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GRAPEVINE
Venue's absence IS 'bIzarre' says Fringe boss
Once u on a time, THEATRE
WORK HOP was anoaward-winning Fringe venue. Now it won't even open Its doors. Words: Mark Fisher
What’s going on at Theatre Workshop? Lots of fuss has been made about the loss to the Fringe of
the Speigeltent. Cafe Graffiti and the Palladium.
but at least all those venues have gone because of
ordinary commercial pressures. Theatre Workshop. by contrast. is out of action this year for reasons that seem entirely whimsical.
There is an official story. of course. liarlier in the year. the Stockbridge theatre was still planning to run a Fringe programme. At the end of March. TIM (is! reported the venues intention to run a [hf/enders Of Human Rights festival. a programme that would be sponsored by Amnesty International and that would provide ‘more substance and less surface' than your average Fringe showcase. It would be an antidote to ‘Irashy comedy and commercial sponsorship'.
So far. so well intentioned. but it proved too late in the day to start searching for companies that could fulfil such a specific human rights brief. When the theatre later announced it would not open its doors to the Fringe. it gave two reasons. One was that it hadn‘t found the right companies. the other was there was to be no British Council-funded season. something that had previously helped balance the books.
But let's get this in perspective. There is no city anywhere in the world where performance spaces are at a higher premium than lidinburgh in August. This year you can see performances in Duddingston Kirk Manse Garden. on two levels of a double—decker bus. in a playground and. in the case of Signal To Noise‘s production of The 'I'wnpi'sr. anywhere you want. This isn't only because of creative vision. It's pragmatism.
'D.A.R.E. on vilhainen, raaka ya yhta lohduttava kuin teraksinen villatakki,’ said The List (a parently). Good news or the Finns, but what about Edinburgh?
Affordable spaces are hard to come by. Spaces that come complete with publicly funded lights. sound equipment. seating. box-office. not to mention full disabled access and a regular audience. are in single figures. lf Theatre Workshop didn't want to make a go of it. it's inconceivable that someone else wouldn‘t have.
‘We‘re very disappointed] says Paul Gudgin. director of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. ‘And also for it to have happened so late in the day. To close a purpose-built theatre is almost bizarre. We know one or two people who were looking for additional spaces to run and they said. “Theatre Workshop: what we could have done with that!" The other thing is that it‘s reasonably well funded by the local authority. It’s a shame.‘
It‘s hard not to take the view that artistic director Robert Rae has lost inter'est in Theatre Workshop being a receiving venue at all. The number of visiting companies throughout the year has certainly diminished of late. He is currently focusing his energy — and with good reason — on the establishment of a permanent integrated ensemble of disabled and able-bodied actors. But is it more than coincidence that in the very month that his building is closed. his company is in Finland performing I).A.R.I:'. at the Tampere International Theatre Festival?
Juicy bits Choice Festival fruit
WE'RE NOT ONES to complain, but this year's haul of back-handers from Fringe companies has been dismal. No, worse than that. Pathetic. Do you wanna know what we've got? You don't, you really don't. Look, we slave away, dutifully copying down everything these showbiz types tell us, hOping that once we're done, the big boss might let us out for an hour or two of an evening, we don’t ask for much, maybe a free drink of milk, a c0uple of cakes, change for the
bus. . . So how much do they think our Journalistic integrity is worth? Pants, that’s how much. A pair of Superman red knickers is all we've earned for our trouble in bringing you this magaZine (courtesy of American Eag/e 2000 at the Gilded Ball00n, obViously a fantastic show, obViously the on/y fantastic show).
SO CLEARLY IF bribes are passe, we're going to have to redraw the rules (we’ve just received a penguin from Cryptic Triptych but it's too little too late). It's blackmail or nothing. This is the deal. Either we get something very nice in the post — and very soon - or we reveal the true identity of the following people: 1) The company doing a play inspired by The Smiths that can't spell Morrissey's name.
2) The performer who thought being ’like Rolf Harris on speed' was a selling point.
3) The press officer who asked us if Edinburgh was in the same time zone as London.
nightlife, although most City centre clubs have a gay-friendly atmosphere. The Blue Moon Cafe (1 Barony Street) is a trendy, relaxed cafe-bar With a straight-friendly atmosphere. As a hub of gay actiVity, it's an excellent place to find out What's gomg on around town. Out Of The Blue downstairs sells gay merchandise and tickets. The city's only dedicated gay nightclub, CC. Blooms (23—24 Greenside Place) is open seven days a week With a
Out and about
The gay-friendly guide to
painting the town pink . . . If you've jUSl arrived from England, welcome. Scotland, you Will find, is a CiVilised c0untry. A country that, for example, repealed Clause 28. Perhaps yOurs didn't. Never mind. Now that yOu're here yOu'll want to hang out in all the right places, so here are some tips.
The Broughton Street/Picardy Place area is the
main ru Stairs focus of baardpa the City's , S'ma“ gay it" but .f' y i i
always packed club downstairs. Over the road, there’s Queer Sunday at E90 (14 Picardy Place) With offshoots on Thursdays and Fridays as well. Lesbians should head down to DiVine Divas at The Venue (17—21 Calton Road) on Friday 4 August for a women-only club night With a kitsch music policy and, back on Broughton Street, Dolls is a women- only cafe With a Similar atmosphere to the Blue Moon Cafe above. Elsewhere, there's the New Town Bar (26b Dublin Street) a crUisy JOint, popular With a professional male crowd; Planet Out, (6 Baxter's Place, Leith Walk) a brightly-coloured bar, which attracts a crowd intent on partying; and The Stag And Turret (l Montrose Terrace) which attracts a slightly older crowd. (Abi Bremner)
Jackie Clune plays to a cross-over crowd in Love Songs Uncovered at the Pleasance
The casual look is all the rage in North Ossetia.
ACTUALLY, WE DO always say yes to a free trip abroad, which is Why it’s SUCh a shame we can‘t tell you much about Heaven ’5 Mirror at the Playhouse (Thursday 3—Monday 7 August). Two intrepid contributors to The List had their passports at the ready to track down Arvaiden Theatre Company in North Ossetia, but offiCialdom stepped in their way. ’Don't go,’ said the foreign office ’That corner of the old Sowet empire is a grade two war zone.’