🪩 Edinburgh Culture Minute: 28 May - 3 June 2025
Bellany at City Art Centre, 'hot instrumental orgy' at Balkanarama 18th bash, The High Life cast reuniting + Filmhouse scaff is finally aff
Welcome to 90th weekly the Culture Minute: a round-up of Edinburgh’s local creative news, events, jobs and opportunities.
If I’ve missed anything please get in touch.
👀 The most-viewed links from last week’s Edinburgh Culture Minute:
- 📚 Book Festival announces first names (on sale now).
- 🎷 Leith Jazz & Blues Festival line-up announced.
- 🎭 Comedian Zara Gladman's financial guide to the Fringe.
News:
🖼️ Opening on Saturday at the City Art Centre: John Bellany: A Life in Self-Portraiture. The exhibition brings together over 80 drawings, paintings, prints, and sketchbooks - many never seen publicly before - of ‘one of the most significant Scottish painters of the modern era’. - More details here.
🎨 The Edinburgh Art Festival programme is due to released tomorrow. Expect three weeks (7-24 Aug) of exhibitions, creative installations and artist-driven live events. - You’ll find the programme on the event’s website, newsletter and Instagram tomorrow.
🎭 Organisers of the ‘Shedinburgh’ series of Fringe events have announced the location of their 100-seat pop-up venue: Edinburgh College of Art. - More background from Jane Bradley in The Scotsman and the press release is in Theatre Weekly.
🎬 And… action! The scaffolding is finally off the Filmhouse building on Lothian Road. It came down this afternoon. - The team behind the ‘refurbishment, renovation and improvement’ project are sharing updates here ahead of its re-opening.
🎭 "U Fur Coffee?” - Cult 1990s BBC Scotland sitcom The High Life is to get the full musical treatment in Spring 2026, touring to the Festival Theatre, with the four original cast members Siobhan Redmond, Forbes Masson, Alan Cumming and Patrick Ryecart reprising their roles. The new musical, with pantomime writer Johnny McKnight and Dundee rep director Andrew Panton joining the team, is the first announced show of the National Theatre of Scotland's 20th anniversary season. - Thom Dibdin has full details on All Edinburgh Theatre.
🎬 The Edinburgh International University Film Festival is on this weekend at venues across town. Among the student film festival awards’ judges is Paul Ridd (not Paul Rudd, as I erroneously wrote in the newsletter, sorry folks), who leads the Edinburgh International Film Festival. Other events include a steadicam masterclass and the winning films screening at the Scottish Storytelling Centre. - More details here.
🎤 This week at The Queen’s Hall: An impressive line-up raising money for the Medical Aid for Palestinians charity on Friday. Performing are: LAU - Fergus McCreadie - Cahalen Morrison - Karine Polwart/Dave Milligan - Lizabett Russo/Graeme Stephen. - Tickets here.
🎸 At La Belle Angele this weekend: Brat Rave on Friday night from 11pm and BALKANARAMA’s 18th Birthday Bash on Saturday from 10.30pm.
📆 For more local creative events, check out Naomi Head’s Good Egg Project newsletter. This week: Shore Poets at The Waverley Bar, a Porty Pride preview + much more.
🎭 What's on Edinburgh's stages this week?
With thanks - as always - to All Edinburgh Theatre’s Thom Dibdin for sharing this:
The big event is the final few days of the Edinburgh International Children's Festival which runs through to Sunday (Full Æ listing here).
Top tip of the festival is Greg Sinclair's Tongue Twister (ends Sat: tickets) at the new North Edinburgh Arts building, in which Sinclair attempts tongue twisters in many different languages. And dances. And makes music. And changes costume for each one without leaving the stage. Brilliant!
But to be honest, the festival is curated from the best of children's theatre from around the world, so every show is likely to be top quality. Although I'm particularly looking forward to Double You at Portobello Town Hall (Fri-Sun: tickets), a circus performance based on FOMO: the Fear of Missing Out.
For the rest, there are two hotly anticipated local amateur productions. EPT have Laura Wade's 2018 adaptation of Jane Austen’s unfinished novel The Watsons at the Church Hill Theatre (ends Sat: tickets), in which Emma Watson returns to the impoverished family home after years of living with her rich aunt.
