Spotlight on Upcoming Arts Events

As we abruptly descend into the final weeks of term and begrudgingly find ourselves cooped in the library, I invite you to relish in erratic sunshowers and attend some of the upcoming arts events in town. Buckle up, there is a plethora ranging from theatre, music, food, and nature to literature to meet your every whim.

The Age of Anxiety Premiering on the 10th of April at the Buchanan Lecture Theatre, The Age of Anxiety is Quentin McCarron’s an adaptation of the eponymous poem by W.H. Auden. Amidst the Second World War, four strangers meet in a bar and contemplate meaning, hope and identity in an increasingly industrialised world. Travelling through cities and dreams, it is a meditation on shifting self-knowledge and romance influenced by Carl Jung.

Women You Know Following its successful Edinburgh premiere, Women You Know will be performed at the Barron Theatre in the Byre on 10 and 11 of April. It is a comedy about bad sex, love, failure and feminity in our current culture centred around a hungover conversation between two friends.

Open Seasame Brought to you by Danceworms, the latest addition to the ever-growing body of St Andrews music collectives that focuses on afro Latin funk, Open Seasame promises an intimate night of dance and silliness in Aikman’s cellar on April 10th. Following their recent Fruitella night at Lupos, where Dundee based Le Freak Records provided a night of vinyl goodness, Open Seasame is an open deck and genre night showcasing the best- closeted DJ talent in town.

Silo pt. 2 A reckoning for arguably the biggest music event of the year, Behave’s Silo is in order. In the now- infamous grain Silo in Cupar, Silo pt. 2 promises another night of debauchery and a new immersive audio- visual experience on the 17 April.

Bowhouse Market Located in St Monans, Fife, The Bowhouse is known for its monthly markets which connect local small growers and producers in the East Neuk with restaurants and shoppers. The upcoming market will take place on 9 April, with a theme of baking and sweet treats. Aside from the food and drink offerings, it will also feature a baking competition for adults and children and local crafts.

Thomas Halliday on Otherlands Thomas Halliday is an award- winning palaeobiologist and research fellow in Earth Sciences, his debut book Otherlands is an immersion into ancient landscapes ranging from Ice Age Alaska to Ediacaran Australia, blended together in an emotional narrative that underscores the fragility of ecosystems and life. He is speaking about Otherlands on 8 April at Topping & Company.

Shuggie Bain on Young Mungo Booker prize-winning author Douglas Stuart is heading to Topping & Company on the 19th of April as part of his Scottish tour. His debut novel Shuggie Bain was met with wide acclaim for its depiction of post-industrial working-class life in Glasgow, laying bare the harshness of poverty and the limits of love. His latest book Young Mungo portrays similar themes alongside queerness in the story of a dangerous first love between a protestant and a catholic.

Ali Smith on Companion Piece Oft celebrated for her quartet of seasonal novels, and real-time commentary on Me Too, Brexit and the pandemic Scottish author Ali Smith will be speaking at Topping & Company on the 26th of April on her upcoming book, Companion Piece. Exploring companionship in its various interactions, it luminously refracts and chronicles the current state of the world.