Anna Millar

Opera Die Frau Ohne Schatten set for 2011 Edinburgh International Festival

Russia's Mariinsky Theatre and Jonathan Kent bring Strauss opera to EIF

7 Jul 2011

To say Jonathan Kent's EIF opus is 'a bit' epic is like saying Edinburgh gets 'a bit' busy in August. This summer the Brit director joins forces with Russia's Mariinsky to stage the little-seen Die Frau ohne Schatten (The Woman without a Shadow). A cast…

Ambitious outdoor arts festival Roofless

Artists Olivier Grossetete and Sumit Sarkar to create public art projects over the next year

22 May 2012

They say if you’re going to think, think big, and that’s exactly what Roofless, Scotland’s all-new outdoor arts festival is doing, with impressive scale and great purpose. Plotted initially in five locations, and bringing together professional artists…

Oliver! set for run at Edinburgh Playhouse

Cameron Mackintosh-produced epic featuring original Lionel Bart score

23 May 2012

‘Cameron Mackintosh doesn’t do small,’ announces Brian Conley, his warm grin a lifetime away from the Fagin character he depicts in the Scots impressario’s successful revival of Oliver! TV star Conley’s acclaimed turns in Jolson and Hairspray suggest a…

Claire Sweeney takes lead role in Educating Rita revival

The actress discusses Willy Russell's much-loved script

15 May 2012

Whether on stage or screen, few can forget Willy Russell’s young, earnest heroine, in Educating Rita, a working class girl hungry for education who finds herself under the tutelage of a lost, boozed up lecturer, searching for life beyond academia. For…

CATS awards to be hosted by Alan Cumming

David Harrower, Maureen Beattie and Stuart Bowman in the running for prestigious theatre awards

23 May 2012

He’s one of the busiest actors at work today, preparing for curtain up on his one-man version Macbeth, but Alan Cumming is to take time out from rehearsals to host this year’s Critics’ Awards for Theatre in Scotland. The CATS, which this year celebrates…

Jupiter Artland opens its season with a new Charles Jencks exhibition

The ourdoor 'art park' also features work by Anthony Gormley

25 Apr 2011

You know that spring has sprung when Jupiter Artland opens its doors with a new season – and this year’s artistic bloom looks to be just as exciting as their last. Launching with special exhibition Metaphysical Landscape by landform artist, philosopher…

Jennifer Aniston to star opposite Gerard Butler in Goree Girls

27 Nov 2008

Jennifer Aniston is said to be starring opposite Gerard Butler in Goree Girls, a prison movie she is producing. Aniston is said to have approached the Scottish actor after seeing him play opposite Hilary Swank in PS I Love You.

The most infamous Fringe controversies

As the Edinburgh Fringe launches its 2012 programme we recall some of our favourite Fringe scandals

22 May 2012

Festival sinners As the Edinburgh Fringe launches its 2012 programme we recall some of our favourite Fringe controversies Kangaroo Theatre raised religious sensitivities in 2006 when the company staged the notoriously scandalous sex scenes of DH…

Brian Conley to play Fagin in Oliver!

The new Cameron Mackintosh production is stopping at Edinburgh's Playhouse

15 May 2012

‘Cameron Mackintosh doesn’t do small,’ announces Brian Conley, his warm grin a lifetime away from the Fagin character he depicts in the Scots impressario’s successful revival of Oliver!. TV star Conley’s acclaimed turns in Jolson and Hairspray suggest a…

The best Scottish websites

The top 30 websites made for and by Scots

21 Jul 2011

When putting together this list, we weren’t necessarily looking for the biggest or the best-known cultural websites in Scotland. We were looking for unique and interesting ideas, cleverly realised and lovingly maintained on the web. This might mean that…

Le Gateau Chocolat

Moreish cabaret feast

17 Aug 2011

With his delicious charm and La Clique credentials, Le Gateau Chocolat’s solo debut is an evening treat that leaves you wanting more. Enter the fabulous Bosco tent, and the gentle strains of ‘The Way We Were’ are just audible, a feast of colour and…

