Local artists and theatre makers had the opportunity to meet with programmers to discuss their touring plans and ideas for new work at our Meet the Programmers event at The Studio last night. It was wonderful to bring everyone together, facilitate conversation, and hear about developing projects. 👀

Last week's Shifting the Stage Lab offered artist development for a group of 8 disabled, D/deaf and/or neurodivergent artists from Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Scotland.💡  Thank you to The Work Room, Nordic Culture Fund, and Nordic Culture Point for making the Lab possible. 🤝

New MiniBlog, with thanks to Katherine Rundell: Why grown-ups should watch children’s theatre… www.imaginate.org.uk/news/blog-wh... via @edchildrensfest.bsky.social

Creative Encounters team Lou Brodie and Anna Broomfield attended @thestage.co.uk Awards in London earlier this week, where their work was nominated for the Community Award.  It was a pleasure to celebrate theatre makers across the UK and to be nominated among them!   📸: David Monteith-Hodge

“Deeply listening to and collaborating with children" can lead to “reimagined social change.” - Thérèse Kearns, PhD Researcher  Read Thérèse’s reflections on the "The Children Are Now" Exhibition and Assembly at @talbotricegallery.bsky.social:

What a year we've had at Imaginate! 🌟 With Festival, Theatre in Schools Scotland, Schools and Communities Projects, and Creative Development Programme, it's been an amazing one.  Thanks to everyone, but especially the young people, who have made our year so memorable. Looking forward to 2026! 🧡

We are delighted to announce our ‘Shifting the Stage’ Lab in January! 💡  The Lab will offer professional artist development opportunities for disabled, D/deaf and/or neurodivergent artists to support the development of new disabled-led production ideas for children. https://tinyurl.com/488mh7vc

Our team has been attending festivals all over the world ✈ 📍 ŻiguŻajg Festival in Valletta, Malta 📍Showbox Festival in Oslo, Norway 📍 Festival Kuitólil in San Luis Potosí, Mexico It was an honour to visit these festivals, connect with industry professionals, share our work, and be inspired! 🌟

We are thrilled to announce that our Creative Encounters project has been shortlisted for the Community Award at @thestage.co.uk Awards 2026! 🌟  This nomination reflects the importance of putting children's rights at the heart of the creative process. 🧡

The Imaginate team had a refreshing Away Day in North Berwick this week. The sea air proved the perfect environment to discuss our aims for the year, how we conceive of festival success, what a children’s rights approach looks like, and assess our priorities for the upcoming year. 🤝🌟

Please join us in offering a warm welcome to Imaginate's new Festival Director, Adjjima Na Patalung, who took up her post this week! 👋

TiSS at 10 🎉  Theatre in Schools Scotland (TiSS), co-produced with NTS, marks its own major milestone: ten years of touring world class theatre directly into schools across the country.

We can’t wait for young audiences to experience ‘A Home For Hamish’. Playfully merging dance and BSL, audiences will travel across Scotland on a colourful, immersive and interactive adventure, escaping dragons, dancing with jellyfish & even climbing the tallest mountains.

We are on the look out for a new Digital Marketing Coordinator to extend the reach of Imaginate's work including #EdChildrensFest, our exciting artist development work and our schools and communities programmes. Find out more - www.imaginate.org.uk/about/vacancies/

🫧🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 We are excited to have Buff and Sheen by Moon Slide as part of Theatre in Schools Scotland touring to Primary and Secondary ASN schools in Sep - Oct 2025. 🫧🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 🫧 Join two two imaginative window cleaners in this comical roaming dance performance full of novelty, absurdity and slapstick humour.

We are on the look out for a new Digital Marketing Coordinator to extend the reach of Imaginate's work including #EdChildrensFest, our exciting artist development work and our schools and communities programmes.  Find out more - www.imaginate.org.uk/about/vacancies/

🎉⏰ One week to go until we start performances of The Unlikely Friendship of Feather Boy and Tentacle Girl at Assembly Roxy as part of #EdFringe. 🎉⏰ Check out these stunning new images taken in the last week of rehearsals.  🎟 Tickets Available Now! 🎟 https://shorturl.at/LIdvh

📣 Are you an artist or freelancer based in Scotland? We have three funded places open to attend EXPORT/IMPORT Festival in Brussels with a group of artists and Imaginate staff. Find out more www.imaginate.org.uk/artists/opportunities/export-import-festival-call-out Deadline - Monday 18 August

We share works in progress every year as part of #EdChildrenFest! One of those WIP’s this year was The Runaway Pea by Bear Hug.  In this new show for young people, it’s time for dinner!  But one pesky pea has decided to roll himself off the plate in search of a party!

