Doors Open Day 2012

Photo above by Tom Donald

Next weekend sees the return (and the 23rd year) of Glasgow Doors Open day when there will be a whole series of talks, walks and open tours of Glasgow's fabulous Architecture and best of all its all free.

There is really too much to cover properly but here's a list of some of the things happening in the Southside with a couple of brief descriptions of what to expect. Some of the events have limited numbers and are already getting full so if something sounds interesting it would be worth looking up more info to make sure you don't miss out.

Interesting sounding events include -

A tour of the brilliant Albert Drive Studios in Pollokshields, and a step back inside the Langside Halls past to relive some historical moments dramatically re-enacted by TRAM Direct Theatre Company in partnership with South Glasgow Heritage & Environment Trust. An opportunity for you to eavesdrop on what took place in the early 20th Century. (11am, 1pm & 3pm both days) Of the tours, the Pollokshields one looks to be full but there are still spaces on the Cart Blanche and the Govanhillbaths if you get in quick.

For more info and find out about availability then visit -www.glasgowdoorsopenday.com

FULL LIST OF SOUTHSIDE EVENTS

Albert Drive Studios - Tour of artists studios, including Edo Architecture, Jennie Loof and Laura Spring Textiles

Langside Halls - Relive historical moments with actors in this rich Italian Renaissance palazzo

Pollokshaws Burgh Halls - Described as the stateliest and most conspicuous building in Pollokshaws

Glasgow Sheriff Court - Impressive purpose built court house allowing tours of the courtrooms & cells!

Pollok Community Fire Station - A busy working fire station!

Glasgow House, Construction Skills Academy & Big Red Truck - A ground-breaking prototype house project

Holmwood House - Alexander Thomsons finest A listed villa

House For An Art Lover - Extremely popular design by famous Scottish architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh

Pollok House - Glasgows only Edwardian country house containing one of the finest collections of Spanish Art

Rawcliffe House (Former Carmelite Monastery) - Impressive Victorian House newly converted into luxury private homes

Burrell Collection, The - A vast & bewildering collection of historical artefacts

Glasgow Museums Resource Centre - Vast treasure trove of objects from around the world

Langside Parish Church - Newly refurbished multipurpose church with creative additions and stunning artwork

St. Margarets Episcopal Church - A classic of the Romanesque Revival - an inspiring & beautiful building

St. Ninians Episcopal Church - Neo-Gothic revivalist style Grade 2 Listed church

Craigholme School - Four beautiful Victorian Villas innovatively transformed into a private girls school

Hutchesons Grammar School, Secondary - Purpose built, modern and innovative glass-fronted studio theatre

Scotland Street School Museum - A fascinating glimpse into the past school days

Hampden Park - An iconic stadium in world football

Castlemilk Stables - State of the art converted stable block with great views over Glasgow

Govanhill Baths - Edwardian baroque style baths, closed for swimmers but open for events

Tramway (incorporating the Hidden Gardens) - One of Europes most celebrated multi-purpose theatre and visual art spaces

BBC Scotland - The studios of the voice of Scotland

Pollokshields Heritage Trail Part 1: The Villas - Learn about the stories behind the opulent villas of West Pollokshields

Crosshill - Boasting some of Glasgows most dramatic and distinctive tenements, the history of this area is reve

Cart Blanche - Explore the extraordinary heritage of Glasgows Southside waterway

Dumbreck and Hazelwood Heritage Walk - A walking tour of the rich history of architecture and its surrounding area

Kinning Park and Plantation - Brian D Henderson describes the fruits of his 20+ years of research on the area.

Afternoon Tea at Albert Drive Studios - 27th November

Albert Drive Studios will be transforming its former Attic Billiard Room into a traditional tearoom on Sunday 27th November. Alongside the afternoon tea, there will be the opportunity to make a start on your Christmas shopping as they will also be showcasing the Jamie Oliver Cookware range.

Enjoy a glass of Prosecco, and a selection of homemade sandwiches and cakes from Alberts Kitchen as you peruse the Jamie Oliver range, which includes beautiful ceramics and cookware. You will have the chance to buy exclusive Jamie Oliver produce such as preserves, oils, luxury chocolate and other condiments from Sonny and Vitos, Glasgows only stockist of these products which are not available to buy in supermarkets. Find them at: www.sonnyandvitosdeli.co.uk

In addition, some of the studios will be open, and you can meet some of their new residents. Afternoon tea costs only £7 per head in aid of David Cargill House, Glasgow Old Peoples Welfare Association. Go along to the Studios from 2-5pm and support this good cause.

