Listings Mon 4 – Sun 10 Nov 2019
On Edinburgh’s Stages this week…
It’s a big week on Edinburgh’s stages with a trio of high-profile tours opening on Tuesday and the last week of the NT’s hit Barber Shop Chronicles at the Lyceum.
Meanwhile the Traverse has its major new First Stages Festival for new writing, running from Thursday to Saturday, as it welcomes the six playwrights who made it through last year’s open submissions programme to get dramaturgical support to develop their scripts.
Cabaret at the Festival Theatre to Saturday. Pic: The Other Richard
Up at the Assembly Roxy, Dundee company Alfie Picket return with a new piece The Union and Crown, after their hugely successful Fringe appearance with Ane City. There’s also a pair of plays, Bleach and Salt, both created with support from Al Seed, and Home, a play about those for whom a home is not necessarily a place of safety.
At the Bedlam, the EUTC is taking on Liz Lochhead’s great Mary Queen of Scots Got Her Head Chopped Off, while Xmas is coming early to the Brunton on Friday with the arrival of Christmas with Steptoe and Son.
And those big crowd-pleasers? Well there’s the return of Priscilla Queen of the Desert at the Playhouse with Joe McFadden on Tick duty, Cabaret returning – this time to the Festival – with John Partridge on Emcee duty and, less of a known quantity this, The Exorcist at the King’s…
Listings
Click on the name of the show to go to its ticketing site.
Assembly Roxy
Assembly Roxy, 2 Roxburgh Place, EH8 9SU. Phone booking: 0131 623 3030.
The Union and the Crown
Wed 6/Thurs 7 Nov 2019
Evening: 7.30pm.
Elfie Picket Theatre return to Assembly Roxy following their ART Award-winning piece Ane City with a daring new piece of current political theatre that journeys through Scotland’s vast and exciting historical timeline and examines the constant exploitation of the working class. Book here.
Bleach
Wed 6, Fri 8, Thurs 14, Sat 16 Nov 2019
Evenings: 8pm.
Bloodied sheets, scattered belongings. A body, crumpled amongst piles of trash. Armed with nothing but the discarded items she is found in, we follow one woman’s rageful reckoning with romance. Created by Estlin Love in collaboration with Al Seed. Book here.
Salt
Thurs 7, Sat 9, Wed 13, Fri 15 Nov 2019
Evenings: 8pm.
In a place where the only food is salt and the only companions to be found are those that can be conjured from the objects around her, she hides under a table. Terrible rumblings can be heard above: of monsters; or something worse? By Fiona Oliver-Larkin in collaboration with and directed by Al Seed. Book here.
Home
Fri 8/Sat 9 Nov 2019
Evening: 7.30pm.
Three new plays devised and performed by people with lived experience. Questioning what Home means to each of us, we ask how Home can be safe and secure for everyone. Book here.
Bedlam Theatre
11B Bristo Place, EH1 1EZ.
Mary Queen of Scots Got Her Head Chopped Off
Tue 5 – Sat 9 Nov 2019
Evenings: 7.30pm.
Liz Lochhead’s poetic and passionate retelling of the tragic story of Mary Queen of Scots’s reign and her relationship with Elizabeth I. This ambitious production promises joy and tragedy; embellishing history with playful wit, poetry, and music to tell the story of these two formidable Queens. Book here.
The Brunton
Ladywell Way, Musselburgh EH21 6AA. Phone booking: 0131 665 2240
Christmas With Steptoe & Son
Fri 8 Nov 2019
Evening: 7.30pm.
Albert and Harold – united by blood, divided over everything else – seem doomed to spend Christmas in each other’s company. But Harold has his flights of fancy, including a flight he fancies abroad or to throw the biggest Christmas party London’s ever had to offer. Book here.
Festival Theatre
13/29 Nicolson Street EH8 9FT. Phone booking: 0131 529 6000.
Cabaret
Tuesday 5 – Saturday 9 November 2019
Evenings 7.30pm; Matinees Wed, Thurs & Sat: 2.30pm.
Bill Kenwright presents the multi-award winning production of Kander and Ebb’s landmark musical directed by Rufus Norris. It’s 1931, Berlin is a haven of divine decadence and the legendary Sally Bowles is about to take to the stage at the infamous Kit Kat Klub… Book here.
King’s Theatre
2 Leven Street EH3 9LQ. Phone booking: 0131 529 6000.
The Exorcist
Tue 5 to Sat 9 November 2019
Evenings Tue to Thu 7.30pm, Fri & Sat 8.30pm, Matinees Wed 2.30pm, Fri & Sat 5pm
When desperate mother Chris is unable to get any answers from a succession of doctors about her young daughter’s strange symptoms, she reluctantly turns to a local priest for help. But before Father Damien can tackle what’s before him, he must overcome his own shaken beliefs, as this fight is for more than just one girl’s soul… Book here.
Lyceum Theatre
Grindlay Street EH3 9AX. Phone booking: 0131 248 4848.
Barber Shop Chronicles
By Inua Ellam
Directed by Bijan Sheibani
October 23 – November 9 2019
Tue – Sat: 7.30pm; Mats Sat, Wed: 2pm.
Newsroom, political platform, local hotspot, confession box, preacher-pulpit and football stadium. For generations, African men have gathered in barber shops to discuss the world. These are places where the banter can be barbed and the truth is always telling. Book here.
Playhouse
18 – 22 Greenside Place, EH1 3AA. Phone booking: 0844 871 3014.
Paul Simon’s Graceland Live
Mon 4 Nov 2019
Evening 7.30pm
Celebrating Paul Simon’s ground-breaking album. Backed by a full live band, the show will star American Musician and viral Youtuber, Josh Turner Guitar as Paul Simon, who will be joined live on stage by the empowering and evocative voices of the UK’s unique and wonderfully talented South African Cultural Gospel Choir. Book here.
