The Start Of AIYF 2008!

And it’s begun. The 36th Aberdeen International Youth Festival has started. Over the next two weeks there will be Opera, Dance, Steel Drums and much much more. With over a thousand participants from a number of countries this promises to be a truly world wide festival.
And what a way to start. John Godber’s Teechers, is a school-based comedy written from the point of view of three students, Salty, a bright and fresh-faced school-leaver; Hobby, a shy girl and Gail Saunders, a loud mouthed, bossy girl who is full of enthusiasm. These three friends then spend the next hour performing a play about their final year of school – with all the names change to protect the innocent of course!
It is this that makes the show stand out from so many other things. Between the three of them, the actors play up to twenty characters – with often only basic costume changes taking place. The characters of Mr Basford, for example, is created through the use of a fake nose and glasses combo that you only ever really see in cartoons. All three actors play their multiply parts with great skill.
However, AIYF is not all about one play, there are more coming just around the corner. West Lothian Youth Theatre present their civil war torn future of central Scotland (Lemon Tree Studio, 31st July & 1st August) or perhaps you’d rather hear the Jazz sound of NYCOS at Holburn West Church (31st July)…or go to www.aiyf.org and look through all our shows!

Photo of the week

Sebunjo at Hanko teater traff-Finland
Originally uploaded by Aberdeen International Youth Festival

Joel Sebunjo, who will be playing at the Blue Lamp, Aberdeen Music Hall, Universal hall Findhorn and the Acorn Centre Inverurie, as part of Festival 2008.

http://www.flickr.com/groups/aiyf/pool/

Later.. at the Lemon Tree

For the first time AIYF, in partnership with Foyer Music, will be holding late night sessions - ”Later…at the Lemon Tree”.

From Thursday July 31 the late night festival session will showcase the best of up and coming, home-grown and international talent. An eclectic programme of blues, indie rock, jazz, fusion and world music acts will give audiences an opportunity to experience a diverse range of music and see something different. Line up includes:

Thursday 31 July
Egdar Prais
The Chair
The Condiments (http://www.myspace.com/therealcondiments)

Friday 1 August
The Fortunate Sons (http://www.myspace.com/fsons)
Fuse[d] (http://www.myspace.com/foosed)

Saturday 2 August
Jamie Safiruddin Quartet (http://www.myspace.com/jamiesafmusic)
Amplifico

Sunday 3 August
Kukadan (http://www.myspace.com/druminaboot)
Joel Sebunjo
NK
Flava

Tuesday 5 August
X Certs
Onion Terror
Dan Against the World

Wednesday 6 August
Qristina and Quinn Bachand
The Hijacks
Static in the City
Copy Haho

Thursday 7 August
Sorren Maclean Band (http://www.myspace.com/sorrenmaclean)
Cast of the Capital (http://www.myspace com/castofthecapital)

Friday 8 August
The Little Kicks (http://www.myspace.com/thelittlekicks)
Right Hand Left
Headlight (http://www.myspace.com/headlightmusic)
Toy

Saturday 9 August
Dot J (http://www.bebo.com/dotjr)
Sunrise not Secular (http://www.myspace.com/sunrise4
Action Group

Plus:(dates to be confirmed)
The Elizabeths
The Marionettes
Y’all is Fantasy Island

AIYF takes over Lemon Tree for two weeks of new music and theatre

The recently reopened Lemon Tree is to become the home of the Aberdeen International Youth Festival for the duration of the 2008 event.

The Lemon Tree will become the Festival Hub, a location at the heart of the city at which festival goers can have lunch, see shows, buy tickets and find out about what the festival has to offer.

Festival director Stewart Aitken said: “The reopening of the Lemon Tree has come at a great time for us and provided us with a focal point for the festival. It gives us the opportunity to create a place where people can come after the main concerts and see a wide range of music as well as giving us a great space to showcase some innovative and exciting theatre by young people. Hopefully our presence at the Lemon Tree will attract new audiences to AIYF as well as enable our core support to try something a bit different”

The Lemon Tree will be the venue for AIYF's late night concerts and new theatre including: West Lothian Youth Theatre’s Monsters; KY8’s Kinetic; Contacting the World and Garidge Theatre Company and Mitchell School of Drama’s Lottie.

For up to the minute information on AIYF at the Lemon Tree visit http://www.aiyf.org/.