Hidden Gardens - Refugee week celebrations

The Hidden Gardens are celebrating Refugee Week this Sunday with international cooking demos  international music hosted by the Glad Café and plenty activities to keep the kids occupied, including storytelling and facepainting! Also, you can bring along your favourite dish and join in with our community picnic on the lawn  Event Free.

Glasgow South Community Hustings - Tuesday 26th April

The first ever hustings for the new Glasgow South Constituency is being hosted by Sunny Govan Radio, on Tuesday 26th April. The Community hustings gives you the opportunity to ask the candidates questions about the issues that concern you.

Sunny Govan chief Heather McMillan said: “Our aim is to provide a platform to encourage local people from the new Glasgow Southside constituency to question candidates and debate the issues that are of importance to them”. Glasgow South, the most ethnically diverse in Scotland, is based around the old Govan constituency where The SNP’s Nicola Sturgeon dramatically won the 2007 Scottish Parliament election. The new complexion of the constituency means that at this stage of the election, no one party is being touted as a ”sure thing”.

All the candidates will be attending the event: David Meikle - Conservative, Kenneth Elder - Liberal Democrats, Nicola Sturgeon - SNP, Stephen Curran - Scottish Labour and Co-operative Party

The Southside Community Hustings will be held at Kinning Park Parish Church on Tuesday 26 April. Tickets are free call 01414453741 or e-mail sunnygovanhustings@hotmail.co.uk 

Alice's Curious Tea Party

A couple of interesting events organised by  Scottish Ballet coming up, first a tea party organised for the over 50s with an illustrated talk, a brief performance from their new show Alice, a sociable dance topped off with some tea and jam. (£15 per person 2-5pm Wednesday 13 April.) For the younger generation there will be a Hatter's Garden performance in the Hidden Gardens (Sunday 17 April) which will combine parkour and dance and is open to people aged 12-16 years old.

Singles Guerrilla Supper Club

Guerilla Supper club by it's very definition is a fleeting, secretive, culinary experience. Location undisclosed and the guests only revealed when you arrive.

On the 2nd of July Glasgow Guerrilla Supper club are hosting a singles supper.

The evening will cost you £12 which includes olives, a glass of wine, Spanish chorizo stew and fresh crusty bread, followed by Lemon polenta cake.

E-mail glasgowguerillasupperclub@hotmail.com or give Hilary a call on 07805 346314.  Once you've book  you'll be told the location of the supper club, then go along mingle, dine and have a fun night.

Should I really be excited about the circus?

When I was a wee boy, we lived across from the field where every year the Circus would come to perform. Every summer I would get very excited about the idea of seeing lots of amazing stunts and incredible animals and every summer I would take my seat and end up being slightly disappointed. Everything would smell of damp and muddy hay, the burgers were rubbery, there would be no animals, the clown wasn't funny and I'd just be terrified that something would go wrong. Not really out of fear that something terrible would actually happen but just out of an empathetic embarrassment for the poor performer, who screwed up, in front of all those watchful eyes.

Why then, when I walk around the Southside and see the entire city fly-posted into oblivion with their posters do I still get the same childish excitement that the Circus is coming to town?

I haven't been to the circus for years, the last time we went was for the Chinese State Circus about four years ago. We opted for the really cheap seats which were a big mistake. We ended up practically behind the stage and could only see half the main circle, though interestingly we could also partly see backstage where there seemed to be twice as much activity. Our foolish choice of seating did not really lend itself to a great night and so its hard to give a fair appraisal of the show. I remember however being very impressed by a troop of small guys jumping through hoops and by a woman who could change the colour of masks on her face with a wave of her magic cape.

The worst moment of the night however was a routine involving a stocky man trying to climb a free standing ladder. He failed over and over again. Initially we thought it a bit of a drawn out drama in the act, but after a good five or six minutes of failure and an extremely frustrated and embarrassed look on the performers face, it became clear it was just a painfully unpleasant moment for both him and the audience. Eventually the ringmaster came out to drag him off but he refused to go, demanding that he complete the trick. The drums which had slowly started to peeter out started up again, the audience all started to bang their feet and clap their hands and our, by now, tragic hero psyched himself up for once last try. . . He almost made that time too, he got a hand on the second from top rung before him and his ladder fell to earth and both were ushered off stage, even the ladder looked rather sheepish. 

