The Edinburgh Reporter December 2023

19

CULTURE • LITERATURE • ART • EVENTS • MUSIC • MUSEUMS...

By STEPHEN RAFFERTY

PORTOBELLO’S VELVET Easel Gallery is

celebrating a decade of promoting Scottish artists

with a new Tenth Anniversary exhibition.

Since opening its doors in 2013, the gallery has

established itself within the growing art scene in

Edinburgh and developed a reputation for its

curated mixed exhibitions which predominantly

feature Scottish artists.

Each exhibition also offers a range of affordable

ceramics, sculpture, glass and jewellery, and as a

member of the Own Art Scheme the gallery is

making art more accessible to everyone, whether

it is a first time purchase or an addition to an

expanding art collection.

Velvet Easel owner, Jane Grant, said: “We have

a regular group of artists who exhibit with us all

year round, including Garry Harper, Jackie

Henderson, Ian Neill, Catriona Millar, Cherylene

Dyer, Amanda Owenson, Alan Richmond,

Amanda Phillips, and Louise Marks (to name a

few). They are all very skilled in their field, some

with an international reputation, their work sells

well and they are all Scottish or based in Scotland.

“In each exhibition, I also try to take on two or

three new artists. For some of them, it’s their first

time showing in any gallery and we are always

keen to support and encourage emerging artists.

Recent examples would be Morven Ferguson and

Zuzanna Salamon - who has gone on to be

selected for the Royal Academy exhibitions two

summers in a row.

“We have introduced an affordable range of

glass, jewellery, gifts and ceramics etc. This was to

help us through the Covid crisis, and I think it

has served us well as we have a much larger

footfall in the gallery, with lots of locals who have

never previously set foot in the place who are now

regular faces.”

The Velvet Easel Gallery, 298 Portobello

High Street – Tenth Anniversary exhibition

until 28 January. http://www.velveteasel.co.uk

Ten great years

of Scottish art

Stewart Attwood

Relaxed pantomime

Looking back in time this December...

Compiled by Jerry Ozaniec, Membership Secretary of the

Old Edinburgh Club. E: [email protected]

EACH YEAR Capital

Theatres invite more than

600 children and young

people with additional

support needs (ASN) to

enjoy a relaxed performance

of the pantomime, and this

year will be in early

December.

A spokesperson for the

theatre company said:

“Pantomime is one of

Britain’s greatest festive

traditions and Capital

Theatres believe everyone

should be given the

opportunity to enjoy the

magical childhood

experience.

“Due to additional needs,

pantomime and indeed

theatre generally, is largely

inaccessible for children who

attend ASN schools and the

relaxed panto is often their

only theatre experience.”

The term relaxed means a

less formal performance,

and includes a dialling down

of sound and light, (roving

lights which might be shone

at the audience will most

likely not be used), but it

may also affect the script or

the content of the panto.

Some teachers may be

invited to watch a

performance beforehand to

assess if there are any trigger

points which would impact

on the young audience.

Those invited will, for

example, include children

and young people with

Autism Spectrum Disorder,

sensory and communication

disorders, or a learning

disability.

It is possible to offer the

free tickets for the relaxed

performance thanks to

support from Cash for Kids,

and there are also some free

tickets for children with care

experience and those from

lower socio-economic

backgrounds. All members

of the audience are invited

along with a carer or teacher.

This is a performance

which the cast and crew at

Capital Theatres enjoy a

great deal. Usually there are

around a dozen ushers

working at each

performance, but for this

one day around 25

volunteers from all areas of

the company come forward

to swell that number. Each

school is then assigned one

member of the front of

house team to look after

them exclusively during

their visit to the theatre.

The auditorium is made to

feel quite different as the

house lights are not fully

dimmed as they would be

for other performances.

Some young people can find

it too intimidating to be in

full darkness, and it allows

anyone who might need to

get up and walk around to

do so more easily. There are

few expectations of “proper”

audience behaviour - and

keeping quiet and still is

certainly not one of them.

Children and carers are

able to feel relaxed, free to

make noise, move around,

be themselves and enjoy the

pantomime in a way that

really suits their needs.

3RD

In 1894, Edinburgh-born author

Robert Louis Stevenson died in

Samoa, at the age of 44.

7TH

In 2002, in the evening, a fire

started above the Belle Angele

nightclub off the Cowgate; it swept

up through the eight-storey

structure to other buildings on

Cowgate and above it on South

Bridge; it took more than a day for

the fire, to be brought under control,

and several days for it to be

completely extinguished; thankfully

no lives were lost.

19TH

In 1887, Rumford Medal-winning

Leith-born scientist Balfour Stewart

died during a journey from Scotland

to his estates in Ireland.

21ST

In 1965, Stuart Mitchell, Scottish

pianist and composer, best known

for his Seven Wonders Suite, was

born in Edinburgh. And in 1989,

Edinburgh’s City Bypass was

completed.

27TH

In 1794, Major Alexander

Gordon Laing, the first European

to reach Timbuktu via the north/

south route, was born in

Edinburgh.

The complete list of all events in

November can be viewed on:

theedinburghreporter.co.uk

The Belle Angele after

being devastated by fire