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Establishing a national theatre, Comedy about mental health, Edinburgh flyering tips

Arts news with Kirsty Lang, including rap inspired by William Blake's poetry, establishing a national theatre, and how performers are addressing mental health in their shows.

In a devolved Britain, how many national theatres do we need? John McGrath of the National Theatre of Wales and Laurie Sansom of the National Theatre of Scotland discuss the pros and cons of running theatres without buildings.

Many shows at the Edinburgh Festivals this year are tackling issues of mental health. Performers Bryony Kimmings, Tim Grayburn and Brigitte Aphrodite discuss how to turn this challenging and sometimes taboo subject matter into entertainment.

Every year thousands of performers attempt to sell their Edinburgh shows by flyering on the Royal Mile. One theatre group, at the festival for the first time with their show, UKIP The Musical, give Kirsty a lesson in flyering at the Edinburgh Fringe.

And award winning beat boxer and rapper Testament talks about why he's devised a show based on the poetry of William Blake.

Available now

30 minutes

Chapters

  • Comedy and Mental Health

    Duration: 08:48

  • The art of Flyering

    Duration: 05:02

  • Establishing a National Theatre

    Duration: 08:25

  • Blake Remixed

    Duration: 05:13

Establishing a National Theatre

Establishing a National Theatre

Kirsty Lang talks to Laurie Sansom from the National Theatre of Scotland and to John McGrath from the National Theatre of Wales.

Images by Warren Orchard and Mike Hamilton

Comedy and mental health

Comedy and mental health

Fake It 'til you Make It is playing at the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh from 18-23 August and 25-30 August.

Photo: Richard Davenport

Flyering at the Edinburgh Fringe

Flyering at the Edinburgh Fringe

UKIP! The Musical is running at theSpace @Surgeon's Hall at 3.10pm on 17 and 19-29 August.

Rap music inspired by poetry

Rap music inspired by poetry

Blake Remixed is playing at the Underbelly at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival from 6-29 August followed by a UK tour.

Photo: Richard Davenport

Credits

RoleContributor
PresenterKirsty Lang
Interviewed GuestJohn McGrath
Interviewed GuestLaurie Sansom
Interviewed GuestBrigitte Aphrodite
Interviewed GuestBryony Kimmings
Interviewed GuestTim Grayburn
Interviewed GuestJessica Williams
Interviewed GuestTestament
ProducerOlivia Skinner

Broadcast

  • Mon 17 Aug 201519:15

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