Our final day brings a relentless week of shows, exhibitions, walking, eating, drinking and socialising to a close. I am so relieved I posted everything I experienced on twitter as I would never have remembered it all otherwise!
The week was brought to a memorable climax for me on Friday night at the Preview of Caledonia at The Kings Theatre as part of the Edinburgh International Festival. This co-production between the Edinburgh International Festival and National Theatre of Scotland told the extraordinary tale of how Scotland had ambitions at empire at the end of the 17th century – and nearly made it happen. If they had been successful it could well have changed the course of history – our history – and the UK may never have been created.
I knew a bit about the founding of a Scottish colony in Darien on the narrow isthmus of Panama which would have been a valuable transhipment route between the Atlantic and the Pacific.
But it was an unmitigated disaster resulting in the loss of over 2,000 people and a virtually bankrupt Scotland which paved the way for the end of the nation's independent status and the signing of the 1707 Treaty of Union with England. What an extraordinary story and one with resonances for today. Here is a clip from the rehearsals: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p009cs7g
Well that concludes my Edinburgh diary for one year. The next stage is to sift through our notes to see what we might realistically bring to Corsham, Wiltshire and South Gloucestershire in the year ahead. I just wish Caledonia was a smaller production as it would be great at The Pound!
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