The 2023 Edinburgh International Festival has ended on a high, after 24 packed days of events from 2,500 remarkable and diverse artists representing 50 nations.

The programme was characterised by a high quality of art, presenting work from 130 Grammy nominated artists, 33 Grammy Award-winners, 14 Brit Award-winners, 6 Olivier Award-winners and 3 Venice Golden Lions awards. Artists also attracted significant worldwide media attention and positive reviews, with two-thirds of International Festival performances receiving four and five-star reviews.

With an unprecedented emphasis on a deepened audience experience, the 2023 International Festival reimagined how we interact with and appreciate live performance, through audio introductions, contextual demonstrations and discussions before and during performances, and bringing audiences and artists closer together through more informal, intimate performance environments.

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London Theatre Week, the highly anticipated performing arts celebration spotlighting dynamic musicals and award-winning plays in London’s West End, is extending until 10 September.

Locals and tourists alike will have the chance to beat those back-to-school blues by experiencing a wide-range of productions with reasonable tickets from £15, £25, or £35. Now in its fifth year, London Theatre Week is proud to have grown to a world-renowned initiative, meaningfully increasing accessibility to the performing arts since its inception. Having started with just 37 participating shows in its inaugural year, London Theatre Week has seen over 140 shows participate, performing across 85 local theatre venues, and has sold over 1 million tickets to audience members. Both new shows like Back to the Future and beloved classics like The Phantom of the Opera have taken part, bringing joy to audiences seeing high-calibre productions on offer in London’s glittering West End for a fraction of the cost.

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Classic hit ‘Don’t Leave Me This Way’ is an instantly recognisable pop/synth track transporting all back to the 80s, an energetic, iconic number that instantly gets you moving from The Communards, spent weeks at the no. 1 spot on the UK charts – a testament to the song’s popularity which is still enjoyed to this day. With co-vocals by soul/jazz vocalist Sarah Jane Morris, the band’s unique sound would go on to define the pop sound of the day. Renowned for her tenor/baritone range, Sarah Jane has paved a varied path throughout her career since, fronting bands The Republic and The Happy End and passing on her musical knowledge to future generations. Her latest project The Sisterhood a live choral performance narrating the lives of 10 iconic females musician including Nina Simone and Kate Bush. Set to play at Cadogan Hall on 6th October, Sarah Jane tells us more about her inspirations for creating the show, working with renowned guitarist Tony Remy to produce the show and how her extensive career has shaped her as an artist.

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The Rolling Stones come roaring out of the traps today with the release of their rocking single Angry. It arrives alongside the announcement of their hugely anticipated new album, titled Hackney Diamonds and released on October 20th. The exciting news was shared today by Mick, Keith and Ronnie at a special media launch event at the historic Hackney Empire, East London’s epicentre of pioneering art for almost 125 years. The launch was hosted by American tv star Jimmy Fallon and streamed worldwide via YouTube.

The 12-track album, for which full track list information will be revealed in due course, was recorded in various locations around the world, including Henson Recording Studios, Los Angeles; Metropolis Studios, London; Sanctuary Studios, Nassau, Bahamas; Electric Lady Studios, New York; and The Hit Factory/Germano Studios, also in New York.

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In total, comedy trio Foil, Hog and Arms have accumulated over 1 billion views online, an achievement within our digital age to be celebrated. Their sharp, viral comedic sketches attracting vast audiences in over 150 countries from the UK to the Middle East for over a decade now – the trio referred to as The Three Brothers in China. Admired by celebrities alike, including US comedy duo Key and Peele and renowned actress Emma Thompson, their popularity is clear to see – they all able to foster a sense of relatability that inevitably forges connection. An Edinburgh Festival favourite having sold over 26,000 tickets last year, they’ve enjoyed sold out runs at the New York Town Hall and Hammersmith Apollo. Ready to embark on a UK tour, starting off at the Theatre Royal Brighton on the 28th September and concluding at The Lowry Theatre on the 29th October – Foil, Hog and Arms present their latest live work, Hogwash– a fast paced mix of sketches, improvisation, audience participation and talking suitcases! Ahead of the tour, the trio tell us more about creating work for both live and online spaces and what to expect.

