NEWS
A ROSE BY ANY OTHER NAME
Rowena McIntosh checks out the Rose Theatre, a festival venue that’s set to become a permanent fi xture on the capital’s live scene
COMING UP AFRICA IN MOTION FILM FESTIVAL Dedicated to showing the diversity of African cinema, AiM has screenings of animated i lms, features, shorts and documentaries, as well as a short i lm competition to develop the next generation of African movie- makers. Various venues, Scotland, until Sun 5 Nov.
GLASGOW HORROR FESTIVAL Popcorn Horror presents this scary two-day festival featuring a horror market, industry panels, indie screenings, drag queen Lacy Rain, FX demo, podcast battle and the Monster Mash club night. Classic Grand, Glasgow, Sat 4 & Sun 5 Nov.
DUNOON FILM FESTIVAL Boutique weekend festival bringing world cinema, forgotten classics and new work by Scottish directors to the seaside town of Dunoon. Films include Becoming Cary Grant, Edie and A Man Called Ove. Various venues, Dunoon, Fri 10– Sun 12 Nov.
D uring August in the capital, it seems every space that can hold a few chairs and a microphone is used as a Fringe venue. The majority pack up at the end of the month but the Rose Theatre, which hosted shows as part of the Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2017, is now a year-round home for comedy, theatre and cabaret.
The theatre is housed in the former site of the Charlotte Baptist Chapel (on Rose Street funnily enough), and has undergone a £1.8million conversion and refurbishment. Comedy giants Gilded Balloon will programme the Basement Theatre, a 120-capacity venue within the Rose, as well as staging various productions in the Main Theatre. Headlining Gilded Balloon’s inaugural winter programme is Morag Fullarton’s A Bottle of Wine and Patsy Cline (Thu 30 Nov–Sat 30 Dec). Gail Watson reprises her role as Patsy, performing the iconic singer’s greatest hits, including ‘Crazy’ and ‘Sweet Dreams’. So that’s the Patsy Cline taken care of, but what about the wine? Well, theatregoers will receive a wee bottle with every ticket.
16 THE LIST 1 Nov 2017–31 Jan 2018
Opening the Gilded Balloon’s programme in the Basement Theatre is Edinburgh-based Irish curmudgeon Dylan Moran, with his latest tour Grumbling Mustard (Thu 23 & Fri 24 Nov). Other comedy highlights include the concisely named The Comedy Show, a Friday or Saturday event with top local acts including Jay Lafferty, Jojo Sutherland, Scott Agnew and Gary Little.
Tickets are on sale now for Stephen Frost’s immersive Celebrity Murder Mystery Play (Thu 30 Nov), where you’re promised ‘a laugh, a drink, a quiz and a murder’; a scratch night showcasing new writing called Short Attention Span (Tue 5 & Wed 6 Dec) and UnfuckYourself (Fri 1 Dec), a fundraiser for World Aids Day in the style of a multi-artform, semi-cabaret experience, that examines human nature in a time where the right-wing looms ever larger. The Basement Theatre programme also gives you a chance to see returning hits from the 2017 Fringe, including anarchist cook George Egg in DIY Chef (Thu 7 & Fri 8 Dec) and Chris Henry’s children’s show Balloonatics (Sat 16, 23, 30 Dec).
Tickets on sale now at gildedballoon.co.uk
FOODIES FESTIVAL CHRISTMAS A three-day festive food extravaganza including producers’ market, tastings, demonstrations, a wine and champagne village and over 150 stalls selling the best local seasonal produce. EICC, Edinburgh, Fri 24–Sun 26 Nov. BOOK WEEK SCOTLAND A ‘national book festival’ for Scotland. A packed programme of author events, kids’ activities and the distribution of free books all combine to form a week-long national celebration of reading. Various venues, Scotland, Mon 27 Nov–Sun 3 Dec. THE SALTIRE FESTIVAL A festival of music, culture and heritage. East Lothian is the birthplace of the Scottish Flag and the Saltire Festival celebrates this fact alongside St Andrew’s Day. Various venues, East Lothian, Thu 30 Nov–Sun 3 Dec.