LAST MINUTE SUPPLIES>>

You've shipped fifty actors, a large box set, two vans of props and a three piece suite to Edinburgh, but you forgot the...

Well, fortunately, Edinburgh has everything you could ever possibly need if you're having an emergency with your production. And fortunately for you, ThreeWeeks has got together a quick guide. You should be able to walk to most of these places and hopefully they won't break the budget.

If your set needs a bit of work the two main DIY stores with long-ish opening hours are Homebase at 102 St Leonard's Street (0845 640 7271) just up the road from the Pleasance and, a bit further away, B&Q at 240 Easter Road (0131 554 1464) in the North East of the city (there's also one Murrayfield way at 45 Stevenson Road if you're on that side of town - 0131 3461563). For emergencies you can use James Gray (0131 225 7381) a 'home store' right in the centre of town at 89 George Street - it has a small if pricey hardware section.

For more specialist suppliers: Braemount Timber on Leith Walk (0131 554 8628) and Murray's Tools (0131 229 1577) have a large branch of their hardware store just off Lothian Road at 83 Morrison Street. Paint and other supplies can be found at the Caledonian Paint Company (0131 668 4010) on Radcliffe Terrace and fabrics are sold at Mandors Fabric Store at 131 East Claremont Street. Theatrical make-up is available from A & A Hair Studios (0131 556 7057) at 8 - 10 Tanfield in Inverleith.

For props and the like Edinburgh has the usual mix of high street shops along its main thoroughfares - especially on Princes Street and in the St James Shopping Centre. For budget goods you will find a plethora of 'bargain shops' like Poundstretcher on South Bridge and if you carry on down towards South Clerk Street there are a number of charity shops, plus you'll pass Pound Saver (next to the Festival Theatre) and Edinburgh Bargain Stores (on St Patricks Square).

If the worse comes to the worse there's a large John Lewis (0131 556 9121) in the St James's Shopping Centre and there's a very central Argos on North Bridge. The local Ikea (0131 448 0500) is unfortunately a good car or bus ride away on Straiton Mains and the local Maplin Electronics (0131 313 5551) is also a bit of a hike out at 126 Dalry Road.

For lighting, sound and effects supplies as well as gaffer tape etc, the usual suspects are BlackLight and Northern Light but as you can imagine they are incredibly busy during the festivals so it's best to talk to your venue staff who should be able to contact them and sell stuff onto you.