And yet, despite my fear for performer's embarassment coming true, I spot the big top in the distance and I still think, "Hey that looks good.".

Taking a look at some of the photos posted here and others on Zippos website, complete with cast photos, documentary videos and interestingly a "jobs page" (sadly no current vacancies) you start to see why.

The Circus' continued success is in part due to the ways they've changed, modified their performances and introduced new acts, but it's mainly down to that hugely nostalgic and comforting feeling they embody. No matter how many times we all go, there is something built into our social consciousness that crackles to life when the big top starts to go up. There is a romance to the life and the characters which we buy into, which probably no longer, or indeed never existed. The ringmaster, the strongman, the trapeze and the contortionist are all characters that as children we are brought up to recognise and around whom stories and ideas are formed from an early age. They are as inbuilt into our upbringing as the classic shapes and sounds of a farm or the ability to identify the animals in the zoo (another event whose experience never quite equals its imagined promise).

I've begun to realise however that actually, the muddy hay smell, the poor slapstick comedy and the nasty tension when something went wrong were actually as big a part of the fun of the experience as the amazing stunts or the clever tricks. In short the very things I thought were rubbish as a child are the things I'm looking forward to now and I think its maybe about time I gave the circus another chance.

Now, I've obviously not yet been to this particular Circus at the Queen's Park Recreation grounds so have no idea what it will actually entail or if it will be good but any show that features an old man in a top hat getting budgies to perform feats of daring on tiny bicycles as pictured below gets my vote and I look forward to seeing Norman Barrett MBE "The worlds best ringmaster" putting the rest of the troops through their paces.

Zippos Circus runs from Friday 11 June until Wednesday 23 June with shows at 3pm and 7pm at weekends and 5pm and 7:30pm during the week.

Prices vary but most shops round the park have piles of discount vouchers which you should pick up before going to save up to £4 off each ticket. You can also buy them online at the cheaper prices.

Queen's Park Recreation Ground

Pollokshaw's Road

Glasgow G42 8DA

 

PS - check out the page where Zippos will hire you out circus equipment. I like the idea of hiring a small clown car or a knife throwing table. Wonder if Ann will let me get one?

Last orders at Allotment

Last night we finally made it along to Allotment in Govan Cross Shopping Centre and had so much fun we are gutted that this is to be its last hurrah.

A series of events organised by the National Theatre of Scotland, "Allotment" takes place in an empty shop unit in Govan Cross Shopping Centre and is an incredible mix of bar, gallery, theatre, music, games and visuals. It’s slightly hard to describe, partly because there was so much going on, but also partly because to describe it might take away from the fun of discovering for yourself all that is to be found.

We were unsure what to expect when we first arrived - one slightly drunk and extraordinarily tanned wee man walking passed as we arrived at the front the door told us that “something shady must be going on in there” as we and all our the other people arriving “looked well dodgy”. Walking through the main entrance and along the mall you start to agree, its rather disconcerting to be inside a shopping centre out of hours, especially one which has obviously seen better days.

We entered the blacked out space and the firs things that hits you is how big it is and how many different things there are to see 17 in total plus 3 secret rooms which can only be reached by winning certain games or finding a golden ticket. We grabbed some drinks from the bar (supplied and manned by the local Brechin Bar) and were taking a nervous walk round when we were grabbed up and whisked into taking part in a mock gameshow. This level of audience participation is something which I normally dread, but rest assured there is not a single event in the place to fear. The “participation” is of the smallest amount and you ware not expected to sing, dance or speak on the microphone at all. All you have to do is complete a wordsearch, draw a picture of one of your friends or drive a remote control surf-board.

Not sure what our favourite things were, we enjoyed the roundabout bar, which you sit at while people push you or King Kahuna’s Totally Gnarly Wipeout with the aforementioned remote control surf boards. Our control wasn’t quite there and our blue team ended up going a bit robot wars on the poor red team by accident and totally trashing their board – all of which was accompanied by a guy sitting atop an old boat planning surf beats on a massive drum. The giant cardboard Love computer was also a highlight.

All in all we highly recommend getting along tonight for the last ever adventure, you won’t be disappointed. If you fancy a night with cheap drinks, surprises and a pile of imagination then pop along and join in the fun.

