New Edinburgh Theatre Festival Puts Out Open Call

Edinburgh's amateur theatre companies have come together to organise StagEHd, an annual festival of the city's performing arts. The groups, led by community theatre company EGTG, successfully secured funding from the City of Edinburgh Council's Community Grant Fund for a two-day event showcasing the best of Edinburgh's community and grassroot theatre companies.

Set to take place at the Ross Bandstand in Princes Street Gardens on Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 May 2022, StagEHd has put out an open call for applications for theatre companies and performing artists to perform at the inaugural event. Applications for the 2022 event will open on Friday 12 November, and close on Friday 17 December 2021. The Festival is open to independent, grassroot and community theatre companies based in an EH postcode, and is encouraging proposals of new, old, and original work from all realms of the performing arts.

StagEHd founder and EGTG board member Hannah Bradley Croall commented: "Edinburgh is world renowned as a festival city, but its local theatre companies and performers can often be overlooked during these large international events. Thanks to the support from the City of Edinburgh Council's Community Fund, we can put together a community-led event that champions the talented artists that live, work and make theatre in Edinburgh all year round and put them in front of a local audience. StagEHd will show that art and performance can be woven into the fabric of the city without disrupting it; an open-air, free access event with social and environmental considerations at its heart."

The event planning and grant spending will be overseen by a community steering board which includes representatives from ten of Edinburgh's community theatre companies including; the Edinburgh Graduate Theatre Group, Edinburgh Makars, Edinburgh People's Theatre, East Lothian Youth Theatre, Leitheatre and Theatre Sans Accents.

The open-air StagEHd Festival will be free to attend, with residents and visitors encouraged to bring a picnic to enjoy the performances. The programme will be developed in collaboration with the community steering board, and will include a varied selection of performances from Edinburgh's amateur and grassroot performing artists. The full programme will be announced in March 2022.

StagEHd has been awarded the maximum grant to stage the inaugural festival at the Ross Bandstand in Princes Street Gardens on Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 May 2022, with the intention of moving to other outdoor venues and spaces around the city in future years. For more information, and to receive updates visit www.stagehdfestival.com and sign up to receive news.

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