The Olympic Games in London last year were a massive celebration of sport, but more than that: a celebration of music, history, invention, industry and culture.
The Games became an event that everyone – sporty or not – had the opportunity to feel part of. Now, a year on from London 2012, the organisers of the Commonwealth Games are aiming to get the party started again, with a little dash of Scottish humour.
Yesterday, the programme for the festival of theatre, music, comedy and dance that will accompany the sporting events next year was unveiled in Glasgow and an early candidate for the highlight is the satirical comedy that will be performed every night during the duration of the Games. Inspired by the BBC comedy Twenty Twelve, which poked fun at the organisers of London 2012, the Commonwealth Games comedy will be set in a fictional media office. It aims to take a comedic look behind the scenes of what will be a huge event for Glasgow and Scotland.
At its heart, the Games are about sporting success and participation, of course, but we should not question for a second the idea of a comedy poking fun at the event – the last thing the organisers, or Glaswegians, would want is an air of pomposity or grandeur. Glasgow does not take itself too seriously and its Games shouldn't either. As Eileen Gallagher, the chairwoman of the Games' ceremonies and culture committee says, all good Glaswegians can take a joke against themselves.
The comedy is only a part of the festival programme, however. Around £14 million will be spent on a range of events designed to celebrate Scottish culture but, more importantly, to draw more Scots into cultural and artistic experiences and have them involved.
For instance, the actor Tam Dean Burn will jump on his bike and read the works of the former children's laureate Julia Donaldson to children across the country. If there is to be a legacy from the Commonwealth Games, there could be no better one than inspiring children to read.
It is just one of the opportunities provided by the Games. This is our chance to participate in what is one of the greatest competitions in the sporting calendar, but also to put Scottish culture, and excellence, on a platform that will be seen around the world (it is to be hoped we will be doing pretty well on the medal podium too).
To some, £14m may seem like a lot of money to spend but the festival programme – both Culture 2014 in the build-up to the Games and Festival 2014 during the Games – are above all participatory.
As the organisers said yesterday, the eyes of the world will be on us, but more importantly, all of us can take part.
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