Do you have a theatre-loving mum you want to spoil on Mother’s Day?

Make her ‘queen bee’ for the afternoon and help her show support for your local theatre at the same time.

The Adam Smith Theatre is offering a Mother’s Day Special on Saturday 9 March with an afternoon tea of tasty treats baked and prepared in-house.

“There will be a glass of fizz or a ‘bee’s knees cocktail’ on arrival followed by a scrumptious afternoon tea, all handmade with local ingredients by our talented chefs,” said Venue Manager Ayesha Nickson.

Find out more at onfife.com

OnFife Libraries have a whole host of events, giveaways and activities planned for World Book Day 2024 next week  – in fact, it’s so exciting, they’re celebrating the whole week, not just Thursday 7 March!

An exhibition of artistic gems from one of Scotland’s finest collections of paintings is being warmly received by gallery-goers in Dunfermline.

More than 500 people who have viewed highlights from the collection managed by cultural charity OnFife have left glowing reviews on comment cards at the venue.

Curators hosting the Brushstrokes show at Dunfermline Carnegie Library & Galleries say the positive response proves there is a healthy appetite for art exhibitions in the city.

Brushstrokes, which showcases work by nationally renowned painters, is the biggest art exhibition to be hosted by the award-winning venue since its opening in 2017.

The display of 66 works, which opened in December, follows the success of the Glasgow Boys exhibition in 2018 and the Edinburgh School show a year later.

Many visitors have expressed a wish to see more art on show at the venue: “What a lovely way to spend time. The layout and range of paintings is delightful and I can’t wait to revisit.”

“This place does great things,” wrote one visitor. “Congratulations on another fabulous exhibition. It brings a lot of joy … and something interesting to Dunfermline.”

Brushstrokes features works by the ever-popular Scottish Colourists, the Glasgow Boys and the renowned landscape artist William McTaggart.

Included in the blend of traditional and modern works are paintings by acclaimed artists such as Joan Eardley, Anne Redpath and Elizabeth Blackadder.

Highlights from beyond Scotland include An Old Street by LS Lowry – one of only seven works by Lowry to be held in Scotland’s public collections.

Visitors have welcomed the exhibition’s inclusivity: “A terrific selection and good to see so many women artists represented … there’s something for everyone to make you think and feel a range of emotions. Brilliant!”

Another commented on the quality of art on display: “I really enjoyed my visit today. I didn’t know there were Scottish artists this talented and inspiring. A real eye-opener!”

Galleries staff have chosen more than 20 of the exhibits and written labels to accompany their selections. QR codes let audiences learn more about many of the artists and their works.

Visitors have enjoyed this approach: “It was great to see this selection of OnFife’s art displayed so well. The curator’s labels and the personal reflections displayed beside the staff picks are inspired.”

Staff picks include two of several Fife scenes on show – View from Aberdour Golf Course by Tom Gourdie and View Through the Cylinder by James Marshall Dickson.

Other Fife painters on display include contemporary artists Kate Downie, Dorothy Black, Marian Leven, Tim Cockburn and Frances Walker – who are all still creating new work.

Brushstrokes also includes the most recent addition to the OnFife collection – Features, Fingers, Foot by Lys Hansen – which is on display for the first time.

The exhibition has a separate art-themed space for family-friendly activities, which include reading, colouring, crafts and games.

Brushstrokes Curator Lesley Lettice says: “We’ve been overwhelmed by the response to the exhibition so far and it’s great to know that so many of our visitors want to share their thoughts with us.” To find out more about Brushstrokes, go to www.onfife.com/events/brushstrokes

Brushstrokes is at Dunfermline Carnegie Library & Galleries until 2 June. Admission is free.

Highly charged memories of an era-defining industrial dispute are being rekindled by a new exhibition.

The best things come to those who wait, something that Jim Duffy understands. Because the 75-year-old grandad, who worked as a portrait photographer half a century ago, is only now holding his first exhibition.

Jim, who lives in Dalgety Bay, was as a freelance photographer in his 20s and photographed many well-kent Scottish faces, including boxer Jim Watt, comedian Andy Cameron and actors Juliet Cadzow and Russell Hunter, not to mention the 1978 Scottish Football World Cup squad.

Unfortunately, the erratic nature of the work meant that Jim – a father of four – had to abandon his photography for a steadier career.

