Edinburgh International Children's Festival: 'a celebration of joy'

After years of curtailed ambition, the Children’s Festival looks set to return to its former glory, says Joyce McMillan

When Noel Jordan arrived from Sydney in 2015, to take on the role of Festival Director at the Edinburgh International Children’s Festival, he had no idea what a rollercoaster his decade in charge would turn out to be.

At first, all was plain sailing, as he put together festival programmes showcasing both a brilliant array of international work, and an ever-increasing number of shows from Scotland burgeoning children’s theatre scene which – after 25 years of investment via the festival’s year-round parent organisation, Imaginate – was beginning to win fans and admirers worldwide.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad
The Unlikely Friendship of Feather Boy and Tentacle GirlThe Unlikely Friendship of Feather Boy and Tentacle Girl
The Unlikely Friendship of Feather Boy and Tentacle Girl | Tommy Ga-Ken Wan

​In March 2020, though, as the first wave of Covid lockdowns swept across Europe, the EICF became one of the first Scottish arts organisation to have to cancel its May festival completely. There followed two years of tentative reconstruction, as the festival staged an ingenious 2021 “outdoor and online” programme, followed by a 2022 programme built around half a dozen Scottish shows and other work from neighbouring countries.

​And it’s only now, half a decade on, that the festival is once again beginning to look like the exuberant showcase for international and Scottish work that it was when it was first launched in a tented village in Inverleith Park, back in 1989.

For Jordan, it seems like the right moment to step down, as he prepares to return to Australia; but not without delivering an enthusiastic drum-roll for this year’s event, which opens on 24 May with its usual Family Day at the National Museum of Scotland, followed over the next week by a programme of 13 shows, including three new works made in Scotland, and five presented as part of a Spotlight on Flanders season, showcasing work from a culture that produces some of Europe’s most adventurous theatre for young audiences.

Tongue TwisterTongue Twister
Tongue Twister | Contributed

​“One thing I’m particularly pleased about,” says Jordan, “is that we’re starting to move on towards a new generation of children theatre-makers in Scotland – although the established companies are still there, and often play a key role in fostering new talent.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"Our opening night performance, for example, is The Unlikely Friendship Of Feather Boy And Tentacle Girl, a fabulous circus-inspired show by Vee Smith and Sadiq Ali about how the power of friendship can transform us from loners and misfits into strong characters ready to pursue our dreams.

​“Greg Sinclair’s Tongue Twister, by contrast, comes from one of Scotland’s best-known makers of theatre for young people; but it represents a new departure for him, and it will be staged at the newly reopened North Edinburgh Arts Centre, which is great to see.”

​Jordan is also excited to see the festival expanding this year into a venue it has never visited previously, as Belgian company Be Flat come to Portobello Town Hall with their intriguing acrobatic show Double You, a spectacular circus performance that explores “fear of missing out”.

And at the Traverse, he’s delighted to present the legendary Belgian company Kopergietery in The Pale Baron, an exceptionally timely show for older children about two musicians trying to pursue their art during a regime that tries to eliminate everything that seems too free, too different or too rebellious.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

​“We also have shows this year from France and Germany, and from the wonderful Oily Cart company from England, working with the Australian company Polyglot,” says Jordan. “And the programme includes some intensely physical work that really explores the idea of storytelling through acrobatics, and expands our ideas of what the human body can do. Because above all, I want this festival to be about the power of creativity, celebration and fun; not as a form of escapism from all the problems we face, but as an expression of joy. Because without joy – in our bodies, and in the power of our imaginations – we will never be able to overcome those problems; and we hope that this year’s Festival truly captures that spirit, and celebrates it.”

​The Edinburgh International Children’s Festival 2025 runs in various venues around Edinburgh from 24 May to 1 June. For details see www.imaginate.org.uk/festival/whats-on/

Related topics:

Comments

 0 comments

Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article.

Dare to be Honest
Follow us
©National World Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.Cookie SettingsTerms and ConditionsPrivacy notice