Info & Links to Previews of the 2008 Festivals

This page is in two sections. The first, by individual festival, contains links to early information, the actual programme launches along with initial feedback ...

International Festival
Fringe
International Film Festival
Book Festival
Art Festival
Jazz & Blues Festival

Second section - in the run up to the feast media recommendations often cover all the festivals. For that reason these picks along with links to specific preview articles are grouped together here.

Edinburgh International Festival

The programme for the 2008 International Festival was announced on 2nd April 2008. Details can be found on the eif web site from where the brochure (4.7MB) can be downloaded.

Instant feedback which was quickly available within an hour of the launch from several media outlets can be found at the following links:

Guardian
Stage
EdinburghGuide.com
List
Whatonstage
British Theatre Guide (summary of drama, dance and opera productions).

Initial thoughts from some of the arts correspondents (and others) started to appear later the same day:

Pauline McLean, BBC Scotland, arts correspondent
Charlotte Higgins, Guardian arts correspondent
Brian Ferguson in the Scotsman
Keith Bruce, Arts Editor of the Herald
Andrew Eaton also in the Scotsman.

Joyce McMillan of the Scotsman subsequently weighed in with her views, particularly on the drama programme.

The artistic director's thoughts were expressed in a brief interview in the Scotland on Sunday.

Meanwhile, choreographer Matthew Bourne talked to the Sunday Times about his adaptation of Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray, a dance piece that most critics and punters are looking forward to.

The Scotsman has an interview with Vicky Featherstone, artistic director of the National Theatre of Scotland, which includes mention of their forthcoming production of 365: One Night to Learn a Lifetime.

The punters that I have spoken to so far have hardly been ecstatic about the festival programme, "Artists Without Borders". This is the problem with a theme: punters fear that balance is being sacrificed while a device is done to death in the name of art. It is a risky commercial strategy, no doubt in part driven by financial constraints, but we shall see what August brings.

Opera and music punters seem particularly upset, with some identifying what they perceive to be a continuation of a gradual slide in both the quality and size of the programme: there was a letter in the Scotsman complaining about themes plus the reduction in the number of opera productions and the choice this year (followed by a brief defence of Mills from another reader several days later - link also since removed); while my friend and fellow punter Susan seemed somewhat underwhelmed when she first saw the programme. She talks of a lack of excitement and anticipation this year, something which she has never experienced before. One of the delights of her trips to Edinburgh, which is missing this year, has been to see and hear new up and coming performers such as Jonas Kaufman who is now singing with the Metropolitan Opera. Susan is also very disappointed at the lack of concert operas this year. Overall, it sounds as if Jonathan Mills is not her favourite person right now and she is very concerned for the future of classical music at the EIF. Nevertheless, she highlights the following: Dmitri Hvorostovsky, the Finnish Radio Symphony with Karita Mattila, the Belcea Quartet and Helene Grimaud, Herrewege, Susan Bullock, the Monteverdi Choir, Les Artes Florrisant/Anne Sophie Von Otter, and the Budapest Festival Orchestra.

Our highlight of the festival, not part of the theme (at least I do not think so?!), is in the dance programme where Matthew Bourne, the renowned and popular choreographer, is adapting Oscar Wilde's Dorian Gray. Otherwise, the dance programme is not particularly inspiring.

The drama programme seems a bit of a mixed bag to me. I expect that the EIF hopes that the marriage of David Harrower, writer of the 2005 hit Blackbird, and the National Theatre of Scotland, with their 2006 Fringe blockbuster Blackwatch, will forge another success with Harrower's new work, 365: One Night to Learn a Lifetime. My innate cynicism makes me wonder; I hope that I am wrong. Meanwhile, TR Warszawa's productions of Dybbuk and Sarah Kane's 4.48 Psychosis may both be worth a view.

Previews from July onwards are here.

