June 2016 heralded the return of the marvellous Melodrome to Eden Festival in Scotland. Our 3rd attendance at the festival and an entirely new location onsite saw the stage in its very own woodland setting.  Nestled in a chilled and cosy dell, complete with tree canopy, hammocks and Melodrome morning yoga the crew produced a visual, theatrical delight for those wishing to move away from the main hub of the event and find somewhere a little bit different for the weekend.

Opening with possibly the most eclectic open mic session the stage has ever had the pleasure to host. Beat box flute, original poetry, freestyle rap, the stage drew the audience up to the woodland location… and they just kept coming back. As the weekend unfolded we hosted a full day of variety theatre courtesy of the star spangled cabaret… young men in 30s bathing suits spinning  hula hoops, Victorian explorers who believed they had found a whole spot in time and space,  the finest Bowie tribute act this side of Suffragette City , a devil in sheep’s clothing.. .the audience were delighted and their whisperings around site drew more and more folk to our woodland location.

As the weekend developed the combination of local and national  musical acts  who populated the stage were thrilled to not only walk the boards but to be fed and watered by the delicious food the crew just kept on producing…a bonus for any performer I’m sure you’ll all agree !!

And let’s not forget the first outing of the Melodrome’s new little brother -The Minidrome.  Just in case the acts on the big stage weren’t enough; whilst they were preparing we continued to hold the keen audiences with solos, duos and trios on this tiny new addition to the set up…Painted around its circular base with tiny elephants and just about large enough to hold a trio. The Minidrome provided a lovely space for those who weren’t booked in advance but simply fancied a performance – spoken word, comedy, music and theatre pieces filled the Minidrome and nurtured the Melodrome acts of the future …