Taking the Plunge with Wild Swimming

19 Mar 2010

With spring finally in bloom, it seems some are ready to take the plunge with the adventure that is wild swimming, finds Anna Millar

Singin’ in the Rain - Long to rain over us

25 Jun 2009

Anna Millar looks forward to some old-school hoofing in Singin’ in the Rain

Bike Week Scotland 2009 - Danny MacAskill Inspired Bicycles

11 Jun 2009

The UK’s biggest mass participation cycling event kicks off this issue, promoting the idea of communities bandying together to get fit and have fun. With Bike Week 2009, organisers are encouraging everyone to ‘get more out of life’. To help…

News in brief

19 Feb 2009

Organisers at Glasgow’ s Celtic Connections have reported ‘an extremely successful’ year, with ticket sales reportedly on a par with 2008. Festival heads also announced that they had secured sponsorship for another year. The Greek Film Festival…

Tim Minchin - Looney tunes

31 Jul 2008

Not one for being stuck in a pigeonhole, Tim Minchin is a musician, actor, comic and father. Anna Millar meets the man who looks like a scarecrow and is terrifying the world of traditional stand-up comedy

Hot 100 2011 - No. 49 to 1

The definitive list of Scottish creative talent

16 Dec 2011

The Hot 100 is the definitive list of Scottish creative talent. From fashion designers to performance artists, everyone who has made a sizeable splash in 2011 has a place in this countdown. It’s for people who’ve created a buzz, but it’s also about…

The Cab is king

17 Jul 2008

Edinburgh club Cabaret Voltaire has been crowned the best club in Scotland, beating stiff competition from the Arches and the Garage. As well as picking up the prize for Vodkapom Nightclub of the Year at the Dram Scottish Licensed Trade Awards 2008, Cab…

Edinburgh International Science Festival 2012 - highlights

Derren Brown and giant eyes among the top events at this year's EISF

8 Mar 2012

Illusions, experiments, fire-walking and food are just some of the treats in store at this year’s Edinburgh International Science Festival. With events in more venues than ever before, 2012’s programme welcomes scientists, comedians, psychologists…

Dixie's Tupperware Party - Plastic fantastic

A ruder version of Dame Edna

28 Jul 2009

Dixie Longate is not your average type of gal. She may be a street-smart, fast-talking belle these days, but life hasn’t always been so easy. Having thrown off the shackles of her trailer park existence back in 2001, she was saved by Tupperware. A life…

Sharp Shooting

2 Apr 2009

Following its notable success last year, The List is pleased to see the return of the 48 Hour Film Project (48HFP), to Edinburgh’s Cameo cinema at the end of May. Filmmakers from across Scotland will be offered the opportunity to spend a weekend making…

The Hot 100 2008

11 Dec 2008

It’s been a helluva year. 2008 has been a time of significant global change, socially, politically and culturally, with Scotland no exception. So here, for your delectation, is The List’s pick of the 100 people, places and things that rocked our world…

Spotlight on Titian

27 Nov 2008

Hopes were revived earlier this month that Edinburgh’s national galleries may be able to acquire Titian’s Diana and Actaeon. The piece, which has resided in the National Galleries of Scotland for more than 60 years, courtesy of their owner the Duke of…

The Man Who Lived Twice production from Birds of Paradise

Play dramatising meeting between Edward Sheldon and John Gielgud

27 Feb 2012

Writer, actor and director Garry Robson loves a challenge, and as the pen behind Birds of Paradise’s upcoming production The Man Who Lived Twice he’s given himself just that. In dramatising the meeting between legendary American playwright Edward…

Four List readers share their New Year's resolutions

An insight into getting started in trapeze, cookery, ballet or capoeira

6 Jan 2012

'The feeling of achievement is amazing' Name Denise Deutsch Age 30 Profession Fabric buyer, Mandors Skill Trapeze and Aerial Arts I fell into the idea of aerial arts as a hobby after unexpectedly getting a ticket to see Leona Lewis perform in…

Wil Hodgson

Sharp comedy about life as he knows it

16 Aug 2011

Gone is the pink Mohawk of yesteryear, in is some sharp (albeit not of the razor kind) comedy from this year’s ‘Care Bear-loving skinhead’, as our affable host spraffs lyrical about life as he knows it, from his friends down the pub to tits, cider and a…