Edinburgh Fringe

Pre Fringe Programme Launch

If you hunger for the days when money seemed less important than the art, when the Fringe had an enormous soul, then read Andy Field's impassioned blog about the Forest venue and its plans for 2008 ... "We’re not going to be part of the official fringe. We’re not going to charge artists anything to perform. All shows are going to be ‘pay what you can’ . We’re going to have to a wonderful mix of established fringe veterans and younger artists who’ve never performed at the venue before ... We want to create a venue that cherishes the idea that you can go up to Edinburgh with barely more than a good idea. A place that doesn’t bleed you dry; that doesn’t demand three weeks of performances on the off chance that the Guardian will like your show ... We have a church hall, a cafe, some black-out curtains and a couple of lanterns and we're going to change the world." Good luck Andy.

As mentioned in the news snippets, there will be no Aurora Nova this year - this is very bad news.

Lyn Gardner of The Guardian discusses the loss of Aurora Nova and the hopes for the Forest venue (21st May 2008).

Some advance news on the Fringe programme (last updated on 5th June 2008 just hours before the official programme launch):

• Advance note via quote from National Theatre of Scotland press release: "The National Theatre of Scotland: New Work will join forces with the Team (USA) to present the world premiere of Architecting at the Traverse as part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe (31 July to 24 August at Traverse 2)."
• Good news for Dance and Physical Theatre fans: Derevo's web site indicates that it will be performing The Gospel of Anton at the Pleasance
• The Free Edinburgh Fringe (the Laughing Horse version) has announced its programme. There will be 157 shows spread across 8 venues. Comedy is still the main focus although there will be more theatre and music than in 2007
• Guy Masterson productions at Assembly will include Scaramouche Jones, Weights, Vincent, Absolution and Yasser
• Scottish Opera is appearing at the Fringe for the first time in its history, performing Rossini's Cinderella at Assembly
• Steven Berkoff is directing a production of On The Waterfront at the Pleasance
• The Scotsman includes the above two items plus some other advance news in this article
• final advance news just hours before the official launch in the Scotsman, including a list of comedians who will be operating under the Comedy Festival umbrella.

The Fringe announces the programme while the Guardian's take on the launch itself can be found here.

Initial views on the programme started to surface within hours of the launch. However, unless the journalists concerned have had the luxury of advance copies it seems likely that it will be some time before more considered views will be available. However, until then here are a selection of those initial views:

• Mark Fisher in the Guardian
• The Stage
• WhatsonStage.com
• The Times
• Scotsman
• Brian Logan's initial thoughts in the Guardian
• Independent's focus on the wackier shows.

Meanwhile, Andy Field, involved with the Forest Fringe, continues his criticism of the Fringe ethos.

Somewhat earlier than usual, the Traverse festival brochure is now available, providing much more detail than the terse descriptions in the Fringe programme. This article in the Scotsman covers the launch, focusing on Philip Ralph's play Deep Cut.

We have eventually managed to wade through the programme brochure. I have to say that it did not really excite me, but perhaps I am still in mourning over the loss of Aurora Nova. Here are our initial thoughts:

• Drama - the Traverse has a strong line-up on paper of performing companies this year (let us hope that the plays and productions are equally compelling); we will be seeing the majority of them. Guy Masterson is producing 6 shows at the Assembly Rooms and we shall probably take in a couple of them, favourite at the moment is Absolution with Owen O'Neill. Other current possibles include Pip Utton in War of the Worlds (one man show stalwart), The Terrible Infants (Les Enfants Terribles - shortlisted for Best Emerging Company last year) and the Aluminum Show
• Dance - Derevo's Gospel of Anton and the Scottish Dance Theatre's double bill of tenderhook and DOG
• Comedy - Daniel Kitson's 66a Church Road, Jerry Sadowitz with his Comedian, Magician, Psychopath II, and we may give both Reginald D. Hunter and Ed Byrne a whirl. Also among the possibles is Stewart Lee's Elizabeth and Raleigh: Late but Live with Miles Jupp and Simon Munnery (a follow up to Johnson and Boswell that this team did last year).

The Forest Fringe, an independent venue which aims to help aspiring performers that I had previously mentioned has launched its programme on its web site.

Re contemporary music, the programme for the Edge Festival, the successor to T on the Fringe, can be found here. The individual shows can also be located in the Fringe programme.

