Culture in Scarborough

Dramatist Alan Ayckbourn is based in Scarborough where he has lived for a number of years. He has produced some sixty plays in Scarborough and is the artistic director of the famous Stephen Joseph Theatre, where almost all his plays receive their first performance. The town also plays host to the annual National Student Drama Festival, which takes place at the Stephen Joseph Theatre, the Spa Centre and other venues around the town. The Futurist Theatre is a theatre and cinema on the seafront of the South Bay.

The Grade II listed Scarborough Spa complex is home to the Scarborough Spa Orchestra, the last remaining seaside orchestra in the UK. The orchestra gives 10 concerts every week during the summer months, playing music from an extensive repertoire of classical and light music with no programme repeats.

The area is also home to hundreds of "artists" working in a wide variety of media and boasts several galleries. The presence of the University of Hull's School of Arts and New Media in the town helps fuel the vibrant music and arts scene.

In recent years, arts, business and education have collaborated annually to produce Digital Scarborough - a celebration of the town's digital activities including a wide range of events from business networking to film showings and gigs with DJs and VJs.

The town is home to a significant jazz festival each September and in the summer boasts 'Beached' - an eclectic rock and pop festival which takes place on the South Bay beach and features at least 50% local talent alongside internationally known artists. In summer 2005, Scarborough played host to the Sonic Arts Network Expo featuring cutting-edge performances and installations.

These fairly recent developments, married to a long-established museum and visual arts facilities, hint at Scarborough's desire to re-invent itself as a creative and arts-based town. In 2006 work started on Wood End Museum - former home to the Sitwells—to convert it into a creative centre including workspace for artists and the digital cluster, plus an exhibition space. The town's Rotunda Museum is currently undergoing a multi-million-pound redevelopment that will see it become a national centre for geology. 2006 also saw the formation of a creative industries network called 'Creative Coast comprising artists, designers, writers and other creatives with the shared vision of a culturally vibrant economy on the North Yorkshire coast.

Scarborough also has a considerable graffiti culture, with as many as 20 'writers' currently active. There are two areas where graffiti art is legal in Scarborough, Sainsbury's Basketball Courts, and Falsgrave Park Wall. Both have seen many collaborations and murals.

The films Little Voice and A Chorus of Disapproval were filmed on location in Scarborough and the surrounding area. Other films that have filmed scenes in Scarborough include Miranda and Beltenbros.

Scarborough is twinned with Osterode am Harz and Cahir.
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