by Mark Fisher Published February 2012"Every single page of this book is enhanced by Mark Fisher’s lifelong enthusiasm for, and commitment to, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe – the greatest arts festival in the world." Kath M Mainland Chief executive, Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society  Fancy that
PITLOCHRY Festival Theatre has kicked off the new year by launching what it calls a summer season, except this one is going all the way through to November. Artistic director John Durnin has made his selection on the basis of "flights of fancy", choosing plays that make particular leaps of imagination. Capitalising on the theatre's new-found way with a musical, he is kicking off with Little Shop of Horrors, which should give the props department an opportunity for some fun. That production is quickly joined by The 39 Steps and Rope (both, incidentally, filmed by Alfred Hitchcock). Alan Ayckbourn's Communicating Doors joins the repertoire in July, JM Barrie's Dear Brutus opens in August, and all of them continue until October when Arsenic and Old Lace takes over for a nightly run. Shows start 18 May, with press nights in early June, for an uninterrupted six month season.  Fete accomplished
TAKING advantage of the January lull, Glasgow's Tron Theatre is holding a gala performance on Saturday. During the afternoon it is opening its doors to the public and putting on backstage tours, workshops and other entertainment all themed on the idea of a church fete. Come the evening, Susan Calman will compère a variety show starring Karen Dunbar (right), Horse, Gordon Dougall and Limelight, Linden Tree (with Joyce Falconer and Alan McHugh) and Sirens of Titan. Also advertised on the bill is Liz Lochhead who is contributing to this year's Burns Night celebrations with a play for BBC Radio 4. Based on a story by Helen Simpson, Burns and the Bankers will be broadcast on 25 January and stars John Sessions, Greg Wise, Sophie Thompson and Peter Forbes.  Sports day
HAMISH Glen, artistic director of Coventry's Belgrade Theatre, will have memories of seeing the Maly Theatre production of Stars in the Morning Sky at Glasgow's Tramway in 1990. He's been canny enough to spot that the play's story – it's about the "undesirable" prostitutes who were cleared from the streets of Moscow during the 1980 Olympic Games – has become freshly topical in the year of the London Olympics. That being the case, he's drafted in Scottish playwright (and fellow Coventry resident) Chris Hannan to translate Alexander Galin's play for a production in March. OPENING SOON Beautiful Burnout, NTS, on tour, Jan 18–Mar 18 Long Gone Lonesome, NTS, on tour, Jan 19–Feb 14 Midsummer, Traverse, on tour, Jan 19–Apr 29 The Infamous Brothers Davenport, Royal Lyceum/Vox Motus, on tour, Jan 19–Feb 25 LAST CHANCE TO SEE Cinderella, Adam Smith Theatre, Kirkcaldy, Dec 14–Jan 14 |  | |
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