Previews

LYAMC & Showcase
Hits show leads Autumn amateur season:
The post-fringe Autumn season of amateur company treats kicks off this week with the traditional openers of LYAMC at the Church Hill Theatre, closely followed by Showcase 2019 a fortnight later.

Nights of Charity
Fosse goes forth:
Edinburgh Music Theatre is in a big spending mood this week, as it takes to the Church Hill Theatre stage with Sweet Charity, the musical made famous by choreographer and director Bob Fosse.

EUSC take on the Shrew
New look at Shakespeare’s troubling work:
Edinburgh University Shakespeare Company is this week taking on Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew – a tricky choice given the misogyny which underpins its comedy, but one which the company is tackling head on.

What’s This!
What Now? It’s a Strange Town spectacular:
Edinburgh youth company Strange Town return to the Traverse this week for two nights of a double bill – a pair of plays created for and with the performers in the company by playwright Alan Gordon.

Edinburgh’s Grand bohème
EGO bring La bohème to Church Hill:
This week Edinburgh Grand Opera is bringing Puccini’s La bohème to the Church Hill Theatre for just three dates. Æ talked to director Kally Lloyd-Jones.

Stage experience 2015
Sondheim’s Into the Woods opens Friday:
This week the 130 young participants in the Playhouse’s summer Stage Experience take off Into the Woods with a new production of Stephen Sondheim’s popular musical.

Feel the Pulse
Premiere of Pulse at NEA:
Guest post by Jackie Kemp
Mairi Campbell’s new show Pulse opens Friday 12 June 2015 at North Edinburgh Arts, telling the story of her musical coming of age – beginning with an indictment of a classical music education which she felt stifled her creativity.

Opening Sister Act
Bohemians get into the habit:
The Bohemians are taking over the King’s theatre this week, with their production of Sister Act, the musical based on the Whoopi Goldberg movie.

Nurturing talent
Traverse Hothouse response to explosion of local productions:
This August, almost 90 Edinburgh-based productions appeared at the fringe – more than ever before. While the amateur, professional and youth companies were present as usual, it was in Edinburgh’s unfunded, shoestring companies that the real growth was obvious.

Referendum week theatre
Drama on stage as Scotland decides
The Traverse leads the way with referendum-orientated theatre in the final week before polling on Thursday, although there is a celebration of the Scottish written word from the NTS and a spot of post-referendum experimentation down at the Village Pub on Friday.