Every year the Edinburgh International Festival offers up an enticing array of dance, music, theatre, visual arts and film, attracting people from all over the world to Scotland.

But behind the stage curtain is a whole world of other activity taking place, with performers, organisers and runners working all hours of the day to make sure each performance goes with a bang.

A unique series of short videos, created by Edinburgh International Festival, Standard Life and Edinburgh Napier University, shows some of the bustling activity that the audience normally never gets to see.

Highlights include a profile on Scottish Opera, which features an interview with soprano Sophie Bevan who explains what it was that attracted her to the vocation, as well as interviews with the workshop manager and one of the composers, who both explain how much work goes into creating an opera.

Another piece looks at the play Meine faire Dame, a tale about an eccentric language professor which stars Scottish actor Graham F. Valentine, who has gone on to carve out a hugely successful career in musical theatre across Europe.

A look at the typical day in the life of a musician also offers up a unique insight into the workings of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra’s key players.

And a peek at exactly how much work an artist liaison officer puts into making sure things run smoothly will no doubt raise a few eyebrows too. Stamina is clearly the name of the game!

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