The present club was formed in May 1996 by the amalgamation of two long standing Edinburgh drama clubs - The Makars and Davidson's Mains Dramatic Club (DMDC). In 2002 the new club formally adopted the name The Edinburgh Makars. We usually put on two or three full-scale productions a year, one of which is in the Edinburgh Fringe, as well as other one or two night performances primarily intended for club members and friends. We often have an entry in the SCDA One Act Festival. There are regular clubnights on the second Monday of each month with a variety of events including playreadings and workshops, as well as occasional theatre visits and other social occasions. We are a registered Scottish charity (SC020999) and are a member of the Scottish Community Drama Association. We have clubrooms in Brunswick Street Lane as well as a costume and scenery store. HISTORY The Makars was founded in 1932 by Christine Orr, the well-known Scottish actress, broadcaster and playwright, with the intention of performing her own plays. During the winter of 1933/34 the name "The Makars" was adopted, an old Scots word for the makers of poetry and drama. The club created its own studio theatre in Edinburgh presenting 4 or 5 productions a year with the programme including classical and modern plays and many Scottish premieres. DMDC was founded in 1942 and presented its initial productions in Davidson's Mains Village Hall. Its first production was "Dear Octopus" and the cast was drawn mainly from what had been the Davidson's Mains WRI Drama Section. In 1970, the club was placed first in the SCDA (Scottish Community Drama Association) full length play festival and represented Scotland in the production of "Every Other Evening". |
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