Glasgow festival first as 'world's most famous detective' makes debut
'A Midsummer Night's Dream and Romeo and Juliet sparked a life-long love of Shakespeare,' he explains.
Gordon Barr (Image: Bard in the Botanics)
'His plays have such incredible depth that no matter how often you return to them there is always more to discover.'
Gordon adds: 'It is a great pleasure to revisit these two plays for the 2025 season, with more than two decades of experience under my belt.'
Bard in the Botanics has announced its Magic, Mayhem and Murder season will open on June 27 and run until August 2.
In A Midsummer Night's Dream, Bard company stalwart Alan Steele plays Bottom with festival regulars James Boal and Claire Macallister as Oberon and Titania.
(Image: Bard in the Botanics)
Gordon says the production 'draws on Celtic and British folklore to create a magical version of the evergreen comedy.'
The second half of the season, which starts on July 18, includes a new production of Gordon's five-hander Romeo and Juliet, which was last staged in 2012. Sam Stopford takes on the role of Romeo with Lola Aluko as Juliet.
Romeo and Juliet (Image: Bard in the Botanics)
In the Kibble Palace glasshouse, Jennifer Dick will direct a new production of her adaptation of Marlowe's Dr Faustus with Adam Donaldson as Faustus and Sam Stopford as Mephistopheles, and in the second half of the season, she will present Sherlock Holmes: A Scandal in Bohemia.
Dr Faustus (Image: Bard in the Botanics)
Bard in the Botanics is not just about Shakespeare, points out Gordon.
'Whilst Shakespeare remains at the heart of Bard in the Botanics, as we continue to explore more of the canon of classic drama and literature, it's exciting to bring the work of another Scottish author to our stages – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle,' he says.
Sherlock Holmes: A Scandal in Bohemia (Image: Bard in the Botanics)
'His Sherlock Holmes stories have delighted generations of readers and I can't wait for our associate director, Jennifer Dick, to bring three of those stories to life in the Kibble Palace in a brand new play featuring the world's foremost consulting detective.
'This season is full of great stories – some of the best and most enduring stories ever told. From the iconic lovers of Romeo and Juliet to Faustus' pact with the devil to the thrilling adventures of Sherlock Holmes, there's really something for everyone.'
For more information and tickets, visit the Bard in the Botanics website.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scottish Sun
11 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
From cuffing season to orbiting and yassify, the A to (Generation) Z of modern dating terms – how many do you know?
Scroll down to find out what terms like 'zombieing' and 'FLR' mean LOVE LINGO From cuffing season to orbiting and yassify, the A to (Generation) Z of modern dating terms – how many do you know? Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) SHAKESPEARE said that 'the course of true love never did run smooth' – and that was before online dating. Finding your perfect match has its challenges, and Gen Z boasts an ever-evolving glossary of terms to describe their romantic lives. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up To help you keep up, read our A-Z of modern dating lingo and know your DINKs from your kittenfishers. A – Affordating: Low-cost dates, like a picnic in the park or a romantic stroll, if you can't afford fancy flowers and expensive meals. B – Benching: Keeping a potential partner on the back burner while you pursue others. C – Cuffing season: Spanning from October to just after Valentine's Day, this is the time it's deemed best to commit to a relationship. READ MORE ON GEN Z NEXT JEN How Jenna Ortega became Gen Z scream queen… Johnny Depp rumour to THAT sex scene D – DINK: Both working and you've got no kids? Lucky you — you're a DINK. The acronym stands for 'dual income, no kids'. E – Ethical non-monogamy: It's not cheating if you talk about it first — or so say believers in this dating style, where couples agree to have other partners. F – FLR: A 'female led relationship' sees traditional gender roles flipped. Women make the majority of the decisions or earn the most money. It should hardly be worthy of comment in 2025! G – Green flag: The opposite of red flag, this term is used by Gen Z for positive qualities in a romantic partner, such as being a good listener, sharing interests or getting on with your friends. H – Hard launch: Not just for celebs, this is where one or both partners confirm the relationship on social media with pics or a status change. I – Ick: Olivia Attwood made the term popular on the 2017 series of Love Island. Getting the ick involves developing a sharp revulsion towards a potential or current partner. The things i've learned as a gen-z traveller J – Jekylling: When someone shows you their 'best self' at first, but later reveals a much darker or toxic side. Named after alter-egos Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. K – Kittenfishing: If catfishing is creating a completely fake online ID, then kittenfishing is its less extreme cousin. It involves, for example, using old photos or exaggerating qualities. L – Love bombing: Showering a potential partner with excessive affection and gifts early in a relationship. M – Micro-cheating: Any blurred-line interactions which could be seen as cheating, such as private messaging someone of the opposite sex without your partner knowing or even liking their Insta snaps. N – Negging: Using insulting or negative comments about someone. O – Orbiting: Being ghosted means never hearing from someone again — but an 'orbiter' is an ex who lurks, watching your social media. P – Pocketing: When a date avoids introducing you to friends and family or posting about you on social media, keeping you 'in their pocket'. Q – Quiet quitting: The act of emotionally disengaging from a relationship without actually ending it. R – Rizz: Shorthand for the word charisma, rizz is the ability to charm and attract someone using confidence, style or good chat. S – Ship: To ship two people means you're rooting for them to be together. T – Talking stage: The period before a couple commit to a relationship, but do have some level of romantic or sexual involvement — which, confusingly, often goes beyond just talking. U – Undercover dating: Otherwise known as sneaking around, this is when you keep a relationship secret as you get to know each other. V – Vibe check: Basically a first date, and a chance to check if you click. W – Win: A successful move in dating or flirting, like scoring a kiss. X – Xennial dating: The outdated practices of Gen X and millennials. If you prefer face-to-face to WhatsApp and have never used Hinge, this term may well apply to you. Y – Yassify: To make yourself look good to impress. Z – Zombieing: When someone who ghosted you suddenly reaches out, it's like they are back from the dead — hence, zombieing.
