Gruffalo Creator Julia Donaldson

Author and creator of the Gruffallo, Julia Donaldson, has written over one hundred and sixty books for children in the last fifteen years.  Despite being best known these days as a wordsmith, Julia started out as a busker and songwriter so has always been as comfortable on stage as behind a typewriter.  We caught up with her at a recent sell out performance of some of her books at the MacRobert theatre in Stirling and first asked her if, of all her books, she thought when writing it that the Gruffalo would the one to make her famous.

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Stirling Observer Entertainments

For ten years Chris Kane has kept readers of his local newspaper, the Stirling Observer, up to date with what’s happening in theatre, films, music and more across the city.  Published in the paper on Wednesday, you’ll get a sneak preview of the column every Monday from 3pm here on the Bee Herd website.

Chilli Pipers (28th Oct)

The Red Hot Chilli Pipers are one of the most famous pipe and drum groups in the world and they’ll be on stage at the Albert Halls tomorrow night (Thu) at 7.30pm.  They are winners of the BBC One show “When Will I Be Famous” with a blistering set of rock bagpipes that astounded viewers and critics. They’ve performed all over the world at huge events, from A list celebrity parties to T in the Park and the Chang Mai Rock Festival.

The Albert Halls Eddie White says, “With three graduates from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in the band, they put a whole new spin on the bagpipes and take the music to a new audience.  They strode dramatically on stage at a recent gig to the strains of Also Sprach Zarathustra, before lunging into Crooked Bridge, black kilts swaying to the beat of not one, but three world class drummers.  It would be fair to say that it wouldn’t matter where the pipers played, they don’t seem capable of giving any less than 110 per cent.”

Tickets, priced £17.50, are available from the box office on 01786 473544.

Wrestlution IV (29th Oct)

The World Wide Wrestling League’s biggest annual event is coming to Stirling on Friday night, with “Wrestlution IV” promising a night of American style professional wrestling and great fun for all the family.

The big event will be the championship match between current Champion James “Darkside” Scott, back in action after a car accident put him out of commission nearly a year ago.  He’ll be wrestling Irishman Damian O’Connor for the League’s Heavyweight belt.

There’s a grudge match between former champions Mike Musso and David Paris.  The match will see them compete under the “Last Man Standing” rules;  the match will only end when one wrestler is knocked down and can’t answer the referee’s 10 count.

There’s women’s action as well as Nikki Storm will face Miss Viper to crown a new league Woman’s Champion.  The Tag Team event will see current champions Freddy Da Funk and Magic Mackie defend their title against a pair of mystery challengers who have insisted will not reveal their identity until match time.

A throwback to older fans will see the British League Championship being defended by Jack Jester against Adam Shame.  The British Rules competition is contested in six five minute rounds with the winner requiring 2 falls, 2 submissions or a knock out:  just like the wrestling that was on your televisions back in the 1970s.

Tickets for the event are £12 (or £35 for a family of four), with doors opening at 6.30pm.   Contact the box office on 01786 473544 for more information.

Notes From The Edge (29th Oct)

On Friday 29^th October, “Notes From The Edge” will be performing at the Tolbooth.  The band consists of a group of adults recovering from mental health issues that meet weekly at Artlink Central with musician Dee Faulds to compose and develop their own songwriting and performing skills.  The group have been together for several years and have performed live at a variety of gigs supporting mental well being.

Supporting them will be local groups “Created from Silence” and “Little Eskimos”, along with Northampton based folk pop group “My First Tooth”.

Tickets are £5 each and available from the box office on 01786 274000.

Author Paul Henke Book Signing (30th Oct)

Local author Paul Henke will be signing copies of his latest book at the McClintock Hall in Balfrton on Saturday (10am).  He’ll be there as part of the West Stirlingshire Friends of Strathcarron Hospice’s Christmas Fayre.  At the event will be around twenty stallholders selling everything from hand crafts to seasonal gifts and Christmas cards.

