Kids

Activities and Fun

Mission Improbable in Bio- Bubble Thu 22- Wed 28 Jul. 10.30am. 1 1.15am. noon. 1.30pm. 2.15pm. 3pm & 3.45pm. Royal Museum. 2 Chatnbers Street. 247 4219/4422. Step inside the bio bubble and unravel the code for life that will stop the evil gums turning chewing gum into hair-making lotion. Bonkcrsl

Creative Drama Workshops Sat 24 Jul. Sat llatn & lptn. £4 (£1.50—£2). North lidinburgh Arts Centre. 15a Pennywell Court. 315 2151. Ages 3—6 &

THEATRE WEE STORIES: TREASURE ISLAND North Edinburgh Arts Centre, Fri 30 & Sat 31 Jul

7—12. Learn sortie basic acting skills in an informal setting.

Mask Making Sat 24 Jul. Sat 1 Iain & 1.30pm. £6 (£1.50 £4). North lidinburgh Arts Centre. 15a Pennywell Court. 315 2151. Ages 5+. Create a wall hanging using mask making techniques.

Drama Workshop l‘ntil l-‘ri 23 Jul. 10—11am. 1 1.30am-1pm & 2~4pm. £7.50 per day- £15 per week. North lidinburgh Arts Centre. 15a Pennywell Court. 315 2151. Ages 3 6. 7- l3 & 14—18. An introduction to drama. storytelling and physical theatre. Dance Workshop t'ntil liri 231111. 10am-4pm. North lidinburgh Arts

Robert Louis Stevenson: did he know how to write a good story or what? Treasure Island, his rip-roaring tale of mutineering, blood-spilling pirates, is still as exciting as it was in 1881. Stevenson himself said of the book: ‘If this don’t fetch the kids, why, they have gone rotten since my day.’ The kids have certainly been well and truly fetched by Wee Stories Theatre’s show which returns to Edinburgh at the end of July.

But don’t come expecting a production of epic proportions. Actors Andy Cannon and Iain Johnston play all the characters from Jim Hawkins to cook-turned-pirate Long John Silver. It’s not a case of them running about daft on stage changing costumes; a clever device allows them to reinact parts of the book verbatim while exploring the isolation felt by two men and their need to keep their heads jolly well screwed on. Cannon feels that this method helps to realign the emphasis from the swashbuckle and allows the audience to see beyond their expectations. ‘When you tell a story well, it becomes about the characters; it could be about pirates, it could be spacemen. When it’s the characters that the children care about they leave feeling that they’ve been on a journey, and with Jim there’s a child that they can identify with. It’s a classic coming of age story. They watch it and wonder how they would react in the situation’.

What is clear is that they are trying to make what might be construed as a daunting read accessible. ‘We’re a storytelling theatre, so we do take the story to the audience and engage them, they do get involved. One of the things I like about the classics is how the stories, even although they’re literature, have become part of our culture’.

So if your timbers are in need of a good old shivering, Wee Stories Theatre Company shows that while Treasure Island has more pirates, blood and guts than you could shake a sword at, the true essence of the piece is a fantastic story with characters who engage first and ‘000 arr me

hearties’ second. (Morag Bruce)

84 THE LIST 22 Jul—5 Aug 2004

Centre. 15a Pennywell Court. 315 2151. Ages 36. 7 13 & 14 18. Learn all the latest dance steps including street dance and hip hop with professional dance artists.

Bruce and Bannockburn Sun 25 Jul. 12.45pm. 1.45pm. 2.45pm & 3.45pm. Free. Museum of Scotland. Chambers Street. 247 421‘). Prepare for battle with Alba Adventurers. 1314 stylee! Meet our Scottish soldier and feel the weight of a claymore.

Music: Songwriting and Vocal Performance Mon 26 Fri 30 Jul. l0am- noon & 1 4pm. £25 (£10). North lidinburgh Arts Centre. 15a Pennywell Court. 315 2151. Ages

14 21. A songwriting and vocal performance workshop to write. rehearse and produce a song from scratch onto a CI).

Seaside Fun Tue 27—-Thu 2‘) Jul.

1 -3pm. £8. St Bride's Centre. 10 ()rwell Terrace. 346 1405. Collage. model making and painting. inspired by the deep blue sea and all those who live there. Ages 5 8.

Beat the Drums Sat 31 Jul. 1 1am 8; lptn. £4 (£1.50 £2). North lidinburgh Arts Centre. 15a Pennywell Court. 315 2151. Ages 3 6 & 7+. African stories and songs with master storyteller liwan McV'icar.