Best of the Fest Cabaret

The Noise Next Door, The Twoks and Briefs offer good package

14 Aug 2011

Any festival ‘Best of’ lives or dies on the collection of acts and, suffice to say, it’s a mixed bag of delights, depending on your luck. And so it is here. Gloria, our host for the evening, struggles, her lacklustre attempts at humour flailing, for the…

Multi-platform In the Company of Wolves event set for Glasgow Sub Club

Very different fashion show showcases new group of designers

3 Nov 2010

Multi-platform events company In the Company of Wolves don’t do subtle. In spring of this year entertainment and events students Ally Turnbull and Claire Stuart leapt onto the scene, launching a showcase of independent design in a multi-faceted event…

Wallace and Gromit Present: A World of Cracking Ideas

31 Mar 2010

Oscar-winning characters Wallace and Gromit take centre stage at this Aardman Animations exhibition, as visitors get the chance to tour around Wallace and Gromit’s 62 West Wallaby Street home, as well as looking at, and interacting with, their most…

Mad Hatter’s Tea Party

4 Mar 2010

Here at List Towers, we love a party. And so it is that this fortnight sees not one but two of our favourite things realised courtesy of Scandinavian fashion house Kakao by K and tea-boutique Eteaket. As part of a one-off special event, Kakao will…

Catwalk Confidential

70s fashion icon Robyn Peterson

10 Aug 2009

Talent-spotted by Valentino aged 14, 70s fashion icon Robyn Paterson jumped a plane from Miami to Paris in search of fame and fortune. While a familiarity with the lifestyle of 00s glitterati makes the shock value of this well-heeled one-woman show a…

Big Screen Edinburgh: Scratch ‘n’ Sniff Cinema

9 Jul 2009

It’s pillows at the ready this month, as Scratch ‘n’ Sniff Cinema sets its stall to showcase one of the country’s best loved films. As part of a national programme of events to mark London 2012 Open Weekend, comedy drama Gregory’s Girl will be shown…

Scottish Opera - Five:15

19 Feb 2009

As a savvy soul once surmised, ‘the more opera is dead, the more it flourishes.’ Just take the rise and rise of Scottish Opera. While the opera cynic waxed lyrical about the need to redefine the remit for a noughties audience, there they were setting…

Shivago Thai Clinic

8 Jan 2009

Mental note to self: stop channelling Gwyneth. As a glass cup is set alight, blown out then placed on my back, things at the Shivago Thai Clinic, off Edinburgh's High Street, are feeling decidedly un-Hollywood. Indeed, as the foreign contraption comes…

Plans annnounced for British Music Experience exhibition

27 Nov 2008

Amy Winehouse and David Bowie are just two of the names said to be backing a new exhibition charting the history of British pop. The British Music Experience is set to open at the O2 in London in March and will feature a mix of costumes and instruments…

Interview: Zach Braff, writer, director and star of All New People

The Scrubs and Garden State star discusses his new theatre production

2 Feb 2012

‘I’m still Jenny from the block,’ says Zach Braff after a moment’s reflection. ‘Even now I feel a bit underground in the acting world.’ For those who enjoyed Braff (and 20 million viewers around the world did) as the lovable JD in US comedy drama…

Valentine's Day - date our readers

Need a date for February 14th? Ten eligible List readers are ready and waiting...

2 Feb 2012

Nicola Age: 24 Work: Arts marketing Where do you live: Stockbridge, Edinburgh Hobbies: Frequenting the cinema, gym-ing, watching live dance and opera, wandering around galleries and museums and dancing in my bedroom. Describe yourself in 5 words…

Jemima Levick on Steel Magnolias revival

The theatre director aims to retain the humour and tenderness of Robert Harling's original script

1 Feb 2012

‘I would rather have 30 minutes of wonderful than a lifetime of nothing special,’ says Dolly Parton as brassy hairdresser Truvy in the 1989 film adaptation of Steel Magnolias. The country singer led a cast of big name Hollywood hitters that included…

