LEITH Theatre is to benefit from an £80,000 grant from Creative Scotland, which will enable it to stage The Last Days of Mankind, produced by Project 1568/ Café Europa.

It will be the first major theatre production at the venue since 1988.

In a co-production with Theaterlabor Bielefeld, Germany and partners from Ireland, Serbia, Poland, Ukraine and France, Kraus’ text is the base for a contemporary production that "combines Scottish dramaturgical, design and acting talent with international creative direction, design and performance".

The grant is one of 54 made in the Open Project round from Creative Scotland in May, in total worth £1.2m.

Elsewhere in the grants, New Opera in Scotland Events have received funding to support the development, production and tour of Navigate the Blood - a chamber opera with music from Admiral Fallow, and classical composer Gareth Williams.

Directed by James Robert Carson and designed by Alice Hebdon with libretto by Welsh playwright Sian Evans.

The Dumfries & Galloway Arts Festival have received funding to deliver Arts Live, the recently established rural touring performing arts network for Dumfries & Galloway.

Pianodrome have received funding to present the Pianodrome at the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh, a playable 100-seater amphitheatre built entirely from disused pianos, which will become an active community arts pavilion at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) in August 2018.

www.creativescotland.com

THE Glasgow music label Optimo is collaborating with Scottish Dance Theatre for a show that brings Brazilian street theatre to a series of venues throughout Scotland this summer.

Looping: Scotland Overdub will be performed in Dundee, Wick and the Isle of Mull.

The show takes the Brazilian Looping: Bahia Overdub and "re-imagines it with a Scottish ceilidh culture twist."

The show features DJs JD Twitch and Bake, and the full company of twelve Scottish Dance Theatre dancers.

Words have been written by Kieran Hurley, and the choreography by Felipe de Assis and Rita Aquino.

It will work with up to 25 young people aged twelve or more to form local community casts in each location.

Fleur Darkin, Artistic Director of Scottish Dance Theatre, said; “In touring Brazil two years ago I came across the mighty Panorama Festival and stumbled upon Looping.

"Working in a purposely flat structure of a dance collective, Felipe de Assis and Rita Aquino are some of the most exciting dance workers in Brazil today. Looping and its directive of 'Dance! Party! Politics!' felt important at this time.

"Certainly as an artist I find it hard to make work when there is such turmoil for so many people around the globe and at home.

"We saw the potential for harnessing their infectious energy and using our own established community networks to create something special and inspire audiences to use their voices."

It will be performed at the Lyth Arts Centre in Wick on August 2, Mull Theatre on August 7, and the Dundee Rep on August 10.

www.scottishdancetheatre.com

THE Art Car Boot Sale will feature more than 100 Scottish-based contemporary artists, who will come together on 7 and 8 July to showcase and sell their work from the back of cars, transits and camper vans.

The event will take place at SWG3, located in Glasgow’s Finnieston area.

The sale will be on the ground floor, spread throughout the Galvanizers and new Acid Bar, with art priced from £5 to £500.

Patricia Fleming, the Art Car Boot Sale Organiser, said: "We have fabulous contemporary artists in Scotland, it’s one of our greatest cultural assets, and we want to make it really easy and fun for people to start or build collections.

"The car boot sale atmosphere is really relaxed and you get to meet the artists and chat to them about their work and their lives. People really loved it last year.”

The 2017 sale welcomed more than 4,000 people and generated around £100,000.

This year’s event will also feature DJs and cocktail bars.

Participating artists include: Beagles and Ramsey, Claire Barclay, Christine Borland, Ilana Halperin, Kate V Robertson, Toby Paterson, Helen De Main, Michael Fullerton, Luke Fowler, Jim Lambie, Tessa Lynch, France-Lise McGurn, Ciara Phillips, Ross Sinclair, Gregor Wright, Erica Eyres, and Susannah Stark.

https://swg3.tv/events