The eyes of the theatre world remain on the Scottish capital, with the fringe’s big brother – the Edinburgh international festival – launching last weekend. Unlike the fringe, EIF is a curated festival and features an Oriental theme this year. Theatre offerings range from a one-man Taiwanese take on King Lear to performances from the National Ballet of China and Tim Supple’s epic Arabic staging of One Thousand and One Nights. Meanwhile, back on the fringe, the Traverse has been cleaning up at the Fringe First and Herald Angel awards
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Up the road in Inverclyde (well, about 80 miles west), composer Andrew Lloyd Webber’s charitable foundation has announced a £100,000 grant to the town’s new £9.5m Beacon Arts Centre. The cash will help set up a youth theatre at the venue, which will offer opportunities to socially disadvantaged youngsters from the area when the centre opens next year. The gift follows similar awards from the Lord's foundation to training institutions Rada and the Weekend Arts College for the Performing Arts
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More news emerging about plans for a forthcoming stage musical of Bridget Jones’s Diary: author Helen Fielding is now said to have given the green light to casting Sheridan Smith in the lead role. The actor, known for her TV work on Gavin and Stacey, has recently won plaudits for stage performances in West End musical Legally Blonde and Terence Rattigan play Flare Path. No news yet on the Hugh Grant and Colin Firth roles, but the show is looking for a London theatre in 2012 Photograph: Thomas Butler for The Guardian
Another actor in the spotlight this week was ex-Corrie star Suranne Jones, who has been impressing audiences and critics in the West End revival of Caryl Churchill’s Top Girls. Jones and the rest of the show’s all-female cast (how rare is it that you see one of those) have been getting great notices for Max Stafford-Clark’s production of Churchill’s anti-Thatcherite satire, which runs at the Trafalgar Studios until the end of October
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Clashes between Tory policy and the performing arts aren’t confined to Caryl Churchill plays, though. Universities minister David Willetts has angered the dance world by suggesting that A-levels in the subject should be less highly valued than 'classic' subjects in the university admissions procedure. They follow similar comments by education minister Michael Gove in 2009. Caroline Miller, director of Dance UK, accused the politicians of 'a narrowness of thinking which is potentially damaging for ensuring a rich curriculum is available to all young people in Britain'
Photograph: Alessia Pierdomenico/Reuters
Meanwhile, news that Shakespeare’s Globe’s production of Anne Boleyn will be heading (ahem) out on the road in the new year. Howard Brenton’s historical play about Henry VIII's unfortunate second wife debuted at the Globe in 2010 and returned this summer with Spooks star Miranda Raison reprising the title role. No news yet as to whether she will also be in the hot seat when English Touring Theatre takes the show on the road for an eight-week tour around the UK in early 2012 Photograph: Tristram Kenton
Later that year, London will of course be hosting the 'greatest show on Earth’, better known as the London Olympics. And, to stage the greatest show on Earth, you need a lot of performers – 10,000 to precise. Organisers are calling for adult dancers, actors, percussionists and general all-rounders to take part in the opening and closing ceremonies. Successful applicants will have a chance to perform in front of a global audience, under the direction of figures such as Trainspotting director Danny Boyle. The bad news? The roles are unpaid.
(Pictured: actors at the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games)
Photograph: Adrees Latif/Reuters