Retirement, however, has seen him reignite his passion and this time around, technology has allowed him to get creative with colour and form. By fusing and overlaying photographs from a variety of sources – including his own back catalogue – Jim has created a series of unique and surreal images. These ‘fused’ photographs, alongside some of his more traditional landscape and portrait work, form the basis of his first ever public exhibition which is on now at Rothes Halls, Glenrothes.

“I am absolutely delighted to be launching my own exhibition at the age of 75,” said Jim, who originally hails from Falkirk. “It’s been a long-held dream.”

He added: “The technology has really changed since I was a young photographer hanging up prints in a makeshift dark room, but the essence of an eye-catching image remains the same.

“I’ve kept up my interest as an enthusiastic amateur over the years and have really enjoyed developing my knowledge of digital photography and editing to create more abstract images which I hope visitors will enjoy.”

Entitled FUSION, the exhibition opened 12 February and runs until April.

Highlights include images of the Kelpies, the Forth Rail Bridge and other Scottish landmarks presented in unfamiliar and eye-catching ways by bold use of colour and contrast.

Full details:

Show: FUSION by Jim Duffy

Venue: Rothes Halls, Kingdom Centre, Glenrothes, KY7 5NX, 01592 611101 More info: visit www.jimduffyphotography.com

Big Screen movies are back in Kirkcaldy … and a new season of cinema will set you back just a fiver a film.

And making a welcome comeback on Wednesday (14 February) is the Adam Smith Theatre’s ever-popular Breakfast Club, which reconvenes at 11am with The Great Escaper, starring Michael Caine.

The venue is to host movies in the morning every fortnight – serving them up with, a hot filled bagel and a tea or coffee for £5 before the film.

The sheer drama of NT Live returns on Friday 16 February with the rollicking wartime comedy Jack Absolute Flies Again. Tickets are £16.50 and £13.50 for concessions.

Theatre lovers can toast NT Live’s return by sampling a Valentine’s cocktail in the bar, specially created for the relaunch.

NT Live continues with two more shows. Vanya – a radical reworking of Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya – is on 15 March and The Motive and the Cue, which reimagines Richard Burton and John Gielgud’s performance of Hamlet, is on 19 April.

February’s line-up of films is completed with Oppenheimer. Other blockbusters featuring this spring include Bob Marley: One Love on 29 March; Barbie on 13 April; and a Star Wars movie on 4 May.

And on 13 April the theatre will host comedian Janey Godley’s newly released film, Janey – with a stand-up set from Janey herself.

Community Events and Programme Manager, Karen Taylor, says: “We know how much our audiences have missed movies at the Adam Smith – so we’re delighted the big screen is back, offering cinema treats for film fans of all ages.”

For the full line-up of films visit the OnFife website or call in at the box office.

Rarely seen photographs dating back to Victorian times are to be shown at an event spotlighting Dalgety Bay’s hidden history.

Around 60 pictures taken from the Forth shoreline will be shared publicly for the first time at an evening promoting a planned heritage trail.

Ten of the images, once part of a private collection, were taken in 1894. Among them are pictures of a fire-damaged Donibristle House and the steamship SS Narova undergoing sea trials.

Some 50 photographs spanning the First World War to the 1980s will also feature. They include shots of St David’s Harbour in the 1930s; a stockpile of Second World War planes waiting to be scrapped at Dalgety Bay; and the building of Braefoot Bay tanker terminal more than 40 years ago.

Presenting the pictures at Dalgety Bay Library on Wednesday 21 February will be Dalgety Community Trust vice-chair Brian Johnston, who will also give an overview of the area’s history.

Mr Johnston’s whistle-stop tour of the town’s past will take audience members from the Bronze Age to the present day.

The Trust is in the process of creating a virtual heritage trail to be accessed at a purpose-built Heritage Centre, which the Trust is planning to build next to Dalgety Parish Church.

Says Mr Johnston: “There is so much lost and hidden heritage in the old Dalgety Parish – a lot has happened here, although so much of it is now buried under tarmac.”

Mr Johnston hopes that other rare photographs can be shared at future events prior to the town’s 60th birthday celebrations next year.

Included in the Trust’s vast photographic archive are images of the RAF Air Station at Donibristle in 1918 and the first of Dalgety Bay’s present-day homes under construction in 1965.

