Listings: Talks & lectures

Meet PR and media insiders: tips on everything from social networking and contacting reviewers to increasing audience numbers, this discussion will give you invaluable advice on marketing your show at the Fringe.

Develop your show after the Fringe with a focus on touring in the UK. A panel of experts will discuss the benefits, complexities and logistics of touring in the UK.

An event for participants interested in touring their shows at an international level. We look at the key issues surrounding international touring such as programming around the world, being business ready and building networks.

Find out from a panel of industry experts what it takes to be a successful producer, receive invaluable advice and tips on funding, marketing and project development. Suitable for all levels of experience.

Exploring the growing demand for improvisation in all mediums - film, television and theatre. Learn the tools necessary to think on your feet and book that commercial, film, or simply hone your skills to think fast.

Jeremy Howe, Commissioning Editor BBC Radio 4, dramatist Jonathan Myerson and writer and theatre critic Octavian Saiu explore the influence radio has had on drama and its development as an artform.

Moshe Kam of Drexel University, Philadelphia, discusses the neverending cycle of advancements in cinema, that provide for expanded artistic freedom and in turn lead to new technological opportunities. Chaired by Sir John Arbuthnott, President of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.

The Internet is the greatest store of human knowledge that has ever existed. But it is also a shopping mall, a video arcade and a Pandora’s Box. Tom Standage, digital editor of The Economist, and Emily Bell, director of the Tow Centre for Digital Journalism at Columbia University, discuss the Internet’s effect on…

As we spend more time online or attached to a mobile device and with increasing amounts of information being generated and captured, Jon Oberlander, Professor of Epistemics at the University of Edinburgh, explores the cost to privacy of this new technological power. Chaired by Guardian journalist Aleks Krotoski.

Author and broadcaster Paul Mason outlines the ways in which technology has enabled global protest movements and asks how the old political models of ruling and resisting are being undermined. Chaired by Professor William Sweeney. Speech-to-Text Reported event.

British scientist, writer and broadcaster Susan Greenfield asks us to consider how technologies may be changing the human brain, both for good and for bad. Chaired by Alison Elliot, Convenor of the Church of Scotland Guild. Speech-to-Text Reported event.

Psychiatrist Andrew Powell explores the ways that technology affects relationships. As depression rapidly becomes the greatest burden of illness in developed countries, he examines safeguards for emotional and spiritual well-being. Chaired by Reverend Richard Coles, writer of TV comedy Rev. Speech-to-Text Reported event.

Aleks Krotoski, social psychologist and presenter of Radio 4’s Digital Human, untangles the World Wide Web, asking how much of a revolution it really is. Are we in danger of letting Google and Facebook take over our lives, and can we reclaim control over the machine? Chaired by Robert Dawson Scott. Speech-to-Text Reported…

Jesse Schell, Distinguished Professor of Entertainment Technology, Carnegie Mellon University, and technology entrepreneur Chris van der Kuyl discuss the gamification of design and its potential for widespread influence. Chaired by writer Ben Hammersley.

In the face of today’s ongoing technological revolution, author and journalist Ben Hammersley examines how we must consider today what we do not know for tomorrow. Chaired by journalist Robert Dawson Scott. Speech-to-Text Reported event.

What are the responsibilities and challenges of filmmakers in confronting the real world? From cinéma vérité to experimental filmmaking, this introduction to the art of documentary discusses key approaches to the genre and examines how filmmakers negotiate ethical and practical challenges when documenting life. Using…

Just Festival. Ever wondered how to fight injustice and inequality? What the world would be like without religion? Does art ever change anything? How human trafficking exists in the UK? Will Israel and Palestine find peace? Join the conversation as we discuss a different issue each day, featuring speaker panels, films…

For seventy years John Berger has made an outstanding contribution to the Culture of Europe, and Scotland. On 4th. 5th & 6th of August - Summerhall is proud to present three Public Seminars exploring Berger's work as Artist and Art Critic; as Philosopher and Political activist; as Novelist, Poet and Storyteller.

Damian Barr brings his celebrated Shoreditch House Literary Salon to Edinburgh. Join him for exclusive readings and revealing interviews with some of the world’s best writers. Guests include the formidably fabulous Janice Galloway and the most marvellous Maggie O’Farrell. Tickets include one delightful cocktail.

Ian Stoutzker, co-founder with Yehudi Menuhin of Live Music Now, discusses the organisation’s distinctive work and Menuhin’s vision with Director of Live Music Now Scotland Carol Main.

Professor of Communication, Arts and Religion Jolyon Mitchell hosts a discussion with historian, broadcaster and author Bettany Hughes and Mona Siddiqui, Professor of Islamic and Interreligious Studies, on the relationships between research and the media and the demands of addressing different audiences.

Informal demonstration on Scotch Malt Whiskies in one of Edinburgh's oldest and most historic pubs. Learning about the differences between Scotch and other world whiskies. Find out more about typical characteristics of each of the whisky producing regions of Scotland and some other interesting facts of Scotland’s…

Memory always distorts. Theatre is inherently un-real. Is this the perfect combination, or fraught with difficulties? This panel discussion explores the tensions between theatre, history, memory, preservation, and politics; between that which has been left to us and that which is absolutely new. Leading artists discuss.

Spotlight host a Q&A with leading comedy casting director Nicky Bligh. Come with questions prepared! Casting credits include: Coming of Age, Extras, Ideal, Psychoville, Scallywagga and Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps.