Anna Millar

Picture this

18 Sep 2008

Creatives of all ages are being encouraged to pick up their pens and pencils as the Big Draw returns for another year. Everyone from children to adults will be able to take full advantage of a programme that will see hundreds of venues announce hands-on…

Doing it in style

Scottish Style Awards announced, with ceremony to take place in October

4 Sep 2008

Glasgow's cultural calendar enjoyed an injection of glamour this week, following news that the Scottish Style Awards are back with suitable sass. Organiser's said last night that the awards ceremony, to be held at the end of next month, will be…

Great expectations

Programme announced at Wigtown Book Festival

4 Sep 2008

Book lovers have little reason to be disappointed following the launch of this year's sizeable Wigtown Book Festival programme. Taking place over ten days, the event will boast over 130 talks, debates, theatre, film and activities, organiser's revealed…

Month of Sundays - September shopping initiative

21 Aug 2008

Edinburgh retailers are luring shoppers with a programme of themed days. Retail therapy is being given a facelift in September as the capital launches a brand new shopping initiative entitled Month of Sundays. Many of Edinburgh's most popular…

Getting stuck in

14 Aug 2008

Get your tastebuds ready for the launch of Gourmet Glasgow, which offers a rich platter of culinary delights in conjunction with Scotland with Style. The event will celebrate the city's fine foods and restaurants, with over 50 eateries offering special…

I am Robert Mugabe

11 Aug 2008

Al Carretta is so fascinated by Robert Mugabe he’s writen two shows about the Zimbabwean despot, as Anna Millar discovers. The late, great George Bernard Shaw wrote: ‘We learn from history that we learn nothing from history.’ Never was a truer word…

Capital venture

7 Aug 2008

Travis set to open new live music venue in the capital while Tennent’s Mutual gathers pace Words: Anna Millar The Scottish music scene is in rude health this month with The Tennent’s Mutual introducing Conversations, a series of exclusive films and…

Polish theatre

Poles apart

31 Jul 2008

Sitting in a picturesque café in the heart of Warsaw – Poland’s capital and largest city – it’s easy to forget the turbulent history that has shaped this country’s place in the world today. The city has long had a reputation as a vibrant playground…

New Musical Express

31 Jul 2008

Glasgow and Edinburgh venues host new night to help support and develop new emerging music talent. Òran Mór in Glasgow and the Caves in Edinburgh will play host to a new initiative set up by Miller Genuine Draft, The Mill, holding weekly sessions…

Event horizon - Edinburgh Mela

22 Jul 2008

While Charlotte Square Gardens, The Hub and Pleasance may think they are at the heart of the August experience, there are other cultural bonanzas going on around them. Anna Millar takes a look at some of the other Festival action Often unfairly…

Hard times - Gladder to be Gay?

Festival of Politics

22 Jul 2008

Simon Callow is heading our way with both Stonewall and Dickens on his mind. Anna Millar chats to one of theatre’s hardest working men about his love of acting and support for gay rights Mere minutes out of London rehearsals for The Magic Flute and…

A show of force - Edinburgh Military Tattoo

22 Jul 2008

A festival spectacle global in design is this year’s The Edinburgh Military Tattoo, which prepares once again to set its stall on the esplanade under the impressive backdrop of Edinburgh Castle, as it showcases the best military musicians from around…

Spirit of the age

Edinburgh Festival of Spirituality and Peace

22 Jul 2008

Another festival growing in popularity, from humble beginnings is the Festival of Spirituality & Peace. Launched just three years ago, through the Edinburgh Inter-Faith Association, the Edinburgh International Centre for World Spiritualities and…

Messiaen 100

Edinburgh International Festival

22 Jul 2008

Celebrating a centenary with intimate recitals and orchestral drama. As a composer he was the epitome of innovation; as a musician he could move a room to silent awe. That the EIF is choosing to celebrate the centenary of Olivier Messiaen as part of its…

Inside the box

Edinburgh International Television Festival

22 Jul 2008

Nestled at the end of August is the Edinburgh International Television Festival which, frustratingly, is still an industry shindig but it’s good to know the calibre of celebrities you may be bumping into around town. This year’s line-up includes Doctor…

Sound offering - sound 2008 Festival

17 Jul 2008

It might be all quiet in the Central Belt, but the cultural flurry up North continues this fortnight with the launch of sound 2008, which sets its musical stall in Aberdeen this October. Now in its fourth year, the multi-genre festival will feature two…

News in brief

17 Jul 2008

Salman Rushdie’s novel Midnight's Children has won the Best of the Booker prize, as voted for by the public. The book, first published in 1981, beat five other former Booker winners. Peter Carey, Pat Barker, JM Coetzee, Nadine Gordimer and JG Farrell…

Festival focus

17 Jul 2008

All festivals announce last minute additions to programmes

The new X-Files film

17 Jul 2008

The new X-Files film continued to be shrouded in mystery last week, with all the actors publically refusing to reveal the plot. Billy Connolly will star as Father Joe alongside David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson’s Mulder and Scully, in the…

Edinburgh Art Festival announces programme

Where the art is

3 Jul 2008

Another week, another festival launches. Hot on the heels of the Fringe, the EIF and the Edinburgh International Book Festival, relative newbie the Edinburgh Art Festival last week laid out its stall, boasting a roster of art glitterati from a 20-year…

Festival frenzy as Edinburgh gears up for August

3 Jul 2008

With just three weeks until Edinburgh officially takes its place in the spotlight as one of the world's greatest cultural playgrounds, festival news and views have been coming in thick and fast. Perhaps most contentious is the news that after capturing…

Edinburgh International Book Festival programme announced

19 Jun 2008

Festival fever continued apace last week following announcements about the Free Fringe Festival, The Edinburgh Interactive Festival and – most anticipated of all – the Edinburgh International Book Festival. Book Festival organisers said this year's…

The Hebrides Ensemble

19 Jun 2008

CHAMBER OPERA Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, Sat 21 Jun Based on George Mackay Brown’s prose and re-imagined by Scottish composer Sir Peter Maxwell Davies, The Martyrdom of St Magnus was always going to leave an extraordinary legacy. Uniting the talents…

The People's Story - Days Like This project launched

19 Jun 2008

Scottish Book Trust, Scottish Arts Council and BBC Radio Scotland join forces for groundbreaking book and radio project Days Like This. People the length and breadth of Scotland are being offered the chance to share their stories, as part of a unique…

Festivals - Something For Nothing

5 Jun 2008

If you’re looking to wet a whistle, then look no further than the Orkney Beer Festival (22–24 August, www.visitorkney.com), held at the Stromness Hotel. A now annual wing-ding, guests are invited to join fellow tipplers for a taste of the local Orkney…