Priscilla Queen Of The Desert The Musical
Tue 5 – Sat 9 Nov 2019
Evenings: 7.30pm, Matinees Weds, Sat: 2.30pm.
With more glitter than ever before, this new production of the smash-hit show features a dazzling array of stunning costumes, fabulous feathers and a non-stop parade of dance-floor classics. Book now.
The Studio at Festival Theatre
22 Potterrow, EH8 9BL. Phone booking: 0131 529 6000
Becoming Electra: A Queer Mitzvah
Saturday 9 November 2019
Evening: 7.30pm.
A heart-warming and original one-woman drag show about a queer Jewish girl trying to find her voice. Electra struggles to reconcile conflicting elements of her identity: can she tell her queer friends she’s Jewish and her Jewish friends that she’s queer? Book here.
Summerhall
1 Summerhall Square, EH9 1PL
Summerhall Scratch Night
Thursday 7 November 2019
Evening: 7.30pm.
An evening of fresh new work across all genres. Compère: Mamoru Iriguchi, with Callum Douglas Finlay & Christine Finlay (Mummy’s Boy0, John Osborne (My Car Plays Tapes), Théâtre sans Accents (Les Doigts), Un dó ( A Map Is Not The Road), Ross Whyte & Kate Steenhauer (The Player Piano). Book here.
Traverse Theatre
10 Cambridge Street, EH1 2ED. Phone booking: 0131 228 1404.
Still No Idea
Wednesday 6 – Friday 8 Nov 2019
7.30pm [T1]
Lisa and Rachael want to make a show, but there’s a problem: they don’t have any ideas. So who do they turn to? The Great British Public of course! Part-verbatim theatre, part-confession, part-comedy sketch show with a bit of singing and dancing thrown in. Turns out getting the public to write your story is quite an adventure. All performances of Still No Idea will be Relaxed. Book here.
First Stages Festival:
Thursday 7 – Saturday 9 November.
Every year, we invite scripts through our Open Submissions window. This year, six of over 400 submissions have been picked to receive dramaturgical support with the aim of helping the writers develop their plays. This culminates in our first-ever First Stages Festival featuring script-in-hand readings of the selected plays, showcasing them to industry professionals and Traverse audiences alike. Each evening will be followed by a Q&A. This festival is a celebration of the Traverse’s commitment to nurturing and supporting new voices. The festival programme also includes writing workshops, panel discussions and networking opportunities.
First Stages Festival: Audition Preparation Workshop
Thursday 7 Nov 2019
2pm [T2]
Led by Gareth Nicholls, this workshop will examine how to prepare and feel comfortable in auditions. Aimed at actors, recent graduates and those still in training, it offers an opportunity to ask questions, learn more about the process of auditions and improve skills. Book here.
Panel Discussion: Who’s Who at the Traverse
Friday 8 Nov 2019
11am [T2]
Come and meet the Traverse’s Artistic and Programming team. You’ll have the opportunity to learn more about the work that goes on behind the scenes and ask questions about what’s coming up next at the Traverse. Book here.
First Stages Readings: I’m Not Here / Tiger Mum
Friday 8 Nov 2019
5.30pm [T2]
I’m Not Here by Rachael O’Connor. Retired couple Les and Carol arrange to meet their estranged son at a Modern Art Gallery, but, lost within its identical-looking rooms, they are forced to confront their troubled past.
Tiger Mum by Eva Edo. Constance is a mother on a mission to guarantee her son Elijah lives beyond his eighteenth birthday. He’s not sick. Just black. Book here.
First Stages Readings: Blessed / Exquisite Corpse
Saturday 9 Nov 2019
1pm [T2]
Blessed by Natalie McGrath. As women in a war zone fight to stay alive, the night sky is lit up by a relentless bombardment above, conjuring up memories and fragments of love, loss and resistance.
Exquisite Corpse by Conor O’Loughlin. Following a grim discovery at their workplace, a theme park attendant and her manager find themselves faced with an impossible choice. Book here.
A Playwrights’ Gathering: Scotland, A Place for Playwrights?
Saturday 9 Nov 2020
2pm [T2]
Join your colleagues from the Scottish Society of Playwrights, Playwrights’ Studio, Scotland and researcher Fraser White as we pore over the early results from the biennial Playwrights Survey. A great way to catch up on the latest issues affecting playwrights in Scotland. Book here.
First Stages Readings: Motherland / 44 Sex Acts in 1 Week
Saturday 9 Nov 2019
4.30pm [T2]
Motherland by Hugo Timbrell. Tracking the course of a young woman’s life, from mummy’s girl to ruthless businesswoman, and back again, Motherland presents a troubling future that asks whether we deserve to be helped anymore.
44 Sex Acts in One Week by David Finnigan. Lifestyle blogger Celina is given the job of putting new book The 44 Sex Acts You Must Try Before You Die to the test – but the only person she can convince to take part is her arch-nemesis. Over the course of a sex-laden week, will the friction between the two turn into something more? Book here.
Playwright and Director Networking Event
Saturday 9 Nov 2019
6pm [CB]
This informal networking session is an opportunity for professional playwrights and directors to make new connections and meet potential collaborators. To book, please email casting@traverse.co.uk Book here.
Imaginate Accelerator Reading: The Tumeric Trail
Saturday 9 Nov 2019
7.30pm [T2]
A new play about the power of our thoughts to create our reality through the eyes of an insect-obsessed teenager whose psychotic aunt comes to stay while she is on the brink of exams she can’t afford to fail. Followed by a Q&A. Book here.
ENDS
