StagEHd Festival, Edinburgh’s newest theatre festival, has announced the programme for its inaugural event.
The festival, which has been funded by the City of Edinburgh Council’s Community Fund, will take place at the Ross Bandstand in Princes Street Gardens West on Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 May.
The festival kicks off on Saturday morning with a children’s puppet show, A Girl Called Grace (10:00, 28 May) from Mister Blue and Edinburgh-based puppeteer Emma Milton. A little girl, Grace, is sent to retrieve a needle and thread from the ferocious Baba Yaga and must outrun the witch in her mortar and pestle to reach the safety of her father’s hut. A story about the power of kindness, Mister Blue will entertain children and adults alike.
There’s more family entertainment over the weekend, when English-Polish bilingual theatre company The Mirror of Stage present the myth of Wawel Dragon (11:30, 28 May), a hilarious adaptation of the Polish legend of a dragon who lives in a cave at the foot of Wawel Hill in Krakow; a slice of theatrical history with Galoshins (11:30, 29 May) from The Meadows Mummers, a 21st Century adaptation of a traditional Scottish folk tale; and Musical Mania (17:00 28 May), a cabaret of Musical Theatre by Momentum Performing Arts.
Sunday 29 May presents a trio of new writing from local theatre companies; The Wishing Well (10:00, 29 May) from Kate Macsween; Scotland’s much misunderstood bard takes us on a journey through his life and poetry in The Life and Rhymes of William McGonagall (14:30, 29 May) from Reality Funds Theatre; and one of Edinburgh’s most acclaimed amateur theatre companies, EGTG, presents rock (12:45, 29 May) a look at climate change and life in Edinburgh from the perspective of Castle Rock.
New performing troupe SpeareShakers present Bard on the Cards: Which Witch (13:30, 28 May), bringing Shakespeare’s characters to life for a modern audience; and Edinburgh-based actor, improviser, and star of the shows Spontaneous Potter and Absolute Improv, Paul Connolly presents his favourite sketches and character comedies in The Paul Connolly Showcase (15:30, 29 May).
StagEHd 2022 closes on Sunday 29 May with KATABASIS: an underworld opera (17:00, 29 May) from lonely carp. A transfeminine odyssey in VII parts, lonely carp’s studio debut, funded by Help Musicians UK, is a concept album curated as a gripping descent to the underworld.
The inaugural StagEHd Festival will take place at the Ross Bandstand, Princes Street Gardens on Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 May. All performances are free to attend, with audiences encouraged to bring a picnic and blankets to enjoy the shows.
To find out more about the festival, and to book your free tickets, visit www.stagehdfestival.com.
