Karen Dunbar

The Hot 100 2010 - Mark Millar, Kevin Bridges and Alasdair Gray take top 3 spots

Our annual chart of the people from Scotland being interesting, successful and creative

16 Dec 2010

The Hot 100 is a list of Scots who’ve made a sizeable creative splash in 2010. It includes musicians, artists, writers, actors, fashion designers, technological innovators, shop owners, festival directors, record label heads and one mad cyclist.

Fringe celebs

Star turns

31 Jul 2008

Joan Rivers, the funnywoman and enemy of Loose Women stars in her play on the ups and downs of ageing, Work in Progress by a Life in Progress. Karen Dunbar, the Chewing the Fat star gets serious in Denise Mina’s A Drunk Woman Looks at the Thistle.

StAnza 2012 international poetry festival highlights

Appearances include Jackie Kay and Joe Dunthorne

28 Feb 2012

It always helps a festival event to have some kind of theme in order to bring together many different strands and give the whole shebang a proper focus. Perhaps spoilt for choice, the organisers of StAnza (aka Scotland’s Poetry festival) have gone for…

Sleeping Beauty

King’s Theatre panto sends everyone home happy

9 Dec 2011

As much a part of the Glaswegian festive season as green and blue santa hats, the King’s Theatre panto looks like an institution defiant of change. So it is refreshing to find a new face, Arron Usher as Jimmy Jingles the Jester, going through the…

Have meat, can eat

20 Jan 2010

Just when you thought it was safe to crack open your haggis... BURNS IS BACK. Yes, no sooner has the Year of Homecoming been safely consigned to the tartan time capsule than Burns Night 2010 rolls around, with the usual mix of traditional suppers…

Five things you might not know about: Karen Dunbar

19 Jan 2010

1: Karen Dunbar’s previous jobs include being a part-time face-painter at Butlins in Ayr, a karaoke singer in a club called Bonkers, and a DJ on the Glasgow circuit. Her mum had only ever wanted her to work in the local post office. 2: She went to…

Aladdin

17 Dec 2009

It’s almost as though there are two shows in the King’s latest panto, both representing enormously popular forms of light entertainment. Front and centre are regulars Gerard Kelly (celebrating, as the programme notes, 20 years of togetherness with that…

Cinderella

11 Dec 2008

SEASONAL FAVOURITE Man-hungry Ugly Sisters making fart gags? Check. Drippingly wet Cinderella and Prince upstaged by every other member of cast? Check. Carriage pulled by Shetland ponies? Check. Gerard Kelly in capri pants? Check. Obligatory ‘haunted…

Pantomimes

27 Nov 2008

Earlier this year, I took a trip to Scarborough to check out the headquarters of the Qdos Entertainment empire. This is the organisation responsible for 21 pantomimes in the UK alone, not to mention a handful of theatres, a couple of talent agencies…

Vagina Monologues set for Edinburgh Playhouse

27 Nov 2008

A new production of Vagina Monologues will rear its much-hyped head at the Edinburgh Playhouse from 16-21 Feb next year, starring Kaye Adams, Karen Dunbar, Michelle McManus and Gail Porter.

A Drunk Woman Looks at the Thistle

10 Apr 2008

ADAPTATION Oran Mor, Glasgow, Mon 21–Sat 26 Apr Grappling with questions of Scottish identity, A Drunk Man Looks at the Thistle is acknowledged as Hugh MacDiarmid’s finest work, and an integral part of the modern Scottish Renaissance movement. Now…

Sleeping Beauty (King's Theatre, Glasgow)

13 Dec 2007

The pitch It’s time for Princess Beauty to put away childish things, say goodbye to her childhood friend Chester the Jester (aaawwww!) and get ready for some right royal action. Carrion the witch and Norval her son (or is he?) have other ideas, however…

Karen Dunbar

4 Oct 2007

1 She was a Girl Guide in Glasgow, and remains an Ambassador for the organisation. Other Scottish Ambassadors are Susan Hampshire, Charles Kennedy and David Steel. Can’t quite get my head round that one. 2 ABBA’s ‘Fernando’ is her favourite karaoke…

Gayharhar

28 Feb 2007

In this fortnight’s hamper of homo-friendly delicacies at the Glasgow Comedy Festival (Thu 8 Mar - Sat 24 Mar) sit such shrink-wrapped Scottish favourites as Craig Hill and Karen Dunbar, alongside extra-matured, expensive import Joan Rivers, and new…