Allotment

Govan Cross Shopping Centre

795 Govan Road, Glasgow

Sunday 8pm – late tickets £3 on the door.

Rabbie Burns Ceilidh @ Langside Halls

The Govanhill Baths Trust are hosting a Rabbie Burns Ceilidh to raise money for the Baths, on the 23rd of January. There will be Haggis [meat and veggie] neeps and tatties, a piper and the Drouth Ceilidh band.There will be a bar at the venue, starts at 7.30 @ Langside Halls

Tickets are £10/£8 which includes the Haggis Supper

Tickets can be purchased directly from the Govanhill Trust Office, 126 Calder St., Govanhill. 0141 433 2999 or email info@govanhillbaths.com. There may be tickets available on the door, but it is advised to purchase in advance to avoid disappointment.

The Glad Cafe @ The Glasshouses - 27th December 2009

The Glad Cafe are hosting their second event on the 27 December 2009, this time their at the Glasshouse in Queens Park. They have Fox Gut Daata, Martin Patton and Huntley and Palmers DJs. Tickets are only £8 and the event is BYOB so could be a relatively cheap night out, during the festive period. For more information email thegladcafe@gmail.com

http://www.myspace.com/gladcafe

10% off @ The Dresser's Room on Saturday

The Dresser's Room on Skirving Street are hosting an event, on Saturday 12th December from 5.30pm to 9pm. There will be a preview of all the new stock with 10% off everything. Southside Stylist William Hill, of William Hill Hairdressing on Cathcart Road, will be there offering bespoke blow drying lessons for the first 10 people through the door. William will be armed with his hairdryer, an array of brushes, rollers, tongs, etc. and will do your hair however you want for free. Sounds like a fun event.

Allotment - Govan - 5 December 2009

The National Theatre of Scotland, along with The Arches have started a new venture called Allotment – an exciting new arts bar created for a series of one-off events. Allotment is a night where live performance, new art and music fuse unconventionally and take root in a deserted shop. Allotment is created by a team of professional artists from the National Theatre of Scotland and community groups based in the Govan area. The second event at Allotment is being held on December 5 2009 @ Govan Cross from 8pm to 11:45pm. The event will have hi-tech/lo-tech gaming fun "Players" will enter an interactive retro gaming zone where reality is virtual. Experience old favourites re-invented as you journey through a world of vide-oke, giant puzzles and live avatars to reach new levels.

The December Allotment event involves ongoing collaborations with a number of local Govan community groups: the Allotment bar area has been created by GalGael Trust, a project that works with homeless people and long-term unemployed and specialises in making boats and furniture.

Staff from Govan’s Brechin's Bar will continue to run the Allotment bar in December and Maria Leahy, who leads a regular karaoke night in Brechin’s will be working on the vide-oke in Allotment.

Advance tickets will once again be sold from Brechin’s Bar and The Magpie’s Nest. Young people from Impact Arts will be creating new work for the Allotment space.A number of refugees and asylum seekers from the Bridges Programmes will continue their work experience placements on Allotment and help to run the December event.

A new partner on board for the December Allotment is the Govan Integration Network. They bring together public, voluntary and community organisations with local people to promote equal rights and opportunities, cross-cultural understanding and integration, and raising awareness of the issues facing refugee, migrant and minority ethnic residents. They will contribute to the creation of the gaming zone in Allotment.

For more information about Allotment click here or to Keep up to date: Join the online community now

Cinderella @ the Citizens Theatre

Cinderella is this years festive show at the Citizens Theatre. It's opening with a charity preview on Saturday night and the show will then run until the 2nd January 2010.

There is a really interesting interview with Jeremy Raidson, the director, about the processes involved in creating the show, with some great images of model stage sets, design sketches of the costumes, and glimpses of the actual finished costumes. click here to see the video. You can also dress up and colour in your very own wicked step sister click here

I am not a big fan of Panto's. I've been to a couple over the last few years, but always with friends from outside the UK, who had never been to a panto before. I have to say that they loved it.

This is what the Citizens has to say about Cinderella

A festive family treat for all ages with imaginative storytelling and original live music.
Once upon a time there lived a young girl called Cinderella. She was fair of face and pure of heart, but cruelly downtrodden by her wicked step-mother and mocked by her spiteful step-sisters.
A magical re-telling of the classic Brothers Grimm fairy tale, written specially for the Citizens.
Cinderella will take you to an enchanted place where spells are cast, timing is everything and wishes can come true.

