Allan Wilson

Low tide and a calm sea at #Dunbar, this morning.

We are in Los Angeles to develop a brand new production! Ahead of rehearsals starting our Artistic Director stopped by the @hammer.ucla.edu for some inspiration. Follow along to see what we get up to while in the sunny state of California!

This afternoon I'll be @traversetheatre.bsky.social to see David Greig's The Events, which I first saw during the 2013 Fringe, though I can't remember much about it. I'm looking forward to this new production by @wonderfools.org in association with @cnauldtheatre.bsky.social.

I enjoyed the One Day dress rehearsal @lyceumedinburgh.bsky.social very much this afternoon. Great performances from Jamie Muscato & Sharon Rose, and I was particularly impressed by the energy of the official photographer who rushed around the stage to capture images with minimal disruption

I'll be @lyceumedinburgh.bsky.social this afternoon to see a dress rehearsal for One Day: The Musical, adapted from the novel by David Nicholls and directed by Max Webster. It will be interesting to see the impact of the new seating arrangements specifically for this show.

Thanks, Clare!

Celebrating my 69th Birthday with a slice of home-made coffee and spice cake with chocolate icing.

I really enjoyed Stef Smith's Head. Heart. Hand. @traversetheatre.bsky.social tonight. Beautifully written, staged and performed, it reminded me of how many students, staff and alumni of what is now QMU I have known over the various stages of my life.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has posted on X

“1 million people living in this country don’t speak any English at all. 4 million people living in this country barely speak passable English”

It’s racked up 2 million views AND IT’S COMPLETELY UNTRUE

I'm glad to see you're experiencing such lovely scenery - and good weather - on your travels! The furthest South I've been was Aswan in Egypt.

I'll be @traversetheatre.bsky.social tonight to see Stef Smith's "Head. Heart. Hand", marking the 150th anniversary of what has now become Queen Margaret University through an exploration of how student generations have responded to the challenges of their time with passion, curiosity, and care.

Badgers : animated music video : MrWeebl YouTube video by Weebl's Stuff

Thanks for the 'Badger Badger' reminder. I hadn't seen it since around 2003. I wasn't a student, but was working at Edinburgh University.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIyi...

I enjoyed Tricky Hat Productions' The Flames @traversetheatre.bsky.social yesterday. This community-based performance brought together an ensemble, all aged 50+, to reflect on their lives and thoughts about ageing with wit, charm, attitude and energy, all accompanied by guitar and visuals.

Lovely! I hope you’re having a wonderful time!

Looks interesting - where was this?

I thoroughly enjoyed Theatre on Gertrude Street's The Wood Paths @traversetheatre.bsky.social as part of the @manipulatearts.bsky.social festival. It cleverly examined themes of destruction and construction with wood to provide a very funny production that gave lots of opportunities for thought.

Enjoyed the Content Warning for The Wood Paths @traversetheatre.bsky.social - "This performance contains chopping of wood." I didn't find this traumatising, but perhaps it is time to take an axe to content warnings in theatre?

I'll be returning to @traversetheatre.bsky.social this evening for another dose of @manipulatearts.bsky.social, with Theatre on Gertrude Street's The Wood Paths, apparently featuring Two Logs, Two Axes and Two People in a 'playful, poetic journey through the human urge to create'.

Dewey Dell's production of Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring was always interesting and atmospheric, though perhaps a little too 'atmospheric' as there were times when the stage was so dark that it was hard to see what was happening. The dance was often full of energy and very impressive.

I'll be back @traversetheatre.bsky.social this evening for another @manipulatearts.bsky.social offering - Dewey Dell's re-imagining of Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring. I'm looking forward to a performance that brings contemporary ballet to the original score.

I enjoyed Dik Downey's energetic & witty solo performance in Don Quixote (is a very big book) @traversetheatre.bsky.social last night, as part of @manipulatearts.bsky.social. Dik used a mixture of puppetry and clowning to bring Cervantes' classic tale to a contemporary audience, who loved the show.

I'll be dipping into @manipulatearts.bsky.social this evening with a trip to @traversetheatre.bsky.social to see Don Quixote (is a Very Big Book) by Emma Williams, Dik Downey and Chris Collier. I'm looking forward to a classic tale brought to life by some fun puppetry.

Jack is the real deal, a great writer and lovely person. Do consider supporting if you can.

My iPad has become almost unusable. My near vision isn't great and OS 26 has just made it harder to control my tablet. So frustrating when a simple swipe was all I needed, but now it seems to take 10 swipes to do something.

A couple of seafront scenes from Dunbar this afternoon.

Got a busy weekend ahead reading an amazing THIRTY SIX applications for this year's Autopsy Award to support the production of a boundary-pushing performance work @summerhallarts.bsky.social for @edfringe.bsky.social in August. We're aiming to pick a winner on Wednesday.

I enjoyed The Shawshank Redemption very much @lyceumedinburgh.bsky.social this afternoon. This powerful, emotional production features excellent performances from Joe McFadden, Ben Onukwe and Bill Ward. The very dark set, captures the oppressive atmosphere of an American prison in the 1960s.

I'm looking forward to a trip to @lyceumedinburgh.bsky.social this afternoon to see Bill Kenwright Ltd's production of The Shawshank Redemption, directed by David Esbjornson. Good to see a touring production with such a large cast, including Joe McFadden and Ben Onwukwe.

Text: Scottish overall culture budget increased again for 2026-27. Once inflation is taken into account, the planned increase in the draft budget is £20 million (6%). Chart showing a £361m budget in 2025-26 rising to a £381m budget in 2026-27.

📐 It’s not all good news. Spending on Scotland’s five National Performing Companies* will be held flat, which means a real-terms cut. ✂️ In addition, Historic Environment Scotland and Architecture and Design Scotland will see their Government funding cut by 5% and 13% respectively. 🎨 Importantly, what will be going up next year is Creative Scotland’s Multi-Year Funding, which currently supports 263 cultural organisations, as will funding for the National Collections, and more. 💜 Overall, we welcome the Scottish Government’s decision to continue growing public investment in the arts and culture – and the Finance Secretary’s recognition that “it is through our songs and our stories that we best express ourselves, and best understand ourselves, and our place in the world”. Post

Yesterday, the Scottish Government published its draft budget for 2026-7, which once again increased its investment in culture 🔥

The picture remains mixed, but overall we are encouraged by this attempt to unlock the potential of the arts to improve all our lives 🖼️

I'm a bit late with this, but I thought I'd post some photos of the Dunbar Christmas Lights that I took this evening. The volunteers of the Dunbar Christmas Lights Committee have always put lots of effort into ensuring a good display. I'm very grateful for their efforts!