Paul’s life is as action packed as the adventures he creates on paper. The son of an immigrant coal miner, Paul joined the navy and went on to become a mine and bomb disposal Officer. He and his team were responsible for tracking and detonating underwater explosives left adrift after the Second World War. He served with Prince Charles, commanded a minesweeping ship, and survived a machine gun attack by IRA gun runners in the 1970s.

As an author, Paul is equally at home writing sweeping family epics as he is fast paced action heroes. His “Million Tears” saga spans four novels and tells the story of the Griffith family, from their humble beginnings in a poor Welsh mining village to their pivotal role in some of the Twentieth Century’s most critical moments. His “Nick Hunter” novels have created a daring hero whose work for the fictional “International Force Against Terrorism” puts him up there with the best from Ian Fleming, Jack Higgins, Clive Cussler and more.

The event runs from 10am until 3pm.  Admission is £2, but that includes a cup of coffee and some home baking.  For more information on Paul Henke, log onto www.henke.co.uk

Dracula (30th & 31st Oct)

It’s Halloween on Sunday night, but if you’re too old to go around the neighbours houses telling bad jokes for chocolate, you might enjoy seeing a spooky theatrical production at the Albert Halls.

The multi award winning “Sell a Door” Theatre Company will be performing Liz Lochhead’s adaption of Dracula, based on the novel by Bram Stoker.  It’s been twenty five years since the play was first performed and Sell a Door have been touring Scotland with it for the last couple of weeks, culminating in this weekend’s performances in Stirling.

In the Spring of 1893, Jonathan Harker, a young English solicitor, visits Castle Dracula in Transylvania for what he believes to be a routine deal with the nobleman Count Dracula.  Harker soon realises that he is not a visitor at all, instead a prisoner to the deadly Dracula, who sets off to find Mina, Harker’s fiancée, and her sister Lucy.  The more Harker investigates his confinement, the more he fears his deadly captor.  He has to find a way to stop the evil Count before he unleashes his supernatural powers on his first victim.

Although Dracula is one of the most famous fictional characters ever, his story as told in the novel is strangely not so well known.  It’s a tragic tale of power and redemptive love where the lines between the sane and the insane become dangerously vague.

Tickets, priced £10, are available from the box office on 01786 473544.

Reloaded 2 (30th Oct)

The Tolbooth’s regular event for up and coming bands, Reloaded 2, is back at the top of the town venue for another month on 30^th October (Saturday).  On the bill will be “Colin James Murphy & The Conspiracy”, supported by “Dorian” and “Date”.

Colin James Murphy is a Denny based singer/songwriter who has appeared at Reloaded in the past as a solo artist, but for this gig he’s stepped it up a gear and assembled a new band.  Event organiser Steven Hume says, “Colin has kept his acoustic guitar and soulful melodies for the full band project which will no doubt live up to the high standards set as part of his solo act.  Colin has been involved in bands in the past however, so he knows how to handle the pressure of fronting a larger outfit”.

“Dorian” are back at the Tolbooth after a slot at last month’s Reloaded Fest.  This three piece band have put in shifts supporting The Futureheads, Johnny Foreigner, Dead Meadow and Youth Movies.

Completing the lineup is new band “Date”.  They’re from Wallace High School and have had a number of name changes over the past year, but have now settled down are starting to get into their own stride.  The band played an impressive gig at the Edinburgh Fringe in August and have previously been on stage at Reloaded.

Doors open for the event at 7pm and tickets are £6.  Contact the box office on 01786 274000 for more information.

New Films

This week at the MacRobert cinema you can see “The Girl Who Played With Fire”, “Love Actually”, “Alpha & Omega” and “The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo”.

“The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” is the first part of Stieg Larsson’s “Millennium” trilogy.  Suspecting his niece’s death was not an accident but in fact a murder by one of his own family, millionaire Henrik Vanger employs journalist Mikhael Blomvkist and computer hacker Lisbeth Salander to investigate.  The film is showing on Saturday.

“The Girl Who Played With Fire” is the second instalment in the Millennium trilogy and its being shown from Friday until Tuesday at various time.  While Lisbeth and Mikael are investigating a sex trafficking ring, Lisbeth is accused of three murders, causing her to go on the run while Mikael works to clear her name.

