When: 26th May – 4th June 2017
Where: Old Leith Theatre, Edinburgh
£: The event is free during the day. Evening events are ticketed (ticket prices vary)
What is it?
The 2017 Hidden Door festival will take place in Edinburgh from Friday 26th May to Sunday 4th June.
Returning for its fourth edition, the non-profit and 100% volunteer-run multi arts festival will this year take place in the old Leith Theatre; with ten days and nights of music, theatre, visual art, film and spoken word bringing the venue back to life.
Left derelict and decaying for 28 years, Hidden Door will provide the initial spark to get this art deco gem back up and running as a major Edinburgh arts venue and transform its empty spaces with the help of some of the best creative talent from Scotland and beyond.
This year’s music line up will include Scottish Album of the Year (SAY) award winner Anna Meredith, alt-pop duo Bdy_Prts and Marnie (of Ladytron) on Friday 26th May, and Scottish indie legends Idlewild with indie-pop from Hamish Hawk and alt-rock trio Dama Scout on Saturday 27th May.
On Friday 2nd June, Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival will present Gnabgnab, renowned rapper/saxophonist Soweto Jazz and 9-piece Riot Jazz headlining with their twisted mix of funk, soul, hip hop and aggressive jazz.
The final weekend will bring more multi-instrumentalist mayhem with Hidden Orchestra headlining on Saturday 3rd June and the festival will close on Sunday 4th June with a unique collaboration between Hidden Door favourites Tinderbox Orchestra and SAY Award winner, Kathryn Joseph.
Influential theatre company Grid Iron will premiere a brand new work in progress, whilst Ludens Ensemble return with new performance Love, based on Shakespeare’s Sonnets. Jamie and Lewis Wardrop’s Glasgow v. Edinburgh will utilise irreverent and playful multimedia as they rip up the postcard view of their cities.
Over 20 artists have been selected from an open call to exhibit at Hidden Door 2017 alongside 11 invited artists. They will transform every corner of the old Leith Theatre, working in a variety of mediums including sculpture, sound, performance art and video.
Interrobang will draw upon the theatre for storytelling inspiration for their Phantom of the Opera-themed Ghosts of the Citadel, and New Writers Award winner Rachel Plummer will join Matt Hulse, Matt Rogers and the Scottish Clarinet Quartet to present the electronica-inspired, cabaret-style Parlour Guide To Exo-Politics.
More info: hiddendoorblog.org