Artsy Edinburgh, laid low by the virus, hopes for recovery
The Fringe, the high-toned Edinburgh International Festival, the Edinburgh International Book Festival, the Art Festival and the citys bagpipe-swirling Military Tattoo were all casualties of the U.K.s coronavirus lockdown. Donald Emslie, chairman of the Edinburgh Tourism Action Group, said the citys annual income from tourism doubled between 2010 and 2020. Edinburgh has been synonymous with arts festivals since 1947, when the Edinburgh International Festival was founded to revive the war-weary city. Last year more than 3.1 million tickets were sold to almost 4,000 Fringe shows during the three-week event. The International Festival also broadcast some productions online, and the book festival ran live-streamed talks by authors from around the world.
Writer David Hare turns his COVID-19 into a theater piece
LOS ANGELES Oscar-nominated writer David Hare says hes turned his COVID-19 illness into a stage monologue about enduring this quite extraordinary disease.Beat the Devil will open in London as soon as officials deem it safe for theaters to get back into business, Hare said Wednesday. I dont think anyone who has not had it (the virus) quite understands how extraordinarily unpredictable it is, not just on a daily but almost an hourly basis, said the Tony Award-nominated British playwright (Plenty, Racing Demon, Skylight). Hare discussed Beat the Devil during an online news conference to promote Roadkill, a political thriller debuting in November on PBS Masterpiece showcase. An actor has been cast for the virus monologue, Hare said, but he declined to say who or name the theater where it will be staged. Hare received Academy Award nominations for his screenplays for 2002s The Hours with Nicole Kidman and 2008s "The Reader starring Kate Winslet, with both actors winning Oscars.