The UK government must resolve a row with the EU over artists’ visas if future Edinburgh festivals are to live up to their international billing, Scotland’s culture secretary has said.
Angus Robertson said post-Brexit travel restrictions had been “a disaster” for cultural exchange, preventing overseas performers from visiting the UK and Scottish performers from touring abroad.
The UK department for culture sparked a furore by issuing a press release headed “Visa-free short-term touring allowed in 19 member states”. David Martin, chief executive of the Featured Artists Coalition, said the announcement was “not new information” and touring remained difficult.
Robertson said Scottish ministers would be “putting our foot on the gas” to ensure problems were resolved “because it’s bad for the Edinburgh festivals and bad for cultural life in the rest of Scotland and the UK”. He added: “The sad reality is that Scotland’s position relative to the European Union is a reserved issue. The UK government turned down the opportunity to have ongoing arrangements after Brexit, that would have obviated this problem.”
The Scottish government has “repurposed” £4 million from the Place and Expo funds administered by Creative Scotland for the benefit of this year’s Fringe and international events. Robertson indicated that more cultural funds were likely to be made available as Scotland emerges from the pandemic. “We are currently considering all the opportunities that we have as we emerge from the pandemic, to ensure that the arts and cultural sector flourishes,” he said.
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Army chief salutes stars of festival
The head of the army in Scotland has praised the soldiers and performers on parade in this year’s festival season (Mike Wade writes).
With the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo cancelled months ago because of the impact of the pandemic on ticket sales, Brigadier Ben Wrench visited the Army@TheFringe, one of the festival’s smaller but most consistently interesting venues.
To mark this year’s drill hall opening, Wrench met the actor and comedian Lubna Kerr and the Edinburgh magician Kevin Quantum whose show, The Trick That Fooled, has had extra dates added after initially selling out.
The Army@TheFringe venue, Hepburn House, East Claremont Street, is one of the few to be sited away from the city centre, and is usually an army reserve centre.
Wrench, commander of the 51st infantry brigade, said that the army had been determined to help audiences enjoy in-person shows, after the cancellation of last year’s festival.
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He said: “The army personnel who’ve transformed an army drill hall into a Covid-safe temporary theatre have done an amazing job — as have all the performers who faced even more challenges than artists normally do in order to develop and perform a superb programme of shows.”
The bill includes Punch, with Johnny by Arts Enigma, the story of the boxer Benny Lynch and “Gentleman” Johnny Ramensky, the infamous safe-blower, who met in a prison cell.
The programme opens on the launch weekend with Live@TheDrillHall, a variety production hosted by Mark McKenzie, featuring a house band of army musicians.