Previews from July onwards are here.

International Film Festival

Prior to the programme launch on 7th May 2008, periodic pre-announcements were made, as detailed in the following paragraphs.

EIFF has announced that John Maybury’s Dylan Thomas biopic THE EDGE OF LOVE will be the Opening Gala at the festival. It stars Keira Knightley, Sienna Miller and Matthew Rhys and will subsequently open in London on 20th June 2008 before its nationwide release on 27th June 2008. The full programme is due to be launched on 7th May 2008.

Early news indicates that retrospectives are being planned on actresses Jeanne Moreau and Shirley Clarke.

More news of the 2008 programme seeping out in the Edinburgh Evening News - premiere of The Stone of Destiny, starring Billy Boyd and Robert Carlyle. The article also includes news of the documentaries that will be showing. EdinburghGuide.com now contains slightly more information on the documentaries.

The drip-feed continues with the announcement of the "Under The Radar" section, as detailed in the Scotsman; it is devoted to low-budget, independent, offbeat and unpredictable features.

This drip-feed of announcements eventually finished with the full programme launch on 7th May 2008. See the Film Festival web site for full details.

An early summary of the programme appeared within hours in the Edinburgh Evening News, with a more detailed summary the following day in EdinburghGuide.com.

Alistair Harkness, Scotsman's film critic, offers his pick of the EIFF 2008 programme.

Interview with Hannah McGill, director of the Film Festival, in the Ediinburgh Evening News.

BBC Film network has a detailed preview.

As the festival approaches a number of critics give their picks:

• Sheila Johnston in the Telegraph
• Peter Bradshaw in the Guardian
• Siobahn Synnot in Scotland on Sunday
• Chitra Ramaswamy in Scotland on Sunday.

Edinburgh International Book Festival

The details of the RBS Schools programme are already available. They can be downloaded from this page.

The full 2008 programme has now been launched (12th June 2008). The programme brochure can be downloaded from the web site. Public booking will commence on 20th June 2008. This year's stats include 800 authors participating in over 750 events.

The List was first out of the blocks with a summary of the launch, closely followed by the Edinburgh Evening News, while David Robinson, Book Editor of the Scotsman, nominates his top ten events. Sean Connery commands the majority of the early headlines; he will be discussing his memoirs, Being A Scot, which will be launched during the festival. Ian Rankin grabs the remaining early headlines with news that he will be launching a comedy thriller at the festival.

Previews from July onwards are here.

Edinburgh Art Festival

The programme was launched today (June 26th, 2008). Within hours there was a brief article in the Scotsman which focused on the Tracey Emin retrospective and some of the public installations. It was followed the next day by articles in the Times, Scotsman and Herald.

However, no sign of information on the Art Festival web site just yet - they are now saying mid-July. Pending that here are some of the exhibitions that will undoubtedly form part of the festival plus some snippets gleaned from the above mentioned articles:

Vanity Fair Portraits and Heroes - both at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery
Impressionism and Scotland - National Gallery Complex
Tracey Emin 20 Years, Collage City and FOTO | Modernity in Central Europe, 1918-1945 - Scottish Gallery of Modern Art.
Richard Wilson at the Grey Gallery
Installations by the Canadian artists, Janet Cardiff and George Bures Miller - Fruitmarket Gallery
Various public installations, including the Billboard for Edinburgh project - Waterloo Place/Calton Road (end wall of the new Ingelby Gallery).

Reviews of some of the major exhibitions have already started to appear.

Hurrah - the programme eventually makes it onto their web site.

Previews from July onwards are here.

Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival

The programme has now been fully launched on the web site (12th June 2008) from where the brochure can be downloaded. Tickets are on sale.

Picks and Previews

The date in brackets alongside each of the following entries indicates when the item was added to this page, which is not necessarily the day that the linked article was actually first published.

The Scotsman has produced the first set of detailed recommendations with its 60 hottest shows (13th June 2008) - pretty impressive as some of us were still ploughing through the programme brochure while others had not even got their grubby hands on a copy.