Friday (29^th) is Breast Cancer Awareness Day, so the MacRobert is joining in with the campaign’s pink theme by showing chick flick “Love Actually” and selling pink gin and pink cup cakes at the bar.

For families on Saturday and Sunday afternoon you can see animated adventure “Alpha and Omega”.  It’s the story of two mismatched wolves who are thrown together when they are taken by park rangers from their home in Canada and relocated to Idaho.  A race against time ensues to ensure Kate gets back home in timer for her arranged marriage to Garth, an alpha wolf from a rival pack, to maintain peaces between all the wolves.

For more information on films showing at the MacRobert, telephone the box office on 01786 466666 or log onto www.macrobert.org.

For information on films showing at the Vue cinema, log onto www.myvue.com

Stirling Observer Entertainments

For ten years Chris Kane has kept readers of his local newspaper, the Stirling Observer, up to date with what’s happening in theatre, films, music and more across the city.  Published in the paper on Wednesday, you’ll get a sneak preview of the column every Monday from 3pm here on the Bee Herd website.

Michael McGoldrick (20th Oct)

Regarded by his peers as one of the greatest flute players of modern times, Michael McGoldrick will be bringing his distinct sound to the Tolbooth tonight (Wednesday).

Michael probably best known as being part of the Gaelic supergroup Cappercaillie, but his also been a founder member of bands such as “Flook” and “Toss the Feathers”.  He’s collaborated with the likes of John Cale and Youssou N’Dour and is one of the most in demand musicians in the UK today.

On tour for the first time since the release of his album “Aurora”, Michael will be performing with fellow musicians Colin Farell and Tony Byrne.

Michael’s distinctive crossover of traditional Irish music to modern day music has won him many followers and awards, including All-Ireland champion and musician of the year at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards.

The Tolbooth’s Eddie White says, “A master of flute, whistles and uillean pipes, Michael McGoldrick has been a regular visitor at the Tolbooth over the last couple of years and never fails to deliver a fantastic performance.  His live shows are truly special, allowing audience to enjoy the sheer energy as well as subtlety of his music”.

Tickets, priced £12, are available from the box office on 01786 274000.

The Tobacco Merchant’s Lawyer (20th Oct)

Tonight (20^th) you can see the play “The Tobacco Merchant’s Lawyer” at the MacRobert theatre.  Written by Iain Heggie and starring Benny Young, it’s a satirical play that comes to Scotland fresh from a sell out run in London.

It’s set in Glasgow in 1780, when the city was a booming part of the worldwide tobacco trade.  In 1780 most of the tobacco came from America, but with the war of independence looming, there was a great deal of worry that Glasgow’s economy would be ruined.

However, that’s all background to the story because the main character has much more pressing issues to worry about.  Enoch Dalmellington lives in Virginia Street and is much more concerned about marrying off his pious and humourless daughter Euphemia an being able to afford his pew at the Tron Kirk.  He’s also concerned about a worrying vision of the future he’s been given by the enigmatic Mistress Zapata, who thinks that in Glasgow in 2010 women will be attending university, the poor will have water closets and worst of all, smoking will be banned in all public places.

Tickets for the play, priced £12, are available from the box office on 01786 466666.

Heidi Talbot (21st Oct)

Folk musician Heidi Talbot will be in concert at the Tolbooth tomorrow night (Thursday).  Having cut her teeth as lead singer of the Irish American all female group “Cherish The Ladies”, Heidi is right at home with both Irish traditional and Roots music.

She’s been described as a cross between Bjork and Enya;  a startling enough combination to make me want to find out more!  When not on tour, Heidi is in demand as a recording artist, recently singing on songs by Idlewild, Eddie Reader and Kris Drever.  Her album “In Love and Light” won an Indie Acoustic Award for “Best Album” and this year Heidi has been nominated for “Best Female Vocalist” at the Irish Music Awards.