The Hot 100 2011: 100-50

The definitive list of Scottish creative talent

16 Dec 2011

100: Gordon Ferris. Kilmarnock crime author makes good. The already packed Scottish crime writing field has finally found a bit of elbow room for another burgeoning talent. Joining the likes of Rankin, Brookmyre, McDermid and co is this Ayrshire-born…

A tour of Scotland for food-lovers

Fresh seafood, locally-sourced game and top-notch tourism in Scotland

22 Aug 2011

Standing in the Scottish drizzle at the heart of Monachyle Mhor, a dramatic vista greets us. In front, a stunning Loch Voil. Behind us, bounding black Labrador, Betty, a relatively new addition to owner Tom Lewis’ family. The air is fresh, the…

Paul Daniels

You’re going to like this . . .

8 Aug 2011

‘Do I look better than Donald Trump?’ asks Paul Daniels as he walks on, wigged up. He shouldn’t be here, really. The Sun newspaper has run a story saying he’s been hospitalised at the hands of Sooty and a flying piece of pizza. Silly tabloids. The…

Minute After Midday

Pared-down performance based on Omagh bombing

8 Aug 2011

Pared-down performances resonate here as three very different stories are told, in overlapping monologues, from the day the Omagh bombing devastated Ireland. A young survivor, a widow, and the driver who left the car bomb on Lower Market Street, relive…

New direct flights to Iceland from Scotland make it a hot destination

Natural beauty, a thriving arts scene and lively night life

24 Mar 2011

Nestled down a sloping side street, trendy little tippling-hole Kaffibarinn (as featured in the film 101 Reykjavik) feels like downtown Reykjavik in miniature. Part owned by Blur’s Damon Albarn, this stylish bar area and candle-lit loft oozes the…

Edinburgh International Festival 2011 programme keeps an eye on the East

National Ballet of China, Ravi Shankar, Philip Glass among highlights

23 Mar 2011

The Scottish Chamber Orchestra raise the curtain of the 2011 Edinburgh International Festival in style this year with a performance Robert Schumann’s exotic musical Das Paradies und die Peri, one highlight from an EIF programme that boasts acts from…

RockNess / T in the Park line-ups announced

Pulp, Arctic Monkeys, and Foo Fighters for T; Groove Armada, Kasabian and Chemical Bros for RockNess

3 Mar 2011

The great and good of the music world are set to arrive in style this summer with both T in the Park and RockNess dishing up the goodies for their June and July festivals. At TITP in Balado, the mighty Pulp join Arctic Monkeys, Coldplay and Foo Fighters…

Campaign to save Inverleith Park from housing development

Proposal looks to build six homes in public space

19 Jan 2011

A new year dawns and the city’s spaces are in jeopardy once again this fortnight as Edinburgh fights over another unique corner. In an unexpected development late last year, it emerged that Edinburgh City Council may try to build luxury houses on a…

The best upcoming events in Scotland in 2011

Highlights of the 2011 cultural calandar from Film, Music, Comedy, Theatre and Visual Art

3 Jan 2011

Huge gigs, inspiring theatre productions, comedy legends and two cute little waving bears – just a few of the things coming up in ‘11 that we can barely contain our excitement about

Theatre, Darling!

16 Sep 2010

Whether it is cutting edge drama, hearty laughs or a decent tippling hole, Glasgow and Edinburgh’s theatre and comedy scene has it covered, find Niki Boyle and Anna Millar

Merrill Grant: A Twentieth Century Fox

A cabaret homage to silver-screen greats

5 Aug 2010

With her Southern twang, strawberry-blonde hair, beaming smile and can-do attitude, Merrill Grant is the epitome of a 1930s belle. Which is just jim-dandy, given the cabaret act she’s bringing to this year’s Fringe. Inspired by her love of Shirley…

Edinburgh gallery opens new space in Leith

Axolotl gallery to open sister space OXO in Leith

23 Jul 2010

As any self respecting Leither will tell you, the area’s renaissance continues. First the decent bars and restaurants took root, then the ever burgeoning Leith festival. This fortnight its cultural kudos gets another boost with the addition of a new…