The St Serf's Players take off into orbit at the Inverleith St Serf's Church Centre, with another David McGillivray and Walter Zerlin Jr. am-dram spoof: They Came From Mars And Landed Outside The Farndale Avenue Church Hall In Time For The Townswomen's Guild's Coffee Morning (Thurs-Sat: tickets).
Scottish Opera is at the Festival Theatre this and next week with two co-productions with D’Oyly Carte. Lehár’s The Merry Widow (Thurs, Sat, Sun: tickets) and a double bill of G&S's Trial by Jury with the world premiere of Emma Jenkins & Toby Hession's A Matter of Misconduct! (Fri: tickets).
The new production of The Mountain opens for previews on Saturday (Thurs 4 - Sat 21 June: tickets), set in Martin Luther King Jrs hotel room on his last night on earth.
And finally Moulin Rouge! The Musical continues at the Playhouse (ends Sat 14 June: tickets). Best availability is early in the week and a few bargain seats remain for the last night, which should be fun.
Æ's various listings pages, all linked here have more details.
📌 Edinburgh Culture Minute Community Noticeboard
📌 “Staged for Life is back for Edinburgh Fringe 2025, offering free, accredited courses for Edinburgh based 18- to 25-year-olds to learn skills in operating sound and lighting equipment for live events. The project culminates in supported work placements at participating Fringe venues, offering participants a unique opportunity to gain practical experience. To apply to participate, send a cv and cover letter to john@everystage.uk before the closing date of 27 June.” - Thanks to the team at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society for sharing this.
📌 “A fundraiser night of DJs and drag for Porty Queer Football Community and Jokes FC- all welcome! 100% of funds raised will go to our amazing performers, PQFC and Jokes FC, aiming to to reduce the barriers to inclusive football, the funds raised will help with equipment, pitch costs, and mutual aid. At Leith Arches this Friday, doors at 8pm!” - Thanks to Chloe Brain, Porty Queer Football Community, for sharing this.
📌 “Stockbridge and New Town Community Orchestra play the world premiere of 'Skating with Mr Gow' at their Spring concert at 3 pm on Saturday 31st May at Edinburgh Academy main hall, Stockbridge. Family friendly - children of all ages welcome (and free). Tickets on the door £6.” - Thanks to a kind reader for sharing this.
📌 “BRYONY KNOX- SILVERSMITH- Exhibition Celebrating 25 years. Coburg House Gallery. This exhibition gives an insight into the stories and wonders of nature that have inspired local Leith artist Bryony over the last 25 years, with sketches and maquettes explaining her design and making process- and demonstrations, artist talks and metal workshops. The show is grouped in 5 eras, with 25 objects, showing how her work has evolved from steel mice and ‘ Clarissa the Can - Can Queen’ kinetic brooches to the elegant silver and glass bird sculptures she is known for today. Exhibition: 7-8 & 14-15 & 21-22 June 11-4pm. Talk: Sunday 8th June 2pm. Workshop tours and demos 12pm on weekend days. Coburg House art Studios & Gallery. 15 Coburg Steet, Leith. Edinburgh EH6 6ET” - Thanks to Bryony Knox, Silversmith & Metalwork teacher at Coburg House, for sharing this.
📌 “Edinburgh International Festival has launched their Access Guide. The access guide contains full details about accessible performances and venue accessibility.” - Thanks to Sharon for sharing this.
📌 “Come see the films of the 48 Hour Film Project! 60 teams made films last weekend as part of the 48 Hour Film Project, Scotland's biggest filmmaking competition. They turned up for a David Lynch themed Kickoff on the Friday where they were given these elements to include: Sandy Rose (waiter), a key, and "It's not what you think." Come see the films at the Cameo next week! Tickets £5.” - Thanks to Sam for sharing this.
🗣️ WHY PAY? Here’s some feedback from a reader: “My wife starts her dream job next week thanks to an ad I saw in the Edinburgh Culture Minute. So so so glad we pay to subscribe! (Not just coz of the job, also just because it’s great) Just wanted to say thank you!” - Thanks to ‘A happy spouse!’ for sharing this.