If you’re a fan of the music of Karine Polwart or Eddie Reader, you’ll probably enjoy Heidi’s concert.  Tickets, priced £10, are available from the Tolbooth box office on 01786 274000.

Gilded Balloon Comedy Club (22nd Oct)

The Gilded Balloon Comedy Club will be at the Tolbooth on Friday night, with three top comedians all appearing on the bill:  Bruce Morton, Elvis McGonagall and JoJo Sutherland.

Bruce Morton is an acclaimed Scotish comic, storyteller and social commentator as well as founder of the Funny Farm Comedy Collective.  The milestones of his career so far include a Perrier nomination, two UK tours and a critically acclaimed one man show called “Blood Below the Window”.

JoJo Sutherland is the charismatic mother of four from South Queensferry who swapped places and partners with Dawn from Doncaster in a recent series of “Wife Swap”.  Her experiences on the show along with her “healthy neglect” approach to parenting feature throughout her routine, interspersed with everyday grievances and motherly advice all delivered with hysterical results.   JoJo is also an accomplished actress, frequently appearing on stage with her own theatre company and on radio and television.

Elvis McGonagall doesn’t use the term “comedian” to describe himself, preferring instead “stand-up poety, armchair revolutionary, recumbent rocker and the sole resident of the Graceland Caravan Park somewhere near Dundee”.

Tickets for the show, priced £14, are available from the box office on 01786 274000.

Jazz Orchestra (23rd Oct)

On Saturday night (23^rd), the excellent Tommy Smith Jazz Orchestra will be performing at the Tolbooth, featuring some of the best and brightest young Scottish musicians.  Under Tommy’s unassuming leadership, musicians, some of them as young as twelve, have been encouraged, nurtured and directed into a highly disciplined, superbly creative unit where their personalities are allowed to develop and shine.

If you like jazz in the style of the best big bands and singers of the 1940s and 1950s, then you’ll very much enjoy this performance.  Every concert features the ensemble working as a well practiced and very polished group, but then many of the musicians get a chance to shine with compositions that showcase their individual instruments.

Tickets, priced £7, are available from the box office on 01786 274000.  Under sixteens, although still requiring a ticket, get in for free.

Kids shows (23rd Oct)

There are a couple of nice sounding family shows at the MacRobert this weekend:  “We Dance, Wee Grove” on Friday and Saturday;  and “La Pelota Magica” on Saturday.

“We Dance, Wee Grove” is a great way to get the very young to engage with music, movement and the fun that comes with dancing to a beat.  The dancers, some of Scotland’s finest choreographic talent, will help parents and kids get physical and explore the dance floor.  Whether that’s wiggling, waddling, crawling, rolling, jumping, jiggling or running around, it doesn’t matter;  the show is about using your imagination, joining in and having fun.  Colourful, ambient lighting and moving images will help create a multi-seonsory experience for everybody.   Tickets for the shows, which are on Friday at 10:30am and 1:30pm and on Saturday at 11am and 2pm, are £8 each.

“La Pelota Magica” is an enchanting Argentinean story told in basic Spanish for kids aged six – ten.  Don’t let the language put you off;  my three year old daughter knows a lot of simple Spanish purely from watching “Dora the Explorer”.  The show is about brother and sister Luis and Natalia who are playing in the foothills of the Andes.  The see a beautiful, shimmering ball and chase after it.  However, the ball belongs to the cold eyed witch of the mountains who uses magic to trap Natalia.  Seeking help from the wise old man Atahualpa, Luis has to rescue his sister.  The story is told through puppets, actors and live music.  Tickets are £6 eacfh and the show is on Saturday at 3pm and 6pm.

For further information, contact the MacRobert box office on 01786 466666.

New Films

This week at the MacRobert cinema you can see “When Did You Last See Your Father”, “The A-Team”, “The Last Song”, “Girl With A Pearl Earring” and “Villa Amalia”.

“When Did You Last See Your Father” is showing on Saturday and Sunday.  Starring Colin Firth and Jim Broadbent, it’s the story of a difficult relationship between a father and a son.  When Blake (Firth) finds out that his dad (Broadbent) has terminal cancer, he returns home and is faced with painful memories of the past but tries to put them to one side in order to reconnect with his father before it’s too late.