The Times follows with its 50 shows that it would be a crime to miss (23rd June 2008).

Lyn Gardner of the Guardian brings her expert eye to the Fringe programme (7th July 2008) - a must read for punters.

Scottish bloggers, viewfromthestalls, come up with their initial selection of shows (8th July 2008).

The Times has an article on Lynn Ruth Miller, a 75 year old "stripper" from San Francisco who is appearing at the Fringe in two shows: Aging is Amazing and Granny's Gone Wild - it's comedy with an anti-ageist theme (11th July 2008).

EdinburghGuide.com has a 3 minute video interview with Jon Morgan, director of the Fringe (11th July 2008)

EdinburghGuide.com highlights what it calls "blasts from the past", viz. shows featuring the likes of Britt Ekland, Joan Rivers, Michael Barrymore et cetera (11th July 2008)

EdinburghGuide.com produces its book festival picks (11th July 2008).

Tracey Emin retrospective: interview in the Scotsman and news that under 16s will need to be accompanied by adults (12th July 2008); another interview - this one in the Times (16th July 2008).

Article in the Sunday Times on Chad McCail who will have a small exhibition at the Edinburgh Printmakers Gallery (13th July 2008).

The Guardian has launched its Edinburgh 2008 section. It includes picks on comedy, classical & opera, art, dance, EIF theatre and Fringe theatre (14th July 2008).

The Times previews the Impressionism and Scotland exhibition (14th July 2008), as does the List three days later (17th July 2008).

Brief interview in the Edinburgh Evening News with Mike Hart, founder of the Jazz & Blues festival (14th July 2008).

Preview in the Herald of Karol Szymanowski's opera King Roger which is on at the International Festival (16th July 2008).

Interview in the Herald with Jonathan Miller, artistic director of the International festival, focusing on elements of the drama programme with specific reference to Dybbuk (16th July 2008).

Latest edition of the List includes previews of Fall and Pornography, both being performed by the Traverse Theatre Co., and an interview with Jackie Wylie, new artistic director of the Arches who will performing Finished with Engines at the Traverse (17th July 2008).

Somewhat belatedly, the Art festival programme has made it onto their web site (17th July 2008).

The Telegraph gives its "100 reasons to go to Edinburgh", i.e. its show recommendations (19th July 2008).

The Herald recommends 5 gigs at the Jazz and Blues festival (22nd July 2008).

Preview of the Art festival in EdinburghGuide.com (22nd July 2008).

Previews in the List of Matthew Bourne's Dorian Gray, 4:48 Psychosis and others (22nd July 2008).

Also in the List, previews for classical music and opera (both at at the International festival) and for the Jazz and Blues festival (22nd July 2008).

Interview with Matthew Bourne re Dorian Gray production in the Independent (23rd July 2008).

The Herald previews Prokofiev's seven symphonies which are being performed at the International festival (23rd July 2008).

Off beat - the Guardian talks to Mr. Methane, the world's only professional flatulist, who will be appearing on the Fringe (23rd July 2008).

EdinburghGuide.com previews the Military Tattoo programme (23rd July 2008).

Preview of Dublin's Abbey Theatre production of Terminus at the Traverse in the Herald (24th July 2008).

Samford Wurmfeld's E-Cyclorama has attracted media attention, e.g. in Art Daily and this BBC video clip (24th July 2008).

Previews in the New Statesman (24th July 2008).

The BBC has a brief history of the Jazz & Blues festival which opens tomorrow (24th July 2008).

The Herald previews the art festival (25th July 2008).

One of those articles - is it a preview or a review? - on Impressionism & Scotland in the Metro (25th July 2008).

The Times' Edinburgh preview page (26th July 2008).

The Observer talks about the Edinburgh art scene, including the new Ingelby gallery (27th July 2008).

The Sunday Times highlights the views of individuals concerning the new Comedy Festival (27th July 2008).

The Independent on Sunday produces their list of names to look out for (27th July 2008).

Preview of Deep Cut (which is on at the Traverse) in the Sunday Times (27th July 2008).