Cabaret artiste

The neo-burlesque scene has gone mainstream thanks in no small part to the efforts of Club Noir, which runs events all over the country from its base at the O2 Academy in Glasgow. Claiming a place in Guinness World Records for being the biggest burlesque club in the world, it programmes DJs, divas, bands, films, fetish acts, comedians and variety stars.

Circus performer

With an interest in street theatre and circus skills, Conflux offers support, training and international residencies to anyone who wants to get physical. Based at Glasgow’s Arches, it runs the biennial Surge festival, which takes place in theatres and on the streets, and keeps in touch with performers on the internet via the Scottish Street & Circus Arts Network (SSCAN).

Live artist

The recent demise of New Territories and the associated National Review of Live Art may have closed down one career path, but performance artists don’t play by the rules and continue to pop up where you least expect them. That may or may not be at the Arches and the Tramway in Glasgow, at various art school hang-outs or at Summerhall, the watch-this-space newcomer in Edinburgh.

Magician

Since its launch in 2010, the Edinburgh International Magic Festival has doubled its ticket sales and will be back pulling rabbits out of hats 28 June–5 July 2013. Its programme draws from far and wide, attracting performers from the Ukraine, Germany and France as well as closer to home. In addition to close-up magic, large-scale illusions and street entertainment, the festival runs masterclasses and a magic school.

Puppeteer

The organisation with its fingers on the strings is Puppet Animation Scotland which, as well as running the Puppet Animation Festival, the UK’s largest performing arts event for children, also programmes Manipulate, an annual festival of object theatre for adults, starting to expand outwards from its base at Edinburgh’s Traverse.