Latest news with #TheFringe
Scotsman
16 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Fringe young magician shares inspirational story of how magic saved his life, in new book
'Naughty or Neurodiverse: An Aspie's Road To Magic' follows Angus Baskerville's journey from misunderstood child to professional magician, thanks to a new passion he discovered while holidaying with family as a teenager. It marks a return to The Fringe for Angus who was last year awarded The Derek Award for standout acts at the festival. Bullied, excluded, expelled from three schools, Angus grew up feeling like he didn't belong. Diagnosed with Asperger's and ADHD at 15, he finally had a name for the chaos he had always felt. Now aged 29, he is enjoying huge national success with a magic career that includes a return to The Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August, on the back of a sell-out summer one-man show, Hidden Powers, and series of big ticket event performances. Despite a packed schedule, Angus, from Warwickshire, is still finding time to stay true to his pledge to 'pay it forward' by helping others overcome the challenges of neurodiversity through workshops, holiday camps, mentoring and public speaking. He recalls: 'School was a major challenge for me. Teachers didn't understand me because I was behaving very differently to the other students, and I was always known by everyone as the 'naughty one.' I spent so much time in the naughty corner, at one school the teacher even named it after me! 'Lack of understanding of Asperger's Syndrome, when everyone thinks you're being odd or naughty when in actual fact it's something you can't help, can be a first-class ticket to serious mental health problems and it's why I urge people to fight to get their diagnosis as soon as possible.' 'It wasn't until I found magic that I was able to make friends for the very first time. My social skills improved a lot.' As a Christmas gift in 2014 Angus' parents Neil and Kate enrolled him on a magic course at the famous Davenport's in London, bolstered by which he went on to compete in – and win - his sixth form talent contest. He earned money through his talent for the first time, performing tricks for tips in his local pub. At 19, Angus joined Leamington and Warwick Magic Society and, in 2020 he was accepted as a member of the prestigious Magic Circle. Today, he is in high demand among the magic and public speaking circuits, performing to a who's who list of rich and famous at prestigious venues across the country, including Windsor Castle, The Grosvenor Hotel Park Lane and Greenwich Theatre in London. He's now looking forward to mesmerising Edinburgh audiences once again throughout August with his all-new show on the famous Royal Mile. He said: 'Edinburgh Fringe has been a massive highlight of my career that created a lot of opportunities for me. It is known to be the third biggest ticketed event in the world behind The Olympics and The World Cup so I feel extremely privileged.' Angus is also a regular keynote speaker at autism conferences, conventions and workshops around the country, and a proud neurodiversity ambassador for numerous charities and bodies. 'I think if I had been diagnosed earlier things would have been different,' he said. 'I just felt like I was a bad person and the whole world was against me. I just didn't want to be here,' he said. His mental health battles suffered another setback in 2022 when, while waiting for a train at Warwick Parkway Station, he was witness to a suicide. This traumatic incident eventually led him to train in mental health first aid and suicide and self-harm awareness and prevention and, for the past two years, Angus has found solace in his volunteer work on Stamp Out Suicide's charity helpline. 'I've learned so much about mental health and other people and about autism and how you can achieve anything if you set your mind to it. There's always hope.' After 13 years in the making, Angus now hopes his book will help others not only come to terms with, but embrace their diagnosis. He said: 'I have written this book to show people what it's like to grow up with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). I want to share what helped me and what didn't. I also want people to understand how being different isn't bad – it's powerful. I believe the people with autism have amazing gifts to offer the world. 'I've always been different. Not naughty. Not worse, not broken. Just different. Some people see autism as a disability, others see it as a gift. There are challenges – lots of them – but there are also strengths. 'This book is my way of giving back. I want to help people find out what autism looks like from the inside. I want to help parents, teachers and kids find hope and practical ideas. I want neurodivergent people of all ages to know they're not alone. He added: 'This book is such a proud moment for me. There were countless times when I thought about giving up and considered just deleting the whole thing! But it's always been my dream to share my story with the world and the feedback so far has been positive. 'Life on the spectrum can be tough but with support, self-awareness and the right environment, it can also be joyful, meaningful and full of magic. If even one person reads it and feels seen, understood or inspired, then it's all been worth it.' 'Naughty Or Neurodiverse: An Aspie's Road To Magic' is available as a Kindle edition for £6.99 or in paperback for £17.99 from Amazon at: 2 . Contributed Angus has just published the book of his life. Photo: Submitted Photo Sales Related topics: ADHDTeachers
