Dominic Hill will receive an honorary doctorate
Congrats to Dominic Hill, artistic director and joint chief executive of Glasgow’s Citizens Theatre, who will receive an honorary doctorate at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland later this month.
Since taking the helm of the Citz in the Gorbals in 2011, as well as being the mastermind behind a programme of bold new works, Dominic has also steered the theatre – one of Scotland’s flagship producing houses – through the biggest redevelopment in its history. The Citz reopened last September after seven years of closure.
Speaking of Scottish theatre, we are absolutely spoiled at the moment. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, a much-anticipated National Theatre of Scotland production, premiered last weekend in Edinburgh and was spectacular in so many ways. It comes shortly after the raved-about tour of a new production of 1984 - including at the Citz - while the brilliant Antigone, a modern spin on the Greek tragedy, directed by Finn den Hertog, recently closed after a three week run at the Tron Theatre in Glasgow.
One woman was overheard in the bathroom post-show, giving her opinion on Antigone, which was a two-hander performed by Holly Howden Gilchrist and Eilidh Loan, two young stars of Scottish theatre.
“I thought the acting was phenomenal,” she said. “But I didn’t much care for the story.”
That’s Sophocles told, then.
Record sale
The extensive record collection of late Scottish DJ Keith McIvor, aka JD Twitch, is to go on sale. One half of the inestimable Optimo (Espacio) duo, JD Twitch died last year of a brain tumour.
The collections dates back to the DJ’s childhood, when, growing up in Balerno, Edinburgh, he spent all of an inheritance from his grandfather on records, much to the disapproval of his father.
“Neither of them could have known then that those records, and the curiosity that drove him to buy them, would become an important investment in a remarkable life and career in music,” says his widow, Marissa Costello. “Keith believed records are ultimately there to be played, discovered and loved.”
Some of the records, which Marissa describes as a “working collection”, have been carefully protected in sleeves and meticulously looked after, while others bear the scars of years spent being pulled in and out of DJ bags and played in booths around the world.
Each album has been meticulously graded and will be stickered as part of the “World of JD Twitch” and sold over several weekends at record shop World of Echo in London. Part one of the collection - around 8,000 records - will be sold next month, while part two will follow in 2027.
New board members for V&A
A former leader of Dundee City Council is among four new board members appointed at V&A Dundee to provide expert advice, scrutiny and oversight to the running of Scotland’s design museum.
The new board members are former council leader John Alexander, also chief executive of Hillcrest, Sinéad Burke, founder and chief executive of Tilting the Lens; Eliza Easton, founder of Erskine Analysis and Mark Murray, former chief executive of Artemis Investment Management.