Written by Martin Travers Artistic Direction by Pauline Lynch ★★★★ The hooting caws of houlets punctuate the Biggar evening, as their feader-filled sacks leave a maukit scent lingering in the air, as the moot presence of something otherworldly ensnares the audience. Then again, it may all just be in your heid. No surprises given the … Continue reading A Secret Wrapped in Lead -Loaningdale Arts
Composed by Granville Bantock Composition and Libretto by Marjory Kennedy-Fraser Directed by David Douglas Musical Direction by Hebba Benyaghla ★★★★ In the brisk winds of an uninhabited islet in the Western Isles, a Cailleach, Scot’s crone, croons into the emptiness of the world – singing of local legend, that of the seals which transform into … Continue reading The Seal-Woman – Scottish Storytelling Centre
Written by Morna Young Directed by Beth Morton ★★★★ Depending upon the poison you pick, the legendary Baba Yaga is famed for either devouring or protecting and raising those without mothers. Is either a fearsome, powerful, malicious witch or an emphatic woman of the world. Context is everything, and that’s something threaded beautifully into Morna … Continue reading Babs – A Play, A Pie, and A Pint
Written by Derek Bond Directed by Derek Bond and Laura Cubitt ★★★★ Hear ye, hear ye, all brave knights and heroes assemble for the finest adventure of their lives! Come face to face with some of folklore's most magnificently majestic monsters and spectacular beasts to grace the earth with their presence. Join Dave (Ben Galpin) … Continue reading Dragons and Mythical Beasts – Underbelly
Based on the works of Robert Burns Associate direction by Emily Ingram ★★★★ You know, Scotland’s bard wasn’t all about mice and romance. Often, in the dead of night, Burn’s had a finer grasp of Scotland’s provocative ties with folklore and the land better than many scribes and storytellers. He was partial to a ghoulish … Continue reading Tam O’ Shanter, Tales & Whisky – theSpace @ Venue 45
https://youtu.be/tpybcqjgxa8 Performed & Written by Debbie Cannon Directed by Flavia D'Avila ★★★★ You never quite know what whimsical journey through folklore or history may present at the Scottish Storytelling Centre; why one day, it may be Dragons and Kelpies, the next, Rowdy Poets and Ceilidhs. But this afternoon, the court of Camelot returns, brought to … Continue reading Green Knight – Scottish Storytelling Centre
Written & Co-Created by David Greig Directed & Co-Created by Wils Wilson ★★★★★ We struggle with an identity in Scotland, though most wouldn’t admit it. A visage of ancient myth, refuting a heritage and resigning firelit pubs, ballads, and stories to nostalgic tourist traps. Where we sit on the cutting edge of technology but cannot, … Continue reading The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart – Playfair Library
https://youtu.be/7rjNoXRwN90 Written & Directed by Jordan Gh USA/2021/85mins ★★★★ Secrets, anxieties and squabbles, the Sator watches over as a family reaches dysfunctional heights amidst the wilderness. Yet, there’s an allure to the creature, to the darkness it slinks within. In an atmospheric and creative venture, Jordan Graham creates a contemporary horror which lays its foundations from spiritual … Continue reading Sator – Review
https://youtu.be/26DIABx44Tw Directed by Glen Keane Written by Audrey Wells USA/ 2020/ 95 mins ★★★ Fairy tales and stories sit at the hearts of children and move with them as they come to understand the world and its intense complexities. When her mother passes, and her father slowly begins to introduce a new partner into their … Continue reading Over The Moon – Netflix
Based on the stories by Pu Songling Adapter: Ewan Macdonald Written & Directed by Pauline Lockhart and Ben Harrison Our nightmares may be home to Kelpies, Redcaps and Banshees but for a different culture, who grew with the stories of Chinese writer Pu Songling, who five centuries ago wrote over five-hundred tales of demons, beasts … Continue reading Strange Tales