Scotsman
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Karen Dunbar returns to the Fringe for the first time since 2008
Comedian, actor, writer, DJ, and star of Chewin' The Fat, Karen Dunbar, and the Karen Dunbar Show, returns to the Fringe with an hour of comedy, stories, and observations. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Karen Dunbar returns to the Fringe for the first time in almost 20 years with a limited run of a show she describes as a mix of 'chat about TV, observations and stories'. 'I'm looking forward to being back in Edinburgh – I love the city and I love the Fringe – and I can't wait to spend time with the audience in a more intimate venue. I'll be chatting and connecting with the audience. It's all about sharing a connection and having a laugh' says Karen. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'I'm even looking forward to travelling through to Edinburgh from Glasgow every night. I actually love driving on the M8 – I did it three nights a week for five years when I was hosting karaoke gigs in Edinburgh – and because my show's on just after 9 o'clock at night, I'll get the miss the rush hour!' she adds. Karen is looking forward be being back at The Fringe Karen last performed at the Fringe in 2008, when she performed two shows; a stand-up show and the monologue, A Drunk Women Looks At The Thistle, which was written especially for her by Denise Mina. One particular performance of the monologue has stuck in her mind: 'it was a brilliant piece, quite serious in places, and because I was also doing a stand-up show that year and was known to most people for being in comedy shows on the telly, it was a bit of a weird cross over. "Some people came along expecting it to be pure comedy. I'd come on wearing a pink paper Stetson hat, and the first few minutes were quite comedic – the character had been developed from a drunk woman character from my TV show' Karen explains. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'But a few minutes in there was a real change of pace and it became an exploration of the Scottish psyche. One night I started the piece, and I could hear people talking, not whispering, but chatting at a normal conversation volume. And they kept on talking. I was trying to work out what was going on. I initially thought it was maybe someone translating or something, but then I became aware of the rest of the audience tutting and making shushing noises. But the chat continued. Karen will be at Just The Tonic from 13th to 24th August "After about 20 minutes I worked out it was three blonde women, a bit the worse for wear, so I said to them, 'excuse me, is my monologue interrupting your conversation?' to which they responded 'nah, we were just saying we'd like to leave'. I replied, 'away you go!'. And off they went in a flurry of handbags and clicky heels. The rest of the audience were delighted to see the back of them, but thirty seconds later one of them reappears, shouts 'this is shite!' and staggers off again. "I was feeling really energised by that point, and was full of adrenaline, so picked up the show where I'd stopped and had the best performance of the entire run – it went brilliantly, and I got a standing ovation!' Karen Dunbar is on at Just Upstairs at Just the Tonic at The Caves, 13th to 24th August (Not 18th).
Glasgow Times
19-07-2025
- Business
- Glasgow Times
Glasgow coffee shop to rebrand as American-style diner
Grain and Grind have announced their Battlefield branch, located on Battlefield Road, will close this month and reopen as Queen's Diner. They will close on Monday before reopening in late August. Queen's Diner will be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner and will serve dishes including waffles, fried chicken and burgers. READ NEXT: 'I couldn't have afforded it': This Glasgow pub helps comic to The Fringe However, fans of Grain and Grind's current offerings were assured they will still be serving "the same great coffee". In a post shared on Instagram announcing the change, bosses wrote: "As of Monday 21st of July, we will be closing the doors of our Battlefield branch for a refurb and a rebrand. "We're planning to re-open in late August as Queens Diner, an American-inspired all day dining experience. "Queens Diner will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. "Our menu will feature waffles, fried chicken, filled subs and burgers. As well as breakfast rolls and subs to takeaway." READ NEXT: Restaurants say they have lost thousands due to repeated flooding They continued: "We will still serve the same great coffee roasted by John and some great new additions like freshly pressed juices, ice cream floats and milkshakes. "Thanks for all your support over the years, it has been a blast. "We're super excited for the next part of this journey." Grain and Grind opened their first shop in Battlefield at the beginning of 2018 and now have seven cafes serving their small batch coffee.
