Fringe: A production of two halves – and it’s superb

BalletBoyz is an outstanding production. The production is presented in two halves, Them and Us, both choreographed and executed perfectly to the accompanying music score by Charlotte Harding and Keaton Henson respectively. ‘Them’ explores individuality of movement, ‘Us’ explores human connections. The all-male dance troupe are metronomic in their precision, graceful in their movement, expressive…

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A look at what goes into making fine furniture

In this large but stunningly illustrated and compelling autobiographical tome, artist Rupert Williamson dissects the organic process which came to define his work as a fine furniture maker. The mildly dyslexic designer embraced futurism in the early 1970s with gawdy, bulbous, curved structures, desperate to topple the establishment – which for a designer at that…

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A love affair with wild life and the barn owl

Jim Crumley is one of the country’s premier wildlife writers and this small but perfectly formed book shows why. The writer looks back on his ethereal encounters with the barn owl and its aptly heart-shaped face, which he has always cherished as part of his life-long affiliation with nature. Even living in Dundee as a…

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The secrets of Leith revealed in new publication

Leith, often overlooked today, has had an exciting and prominent part to play in Scottish history. Secret Leith gives a visual walkthrough of the burgh, describing in intricate detail the history behind the then major port and industrial area, providing the reader with an insight into the civil wars and production past. Gillon uses early…

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The Trojans brought to the stage by war survivors

Real-life innocent survivors of a conflict are to tell the story of The Trojans at this year’s Fringe. Hiba is standing in the garden of the council house she shares with her family in Milton of Campsie, near Glasgow. It’s a long way from Syria, the country they fled after Hiba’s school was shelled by…

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The Shark is Broken tells the untold story of Jaws

The world premier of a play based on the diaries of film star Robert Shaw about the making of Jaws is to take palce at the Fringe. The late movie star’s son Ian and Joseph Nixon have written The Shark Is Broken, a hilarious snapshot in a behind the scene look at Steven Spielberg’s career…

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The dedication of Henrietta Tayler to help in the war

Henrietta Tayler was a truly remarkable woman in the First World War effort. Born into the Scottish gentry, she might have lived a life of ease, but instead chose to dedicate herself to assisting the soldiers on the front line. She also published more than 30 full-length works and articles in order to help and…

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A carefully curated collection of summer writing

Carefully selected by Melissa Harrison, this anthology has been put together to capture the spirit of summer. The physical wonders are captured through the writings of well-known authors such as Charles Dickens, George Elliott and Edward Step, to name a few, and together they form a collection which reconnects the reader with the natural world.…

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Examining the works of artist Pat Douthwaite

The expressive work of artist Patricia Douthwaite (1934-2002) is tricky to define and has changed over the years. Her work initially represented her naivety with themes of culture and intelligence. In the later years of her art career there is a significant difference in Douthwaite’s themes and intentions. Her art was not made for the…

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The Scots who made an impact in Argentina

Caithness to Patagonia tells the unknown story of emigration from Scotland to Patagonia. These two locations are literally a world apart, however in the late 19th and early 20th centuries a group of Scottish men and women from Caithness took on the challenge of developing this wild, open area of land. The story begins with…

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