Traverse Listings

Upcoming shows at Edinburgh’s New Writing Theatre

Traverse
10 Cambridge Street, EH1 2ED. Phone booking: 0131 228 1404
Website: www.traverse.co.uk.

The Traverse. Pic: Mihaela Bodlovic

All live performances at the Traverse have now been cancelled as a result of Covid-19.

The Traverse is putting all its efforts into its online space Traverse 3. Besides performance, a series of podcasts hosted by the Traverse’s co-artistic director designate, Debbie Hannon, in which she talks to “and the most exciting and innovative theatremakers, creatives and cultural figures around” is available to listen to. Click here for details.

May 2021

Socially Distant *Yet Digitally Close
Available on demand until Fri 28 May.
Running time: 35 mins.
The HND Acting and Performance students of PASS were unable to share their usual showcase with a live audience, so the students were each charged with creating a 60-second film reflecting on the pertinent theme of being socially distant yet digitally close. Together, the works – written, performed, and filmed themselves with graphics by HND Visual Communications students – gives a touching, funny and thought-provoking snapshot of student life in this most unusual year. Book here.

Class Act Showcase
Available until June 2 2021.
Four videos, total running time 1hr 20 mins.
See preview: Class Act Online. Seventeen short scripts, written by the student participants of the Class Act 2020 programme, have been used to create short films in a variety of genres. The films, arranged by the four schools involved – Boroughmuir, Broughton, Craigroyston and Royal High – are available through the Traverse YouTube channel or through the Traverse website: Book here.

I Heart Ice Cream
Available on demand.
Running time: 11mins
A woman stands on the shore, reluctantly ready to set foot in the sea under the watchful and ridiculing gaze of her partner when, as the water rises around her, things take an unexpected and unearthly turn. Razor-sharp and laced with twisted humour, I ❤️🍦 by Andrew Thompson is a searing, experimental monologue overlaid with animation, that takes a surreal deep dive into themes of abuse, misogyny and folklore that will leave you gasping for air. Book here.

When the Sun Meets The Sky
Available on demand.
Running time: Four episodes. Total: 2 hr 20 mins.
Tam Dean Burn narrates the story of Maggie’s search for a boy who reoccurs in her life across four iconic Edinburgh locations – the Meadows post-war, a Beatles gig on Lothian Road, Christmas on the Mound in the 80s and the Port O’Leith after the turn of the millennium. Robbie Gordon and Jack Nurse’s script is shaped by personal stories from the dementia community of Edinburgh and the Lothians, with a score by composers VanIves. Book here.

Traverse Young Writers’ Scratch Nights
Fri 21 and Fri 28 May 2021.
Evenings: 8pm (1hr 45mins approx).
Over the last ten weeks, 28 young writers from across Scotland have been gathering digitally to receive masterclasses from acclaimed playwrights and industry professionals, helping them to develop their voice, experiment with new writing styles and try new things in a dynamic group setting. These live, by Zoom, script-in-hand scratch performances are the culmination of their work. Book here.

Edinburgh International Children’s Festival
Tuesday 25 May – Sunday 6 June 2021.
See news preview: Imaginate goes Hybrid
This year’s Edinburgh International Children’s Festival has gone hybrid, with some work being performed live outdoors – and the remainder online with a variety of live and pre-recorded works. All the bookable events (but not tickets to the Botanics for the Family Encounters day) are available through the Traverse 3 Website here.

Family Encounters at the Botanics
Sat 29/Sun 30 and Sat 5, Sun 6.
Venue: Botanic Gardens, 10am – 4pm. EICF. Age guide: Babes – 11 years.
The Children’s Festival is taking over the Botanics for two weekends, with 10 different outdoor and immersive performances. Entry to the Botanics is free but limited with tickets only bookable online through the RBGE’s Eventbrite page. At noon on Thursday 20 May you can book your time slot for the first weekend – and for the second weekend at noon on Thursday 27. Full timetable and details of performances: Here on he Imaginate website .

Family Portrait
Fri 28 – Sun 30 May and Fri 4 – Sun 6 June.
Six perfs daily, every hour 2pm-7pm; Three additional morning perfs Sat/Sun: every hour 10am-12pm.
Venue: Assembly Roxy. EICF. Age guide: all ages.
An interactive installation, combining striking imagery and choreography, capturing Barrowland Ballet’s artistic director Natasha Gilmore and her three children in an intimate portrayal of family life. With humour and candour, the work shares an honest depiction of what family really is – responsibility, joy, balance, intimacy and, most of all, love. Book here.

A Piece of You
Fri 28 – Sun 30 May and Fri 4 – Sun 6 June.
Four perfs daily, every 45 mins 2pm-4.15pm; Four additional morning perfs Sat 29/Sun 30: every 45 mins 10.15am-12.30pm.
Live Zoom performance. 40mins duration. EICF. Age guide: 7 – 15 years.
As you chat to performance artist, cellist and composer Greg Sinclair he transforms your thoughts and feelings into your very own music score using colourful and expressive graphic notation. He then plays your music on his cello, in this unique performance all about you. Book here.

