A r u s a Q u r e s h
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T he idea of internationalism and a focus on global conversations have always been key elements of the Edinburgh International Festival’s ethos. But as uncertainty looms around the world, the 2019 programme is very much
reflective of a need to engage with and critique wider systems of oppression.
‘There’s an urgency to what we do and a relevance about what we do,’ Edinburgh International Festival director Fergus Linehan says. ‘I think anyone who’s just trying to run anything is worried about uncertainty at the moment. And worried about the poisonous rhetoric that exists, that emboldens people who stand against the whole idea of global conversations. Even though it’s miles away, we’ve been thinking a lot about the 75th anniversary of the festival in 2022 because one of the questions that came out of the 70th anniversary was, when we say “international”, what do we mean?’ A particularly exciting and inspiring addition to this year’s programme, You Are Here is a strand of theatre, dance, music, readings and discussions that take audiences further afield, offering unique perspectives on issues that affect global communities. Artists from Scotland, the rest of the UK, Nigeria, Canada, Mali, Lebanon and beyond are given voice to ask vital questions and consider what identity and citizenship means in the 21st century.
Highlights of the programme include Hear Word! (pictured left), in which ten of Nigeria’s biggest stars come together on stage to tell multi- generational stories; Milo Rau’s unflinching piece of investigative theatre La Reprise; the world premiere of the National Theatre of Scotland’s Red Dust Road, adapted from the memoir by Jackie
Kay; and Kalakuta Republic, Serge Aimé Coulibaly’s fusion of dance, music and revolution, inspired by the life of Fela Kuti.
‘I think geographically our spread is just better this year,’ Linehan explains. ‘We’ve got really significant work from China, we’ve got quite a lot of work from Africa and our reach is a lot further. If we’re talking about internationalism, so many of the questions of the moment are not just domestic. You can only begin to grab hold of them when you start to look a little bit further afield. I mean it’s funny, because in a sense, the festival is also a party. It’s also really good fun but you don’t want to be fiddling while Rome burns. And I do think that there’s a lot of creativity being channeled at the moment into not just protest, but actually trying to ask what the next stages are and where we go from here.’
Ian McKellen Gustavo Dudamel
Throughout
the programme, there are artists responding to urgent questions, but there’s also an emphasis on unconventional ideas and new viewpoints. Following a series of successful opening events, starting with 2015’s Harmonium Project at the Usher Hall, the International Festival are taking on a fresh approach to this year’s opening, extending the event out of the city centre for the first time with the LA Philharmonic at Tynecastle Park, conducted by Gustavo Dudamel. ‘We’ve never done anything in a football stadium before!’ Linehan says. ‘Also, we haven’t really done anything around that part of the city before, so I’m really looking forward to that.’
Kalakuta Republik
Other major highlights include Peter Gynt, which has Scottish star James McArdle taking on the challenging title role in a major co-production with the National Theatre. There’s also Peacock Contemporary Dance Company and choreographer Yang Liping’s The Rite of Spring; Sir Ian McKellen performing extracts from his best-loved roles; and a production of West Side Story, conducted by Sir John Eliot Gardiner. Over at the Leith Theatre, the International Festival once again presents a cracking line-up of contemporary music, including Anna Calvi, Sharon Van Etten, Neneh Cherry and Efterklang.
‘On the one hand, we need to think a lot more about what’s happening internationally but also, the connectivity of the festival to the city becomes really important as well,’ Linehan adds. ‘A lot of these questions have an international relevance but they also have a relevance to the people who live in Edinburgh. So I hope that by the time we look at the 75th festival, people in the city will feel even more connected to what we’re doing and that we find ways of doing that, while at the same time, enjoying this worldview.’
Edinburgh International Festival, various venues, Edinburgh, Fri 2–Mon 26 Aug. Public booking opens on Sat 6 Apr. 1 Apr–31 May 2019 THE LIST 55
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