The l.ist’s Guide to the 1996 Edinburgh Festival
he 50th Edinburgh Festival Is
now in IuII swing. You’ re in the
middle of the biggest and best arts festival on the planet, and we’re
here to help you find your way
round. The List has eleven years’ experience as Scotland’s leading events guide. We’ll help you work
out where to go, what to see and how to get tickets. This is our final Festival
issue, packed with hundreds of reviews, plus interviews. features, and full details about where and when the best shows are taking place. All you need, in fact, to make this your best Festival yet . . .
TOP TWENTY: On page 9 we give our twenty tips for the very best Festival events taking place this week. If you can only take in a few. choose them from here.
THEATRE, DANCE AND COMEDY: To help you plan your daily Festival diary. our coverage of Theatre. Dance and Comedy is divided into six time bands. from 9am until late at night. Each section covers what we think will be the most interesting shows in that time band.
FILM, MUSIC, ART AND CLUBS: Each of these is covered in a separate section. which you can find following on from the time band sections.
NIT LISTS: The first page of each section covers the most exciting events in that
section. Two or more shows may be covered In some depth but we also give some quirk hits — our at-a-glance recommendations.
STAR RATIMSS: Events that we've reI'I'eII'ed are assessed for quality and value. and given one to five stars according to how good we think they are. We preview events we were unable to see before this issue went to press. We don't attempt to assess them. but we do tell you why they're interesting. Previews are not given star ratings.
FREE TICKET OFFERS: Through our special contacts with Festival and Fringe promoters. we‘ve secured some free ticketsjust for our readers. See pages 15 and I7 for full details.
Tickets and information
The number of festivals in Edinburgh during August varies. but only three have taken place every year since I947. They are the International Festival. the Fringe and the Film Festival. Details of these festivals and other events are given below.
INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL
Edinburgh
............onau Fizs'I‘I VAI.
The original and most prestigious Edinburgh Festival. at which leading international performers of music. opera. theatre and dance are invited by director Brian McMaster to perform at the city‘s best venues. The International Festival runs until Sat 3| August.
I Box Office Tickets for all International Festival events can be bought from the Festival Box Office. 2l Market Street. Edinburgh EH1 IBW. 0|3l 225 5756. Open Mon-Sat 9am—7pm: Sun |0am—5pm.
The following venues also sell tickets for allinternational Festival events:
King’s Theatre Leven Street. 0| 3| 220 4349;
Oueen’s Hall South Clerk Street. 0l3| 668 2019;
Ticketline Assembly Rooms. 54 George Street. 0|3I 226 2428;
Usher IIaII Lothian Road. 0l3l 228 ll55. Any tickets unsold on the day of the performance are available on the door one hour before curtain up.
Ralf price tickets for some performances are sold - subject to availability— I— —5pm on the day of performance. at the Festival Box Office. 2| Market Street. 0l3| 225 5756. There is a maximum allocation of two seats per customer.
I Bank of Scotland Fireworks Concert Thurs 29 Aug. |0.30pm. An absolute must. this annual open-air concert at the Ross Bandstand in Princes Street Gardens is the high spot of the Festival's final week. This year. the Scottish Chamber Orchestra performs Handel and Brahms. while spectacular fireworks fill the sky and cascade down the Castle walls. Tickets giving admission to Princes Street Gardens are now sold out. so join the thousands on and around Princes Street for the best views.
EDINBURGM tESiIut
”'25.!
The Fringe has an open-door policy and an anything-goes tradition which has allowed it to grow to enormous proportions. From early morning until late at night. somebody somewhere is ready and willing to entertain you. Whether the venue is a theatre. a church hall or a street corner. every art-form known to man will be on offer at almost 200 venues around the city. Theatre. dance. comedy. music. visual art and a few other genres defying categorisation are all on offer. The Fringe runs until Sat 3| August. To make the most of your time. pick up the indispensable Daily Diary. a huge sheet giving full details of each day‘s events. available free from the Fringe Office and other outlets around town.
I Box ottice Tickets for all shows in the Fringe are available from the Fringe Office. I80 High Street. Edinburgh. ()l3l 226 5 I38. Open for bookings in person l0am—7pm; or by phone 9am—9pm. Tickets tor Fringe events are also available in person from:
Scottish Gas Mobile lntonnation Centre Princes Street Gardens. by The Mound. Open daily l0am—5.30pm.
Fringe Club Teviot Row. Bristo Square. Open daily I0am—7pm.
Gyle Centre South Gyle. Open daily I0am—6pm.
Waterstone’s Booksellers 83 George Street. Open Mon—Sat I0am—7pm: Sun
I lam—7pm.
I Fringe Venues The Fringe as a whole is not selectiver, programmed. but several venues control and programme two or more performance spaces. and publish their own brochures (Assembly. the Gilded Balloon and the Pleasance share a single brochure) and also operate box offices for advance bookings for their own shows:
Arts International Exchange/Edinburgh Venue Associates Moray House Theatre Complex. 0l3l 556 0l02. Open daily l0am—midnight.
