Arts and equalities journalist Paul F Cockburn asks how the consideration of accessibility has influenced the aesthetics of disability theatre and performance. Necessity, according to the old proverb, is the mother of invention—and performance is no exception. Soon after Jenny Sealey MBE become Artistic Director of Graeae Theatre Company in 1997, she faced a significant […]
About paulfcockburn
Edinburgh-based freelance magazine journalist, specialising in equality issues (disability and/or LGBT+), popular science, and arts & culture.Author Archive | paulfcockburn
What’s Causing the Strangest Star in the Universe?
Space dust? Alien structures? Planetary collisions? The behaviour of Tabby’s Star continues to inspire new ideas. “Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known,” the wise American scientist Carl Sagan once said. Nor is it always where you expected. At first glance the star designated KIC 8462852 seemed nothing unusual, an ordinary hydrogen-fusing F-type main-sequence […]
Edinburgh’s Ghost Signs
Echoes of Edinburgh’s past can still be glimpsed today, thanks to numerous ‘ghost signs’ which linger around the city, as Paul F Cockburn explains. Past and present constantly intertwine in Edinburgh, and not just when buildings from different centuries stand side-by-side. Glimpses of the capital’s commercial life, some dating back to the 19th century, are […]
Nocturne #4 Review
DVD: SHETLAND (The Complete Series 1-3) starring Douglas Henshall, Alison O’Donnell, Steven Robertson amazon.co.uk: £17:77 An impressive Douglas Henshall stars as DI Jimmy Perez, leading his team investigating crime within an isolated, sometimes inhospitable and yet hauntingly beautiful landscape. Based on the novels by award-winning crime writer Ann Cleeves, the… . . . BOOK: MAPPING […]
Hooked on Quality
Quality produce and careful preparation are at the heart of Scotland’s world-renowned food industry. When it comes to food, comedians may regularly joke about a Scottish predilection for frying everything (and adding chips), but countless award-winning chefs—Tom Kitchen, Paul Kitching and Nick Nairn, to name just three—know that Scotland’s land and waters offer some truly […]
Curtain Raisers
Show-based city-break packages are well established in London, but there are plenty of reasons for theatre-lovers to head north to Scotland… Every year, millions of visitors flock to London’s West End to enjoy globally-recognised shows on the stages of iconic theatres on and around the likes of Shaftesbury Avenue and Drury Lane. Yet there’s more […]
Nocturne #3 Review
DVD: THE SECRET AGENT starring Toby Jones, Cicky McClure, Ian Hart amazon.co.uk: £14:99 This new BBC adaptation of Joseph Conrad’s 1907 novel may be set in a Victorian London brimming with espionage and terrorism but – with only a few notable exceptions – was filmed chiefly in and around Edinburgh and Glasgow. Atmospheric and superbly performed, the […]