“The A-Team” is the long planned film version of the cult 1980s show that I remember fondly from Saturday tea-times.  As the original cast are either dead or getting a little too old for the action roles, it’s up to Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, Quinton Jackson and Sharlto Copley to bring to life Hannibal, Face, BA and Murdoch.

“The Last Song” starts Miley Cyrus and Greg Kinnear.  Ronnie (Cyrus) and her father (Kinnear) are estranged but he’s keen to get their relationship back on track, so he chooses the one thing they have in common – music.

“The Girl With a Pearl Earring” is a speculative account of the life of Griet, the sixteen year old who appears in Johannes Vermeer’s painting that gives the film its title.  Set in 17^th century Holland, Griet is employed by Vermeer as a housemaid to care for his six children, his jealous pregnant wife and his uncommunicative mother in law.  Tensions rise when Vermeer’s wife suspects her husband is getting a little too close to his housemaid.

“Villa Amalia”is a French film about Ann, a musician whose life is turned upside down when she sees her partner kissing another woman. She makes a clean break and sets off on a voyage of discover to an island where the Villa Amalia stands.

For more information on films showing at the MacRobert, contact the box office on 01786 466666.

For information on films showing at the Vue cinema, log onto www.myvue.com

Stirling Observer Entertainments

For ten years Chris Kane has kept readers of his local newspaper, the Stirling Observer, up to date with what’s happening in theatre, films, music and more across the city.  Published in the paper on Wednesday, you’ll get a sneak preview of the column every Monday from 3pm here on the Bee Herd website.

13th – 20th October

Le Weekend (654 words)

Le Weekend, Stirling’s annual music festival dedicated to the more unusual and diverse styles found around the world is back for the thirteenth year, with everything kicking off on Thursday night.  There are twenty five events over four days, by far the biggest programme ever attempted;  which in itself is fitting, because this will be the last ever “Le Weekend”.

Tolbooth Artistic Director Alasdair Campbell says, “All things must pass.  For thirteen years Le Weekend has brought a mind boggling array of musical mayhem to Stirling and this year its last breath will be drawn on Sunday night.  But like most beasts of bewildering spirit, we hope that what Le Weekend stated all these years ago will live on in something new in the years ahead”.

Thursday’s opening events included “Critical Mass”, “Ben Frost” and the “Sten Sandell Hammond Organ Trio”.  “Critical Mass” are Agusti Fernandez and Mats Gustafsson.  Best known for his band “The Thing”, Mats has been a regular at Le Weekend over the years.  He’ll be joined on stage by Agusti on the piano, with both showing exactly what their respective instruments are capable off.  Ben Frost is a musician who tries to make his music invoke the landscapes of Iceland where he lives.  He strips everything bare to leave a haunting, minimalist sound.  Sten Sandell should be an interesting event;  one Hammond Organ can be fun for a while;  three should therefore be three times the fun.  For a while.

On Friday you can see Bill Wells and Stefan Schneider, Andreas Soderstrom and Murcof.  The Tolbooth’s Alasdair Campbell says, “Bill Wells continues to create some of the most beautiful music produced anywhere, the only crime is that it is not recognised more universally as such, despite being so prolific.  Andreas Soderstrom’s music is a carefully crafted melange of acoustic sound and awkward melody.  His music swells out of a Scandinavian pop/folk/contemporary scene and brings sheer beauty back on to the spectrum.  As for Mrcof, it’s great to have him at the festival for the first time.  The band explores the forms and timbres of the classical tradition through digital means.

On Saturday, highlights include Peter Nicholson, Marilyn Crispell and Raymond MacDonald, Tetuzi Akiyama and Chris Forsyth, and Tarwater.  ON Marily Crispell and Raymond MacDonald, Alasdair Campbell says, “From works like Gaia and Labyrinths in the mid 1980s, to working with Braxton in his classic quartet, or her sumptuous interpretations of Annette Peacock’s music with an equally brilliant trio, to her present day explorations of the possibilities in music, Marilyn’s unquenchable brilliance is a testimony to her enduring spirit.  A spirit that is recognised and continued by Scotland’s own Raymond MacDonald.  His adventures in modern music are unmatched on the UK improvisation scene.