Dalgety Community Trust is a not-for-profit company, founded in 2019 by a group of local volunteers. The group’s stated aim is to develop and deliver priority community projects that have a positive social, environmental and economic impact.

The talk on 21 February will start at 7pm. Admission, including complimentary refreshments, is £3.

If great nights out gladden your heart, OnFife’s new season of shows will help banish the winter blues.

The cultural charity has unveiled a programme of upcoming events that’s big on music and mirth – and has something for all ages and tastes.

At the Adam Smith Theatre in Kirkcaldy, TV star turned stand-up Gail Porter, fresh from a run of sell-out shows at the Edinburgh Fringe, presents Hung, Drawn and Portered on 1 March.

Musical highlights include a performance of boundary-bursting Graffiti Classics by the world-renowned Comedy String Quartet on 14 March.

TV and cinema star Ricky Tomlinson takes to the stage on 22 March in Irish Annie’s – a brand new musical play where singalong sheets are handed out pre-show to all attending.

Audience participation is also a key part of the show in the ‘oink-tastic’ family musical The Three Little Pigs, which has an afternoon outing on 6 April.

Top tribute acts are playing the venue too. Counterfeit Sixties showcases great music from an unforgettable era on 17 February and the ultimate Celine Dion tribute show, My Heart Will Go On, is set to sparkle on 16 March.

The venue will also host three productions by local groups. Kirkcaldy Youth Musical Theatre presents Sister Act from 22-24 February, Kirkcaldy Gilbert& Sullivan Society performs The Mikado from 7-9 March and Kirkcaldy Amateur Operatic Society Stephen Sondheim’s ‘Company’ from 25-27 April.

Highlights at the Rothes Hall in Glenrothes include a night to remember with two snooker greats – Stephen Hendry and John Higgins – who go head-to-head in a Clash of the Titans on 27 March.

Meanwhile hitting headlines recently was the news that Scottish legend Lulu has hand-picked Rothes Halls for one of only two warm-up gigs ahead of her landmark 60th anniversary tour and she’ll be wowing audiences in the new town on 6 April.

There will be no shortage of laughs when the ever-popular Gary Meikle is back in Glenrothes with a brand-new stand-up show – No Refunds – on 10 February. And fans of Jim Davidson will be in comedy heaven when the comic unleashes Swimming Against the Tide on 19 April.

Two popular musical acts will make welcome returns – Scots trad favourites North Sea Gas on 6 April and Irish folk legends The Fureys on 11 April.

The venue is to host a stellar line-up of tribute acts. Lovers of soul can experience The Magic of Motown on 24 February; fans of George Michael can savour the songs of George Michael in Fastlove on 29 February; and AC/DC diehards can recharge with the Livewire show on 8 March.

Seven Drunken Nights retells the story of folk icons the Dubliners on 30 March, Get It On promises a night of glam rock revelry on 20 April and the Freddie & Queen Experience takes centre stage on 27 April.

The venue will also feature two productions by local groups – Disney’s High School Musical by Gama Youth from 15-17 February and Little Stars 24, featuring lower school pupils from Cheryl Crawford Dance Studios. on 2 March.

Comedy and music are on offer at Lochgelly Centre too, as well as a whole variety of shows from local performing arts groups, dance schools and Fife school pupils. Stand-up Dee Maxwell presents Men, Menopause and Mars Bars on 23 February and Desperados celebrates the music and legacy of The Eagles on 12 March.

Great gigs and gags galore are also part of the mix in the new season of shows at Dunfermline’s Carnegie Hall.

Also waiting in the wings is an evening with a true sporting great. Cycling fans can be part of An Audience with Sir Bradley Wiggins on 18 April, or even meet and greet the man himself, as the former World and Olympic champion reflects on an illustrious career that included a memorable Tour De France win.

Top tributes playing in the venue include the Stevie Agnew Band with After the Last Waltz, a celebration of the music of The Band on 10 February. Also lined up is Absolute Elvis featuring Johnny Lee Memphis, which conjures up the magic of The King on 15 March, and Someone Like You – a homage to the Adele songbook – on 20 April.

On a different note, the Royal Marines Band Scotland, who are performing a season of concerts, will present shows packed with musical delights on 18 February and 28 March.

