www.list.co.uk/aroundtown Around Town
Curtains up and up and up We’re really looking forward to this one, folks, we won’t lie to you. Tying in with the National Library of Scotland’s utterly great exhibition Curtain Up: 40 Years of Scottish Theatre (exhibits from which are modelled
by the equally great John Byrne, above), which focuses on the legacy of John McGrath’s groundbreaking 1970s play The Cheviot, The Stag, and the Black Black Oil, they’re hosting a panel discussion looking at the issues raised by the play and its impact, featuring original cast members John Bett, Liz MacLennan and Bill Paterson. ■ Panel Event, National Library of Scotland, Edinburgh, Tue 26 Jan, 6pm. Curtain Up runs until Mon 3 May.
Row, 552 7171. Discover the wonderful specialist snowdrop collection in the Gardens on a walk with the rangers. Morning and afternoon walks are available. Meet at the East Gate.
Exhibitions ✽✽ FREE Curtain Up – 40 Years of Scottish Theatre Until Mon 3
May, 10am–5pm; Sun 2–5pm. National Library of Scotland, George IV Bridge, 623 3845. See picture, above.
Food & Drink FREE Edinburgh Farmers’ Market Sat 23 & 30 Jan, 9am–2pm. Castle Terrace, 652 5940. Local, quality, ethical produce. Burns Reloaded Sat 23 Jan, 7pm–2am. £40. Corn Exchange, 11 New Market Road, 477 3500. Promising all the fun of a traditional Burns supper but in a revised and revitalised format, Burns Reloaded returns to raise funds for Children 1st. In addition to a three-course dinner and the traditional Selkirk Grace and the Address to the Haggis, there’s a ceilidh, music from Clann an Drumma and Robbie Shepherd’s Nightmare Ceilidh Band, and compere Susan Morrison. Book ahead at www.children1st.org.uk/events/65/burnsre loaded2010 Burns Night Supper Sun 24 & Mon 25 Jan, 6pm. £19.95. Whiski, 119 High Street, 556 3095. A traditional Burns supper (with vegetarian version available) and music from Footstomping. Supper with Burns Mon 25 & Tue 26 Jan, 7pm. £17. The Tass, High Street, 556 6338. Enjoy your traditional Burns Supper with storytellers Linda Bandelier, David Campbell and Donald Smith. Supper is included in the ticket price. Booking recommended.
Talks FREE ‘Ev’n Winter Bleak has Charms to Me’ Fri 22 Jan, 12.45–1.15pm. National Gallery of Scotland: Hawthornden Lecture Theatre, The Mound, 624 6200. Dr Patricia
Andrew takes Burns’ words as a starting point to examine artistic interpretations of ice and snow from the National Galleries’ collections. Raising the Tone: The Bagpipe and the Baroque Mon 25 Jan, 6pm. £5 (£4). Royal Society of Edinburgh, 22–26 George Street, 225 7534. Professor Hugh Cheape explores our national instrument’s colourful past. Please book in advance. Stuart Lynn: The Night Sky in February Mon 25 Jan, 7.30pm. £3 (£1.50). Royal Observatory Visitor Centre, Blackford Hill, 668 8404. A guide to the night skies in February.
✽✽ FREE Panel Event: ‘The Cheviot, The Stag and the Black, Black Oil’ Tue 26 Jan, 6pm. National Library of Scotland, George IV Bridge, 623 3918. SOLD OUT. See picture, above. FREE Arts of Resistance Wed 27 Jan, 7pm. The Henderson Gallery, 4 Thistle Street Lane NW, 225 7464. Alexander Moffat and Alan Riach, authors of Arts of Resistance, published this year, explore the importance of poetry and the arts in modern Scotland through a critical review of Scotland’s cultural and political scene over the past 120 years. To book contact events@luath.co.uk or 0131 225 4326. Edinburgh Lectures: Professor Dorrik Stow Thu 28 Jan, 7pm. £3. Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh Business School, Riccarton, 473 2000. In ‘An energy-hungry world: What role for Scotland?’, Prof Dorrik Stow, looks at alternatives to rapidly dwindling fossil fuels. Annual Zoo Review Thu 28 Jan, 7.30pm. £6 (members £4). Edinburgh Zoo, Corstorphine Road, 314 0350. An illustrated talk and Q&A session about the last 12 months at the zoo. Booking essential.