Edmonton Journal
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Edmonton Journal
Theatre, music and poetry abound at Found Festival this weekend
From cafés to alleyways, parks to places with no proper name at all, Found Festival has been de-institutionalizing visual and performing arts for 14 years, running through Sunday on both sides of the river. Article content To say Found has a proper centre at The Fringe Grounds Café in its nightly AfterFound parties almost sounds like an accusation. Luckily — to maintain the festival's happily un-pinnable ethos — even these events are completely different night by night. Article content Article content 'Our mission is to bring some really wild and unexpected and fun and beautiful performances, and different types of art, to places in the community and in the city's neighbourhoods that folks might not look at in that way. Article content 'We really want to just take art out of institutional spaces, theatres, galleries, concert halls, things like that — places where people gather already.' Article content So, for you, this might be the aforementioned Hot Garbage at The Fringe Grounds Café Saturday night, where the suggested dress code is anything handmade, recycled or reworked as you wander through projects made by artists teamed up a mere 72 hours earlier, culminating in a straight-up dance party. Article content Article content Or, 7:30 p.m. Friday on Queen Elizabeth Hill overlooking Walterdale Bridge, a free, all-ages concert with a trio of powerhouse bands: hard-rocking lushclot, doomy Old Mound and darkwave duo Mox Jet. Again, free. Article content Article content Or how about adults-only Saskatchewan import play Slugs, the poster looking like a sexy horror movie? Article content 'They would love to hear that,' Brock laughs. 'S.E. Grummett and Sam Kruger have had huge Fringe hits (Something in the Water, Creepy Boys), and they're here with what's actually a huge production. It's got a lot of video, live music and is about these two techno punk artists who are trying to create a show that is entirely about nothing political in today's world.
Scotsman
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Innis & Gunn launches ‘Hole in Gunn' challenge at The Genesis Scottish Open - with a year's supply of beer to be won
One perfect swing could land a lucky golfer a year's supply of beer, thanks to a new challenge launched by Innis & Gunn to mark their partnership with the Genesis Scottish Open. The Edinburgh-based brewery has teed up the 'Hole in Gunn' challenge for Pro-Am Day, where any player landing a hole-in-one will walk away with 12 months of award-winning beer from one of Scotland's best-loved brewers. The challenge kicks off Innis & Gunn's new role as Official Beer Partner for the tournament, with the brand expecting to serve more than 30,000 pints across the course of the event. Well-known names confirmed to take part in the Pro-Am include Gary Woodland former US Open Champion and former Open Champion Francesco Molinari, with more sporting and celebrity participants set to be announced in the coming days. But it's not just the players who can get lucky. To celebrate the partnership, Innis & Gunn is also offering fans the chance to win a pair of tickets to Sunday's final round of the Scottish Open, one of the most in-demand days of the summer. All you have to do is buy a pint at one of Innis & Gunn's three Taprooms in Glasgow and Edinburgh from Monday July 7, and you'll be automatically entered into the prize draw. The Genesis Scottish Open partnership is the latest addition to Innis & Gunn's growing portfolio of major cultural and sporting partnerships, which already includes The Fringe, The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, The Royal Highland Show, Celtic Connections, and Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival. Dougal Sharp, founder and master brewer at Innis & Gunn, said: 'The Genesis Scottish Open is one of the biggest dates in Scotland's sporting calendar, and we're proud to be on board as Official Beer Partner. 'At Innis & Gunn, we're all about raising the bar, whether that's in the glass or out on the course. The 'Hole in Gunn' challenge is our way of adding a bit of fun and flavour to the action, and rewarding the kind of precision we can all raise a pint to. "We'll be bringing the full Innis & Gunn experience to the tournament: great beer, great energy and a celebration of world-class talent right here in Scotland.' The Genesis Scottish Open takes place from 10–13 July at The Renaissance Club in East Lothian, with the Pro Am taking place on 9 July.
