Article Source: Edinburgh International Book Festival
Last Updated: 25 May 2016 15:53
THE VIEW FROM CASTLE ROCK
The Edinburgh International Book Festival today announced the world premiere of a specially commissioned theatrical adaptation of Nobel Prize winner Alice Munro’s moving and enigmatic short stories. Taken from the Canadian author’s short story collection and adapted for the stage by multi award-winning playwright, Linda McLean, The View from Castle Rock imagines the extraordinary experiences of Munro’s Scottish ancestors who sailed from Leith Docks in 1818 in the hope of a better life in Canada and will form a centrepiece of the Book Festival this August.
The production is presented in collaboration with Stellar Quines, an award winning theatre company which celebrates the energy, experience and perspective of women. Acclaimed director Marilyn Imrie and playwright Linda McLean will create, in this word-for-word adaptation from Alice Munro’s text, a vibrant drama about the nineteenth century Scottish migrant experience.
Imrie and McLean will be working with a creative team including designer Claire Halleran, composer Pippa Murphy, and a cast that includes Simon Donaldson and Brian O’Sullivan.
The View from Castle Rock is supported by the Scottish Government’s Edinburgh Festivals Expo Fund and this event is also part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Following daily performances during the Book Festival at artSpace@StMarks in Castle Terrace, The View from Castle Rock will tour to the Borders including the Ettrick Valley, home of Munro’s ancestors who were related to James Hogg. The tour will take in Peebles, Hawick, Ettrickbridge and Galashiels from 31 August to 3 September as part of Booked!; Edinburgh International Book Festival on the road and the Borders Live Touring scheme.
Nick Barley, Director of the Edinburgh International Book Festival, said “Alice Munro is celebrated across the globe as the greatest living short story writer. She is also fascinated by her heritage and her family’s voyage from Scotland to Canada in the early-19th century. Today, at a time when the refugee crisis is such a topical issue right across Europe, I am proud that the Book Festival and Stellar Quines will bring Munro’s story dramatically to life as the centrepiece of a thoughtful, far-reaching discussion about human migration."
Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Tourism and External Affairs, Fiona Hyslop, said: “Alice Munro’s work has been admired and celebrated by readers across the globe since she first put pen to paper in the 1950s. The View from Castle Rock, which tells the story of James Laidlaw and his family, is a powerful and moving depiction of life in Scotland during the 19th century and a subsequent journey and settlement in Canada. I’m confident audiences will engage with Linda McLean’s theatrical adaptation presented by Stellar Quines.
“The Edinburgh International Book Festival is a highlight in the Edinburgh Festivals’ calendar. The Scottish Government is proud to support the festival via the Expo Fund and has provided £85,000 this year to bring this innovative piece of work to life, which continues to raise Scotland’s cultural profile on the international stage.”
Linda McLean, Playwright, said “Alice Munro's writing is riddled with the kind of subtext I usually look for in theatre, where the unsaid is often more powerful than the words a character says out loud. She plants a seed of thought so stealthily that I often wonder if it was a figment of my imagination until two or three stories later she refers to it, almost accidentally, but with such emotional punch that I have to close the book and hug it to myself.”
Marilyn Imrie, Director, said “The deprivations and sorrows encountered by Munro’s migrant family are sadly familiar, two hundred years on. Playwright Linda McLean brings to the production her experience of a form of dramatic storytelling currently inspiring exciting new theatre in Canada, the US and Europe: word for word dramatisation – every word spoken is from the text as Munro wrote it. And the performances are staged in a 19th century church with a fine view of Castle Rock.”
The View from Castle Rock will be performed daily from Thursday 11 August (11 and 12 August Previews) to Monday 29 August (times vary) at artSpace@StMarks, 7 Castle Terrace, Edinburgh (Fringe Venue 125). Tickets can be booked through the Edinburgh Festival Fringe at www.edfringe.com from Thursday 26 May, or through the Edinburgh International Book Festival Box Office, www.edbookfest.co.uk from Tuesday 21 June. Full price £15.00, Concessions £12.00, Previews £10.00.
The full programme for the Edinburgh International Book Festival will be announced on Thursday 9 June 2016.
Edinburgh – Global apparel retailer UNIQLO, will welcome its first Scottish customers through the doors of its Edinburgh store on Thursday, 25th April.
READ MOREDavid Ian for Crossroads Live in association with Barry and Fran Weissler are delighted to announce further dates for the 2024/2025 UK and Ireland tour with dates at Edinburgh Playhouse in 2025.