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Courtesy of Laura Aziz.

The Royal Opera House is offering a new tour celebrating the architecture that makes its theatre iconic. Highlighting how the Royal Opera House successfully blends Victorian and contemporary design, this tour offers an exciting insight into this unique performance space.

Courtesy of Sim Canetty-Clarke.

Perfect for theatre and architecture lovers, this hour-long tour begins from Wednesday 6 September 2023. Experienced guides will take visitors to some of the theatre’s most exciting features, including the Amphitheatre, Linbury Theatre, Paul Hamlyn Hall and the stunning Bridge of Aspiration. The inspiration, ambition and design of each space will be explained by Royal Opera House guides, giving visitors a better understanding of why the venue is world-famous

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The Royal Opera House is delighted to be featured as part of this year’s Open House Festival. Taking place on Saturday 9 and Sunday 10 September 2023, the festival celebrates the greatest architecture across London. The Royal Opera House will be open from 10 am across the Open House Festival weekend and we encourage everyone to explore the public spaces of our iconic venue.

As part of the festival, we’ll be offering a series of free tours of the Royal Opera House. Led by our expert guides, these tours will showcase the incredible history of the theatre, focusing on how the Royal Opera House has transformed from the 18^th century to now. Please note, this tour does not enter the backstage areas of the theatre.

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Come rain or shine, you can depend on the UK to put on an unforgettable outdoor experience, Battersea Park in Concert adding to a roster of summertime events both on a local and national scale celebrating our love of music. Organised by charitable organisation Enable in partnership with Wandsworth Music and Wandsworth Borough Council, the event takes over part of the 200 acre, Victorian park over 3 nights – Saturday 26th August – a West End themed soirée, Sunday 27th August – a classical music fuelled event fronted by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Monday 28th August with headliner Brit Award, Ivor Novello and MOBO Award Winning artist Gabrielle, renowned for her distinctive pop/soul sound which dominated the 90s pop music scene.

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Currently seen on the BBC’s DNA Family Secrets, Professor Turi King has played a significant role in the fields of forensics, history, genealogy and archaeology – her contribution to the identification of King Richard III a vital finding that has gone onto showcase the power of forensics, tying us ever closer to our personal lineages. Set to tour the UK with her latest live show Family History with DNA Detective Professor Turi King, Turi looks to delve deeper into her impressive decades long career, imparting the knowledge she’s gathered amongst the years. Ahead of the tour, which starts on 23rd September at the 1532 Performing Arts Centre – Turi tells us more about what to expect.

Hi Turi, your event Family History with DNA Detective Professor Turi King will tour the UK this September and October. How are you feeling ahead of the tour?

Very excited. I’ve been working in this area for over 20 years, I get to work on some really cool things. I’ve worked on the Richard III Project and early stuff around using DNA fingerprinting to look at people with the same surname, and whether they all related to one another through to doing DNA Family Secrets. I’ve worked on loads of really interesting projects, and it’s an area I’m quite passionate about, and I’m hoping that people will be able to learn tips and tricks as well as how they can use DNA when they’re doing their own family history.

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Courtesy of Peter Dibdin.

The 2023 Edinburgh Festival Fringe draws to a close today, Monday 28 August 2023, having brought together artists, arts industry, media and audiences from nearly 170 countries, with 2,445,609 tickets issued across the festival.

288 venues hosted a diverse selection of work from Scotland, the UK and the rest of the world, with 67 countries represented, and performance showcases from 17 countries. They were joined by nearly 500 of the world’s finest street performers, buskers and street artists, who brought vibrancy and joy to the Mound and Royal Mile as part of the Fringe street events.
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