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£200,000 to bring classic novel ‘Lanark’ to the stage.

The Scottish Government has awarded £200,000 to the Edinburgh International Festival to present the world premiere of a new stage adaptation of Alasdair Gray’s classic novel ‘Lanark’, Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Europe and External Affairs Fiona Hyslop announced yesterday.

The adaptation by David Greig, directed by Graham Eatough, will take place as part of a celebration of Alasdair Gray’s 80th birthday year, and will be delivered in collaboration with the Citizens Theatre, Glasgow.

Lanark is set in the disintegrating cities of Unthank and Glasgow, and tells the interwoven stories of Lanark and Duncan Thaw. A work of extraordinary imagination and wide range, its playful narrative techniques convey a profound message, both personal and political, about humankind's inability to love, and yet our compulsion to go on trying.

Ms Hyslop said yesterday:

“Through the Edinburgh Festivals Expo Fund, the Scottish Government has directly invested more than £15 million in the Edinburgh festivals since 2008/09, including more than £1.5 million for projects delivered as part of the Edinburgh International Festival. I am delighted to announce today that this fund will provide £200,000 in 2015 to enable the EIF to present the world premiere of a new stage adaptation of Lanark.

“Our ongoing investment in Edinburgh’s festivals underlines this government’s commitment to creating long term benefits for Scottish artists, the economy and Scotland’s international reputation. The Edinburgh festivals contribute more than £250m in tourism revenue to Scotland’s economy but just as important is their international profile.

“Edinburgh’s festivals have been defining and promoting Scotland’s identity as a confident, creative, welcoming nation for over 65 years. We are supporting their work through the Expo Fund to fund innovation, collaboration and artist development, all vital for future success of our festivals.”

Festival Director, Fergus Linehan said,

“The Scottish Government’s Edinburgh Festivals Expo Fund has enabled us to present new work from many wonderful Scottish artists and companies on the Festival’s international stage. The support for Lanark, which opens at the Edinburgh International Festival and then continues at the Citizens Theatre in the autumn, helps make it possible to stage this enormous Scottish literary landmark. I am truly excited about the creative team behind this endeavour and look forward to seeing the results of their work on stage. We would like to thank the Scottish Government for its farsightedness in establishing this fund and for its continuing strategic support for Scottish artists and work at the Festival.”

Notes To Editors

The Scottish Government Expo Fund has been transformative for the Edinburgh festivals and their artists. It has allowed them to create an astonishing legacy of important new work, from exceptional writing by Don Paterson, Ali Smith and James Robertson to the remarkable interventions of artists Callum Innes and Martin Creed at Regent Bridge and the Scotsman Steps, from irresistibly inventive science installations to a swathe of ambitious new performing arts commissions that have gone on to thrill audiences around the world. In 2014 the Edinburgh International Festival was awarded £200,000 Expo funding to support The James Plays by Rona Munro, a co-production between the National Theatre of Scotland and EIF and a major highlight of last year’s programme.

The Scottish Government Expo Fund has allowed Festivals Edinburgh to increase the presence and visibility of Scottish artists and companies across the Festivals, to present them in the richest of international contexts and for the powerful impacts of this to endure nationally and globally. The fund is aimed at supporting: touring within or outwith Scotland of works premiered at the festivals; work by Scottish-based artists and arts companies, and collaborative work with international artists. The Expo assessment and funding processes are administered by Creative Scotland.

The Expo fund remains at £2.25m for 2015 and is administered through Creative Scotland, with £2m for the festivals including the Made in Scotland fund and £250,000 for Festivals Edinburgh.