Sunday’s highlights included John Butcher and Gerry Hemingway, and Faust.  Faust bring down the curtain on the final Le Weekend and Alasdair says, “we bring to a close thirteen years of the Le Weekend journey with a very apt performance from a band who in some way encapsulate the Le Weekend spirit.  Inventors of Krautrock, iconoclasts extraordinaire, Faust are key figures in 20^th century music.  In the early 1970s, along with Can and Kraftwerk, they reinvented pop music as a specifically European art form”.

I’ve grown to like Le Weekend, but back in the early days I found it be experimental to the point of being inaccessible to many people.  However, the lineup has softened over the years and, although definitely not mainstream, its gritty and challenging performances push us to consider musical styles we would rarely hear anywhere else.  I remember being a little horrified when it was announced that Le Weekend would be back for a second year.  More than a decade later, I’m more than a little sad to see it go.

For a full line up of events and to book tickets, log onto www.leweekendfestival.com or call the Tolbooth box office on 01786 274000.

Horse

The wonderfully named, superbly talented “Horse” will be performing at the MacRobert theatre on Saturday night.  A musician all of her life, her career has spanned three decades, many albums, hundreds of live appearances and the inevitable ups and downs of life in the creative spotlight. She has performed alongside artists as diverse as Tina Turner, Robbie Williams, Burt Bacharach, Sir Ian McKellen, Lesley Garrett, the Pet Shop Boys, All Saints, Culture Club and Erasure.  I could go on, but it would be like writing the index page of the Guiness Book of Hit Singles.

Her latest album is called “Coming Up for Air” and Horse will be performing songs from it (along with the classics) at the concert.  The album started from a sad place, with various bereavements for Horse, family and friends giving the creative beginning.  The songs are of her experience through this sad time, her sense of loss and not being able to say goodbye.  However, that’s not all the album has to offer; there are also songs about jealousy, lust, hope and uplifting moments of fun.

The MacRobert’s Markus Stitz says, “Horse makes a welcome return to the MacRobert stage as part of her Autumn 2010 tour.  Don’t miss the chance to enjoy a selection of songs old and new, from her back catalogue covering the phenomenal twenty years since the release of her debut album “The Same Sky, right up to songs from her new album.  The concert is a chance for those familiar with her work to relive their own memories, and for new audiences to experience the range of emotions and beautifully crafted songs Horse performs.

Tickets for the concert, priced £15, are available from the box office on 01786 466666.

Scottish National Jazz Orchestra

The excellent Scottish National Jazz Orchestra will be performing at the MacRobert Theatre on Sunday night.  If you like jazz music, these musicians are some of the finest performing anywhere today and are always worth a listen.

For this performance, they’ve teamed up with the outstanding double bassist and ECM recording star Arild Anderson.  The programme features pieces from a wide range of composers, including Keith Jarrett, Pat Metheny, Chick Corea, Jan Garbarek and Kenny Wheller, all played with passion, vigour, sensitivity and colour.

I find the SNJO to be one of the best ways to introduce the entire family to jazz music and these concerts are always great fun and good value for money. Tickets for what is sure to be a popular event are £15 each and available from the box office on 01786 466666.

The Bookie

Cumbernauld Theatre Company will be making the short trip along the M80 to the MacRobert Theatre next Tuesday (19^th), when they will be performing Douglas Maxwell’s play “The Bookie”.

The story is set in the fictional town of Quarry, a quiet seaside town until Saturday night when it becomes a destination for Stags, Hens and dangerous divorcees.  Bookie Stevie McGee’s life isn’t the best;  his love life is in tatters, his car is falling apart and his patter is pretty poor.  He’s going nowhere until Jonathon Queen comes back to town.  He’s a self made man with self made plans and a hundred scores to settle.  And to make Stevie’s life even worse, Jonathon is planning on building a big casino in the centre of town.