Experience ‘FREEDOM: a living poem’ at North Edinburgh Arts this week between 10.30 - 4.30 and 10.30 - 2.30 on Wednesday and Thursday, FREE, Drop in.  📸 Brian Hartley

We are delighted to announce that Adjjima Na Patalung has been appointed as the new Festival Director for the Edinburgh International Children's Festival. www.imaginate.org.uk/news Photo Credit: MAPPA @creativescots.bsky.social @edinburghcouncil.bsky.social The Scottish Goverment

Did someone say Summer Social? Put the date in your diary cause you don't want to miss our annual get-together, in partnership with Birds of Paradise.  📌 Studio 2 at DanceBase ⏰ 6:30PM - 9PM. https://www.imaginate.org.uk/artists/events/summer-social

Don't miss Merchant City Festival this weekend. With an exciting programme of free performances for families including our commissions. See you there! Find out more here - www.glasgowlife.org.uk/.../imaginat...

Join us for a family picnic in Portobello as part of Welcome to the Fringe: Palestine on Sat 16 August.  📌 Start at Bellfield community hall or join us on the beach ⏰ 12-2pm Please book a free ticket!  https://www.imaginate.org.uk/artists/events/welcome-to-the-fringe-palestine-picnic

We can’t wait for young audiences to experience ‘A Home For Hamish’. Playfully merging dance and BSL, audiences will travel across Scotland on a colourful, immersive and interactive adventure. Part of Theatre in Schools Scotland, touring across the country in Oct – Nov 2025 and March 2026.

Imaginate alongside The Work Room are excited to be supporting Welcome To The Fringe: Palestine taking place through August at Portobello Town Hall. Join Amir Sabra, a Palestinian choreographer based in Ireland, for a Dabke workshop. Find out more here -https://lnkd.in/et4SpKhq

During hashtag#EdChildrensFest2025 Lyn Gardner from The Stage shadowed Festival Director Noel Jordan to see what he gets up to on a typical day during the Festival! Read the full article here shorturl.at/DXdib

We are delighted to partnering with Emma Lewis-Jones to offer free-to-the artist blocks of intensive Dance Dramaturgy support for Emergent Practices in Scotland, making work for young people aged 10 +. Deadline: Monday 30 June. www.emmalewisjones.com/open-call

Amazing run of shows of Tongue Twister @edchildrensfest.bsky.social ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - The Guardian ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - The Scotsman ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ - The QR “verbal dexterity and visual panache” - Lyn Gardner Photo - Matthias Kremer

Such a positive and informative session in Edinburgh on authenticity in making work for children this afternoon @edchildrensfest.bsky.social with these wonderful people, sharing practice and joy. Grateful for the support of @sgsah.bsky.social

Found Pale Baron @edchildrensfest.bsky.social very moving & poignant - a dystopian tale based around an underground gig by Felix & Felka. All kinds of q’s, for me, about how hard it is to know when to flee, how you convince yourself you’re not at risk, & how tough it is to uproot and be an outsider

Up at @edchildrensfest.bsky.social in Edinburgh today. 2 contrasting shows. One for 6mths-3yrs; poetry in motion. One for 8-14yrs; about poets being banished from a land. Both had children in awe & leaning in. Both inspired me. 1st one I had goose bumps; 2nd I nearly sobbed at the end. Thank you 💕

‘Double You’ by Be Flat @edchildrensfest.bsky.social was AMAZING! Perfect mixture of dance, acro, music - incredible performers and really, really funny. I didn’t think I suffered from FOMO until this. It’s on tomorrow again at Portobello Town Hall - definitely check out if you can!

