One of the last awards of this year’s Edinburgh Festival season has been given to a young critic.
A Wee Cherub award has been given to Issy Butt, an S5 pupil at Portobello High School in Edinburgh.
Ms Butt was part of the annual Young Critics scheme run by the Edinburgh International Festival and The Herald, which sees students from across the city review shows at the Festival, a selection of which are printed in the newspaper.
Ms Butt won the Wee Cherub – a small but important part of the Herald Angels festival awards – for her excellent review of the NDT (Nederlands Dans Theater) show at the Festival, which was published on August 22.
Six schools took part in the Young Critics scheme this year, with Ms Butt tutored by The Herald’s dance and arts critic Mary Brennan.
In her five-star review of the NDT show, Ms Butt wrote: “Windows emit a glow onto the first dancers, illuminating their figures, casting a light on the relationship and letting us peer into their private lives.
“They intertwine, yet never touch, conveying a strained relationship.
“The choreography is ingenious, telling the story of a cheating woman which, along with the set and costume choices, becomes a tale of innocence, naivety, love and anger.”
The Herald Angels returned to the Festival this year after an absence in 2016.
The Angels returned with the support of the Festival Theatre, which weekly during the Festival provided a venue for the prestigious awards.
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