“The Bookie” is a new musical which, I’m told, combines the glitz and glamour of Vegas with a Scottish seaside town.  The mind boggles.  Tickets, priced £12, are available from the box office on 01786 466666.

Art Attack

Just in time for the October break, CBeebies television presenter Mike Amatt will be bringing his wacky but artful stage show to the Albert Halls on Sunday afternoon.

Mike has been a regular children’s presenter sicne creating his first television show in the 1980s;  since then he’s been a Playschool presenter and hosted a multitude of art based shows.  This will be an interactive show, with lots of opportunities for kids to join Mike on stage and show of their artistic skills.  Amongst other things, Mike has a spooky ghost story which he tells while painting a haunted castle with ultra violet paint.  He’s got plenty of lollipops to give away and at one point in the show he’ll have six kids on stage playing rock guitars.

Mike is fun and whacky and puts on a show that families will enjoy.  Tickets for “A Smart Attack of Art” are available from the Albert Halls box office on 01786 473544.  The show starts at 2.30pm.

Rolling Back the Years

On Friday night at the Albert Halls, the air will be filled with nostalgia as the show “Rolling Back the Years” rolls into town.  The show is a tribute to the best music of the 1940s and 1950s, featuring songs from some of the greatest stars of the time, including Glenn Miller, Fred Astair, Buddy Holly, Cliff Richard, Frank Sinatra and Judy Garland.  In a nod to the more recent times, there will also be the odd song or two from the likes of Dolly Parton and Abba.

All of the songs will be performed by beautifully costumed cast members and everything will be choreographed for each decade.  The “Memory Lane Singers” will be your musical guides for the night in what will be an excellent concert for anybody who remembers the songs the first time around.

Tickets, priced £12, are available from the box office on 01786 473544.

MacRobert Cinema

This week at the MacRobert cinema you can see “Heartbreaker”, “Scott Pilgrim v The World”, “Toy Story 3” and “The Secret in Their Eyes”.

“Heartbreaker” is showing on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  It’s a French film staring Vanessa Paradis and Romain Duris. Charming and irresistible Alex offers a professional service;  he breaks up relationships.  IN a matter of weeks, he promises to transform any husband, fiancé, or boyfriend into an ex.  However, when he’s hired to break up a beautiful heiress, Juliette, and the fiancé her father considers to be unsuitable, he starts to fall in love with Juliette and that gets in the way of his professional commitment with some amusing consequences.

“Scott Pilgrim v The World” is also showing on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  Scot Pilgrim is a twenty three year old with a great life;  he’s in a rock band, dating a cute girl and living a good life.  That’s until he meets roller blading delivery girl Ramona Flowers.  He falls in love, but before he can date her he has to help her get rid of her seven evil ex boyfriends who don’t want her to be happy.  Can Scott get the girl before the bad guys get him?  I wonder …

Finally, “Toy Story 3” is showing on Saturday and Sunday.  The third installment in the franchise that launched Pixar into the big league of Hollywood films is, supposedly, the final one.  Set a decade after part two, Buzz Lightyear, Woody and the gang are all facing a problem that comes to all toys;  Andy, their owner, has grown up and is about to go to college.  The toys are feeling left out and unwanted and think things will get better when they’re donated to the local day care centre.  However, it’s a horrible place where toys are abused by toddlers who don’t know better.  The toys decide to break out and get back to Andy to see if they can convince him to take them all to college with him.

For more information on films showing at the MacRobert cinema, contact the box office on 01786 466666.

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Marketing Snapshot:  we’ll review your existing marketing activities and help you strengthen what is working and stop what isn’t working.  We’ll also give you tips to make your marketing budget stretch further.

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Marketing Strategy & Plan: Good marketing delivers more sales.  But to get to that stage, you have to understand what problem you solve for your potential customers and know where they are and what they are doing when they are most receptive to your message.  Once you know this, you can then better evaluate all of the many marketing options available to you and plan a campaign that works.  We can help with it all.