Young Artists Summer School

Mon 2 & Tue 3 Aug. 10.30am 4pm. £50.

WASPS Studios. Albion Business Centre. 78 Albion Road. 661 NM. With contemporary landscape as the theme. the first morning is spent sketching on Arthur's Seat then the rest of the workshop takes place in the studio using drawing. painting and mixed media.

8 ll ycztt‘s.

Life and Times of Mary, Queen of Scots Mon 2715ri 6 Aug. 12.45pm. 1.45pm 8; 3.45pm. l‘ree. Museum of Scotland. Chambers Street. 247 421‘). Meet Mary. Queen of Scot's confidante Mary Beaton and an apprentice Edinburgh stone mason as they tell the tale of the fated Scottish queen.

Young Artists Summer School Wed 4 & Thu 5 Aug. 10.30am 4pm. £50. \VASPS Studios. Albion lltlsittcss Centre. 78 Albion Road. 661 7964. See

above. 12 16 years.

Theatre & Dance

Treasure Island l‘ri 3t) & Sat 31 Jul. l-‘ri 2pm; Sat 11am& 3pm. £5 (£2.50~£3.50). North lidinburgh Arts Centre. 15a Petmywell Court. 315 2151. Wee Stories retelling of Robert Louis Stevenson’s swashlmckling adventure story. See preview.

Exhibition

My Family l'ntil Sun 2‘) Aug. Thu 10am 7pm; Fri Wed 10am 5pm. National Portrait (lallery. 1 Queen Street. 624 6200. One hundred winning entries in a competition run by l-‘amily

Mediation Scotland displayed as part of l’MS's 20th anniversary and coinciding with l‘amilies Day on 2‘) Aug.

Books

Janey Jones: Princess Poppy Sat 24 Jul. 1 2pm. Free. National Trust for Scotland. 28 Charlotte Square. 243 9300. Janey Jones reads from her books. l’rim‘ess Puppy 's- Party and sum-(m 's- lily/(ling. Afterwards. Janey will be rttnning a craft session making either a crown or tiara. or decorating a card for Poppy or Saffron.

Doodles and Tales Sun 25 Jul.

2 4pm. l‘ree. National (lallery of Scotland. The Mound. 624 620(). Ages 5 4‘) and families. Artists and storytellers bring paintings alive with lots of fun activities.

Film

The Story of the Weeping Camel (1'). Thu 2‘) Jul. 10.30am. The Big Scream: special screening for parents and babies. £2.50. The Cameo Cinema. 38 Home Street. 228 4141. See l-‘ilm Index.

Outside the Cities

Activities and Fun

Children’s Walk Tue 27 Jul & Tue 3 Aug. 10.30am 12.30pm. £1 (£5). Ben l.awers NNR ()ffice. Lynedoch. Main Street. Killin. ()1567 820397. A guided walk looking at the plants and animals found on Ben l.awers. Please book in advance.

Puppet Making Tue 27 Jul.

10.30am 12.30pm & 1.30 3.30pm. £15. Byre Theatre. Abbey Street. St Andrews. 01334 475000. Create colourful puppets from a range of materials.

Theatre & Dance

The BFG Thu 22 Jul Sat 14 Aug. 8pm (Wed & Sat mat 2.30pm). £9.50 £15.50 (£6 £12.50). Byre Theatre. Abbey Street. St Andrews. (11334 475000. David Wootl adapts Roald l)ahl's classic tale of a girl and her giant friend.

Goldilocks 8. the Three Bears Sat 24 Jul. lptu. £4 (£2.50). Paisley Arts Centre. New Street. Paisley. 887 1010. lan 'l'urbitt’s Puppet Theatre tell the story of naughty (ioldie with lots of songs and audience participation. Ages 3-47. Young People’s Performance Project Sat 24 Jul. 5pm. £2 (£1). Dundee Rep. Tay Square. Dundee. 01382 223530. A liter two days of workshops the project put on the play they created in that time.

Singing Kettle - Deep Sea Adventures Thu 2‘) Sat 31 Jul. 2pm (1‘ri/Sat mat l lam. also Sat 6pm). £8; family ticket £26. Perth Theatre. 185 High Street. Perth. 01738 621031. The Kettlers head off down into the depths of the ocean for some underwater singing fun.

TA DA! WASP studios host summer schools for a variety of ages. I Young Artists Summer School. WASPS Studios, Alb/on Road. Edinburgh 2—5 Aug.