🪩 Edinburgh Culture Minute: 27 Sept - 4 Oct 2023
Innovation showcase, Leith Comedy Festival, Shore Poets, Charlotte Church + a busy weekend at Summerhall
Welcome to the 13th edition of the Culture Minute, a weekly round-up of Edinburgh’s local creative news, events, jobs and opportunities.
🗣 This week some of Scotland’s brightest minds in the creative sectors will gather for the Creative Informatics Innovation Showcase. Running on Thursday and Friday, the event is at Central Hall in Tollcross and streaming online. A series of discussions, workshops, performances and an exhibition look at how data-driven innovation is changing the world. Thursday’s events are on the themes of ‘Investment, Innovation, Impact’, closing with a performance from singer and producer Chagall. Friday’s theme is ‘Powering Creative Connections’ and ends with an appearance from Imogen Heap. - The full line-ups for each day, as well as free ticket links, are on Eventbrite.
🎭 Leith Comedy Festival is just a couple of weeks away. Director Rosaline Romer talks to The Skinny’s Sofia Reyes Valencia about showcasing local talent, using a range of local venues and the things that make Leith’s own culture distinct:
“Everyone thinks their own place is funniest, but I think it's true about Leith.” - Rosaline Romer
🎄 Charlotte Church has been announced as the special guest at this year’s Cold Turkey event. The collective is hosting its sixth annual shindig at Summerhall. “Cold Turkey is a scrumptious festive buffet of music, spoken word and arty weirdness, featuring Hollie McNish, Michael Pedersen, and Withered Hand. This is the mouth-watering sixth serving, and 2023’s special guest is the Welsh wonder, Charlotte Church. We’ll also be joined by co-host and opener Gemma Cairney.” - They’re serving up tickets now on the Summerhall site here.
📚 Shore Poets returns on Thursday in the upstairs space of the Waverley Bar from 7.30pm. There will be performances from Michael Pedersen, Taylor Strickland, an open mic section, a raffle and music from house band Dekoy. - Details and tickets on the Shore Poets website, where you can also sign up to their newsletter.
✍️ Also on Thursday, Noir at the Bar Edinburgh returns for an evening of live readings. - Details via the event on Twitter.
📚 Liz Lochhead has an event at Greenside Church next week celebrating the release of A Handsel: New and Collected Poems. - Topping Books.
💗 Fruitmarket Gallery’s next Wellbeing Wednesday Workshop is next week on 4 October. It’s part of the Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival. “Join our Postcard Revolution – come and take part in a free creative workshop – aimed at adults with experience of mental health issues from diverse communities across Edinburgh – to explore the theme of ‘revolution’ and ‘art as activism’. Delivered in the Fruitmarket Studio, this workshop will use art as a tool to support the mental health and wellbeing of participants, offering an opportunity to learn new creative skills, help build confidence and self-esteem, make new friends and share life experiences. The workshop will involve creating collage postcards which will explore the theme of revolution. A free lunch will be provided, please do let us know your dietary requirements in advance.” - Get involved by registering for free on Eventbrite.
⮑ The Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival also includes an exhibition by the Talk Portraits project at the Scottish Storytelling Centre.
🖌 Artist Peter Howson will be at the City Art Centre on Friday for a Q&A and documentary screening to mark the closing of his exhibition. - Tickets via Edinburgh Museums.
🎸 It’s a busy week and weekend of events at Summerhall in the coming week:
🎭 Thanks to Thom Dibdin of All Edinburgh Theatre for getting in touch with some updates around the local stages:
- 📆 This week’s local theatre listings.
- 🤹 Portobello Panto has an open-call casting event for paid positions in Cinderella.
- 🎶 The annual Showcase production at the Church Hill Theatre, featuring 45 local amateur performers (and band). All profits go to Macmillan Cancer Support - over the years the company has raised over £330,000 for the charity. Here’s a preview.
🌊 You might have seen stickers around town saying ‘Refill The Nor Loch’. Mystery solved: it’s promoting an event by writer Ross McCleary. Ross got in touch to say: “Farewell Tour / Refill The Nor Loch; a pair of surreal, hilarious spoken word shows asking the big questions of our time: what else can you do when your empire collapses but take a tour of the ruins? and: why not funnel billions of tons of water back into Princes Street Gardens for no discernable gain? Anatomy Lecture Theatre in Summerhall, 6 October at 7pm.”
🎹 Edinburgh-based three-piece synthpop outfit Thundermoon's debut EP We're Still Here is out now. The band speak to Tallah Brash in The Skinny about their influences, having Arthur’s Seat on the cover and upcoming gigs at the St James Quarter, Sneaky Pete’s, the Wee Red Bar and Leith Depot.
🪩 Sneaky Pete’s club in the Cowgate has announced the line-up for its 15th birthday event. - Tickets and timings are here. It will sell out!