Prices
£10 - £17 (concessions available)Peak performances:18.12.09, 7pm - 26.12.09, 8pmFamily and Friends ticket (2 adults & 2 children): £36 - £50

Christmas Craft Fair @ Langside Halls

The Scottish Crafts fair are holding a Christmas Craft Event at Langside Halls, on Saturday from 10-4pm. They have an interesting line up of exhibitors and it's a good opportunity to support Scottish art and crafts. We've actually managed to miss this everytime it's been at Langside Halls, but we're here this weekend and I'll go over and have a browse.

Art from the heart - 9 November 2009

Now in it's seventh year, Art from the Heart, is an art sale in aid of Epilepsy Scotland. This year it's featuring many well know Scottish artist's such as Denise Findlay, Jock Mcinnes, and Bryan Evans will be displaying in Scotland Street School on the 9th November 2009. There will be an open sale during the evening of paintings, ceramics, jewellery and crafts.

There will be wine and nibbles included in the ticket price. Tickets are £12 and admits 2 people

Call Rachel or Helen on 0141 427 4911 for tickets or e-mail fundraising@epilepsyscotland.org.uk

Dresser Room Evening

We have had a message from Jade of the Dresser room about a whole new range of stock in her shop. Given that Ann loved the place last week when she went in, I thought I should pass it on to everyone else in the hope that you buy everything before Ann gets a chance.

Here's Jades message

"The shop is now bursting with all the new stuff and I can honestly say it's the best stock I've ever had in, without a doubt. I'll not be putting photos of the new stuff up until after Thursday night's event, so if you fancy some drinks, chat and first dibs on all the fabulous new stuff, come along! 7pm-9pm, this Thursday (15th) The Dresser's Room, 47 Skirving Stree, Shawlands. Thanks, hope to see you here! Jade x"

The House of Bernarda Alba - Citizen's Theatre

The National Theatre of Scotland presents a major new version of Lorca’s The House of Bernarda Alba. It's been running at the Citizens theatre since the 15th of September but is will continue until the 3rd of October. It's received good reviews and tickets start at £9.50

Set in contemporary Scotland, Rona Munro’s bristling, edgy translation features Siobhan Redmond in the title role.
Following the gangland execution of her husband, the formidable matriarch Bernarda Alba will do anything to safeguard her family’s dubious fortune and the future of her five headstrong daughters. A deal is struck - a marriage of convenience between her eldest girl and the son of a business rival. All Bernarda has to do is ensure that the wedding happens, and quickly.

One of the most celebrated European dramas of the 20th century, Lorca described it as a “drama of women in the villages of Spain” - a theme that is electrifyingly transposed in this version to the tough communities of Glasgow’s East End. Faithfully preserving Lorca’s sense of boiling tension and impending tragedy, the production lines up a cast of twelve Scottish women who bring this classic text thrillingly up to date.

Click here to book tickets

Canterbury Tales - Langside College

So this event is not being held in the Southside however, Langside College Acting & Performance students present Phil Wood's hilarious and bawdy adaptation of Chaucer's timeless examination of human credibility and conformity. A production bursting at the wenches' seams promises a colourful, drunken and naughty night's entertainment for all. It is being held at Gilmorehill in the Westend - I can only imagine that this is because the Langside College's new theatre is under construction. Sounds like it will be a good show.

Gilmorehill G12
9 University Avenue
Box office: 0141 330 5522
Email: boxoffice@gilmorehillg12.co.uk
Website: www.gla.ac.uk/GHCentre

Patricia Cain Exhibition at House for an Art Lover

If you came along to Art in the Park this year, then you would have seen the work of Patricia Cain. A Glasgow based artist, Trish uses drawing and painting as a means of exploring the artist's process of thinking. Her focus in doing this has been on the destruction and re-construction of the urban landscape in Glasgow. She has a particular interest in the River Clyde and it's regeneration, the construction of the Loch Katrine Water Project and the new Riverside Museum.

Trish is exhibiting at the House for an Art Lover, in Bellahouston Park, from the 22 September - 2 November.

Soup, Song and a Swally - Today

The Govanhill Baths monthly fundraiser, Soup, Song and Swally, takes place upstairs at McNeills Bar in Torrisdale Street Govanhill. £4/£6 will get you a vegan and/or Halal buffet(in place of regular 2 course meal as chef is away) and great local music. Doors open at 1.00pm