Innovation

Innovative programming in our theatres, libraries and museums and galleries is reaching brand new audiences. Exciting new lunchtime theatre proved very popular as audiences enjoyed a light lunch with a slice of fantastic quality drama at the Adam Smith Theatre. Rapture Bites is another impressive step forward in Rapture Theatre’s mission to make classic quality regional theatre accessible to a wide audience, a pursuit that we champion as part of our long-standing relationship with this touring company.  New ‘An Audience With’ events allow us to programme a diverse range of performers appealing to a wide range of age groups. The series kicked off with Status Quo legend Francis Rossi.

Francis Rossi, Status Quo

Pop up dance duets in our libraries

Spy Quest

Lunchtime theatre by Rapture

Weekends With The Family

New collections centre, Bankhead, Glenrothes

Innovation in our libraries

Innovation in our libraries

Our enterprising libraries team entertained library users with pop-up dance duets while music, beer and readings proved an irresistible combination at Cupar Library.   Libraries Aloud! kicked off an exciting new strand of music performances held in traditionally quiet library spaces. Performers such as Broken Chanter and Jill Lorean delighted audiences by playing under the dome of the original lending library in Dunfermline Carnegie Library & Galleries.

During Book Week Scotland Banned Books, Beer…and Beerjacket at Cupar Library married alternative folk musician Beerjacket with music, readings, and beer from a local brewer. Delicious tastings were included in the A Taste of…Chocolate event at Kirkcaldy Galleries, where the adult event programme concluded with inspirational Scottish author Sara Sheridan. Funding from Scottish Book Trust supported a varied programme for adults, with 754 people attending five events.

UK first for panto

UK first for panto

Kirkcaldy’s Beauty and the Beast clocked up a UK first with an innovation that went viral. Even The Stage reported that Imagine’s panto was one of the first productions in the country to allow the audience to take photos and video on their phones during the live performance, all of which went down a storm on social media.

Technology to help people living with dementia

Technology to help people living with dementia

Using technology to innovate, we were the first library authority in Scotland to install a magic table, or Tovertafel, which uses a special light projector to create playful, interactive games for people living with dementia.

The table provides cognitive stimulation and encourages users to get moving and have fun together. And our libraries team continue to challenge the preconceptions of libraries further by inviting kids along to make all sorts of things, from baby sharks to spiders, all with the help of a high tech 3D printer.

Weekends With The Family

Weekends With The Family

October 2018 marked the start of something very new in libraries. Weekends With The Family (WWTF) showcase our flagship venues and encourage families to make a date every month to come along and have fun. Each themed weekend offers a top-class ticketed activity at pocket-money prices, supported by lots of free things to do for all ages.

So far, families have enjoyed a Dia de los Muertes  (Day of the Dead) celebration…Christmas with the Grinch, investigative crime solving, a thrilling Spy Quest and the ever-popular Harry Potter. In the six months since their inception, we’ve attracted around 1000 people to our ticketed events with many hundreds more queuing up for the free drop-in activities. There’s also been an impressive rise in visitors, with a 20% increase in footfall at Dunfermline Carnegie Library & Galleries on these weekends while Kirkcaldy Galleries has reported a massive 60–100% increase on WWTF days.