✽✽ FREE Open Source Creative Community Design Meeting
Sat 30 Jan, 1.15pm. Forest Café (Upstairs hall), 3 Bristo Place, 220 4538. Three lectures – on web accessibility, video
visuals and an entrepreneurial idea – and the chance to win £250 for your creative skills. FREE Fanzine Sunday Discussion Sun 31 Jan, 2–4pm. Collective Gallery, 22–28 Cockburn Street, 220 1260. On the final Sunday of the New Works Scotland Programme, to conclude the Fanzine Sunday Workshops, there will be an informal discussion around self- publishing and emergent writing practice with invited guests to facilitate conversations from the worlds of publishing, writing and online dialogues. Andy Longmore & Duncan Forgan: Are we Alone? Debate Mon 1 Feb, 7.30pm. £3 (£1.50). Royal Observatory Visitor Centre, Blackford Hill, 668 8404. Two Royal Observatory Edinburgh scientists debate whether there is extraterrestrial life. Edinburgh Lectures: Brian Taylor Tue 2 Feb, 6.30pm. £3. Napier University, Craiglockhart Campus, 473 2000. The Political Editor of BBC Scotland discusses Scottish politics and devolution. Vets Talk Thu 4 Feb, 7.30–9pm. £6 (members £4). Edinburgh Zoo, Corstorphine Road, 334 9171. The zoo’s animal doctors talk about what they’ve been up to in the last year. Booking essential. Ages 14+. The Royal Scottish Geographical Society: Travels to Find Where My Stuff Came From Thu 4 Feb, 7.30pm. £6 (children, students & members free). Appleton Tower (Lecture Theatre 5), University Of Edinburgh, Crichton Street, 01738 455050. Fred Pearce, science writer, broadcaster and speaker, talks about his quest to discover the origins and environmental impact of various products he uses in his everyday life. Workshops Care of Orchids and House Plants Sat 23 Jan, 10am–4pm. £45 (members £40.50). Royal Botanic Garden, 20a Inverleith Row, 248 2937. Get some tips on caring for orchids and house plants in a behind-the-scenes tour of the
glasshouses. This session focuses on orchids, cacti, succulents and begonias.
✽✽ Strange Bird Zirkus Aerial Workshop Sat 23 & Sun 24 Jan,
times vary. Single class: £11.50–£15 (three classes: £31–£41). Out of the Blue Drill Hall, 30–36 Dalmeny Street, Leith, 555 7101. See Hitlist. Tickets from cylu22@hotmail.com The Art of Noise: Drawing and Mark-Making with a Musical Theme Thu 28 Jan & 4 Feb, 1.30–4.15pm. £60 (£55). National Gallery of Scotland: Clore Education Centre, The Mound, 624 6560. A five- week course exploring artworks with a musical theme, making studies of instruments and experimenting with drawing techniques. Includes a visit to the University of Edinburgh’s large collection of historical instruments. Please book in advance. Chinese Pole Weekend Workshop Sat 30 & Sun 31 Jan, Sat 10am–1pm; Sun 9.30am–12.30pm. £45. Out of the Blue Drill Hall, 30–36 Dalmeny Street, Leith, 07831 233540. Moritz Linkmann leads a three-hour course in this semi- aerial circus discipline that uses a six meter pole. Participants will need a good level of fitness. Imman Technique Middle Eastern Dance Workshop Sat 30 Jan, 2–5pm. £30. Out of the Blue Drill Hall, 30–36 Dalmeny Street, Leith, 555 7101. An advanced to professional level workshop in the art of Middle Eastern Dance (bellydance) led by Imman Mussa of the Middle Eastern Dance Academy (IMMEDA). Indian Head Massage and Meditation Course Sun 31 Jan, 10am. £tbc. Gilles Centre, Strathearn Road, Meadows, 337 1890. Learn how to practise Indian Head Massage for personal or professional use. FREE Get Crafty! Thu 4 Feb, 3–5pm. Scottish Poetry Library, 5 Crichton’s Close, Canongate, 557 2876. Find out some inventive ways to carry poetry with you wherever you go. 21 Jan–4 Feb 2010 THE LIST 33