Assembly Assembly Rooms. 54 George Street. 0| 3| 226 2428. Open daily
I lam—midnight.
Fringe Club Teviot Row. Bristo Square. 0l3l 650 4673. Open daily 7pm—late. Gilded Balloon 233—235 Cowgale. 0|3I 226 215l. Open daily l0am—4am.
Gilded Balloon II People‘s Palace. 4 Old Fishmarket Close. 0|3l 226 2l5 I. Open daily IlaIII—IIIidnight.
Gilded Balloon III Counting House. 32 West Nicolson Street. ()I3l 226 2 l5l. Open daily lIam—Iam.
Pleasance 60 The Pleasance. 0| 31 556 6550. Open daily 9.30am—midnight. Pleasance Over The iioad Roxburgh Place. 0l3| 556 6550. Open daily 9.30am— l 0pm.
uncen's Itall Clerk Street. 0|3I 668 20I9. Open daily l0aIII—l0pm.
Scottish International Famous Grouse House. 5 Chambers Street. 0I3l 220 5606. Open daily 9.30am—midnight. Theatre Workshop 34 Hamilton Place. 0I3I 226 5425. Open Mon-Sat l0am—l0pm; Sun l0am—9pm.
Traverse Theatre Cambridge Street. 0 I 3| 228 I404. Open Mon I0am—8pm: Tue-Sun l0am—midnight.
A|l venues also sell tickets for their own shows shortly before performances begin. I Map The map on pages 82—83 shows the location ofaIl Fringe venues. with a key on page 84.
I The Fringe Club operates as a venue during the day but from l().3()pm it becomes a kind of epicentre for the world’s largest arts festival. with live music. club nights. comedy. cabaret. cheap food and — of course —— four bars. which stay open until 3am. Membership costs £5 per day. or £20 for the season (£6 for performers). available from the Fringe Office or the Fringe Club.
FILM FESTIVAL
0mm;
EDINBURGH
FILM FESTIVAL
Drambuie Edinburgh Film Festival is also notching up its 50th programme this year. offering a wide range ofcinematic events from a I947 retrospective to world premieres of new films. from shorts to full-length features. from complete unknowns to superstars. The Film Festival runs until Sun 25 August. and offers movies. filmmakers‘ forums and star appearances. Films are screened at the Filmhouse. the Cameo. the Dominion. the ABC. the Odeon. the UCI and the
Glasgow Film Theatre.
I Box Office Tickets for all films can be bought in person at the Filmhouse. 88 Lothian Road. InforIIIation: 0l3l 229 2550. The box office is open daily 9am—9pm . Telephone bookings can be made on 0l3l 467 8855. 9am—8pm. Tickets for screenings at other Film Festival venues can also be bought on the door on the day of the screening.
MILITARY TATTOO
This outdoor military spectacular takes place at Edinburgh Castle. with plenty of ceremonial pageantry. massed pipes and drums and display teams from around the world. Scotland‘s national poet Robert Burns is the loose theme of this year's show: highlights include the South African Police Service Zulu Warriors. the US Army band Pershing's Own and a crack artillery display from the US Army silent drill display team. The final performances of this year's Tattoo are on Fri 23 at 9pm and Sat 24 at 7.45pm and 10.30pm.
I Box Office Tickets are available by post. in person or by phone from the Military Tattoo Booking Office. 32—34 Market Street. Edinburgh EHI IQB. 0|3I 225 H88. Open Mon—Fri 10am—9pm; Sat l0am— 10.30pm.
TELEPHONE BOOKINGS
I International Festival 0131 225 5756
I Fringe 0I3l 226 5138
Arts International Exchange/Edinburgh Venue Associates: 0|3I 556 0I02
Assembly: 0I3l 226 2428
Fringe Club: ()l3l 650 4673
Gilded Balloon: 0l3l 226 215!
Pleasance: 0|3l 556 6550
Queen's Hall: ()I3I 668 20I9
Scottish International: ()I3I 220 5606
Theatre Workshop: 0| 3| 226 5425
Traverse Theatre: 0I3| 228 I404
I Film Festival 013! 467 8855
I Military Tattoo 0131 225 I I88
I International Festival http://www.ed.ac.uk/~eif
I Fringe http://www.presence.co.uk/fringe/
I Film Festival http://www.edfiImfest.org.uk
I Visiting Arts Guide to the Festival http://www.britcoun.org/visitingarts/ edinburghfestival/
OTHER USEFUL NUMBERS
I Tourist lntonnatioe 013I 557 I700 I Accommodation onice OI3I 557 9655 I National Rail Enquiries 0345 484 950
The List 23 Aug-5 Sept I996 5