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Scots Language Centre Centre for the Scots Leid

A Festival of Feasts

4th August 2016

In recent years the creative output of Scots has steadily grown at the Edinburgh and other festivals as Scottish artists have continued to rediscover Scotland’s often neglected, sometimes oppressed language. More people than ever are producing material in the language, using the language, and discussing the language. This year’s Edinburgh Festival, Fringe Festival, International Book Festival and others offer a feast of Scots language comedy, drama, music and song, literary comment and politics. Among the upcoming Scots language-related events for August 2016 are the following.

Ane Servant o Twa Maisters, is a comedy set in the old wynds of 18th century Edinburgh. It will show at St Serf’s Church Halls, 1a Clark Road, Edinburgh, each night 7.30-10pm, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 17, 18, 19 and 20 August. Tickets are priced £11 (£9 concession). Please contact the Edinburgh Fringe for more details.

Ne’er the Twain, is a comedy by Alan Cochrane set in 1919 when Edinburgh and a reluctant Leith were joined together. The Saughtonhall Drama Group are the players. It will show at Saughtonhall United Reformed Church, Edinburgh 7.30-10pm on 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13 August, with two showings at 2.30 and 7.30pm on 13 August. Tickets are priced £8 (£7 concession).

Melodies of Scotland: From Folk Song to Art Song, is a night of music, song and spoken word based on arrangements of the work of Burns, Britten, MacMillan, Weir, Soutar and Macleod. Performances will be at venue 197, St Vincent’s Street, Edinburgh, at 1.15pm, on 8, 10 and 12 August. Please contact the Edinburgh Fringe Festival for ticket details.

The Descent o Orpheus tae the Underwarl, is an opera in Scots based on the work of Marc-Antoine Charpentier. Performances by the Ayrshire Opera will be on 11 and 12 August in Venue 163, Lauriston Hall, Lauriston Place, Embra, at 6.30-7.30pm. Tickets are priced £10 (£8 concession). Please visit www.ayrshireoperaexperience.co.uk .

O is for Hoolet, is the well known one-woman show by Ishbel McFarlane which explores language in general and the Scots language in particular, raising many questions in the process about political power. Performances will take place 12-25 August at 7pm in the Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43-45 High Street, Edinburgh. For tickets please contact www.tracscotland.org .

Wi the Haill Voice, is an interpretation by Tam Dean Burn and music collective Ferlie Leed of Edwin Morgan’s Scots version of Russian revolutionary poet Vladimir Mayakovsky. It will be showing on 21 August, 7.30-9pm at the Garden Theatre, Edinburgh. Tickets are priced £15 (£12 concession). This event is part of the Edinburgh International Book Festival. Please contact boxoffice@edbookfest.co.uk .

Wilson and Williamson, is an event with poet Rab Wilson, known for his translation of the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, and Shetland poet Christie Williamson who has just published his first collection called Oo and Fedders. Both will be reading from their work 3.30-4.45pm on 25 August at the Quaker Meeting House, 7 Victoria Terrace, Edinburgh. Please contact Luath Press for further details.