READ MOREPaisley Food and Drink Festival returns to the town this weekend for a two-day feastival with plenty for everyone to sample and enjoy.
READ MOREA NEW four-legged champion has been crowned for the Corgi Derby at The Sky Bet Sunday Series Raceday, Musselburgh Racecourse.
READ MOREWith a staggering 14 million adults in the UK unable to swim, the team behind The Learn to Swim National Framework has launched a new campaign to encourage adults in Scotland to learn the life skill.
READ MOREEdinburgh’s top street food hang-out and leading comedy producers Gilded Balloon have today announced a brand new partnership, bringing the city’s funniest night out to Edinburgh Street Food.
READ MOREEdinburgh Science Festival drew its 35th anniversary edition to a close last weekend and now announces its new Director, Hassun El-Zafar, and dates for the 2025 Festival.
READ MOREThere’s just one week to go before the Pomegranates Festival of International Traditional Dance (25-30 April) kicks off at the Scottish Storytelling Centre and various venues across Edinburgh.
READ MORENow in its 30th year, the show is the go-to exhibition for any self-builders or renovators looking for practical tips, expert advice, or the chance to view 1000s of products.
READ MOREThe popular Edinburgh Seafood Festival returns to St James Quarter, with even more opportunities to get a taste of the finest Scottish fare!
READ MORECineworld Edinburgh celebrates the acclaimed British director Danny Boyle from May 7th to May 28th with a limited time big screen re-release of four of his classic titles at only £5 per ticket!
READ MOREJohnnie Walker Princes Street is inviting guests to find their flow and embark on a journey of tranquility and connectivity with its latest offering, Sunrise Yoga on 3rd May!
READ MORERed Carnation Hotels, the family-owned hotel collection, proudly announces the opening of its latest masterpiece and first property in Scotland, 100 Princes Street.
READ MOREThe Royal Zoological Society of Scotland’s (RZSS) Edinburgh Zoo has been named the best zoo to visit in Scotland by TripAdvisor, the world’s biggest travel guidance platform.
READ MOREAmbassador Theatre Group (“ATG”), a leading live entertainment organisation, and owner of the Edinburgh Playhouse, today announced that it is rebranding as ATG Entertainment.
READ MORELatest investigations by National Trust for Scotland archaeologists at Culloden Battlefield have recovered a wide range of artefacts.
READ MORERUSK & RUSK, the independent Scottish restaurant group, today shares first look impressions of The Spanish Butcher, Edinburgh, and confirms it will officially open on Friday 10th May.
READ MORESip & Bark is opening its doors today on Raeburn Place in Stockbridge, with a delicious brunch offering, a selection of cocktails and fine wines, plus it’s dog friendly!
READ MOREThe annual Open Weekend returns to Port Edgar, the largest watersports and activity centre in Scotland, for a special 10th-anniversary event on Saturday 4 and Sunday 5 May!
READ MOREBroadway and West End phenomenon Kinky Boots The Musical, is strutting into Edinburgh in a brand-new production starring Strictly's Johannes Radebe and rising star Dan Partridge!
READ MORELaser Station will be hosting an exciting fundraising event from April 22nd to April 28th, aimed at raising funds to support Cash For Kids initiatives.
READ MORELloyds Banking Group is hosting a free event on Saturday 13th April in Edinburgh for young people wanting to explore the wide range of careers options available in the banking industry.
READ MOREVolunteers at the Newtongrange Community Garden were delighted to welcome a special visitor on Tuesday 2nd April - Owen Thompson MP.
READ MOREThe Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) Scottish Game Fair (SGF) is back for 2024, celebrating its 35-year anniversary at Scone Palace.
READ MOREGlobal apparel retailer UNIQLO will open its doors to Edinburgh’s highly anticipated store on 25 April 2024, with the arrival marks the regeneration of the shopping scene in Scotland’s capital.
READ MOREDobbies, the UK's leading garden centre, is inviting plant enthusiasts and foodies alike to a brand new Afternoon Tea and Planting Experience at its stores nationwide.
READ MOREThis year's Springfest, set to take place this weekend, has been postponed due to forecasted high winds.
READ MOREDuck & Waffle Edinburgh is thrilled to announce the return of breakfast service seven days a week and to celebrate KIDS EAT FREE for the Easter break!
READ MOREA fantastic range of brand-new blockbusters, haunting horrors, theatre productions and all-time action classics lead the roster of releases heading to Vue this April.
READ MOREEdinburgh Folk Club’s weekly folk, roots and acoustic nights are set to continue into the spring and summer, along with the return of their annual Songwriting Competition.
READ MORE