The University of Wonder & Imagination
Fri 28 – Sun 30 May and Fri 4/Sat 5 June
Fri 28, Fri 4: 2.30pm; Sat 29/Sun 29, Sat 5: Every 30 mins 1pm-3pm & 5pm.
Live Zoom performance.  1 hr duration. EICF. Age guide: 7 – 11 years.
Using the magic of Zoom, journey to the most unusual of universities for a self-navigated quest where nothing is quite as it seems. Interact with the liveliest of lecturers, choose your subjects of study, enter themed rooms and encounter all kinds of problems and puzzles, unlocking magical powers as you go. The choices you’ll make during the event will shape your unique experience. Book here.

White: The Film
Sat 29/Sun 30 May, Sat 5/Sun 6 June.
Two perfs daily: 10am, 2pm. EICF. Age guide: 4 – 6 years.
See Æ Review: ★★★★★ Perfect rainbow
White is a place where men wear bathmats as aprons and baby hats on their heads. White is a world of birdhouses, disco balls and prawn crackers. White is a place where everything is white. But one day colour arrives and everything changes. Catherine Wheels hit show for the very young has been filmed under Covid restrictions with the original case and creatives. Book here.

Potato Needs A Bath
Sast 29 May & 5 June.
Three perfs daily: 2pm, 3pm, 4pm.
Live Zoom. EICF. Age guide: 3 – 5 years.
There’s going to be a party and everyone is ready – Onion is practicing his guitar, Aubergine is wearing her new necklace and Peach is bouncing on the bed with excitement. Except Potato. Potato needs a bath – but he has other ideas – because Potato loves mud! Shona Reppe and Andy Manley’s live show as been reimagined for digital delivery with a combination of live and pre-recorded performance. Book here.

Alley Oop
Sat 29/Sun 30 May, Sat 5/Sun 6 June.
Three perfs daily: 10.30am, 1.15pm , 2.45pm.
Venue: Lyra. EICF. Age guide: 6 – 16 years.
Developed by Room 2 Manoeuvre’s Tony Mills and Hong Kong based artist Yip Chan, this unique activity will offer you the chance to learn the basics of basketball and hip hop/breakin’ and eventually discover how dance and sport can come together. The workshop is for children only but up to 2 adults per child can watch from the outside of the basketball court. Book here.

Lovey & Boy
Sat 29/Sun 30 May, Sat 5/Sun 6 June.
Every half hour, 10.30am-1pm and 2.30pm-4.30pm.
Venue: North Edinburgh Arts garden. EICF. Age guide: 6 – 12 years.
Lovey and Boy are best friends, who love to dance, and are excited for carnival time. Boy is discovering more about who she is. With the support of Lovey they embark on a journey learning more about their heritage and about carnival. A celebration of Caribbean heritage and identity asking, who are we? What is our history? And how do we move through the world? A playful story of self-discovery. Book here.

The Super Special Disability Roadshow
Available On Demand Tue 25 May – Sun 6 June
Premiere: 7pm on Tue 25 May (followed by a live post-show Q&A)
Via YouTube. EICF. Age guide: 8 – 13 years.
Roadshow hosts Rob and Sal are doing pretty well with his patter and her (cheesy) ditties, as they explain what it’s like for disabled people in today’s world… until the younger generation decides to set them straight! Created by Birds in Paradise and directed by Joe Douglas, the show draws on stories and experiences of disabled children and adults. Book here.

Removed
Available On Demand Thurs 27 May – Sun 6 June
Premiere: 7pm on Thurs 27 May (followed by a live post-show Q&A).
Via YouTube. EICF. Age guide: 11 years +
A moving and shocking insight into the experiences of Adam, a young man sharing his story of living within the state care system. Sometimes heart-breaking, sometimes hilarious, Adam’s story reaches out and grabs you, pulling you into a world that you might think you know. While Adam’s story is fictional, it is an amalgam of the many stories of young people with experience of the care system, interviewed over three years across Northern Ireland. Book here.

Mixed Up
Available On Demand Sat 5/Sun 6 June.
Running time: 10 mins.
Via YouTube. EICF. Age guide: 3 – 8 years.
Mixed Up the film is an energetic, colourful and creative expression of hip-hop dance and street art which explores the mixed-up feelings that children have been experiencing through these turbulent times. On the second weekend of family encounters Imaginate is offering families a sneak peek at the performance film to give you a flavour of the show. Book here.

Islander
Available On Demand Tue 25 May – Sun 6 June
Running time: 45 mins.
Via YouTube. EICF. Age guide: 8 – 13 years.
Myth and reality collide when the tide washes a mysterious stranger onto her beach, changing her life forever. Epic storytelling told through a contemporary Scottish folk-inspired score. Originally conceived and directed for the stage, in this audio recording for Radio 4, the two-hander cast perform a whole host of characters, while weaving, building and layering their voices using looping technology to create an expansive, ethereal soundscape for the ears and imagination. Book here.

ENDS