Had the most brilliant 24 hours in Edinburgh @edchildrensfest.bsky.social 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿✴️ Completely beaming from this whirlwind trip cramming in as much as I could alongside meeting inspiring artists & catching up with familiar faces. I felt so welcomed as a freelancer in this wonderful space 🥰

We've had a great week @edchildrensfest.bsky.social - including a fab meeting of #PYA England & Assitej UK focussing on priorities for the theatre for young audiences sector. Plus hearing @lyngardnertheatre.bsky.social talking about taking risks in theatre-making.

We loved Not Falling @edchildrensfest.bsky.social very fun show full of energy - and a nice touch to let children get involved at the end to play

Some of the team visited @edchildrensfest.bsky.social yesterday and spent an inspiring day watching new work for young people, and networking with industry colleagues!! It runs until Sun 1 Jun and we'd definitely recommend catching some shows if you have the chance. www.imaginate.org.uk/festival/

REVIEW: GROWN UPS (Grote Mensen) from Compagnie Barbarie at the @edchildrensfest.bsky.social. www.alledinburghtheatre.com/grown-ups-ed... "★★★★★ Silly" says Sophie Good. "Grown Ups is absurd. And silly. And the most fun imaginable." Pics: Franky Verdickt

The aftermath of the gloriously weird Grown Ups by #compagniebarbarie @edchildrensfest.bsky.social - slapstick don’t-try-this-at-home energy (& honestly not a million miles away from how I’d approach a leaky ceiling)

👅 We are delighted one of our Festival commissions this year, Tongue Twister, will begin performances tomorrow at North Edinburgh Arts!  🎟 Grab the last few tickets here  www.imaginate.org.uk/festival/whats-on/tongue-twister

What a day we had yesterday to kick off the Edinburgh International Children's Festival 2025! Thank you to everyone who came along and to the National Museum of Scotland for hosting! Roll on the rest of the festival! Thanks Cirrus Logic and The Walter Scott Giving Group. 📷 Brian Hartley

Join us tomorrow (Sat 24th May) for a full day of free pop-up performances in the beautiful setting of the #NationalMuseumsScotland from 10am – 5pm to kick of #EdChildrensFest2025. Drop in throughout the day, we can’t wait!

Are you ready to overcome your FOMO?! Experience Double You coming to Portobello Town Hall as part of Edinburgh International Children's Festival next week! 📅 30 May – 1st June 📍 Portobello Town Hall 🎟 www.imaginate.org.uk/festival/whats-on/double-you

Just two days to go until @edchildrensfest.bsky.social opens! 🎉 There's a whole range of entertaining, educational and exciting shows on offer - find out more and book 👇

As the Edinburgh International Children’s Festival opens this Saturday, we wanted to reiterate our support for the LGBTQIA+ community.

What happens to grown-ups when children are not looking? 👀💦 Find out in Grown Ups, the hilarious and absurd tragi-comedy, part of #EdChildrensFest, starting this Sunday. 🎟 www.imaginate.org.uk/festival/whats-on/grown-ups 📅 25- 28 May 📍 @traversetheatre.bsky.social

The Edinburgh International Children's Festival kicks of this Saturday and it looks like a corker! If you're in town, dive into their programme and catch something spectacular 🤩

We are excited to share a first look at Tongue Twister coming to #EdChildrensFest and on tour. 🎟️ www.imaginate.org.uk/festival/wha... 📍 @edchildrensfest.bsky.social 📅 27 -31 May, North Edinburgh Arts 📍Eastwood Park Theatre, Giffnock – 23rd, 24th May 📍 The Lemon Tree – 6th, 7th June, Aberdeen

🎉 We are delighted that two productions that were part of #EdChildrensFest2024 have been nominated for CATs Awards 🎉 ⭐️ So Far So Good, by SUPERFAN, commissioned by Imaginate, in partnership with Aberdeen Performing Arts ⭐️ The Yellow Canary by Glass Performance criticsawards.theatrescotland.com

We are excited to let you know the full programme for our Family Day being held at the National Museum of Scotland on Saturday 24th May. In addition to our announced six Scottish commissions, we are looking forward to welcoming The Swings, The Party Shrimps, The Biggest Cat and Family Portrait.