The Sun
12 hours ago
- The Sun
From cuffing season to orbiting and yassify, the A to (Generation) Z of modern dating terms – how many do you know?
SHAKESPEARE said that 'the course of true love never did run smooth' – and that was before online dating. Finding your perfect match has its challenges, and Gen Z boasts an ever-evolving glossary of terms to describe their romantic lives. To help you keep up, read our A-Z of modern dating lingo and know your DINKs from your kittenfishers. A – Affordating: Low-cost dates, like a picnic in the park or a romantic stroll, if you can't afford fancy flowers and expensive meals. B – Benching: Keeping a potential partner on the back burner while you pursue others. C – Cuffing season: Spanning from October to just after Valentine's Day, this is the time it's deemed best to commit to a relationship. D – DINK: Both working and you've got no kids? Lucky you — you're a DINK. The acronym stands for 'dual income, no kids'. E – Ethical non-monogamy: It's not cheating if you talk about it first — or so say believers in this dating style, where couples agree to have other partners. F – FLR: A 'female led relationship' sees traditional gender roles flipped. Women make the majority of the decisions or earn the most money. It should hardly be worthy of comment in 2025! G – Green flag: The opposite of red flag, this term is used by Gen Z for positive qualities in a romantic partner, such as being a good listener, sharing interests or getting on with your friends. H – Hard launch: Not just for celebs, this is where one or both partners confirm the relationship on social media with pics or a status change. I – Ick: Olivia Attwood made the term popular on the 2017 series of Love Island. Getting the ick involves developing a sharp revulsion towards a potential or current partner. The things i've learned as a gen-z traveller J – Jekylling: When someone shows you their 'best self' at first, but later reveals a much darker or toxic side. Named after alter-egos Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. K – Kittenfishing: If catfishing is creating a completely fake online ID, then kittenfishing is its less extreme cousin. It involves, for example, using old photos or exaggerating qualities. L – Love bombing: Showering a potential partner with excessive affection and gifts early in a relationship. M – Micro-cheating: Any blurred-line interactions which could be seen as cheating, such as private messaging someone of the opposite sex without your partner knowing or even liking their Insta snaps. N – Negging: Using insulting or negative comments about someone. O – Orbiting: Being ghosted means never hearing from someone again — but an 'orbiter' is an ex who lurks, watching your social media. P – Pocketing: When a date avoids introducing you to friends and family or posting about you on social media, keeping you 'in their pocket'. Q – Quiet quitting: The act of emotionally disengaging from a relationship without actually ending it. R – Rizz: Shorthand for the word charisma, rizz is the ability to charm and attract someone using confidence, style or good chat. S – Ship: To ship two people means you're rooting for them to be together. T – Talking stage: The period before a couple commit to a relationship, but do have some level of romantic or sexual involvement — which, confusingly, often goes beyond just talking. U – Undercover dating: Otherwise known as sneaking around, this is when you keep a relationship secret as you get to know each other. V – Vibe check: Basically a first date, and a chance to check if you click. W – Win: A successful move in dating or flirting, like scoring a kiss. X – Xennial dating: The outdated practices of Gen X and millennials. If you prefer face-to-face to WhatsApp and have never used Hinge, this term may well apply to you. Y – Yassify: To make yourself look good to impress. Z – Zombieing: When someone who ghosted you suddenly reaches out, it's like they are back from the dead — hence, zombieing. 1
BBC News
a day ago
- BBC News
Ancient ruins of Peel Castle to show Shakespeare 'as intended'
A touring theatre director has said performing in the open-air in the ruins of an ancient castle allows audiences to experience Shakespeare as it was "originally intended".A cast of six is set to bring one of the playwright's best known comedies to life in the grounds of Peel Castle and Rushen Abbey this performances of Much Ado About Nothing form part of a 60-castle tour of Europe by the company, which started in Paul Stebbings said despite being well experienced in staging shows in historical ruins, the wildlife at Peel Castle had previously posed a challenge because "seagulls have no respect for Shakespeare". He said one of the seabirds attempted to upstage the actors in a key scene during a previous production of Romeo and Juliet at the site, which was built between the 11th and 14th centuries."I had to chase one off the stage that actually was determined to sit on the balcony," he said venues on the tour ranged from ruins to stately homes and the logistics of performing in castles were sometimes "pretty tricky" because ultimately castles were "designed not to get into".Stebbings has strong links to the island through both family connections and his involvement in several previous include writing and directing the Ghost of Illiam Dhone, portraying the life and times of Manx martyr William Christian, in conjunction with the Manx Heritage Foundation a decade ago. His latest Shakespearian endeavour, being staged in conjunction with Manx National Heritage, is set in Messina and revolves around a plot to make two friends fall in said using Peel Castle as the setting allowed the cast to get closer to the audience, in turn allowing those watching to see the play as the writer had "designed"."The actors get up close so the audience see the whites of their eyes, which I think is important," he said."These play were not designed to have clunky big scene changes," he production by TNT and the American Theatre Group is set to get underway in the grounds of Peel Castle at 18:00 BST, with a repeat performance a Rushen Abbey at 14:00 on Sunday. Read more stories from the Isle of Man on the BBC, watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer and follow BBC Isle of Man on Facebook and X.
