* Barber of Seville, Scottish Opera Go Round Tour from Orkney to Dumfries, calling at village halls in Lochcarron and Ballachulish and schools at Thurso, Linlithgow and Biggar. Some venues will have talks, four schools will take 25 pupils through their own improvised version of the opera. Details from Scottish Opera, tel: 0141 248 4567.
* Macbeth, Theatre Babel A three-month tour, starting at Glasgow’s Tron Theatre (until September 20), goes to East Kilbride, Arbroath and Dundee, then to the Channel Islands and Ireland before returning to Scotland in November. Details about school workshops, tel: 0141 226 8806.
* Worksong, TAG A new play by John McGrath to celebrate the centenary of the Scottish Trades Union Congress will tour secondary schools in Glasgow, Edinburgh and the central belt in October and November. Pupils will be put in the role of trade unionists and invited to make decisions in response to the piece. TAG, tel: 0141 552 4949.
* Robert the Bruce, Hopscotch Hopscotch Theatre Company is on the road with a 14-week tour, taking a new production of Robert the Bruce to 140 schools. . “Calling on rock superstars Elvis and the Gallagher brothers for assistance”, the story of Bruce is retold by a cast of four. Tel: 0141 440 2025.
* All’s Well That Ends Well, Oxford Stage Company A new production of Shakespeare’s tale is travelling to the MacRobert Arts Centre, Stirling (October 7-11), where it will be surrounded by a series of special school events: a free introduction to the play, a look behind the scenes and an insight into rehearsals on October 8; a post-show discussion on October 7; and workshops. Tel: 01786 461081.
* Auditions, National Youth Orchestra of Scotland NYOS is inviting applications for auditions from instrumentalists aged 12 to 21. Applicants should have reached a standard equivalent to Grade VIIVIII Associated Board, but promising players are encouraged to apply, particularly those wishing to attend the 1998 Easter course. Application forms and further details from The Administrator, NYOS, 13 Somerset Place, Glasgow G3 7JT, tel: 0141 332 8311.
* Dance Matters! A conference on dance education in Scotland is being organised by the Scottish Arts Council on November 18 and 19 at Jordanhill Campus, University of Strathclyde. The conference will discuss good practice, strategy, in-service training and lottery opportunities, and delegates will get the chance to attend dance workshops and presentations. For further details, tel: 0141 959 8023.
* National Poetry Day The fourth annual festival of poetry is on October 9, and offers a wide range of events for young people. Poetry will fill the airwaves on BBC TV and radio, and poets will take centre stage at hundreds of venues around the country. Tel: 0131 221 1995.
* Le Mariage de Figaro, Theatre sans Fronti res The award-winning theatre company has just started an eight-week tour with its latest French-language production of Beaumarchais’s classic, Le Mariage de Figaro. Scottish venues include Crawfurd Theatre, Jordanhill Campus, Glasgow (September 22), The Wynd Theatre, Melrose (October 3-4) and the MacRobert Arts Centre, Stirling (October 29). Tel: 01434 606787.
* Children of the Commonwealth, Edinburgh The first Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting held in Scotland (October 24-27) is attracting a variety of events. Among them will be Children of the Commonwealth, an exhibition at the Museum of Childhood (October 4-January 5, 0131 529 4142), Heartstone and the Story of the Commonwealth, an exhibition of photographs at the City Art Centre (October 18-November 15, 0131 529 3993), and at the same venue (October 18-January 10) Animal Magic, a children’s exhibition. The Commonwealth Centre at the Assembly Rooms (October 21-27) features interactive exhibitions, workshops, art and music (tel: 0171 930 6733).