Comedy shows by Kieran Hodgson – a star of BBC sitcom Two Doors Down – and Rosyth funny man Ross Leslie are scheduled for 29 February and 6 April respectively.

A rip-roaring night of live stand-up on 14 March – presented by Gilded Balloon and hosted by Jay Lafferty – will feature Eleanor Tiernan, Susan Riddell, Marc Jennings and fan-favourite Maisie Adam.

Community Events and Programme Manager, Karen Taylor, says: “Spring brings us another packed programme across our theatres with something for everyone. I am looking forward to welcoming Lulu to Rothes Halls in April as she embarks on her farewell tour, having a sing-along with Ricky Tomlinson in Irish Annie’s at Adam Smith and having a laugh with Dee Wallace in Lochgelly. Please check out our website for further details and hopefully I will see you soon in one of our venues.”

The team at Lochgelly Centre are inviting customers old and new to pop in and ‘share the love’ during Valentine’s week.

Museum staff who are hosting an exhibition about a trailblazing football team are appealing for memorabilia linked to the women’s game in Fife.

Curators are keen to capture how women’s football has grown locally in recent years and build a clearer picture of its earliest development in Fife.

Exhibition organisers hope that the display – which spotlights 1920s star May Watson of Cardenden – will inspire visitors to donate items and stories to a women’s football archive.

The tribute to Rutherglen Ladies FC, who drew big crowds during the interwar years, is at Kirkcaldy Galleries from 8-30 March, before transferring to Dunfermline Carnegie Library and Galleries in April.

Archivists with cultural charity OnFife, which runs both venues, say the display can be a catalyst that helps fill knowledge gaps in the history of women’s football in Fife.

During the 1920s and 30s, Rutherglen Ladies had to battle against the odds just to play matches, as the English Football Association banned the game, deeming it “quite unsuitable for females”. A Scottish FA ban would follow 20 years later.

Despite that, the women in Fife flourished, with teams in Lochore, Kirkcaldy, Newburgh and Freuchie.

Before joining Rutherglen, May Watson (later Wyse) played for Bowhill Ladies. A newspaper article at the time reported: “Bowhill is one of the few villages that can boast of having a progressive female community not afraid of emulating the men … it has a go-ahead ladies’ football team.”

May was later described, in a newspaper obituary of 1951, as “probably one of the best lady footballers in Britain”. The tribute stated: “She did much in her football years to raise money for charity, and often played against men’s teams with outstanding ability.”

May toured Scotland and Ireland with Rutherglen in 1925-26 and played in the Scottish Ladies’ team that defeated Dick Kerr’s revered English side, who at the time were unofficial world champions.

The opening at Kirkcaldy Galleries will be a proud moment for venue supervisor Carolyn Johnston, who is May’s great-granddaughter.

Says Carolyn, also of Cardenden: “I am so pleased the story of Rutherglen Ladies is being widely told in Fife and very proud of my great granny’s role in it – she was, by all accounts, a remarkable woman.”

May is not the only illustrious footballer in Carolyn’s family – her uncle, Willie Johnston, starred for Scotland, Rangers, West Bromwich Albion and Hearts, winning a European Cup Winners’ Cup medal in 1972.

The exhibition is based on research carried out by Dr Fiona Skillen, senior lecturer in history at Glasgow Caledonian University, and women’s football historian Steve Bolton.

Led by superstar captain Sadie Smith, the grandmother of singer-songwriter Eddi Reader, Rutherglen Ladies toured Ireland, played in exhibition games in front of thousands and raised money for charity.

Dr Skillen said: “There’s a perception that women’s football didn’t happen in Scotland between the Victorian period and the mid-1950s. This research shows that it did. We are rewriting the history books with our discoveries.

“Rutherglen Ladies showed incredible resolve and resilience and had to overcome significant barriers just to play the game. They deserve recognition for their unique place in history.”

The exhibition traces the development of the team from its foundation in 1921 through to its disbanding in 1939. It explores the lives of the manager James H Kelly and the players themselves, whilst also telling the story of their groundbreaking tours in Scotland, England and Ireland.

Anyone with information should email localstudies.kirkcaldy@onfife.com

Carolyn Johnston, Venue Supervisor at Kirkcaldy Galleries, points out her footballing ‘superstar’ great-grandmother in one of the photographs in the exhibition.