding Hood Sat 9 Mar, 2pm. £5.50 (adults £5.95). Scottish Mask and Puppet Centre, 8–10 Balcarres Avenue, Kelvindale, 339 6185. The new take on the tale of Little Red Riding Hood. Ages 3+. Toowit Toowoo Sun 10 Mar, noon, 1pm, 2pm, 3pm & 4pm. £5.50 (adults £5.95). Scottish Mask and Puppet Centre, 8–10 Balcarres Avenue, Kelvindale, 339 6185. A night-time play session is created with puppets and shadowplay. Ages 3+. Toowit Toowoo Mon 11 Mar, 12.30pm, 1.15pm, 2.30pm, 3.15pm & 4.30pm. Tue 12 Mar, 10.30am, 11.15am, 12.30pm, 1.15pm, 2.30pm & 3.15pm. £5 (children £3.50). Eastwood Park Theatre, Rouken Glen Road, Giffnock, 577 4970. See above.
✽ The Sky Is Falling Thu 14–Sun 17 Mar & Tue 19–Thu 21 Mar, 10.30am,
1.30pm & 4pm. £7.50 (family £24). Scottish Youth Theatre, Old Sheriff Court, 105 Brunswick Street, 552 4267. Help Henny Penny warn the other animals about the falling sky. Figment Thu 14 & Sat 16 Mar, 7.30pm. Fri 15 Mar, 2pm & 7.30pm. £5–£10. Tramway, 25 Albert Drive, 0845 330 3501. Tramway youth production exploring truth, lies, fact and fiction. Ages 11+. Each Peach Pear Plum Sat 16 Mar, 2–2.45pm. £3.50–£8. Platform, The Bridge, 1000 Westerhouse Road, Easterhouse, 276 9696. A game of I Spy, based on Janet and Allan Ahlberg’s popular kids book. Ages 3+. Part of Puppet Animation Festival. Alex the Magician: Big Magic Wand
Sat 16 Mar, 2pm. £5.50 (adults £5.95). Scottish Mask and Puppet Centre, 8–10 Balcarres Avenue, Kelvindale, 339 6185. Funny illusions from Alex the Magician. Part of Glasgow International Comedy Festival
✽ Soft Play Area: Watch With Baby Comedy Sun 17, 24 & 31 Mar, 3pm.
£4. The Bungo Bar & Kitchen, 17–21 Nithsdale Road, 423 0023. See preview. Part of Glasgow International Comedy Festival. Stuck Thu 21 Mar, 10.30am & 1.30pm. £3.50. Platform, The Bridge, 1000 Westerhouse Road, Easterhouse, 276 9696. A brother and sister are stranded at sea. Suitable for primaries 2–5.
EDINBURGH Activities & Fun Jo Jingles Fri 22 Feb, 10.30–11.05am. £2 as well as zoo admission. Edinburgh Zoo, Corstorphine Road, 334 9171. Music and movement, nursery rhymes and songs. Ages six months–five years. Happy Ears Sat 23 Feb, 2, 9 & 16 Mar, 10–10.45am. £5 per session. Calton Centre, 121 Montgomery Street, 07778 117333. Music group for dads and male carers and their little ones. Ages 0–3. Kids Knit Sat 23 Feb, 2, 9 & 16 Mar, 10–11.30am. £9 per session. Edinburgh Academy, 42 Henderson Row, 624 4927. Learn to make needles and start creating. For ages 5–11. FREE Weather and Landscape Sat 23 Feb, 10.30am–1pm. City Art Centre, 2
Market Street, 529 3993. Get to grips with painting weather scenes. FREE From A to Z! Sat 23 Feb, 10.30am–12.30pm & 1.30–3.30pm. Museum of Childhood, 42 High Street, 529 4142. Hunt for 26 objects, each one beginning with a different letter. Ages 5+.
✽ Baby Loves Disco Sun 24 Feb, 2–5pm. £8 (non-walking babies free). Electric Circus, 36–39 Market Street, 226 4224. Kids aged six months–seven years get their grooves on. Chinese Lantern Festival Sun 24 Feb, 9am–4pm. Included in admission. Edinburgh Zoo, Corstorphine Road, 334 9171. Puzzles and activities. Messy Play with Honey Pot Ceramics Fri 1 Mar, 10am–noon. £2 as well as zoo admission. Edinburgh Zoo, Corstorphine Road, 334 9171. Drop-in arts and craft session. Ages six months–five years. FREE Print Your Own Shipping Map Sat 2 Mar, 10.30am–12.30pm & 1.30–3.30pm. Museum of Edinburgh, Huntly House, 142 Canongate, 529 3963. Use printing techniques to create a shipping map of Leith docks. Ages 5+. Toddler Sense Fri 8 Mar, 10.30–11am. £2 as well as zoo admission. Edinburgh Zoo, Corstorphine Road, 334 9171. Games, music and animal-related fun for ages 13 months–three years. FREE Wild and Wonderful World of Scottish Plants Sat 9 & Sun 10 Mar, 1–4pm. Royal Botanic Garden, Arboretum Place, 248 2909. Explore Scotland’s plant life. Ages 5+. Snugglebugs Fri 15 Mar, 10.30–11.30am. £2 as well as zoo admission. Edinburgh Zoo, Corstorphine Road, 334 9171. Start your day with singing, dancing, arts and crafts. For ages six months–five years.
✽ FREE Street Science Sat 16–Thu 21 Mar, times vary. Various venues,
0844 557 2686. Bike-borne street science from the Science Festival team. Part of Edinburgh International Science Festival. FREE Snails and Puppy Dogs’ Tails Sat 16 Mar, 10.30am–12.30pm. Museum of Edinburgh, Huntly House, 142 Canongate, 529 4143. Make a length of French knitting and create some creatures. FREE Plant Hunt Sat 16 & Sun 17 Mar, 1–4pm. Royal Botanic Garden, Arboretum Place, 248 2909. Get to know Scotland’s plants on a fun hunt. Ages 5+.
Books & Storytelling ✽ FREE Macastory’s Mural Mayhem! Sun 24 Feb, 2pm, 2.45pm & 3.30pm. Scottish National Portrait Gallery, 1 Queen Street, 624 6200. Storytelling inspired by the Portrait Gallery’s giant murals, for kids aged 4–12. From Hare to There Tue 5 Mar, 10– 10.40am & 11.30am–12.10pm. £5. Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43–45 High Street, 556 9579. Spring into spring with some Easter bunny storytelling. It’s a Pirate’s Life for Me Sat 9 Mar, 2–3pm. £5. Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43–45 High Street, 556 9579. The Firth of Forth’s only pseudo pirates shiver your timbers. Ages 3+. FREE Blackwell’s Teenage Book Group Sun 10 Mar, 2pm. Blackwells, 53–59 South Bridge, 622 8222. Regular book group for teens, with separate sessions for ages 12–14 and those over 14 years old. FREE The Blackwell Children’s Book Group Mon 11 Mar, 6pm. Blackwells, 53–59 South Bridge, 622 8222. An hour of friendly chat about books for 8–11-year- olds. I Knew a Man Called Livingstone Sat 16 Mar, 2–3pm. £6 (£4). Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43–45 High Street, 556 9579. Storytelling performance all about David Livingstone. Ages 7+.
OUTSIDE THE CITIES Theatre & Dance Let’s Dance Festival Wed 20 & Thu 21 Mar, Times and prices vary. macrobert, University of Stirling, Bridge of Allan, 01786 466666. Dance performances and workshops.