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Marketing Consultancy: If you’re happy being in total control of your marketing, but would like a fresh perspective and advice from people who fully understand the media and how it works, then our consultancy service is perfect for you.  We can work with you to ensure your marketing is optimised and we are a sounding board to help develop new ideas.  Or if you want to direct your marketing cold calls to us to evaluate and free up your time to run your business, we can help.

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Social Media: There are hundreds more viable marketing platforms for your business today than there were just a decade ago.  Many of them are on the internet.  If you’re not geared up to compete on Facebook or Twitter, aware of the opportunities of Youtube or content managed websites, you’re in danger of being swept aside by the social media revolution.  Click on the “Social Media” tab on our website to find out how we can help you compete in an online world.

Bee Herd Public Relations

Bee Herd Press Release Writing & Distribution

Our press release service is excellent value for businesses that want to make contact with the media in a professional way but don’t want the costs associated with a fully managed campaign. We can craft your story into a press release and get it into the hands of the people who matter.  All you have to do is wait for the phone to ring!

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Press Release Writing – £99

We will create a professionally written press release that greatly increases your chances of being read and taken seriously by journalists.

You give us a brief and we’ll take care of the rest,  highlighting the most important aspects of your story and formatting it in the way busy journalists prefer.

We’re more than happy to evaluate your idea to see if its newsworthy; simply send us an email with the outline details, , and we’ll tell you if it is worth creating a press release. There is no charge to evaluate your information.

Press Release Writing and Distribution – £150

Our most popular service , we’ll write your press release and then distribute it to a carefully crafted list of journalists, editors and opinion formers.

Press Release Management – £30 per hour

With our writing and distribution packages, your contact details are included as standard. However, if you would like Bee Herd Media to liaise with the media on your behalf then we’re more than happy to help; we’ll do everything from answering journalists’ enquiries to arranging your interview on the nightly news!

Hourly rates can often lead to huge bills .  However, we’ll provide an estimate of the total cost prior to starting work and keep you informed of the running total on a day to day basis.

Voice Overs

Chris and Anne Kane are available to provide voice overs for radio commercials, television shows, training videos and more.  We have full ISDN studio facilities available for live work or can supply .mp3 or .wav files from our studios .

Examples of our work are available on request.

Kicktalk: Online Sports Radio

Chris & Anne Kane also run “Kicktalk.co.uk”, an online sports radio station for fans of Scottish football and rugby.  Kicktalk is a weekly series of internet radio shows covering twelve Scottish football teams and the West Region Junior Leagues.  The service has expanded from covering two teams a year ago, with additional teams coming soon.

Individual football clubs enjoy two regular services; a Thursday preview programme and a matchday results service.  During the week you’ll hear all of the news from your club and a preview of that weekend’s game, along with an interview with the manager.  Then on Saturday, you’ll hear a match report, interviews with the players and managers and analysis of the game, all within two hours of the final whistle.

Fans of the West Region’s Junior teams can also enjoy a weekly Wednesday night show previewing all of the weekend’s action and “Junior Matchday Kicktalk” is one of the first ways for fans to get a complete round up of all of the results on Saturday evenings.

Chris Kane says, “Fans of Scotland’s big clubs are superbly well served in the media, but the lower down the league structure you go, the harder it is to find top quality radio programmes.  At “Kicktalk” we aim to change that and make sure clubs of all sizes can enjoy the same level of service as the top teams in the SPL”.

Kicktalk has already gone international, with the addition of “Australian Kicktalk”, providing coverage for fans of soccer in the State of Victoria leagues.

Listening to Kicktalk is fast becoming an integral part of sports coverage for fans of the teams already covered.  As the service expands to cover more teams, listening to Kicktalk should become as instinctive as reaching for the back page of your favourite newspaper.

You’ll hear nearly thirty on demand shows a week at www.kicktalk.co.uk. Below is an example of a show, with Chris Kane at New Douglas Park for Hamilton v Kilmarnock on 25th September 2010.

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