The Drovers and the Laird: Premiered today on Dunans Bridge for an Octogenarian Laird of Dunans Castle @TWTC

It was bound to happen at some point: the two companies working so successfully side-by-side at Dunans would eventually get together and create a theatrical piece for our Lairds and Ladies.

Well, today marked the first performance of a specially commissioned play ‘The Drovers and the Laird’ by the The Walking Theatre Company, written by my lovely/their very own in-house play-wright, Sadie Dixon-Spain, and performed by Rebecca Bloom, Janis Marshall-Reilly and John Love.

The play begins in 1715 and tells the tale of the arrival at ‘Dounens’ of the first Fletcher. Rob Roy MacGregor makes an appearance as does the lovely Anne McNabb, however more than these snippets I will not reveal because next year we’re going to put on several performances of the play for our Lairds and Ladies.

Rebecca Bloom (front left) and Sadie Dixon-Spain (front right) with other members of The Walking Theatre Company a couple of years ago!

When you ask? Well the dates are not confirmed, but we think four or five weekends through the summer, and each will be available to our Lairds and Ladies well in advance to enable travel plans.

We’re also developing “command performances” for very special Lairds and Ladies – more on the website soon.

You may also be wondering why the picture of woodland at the top? Well, the party asked not to have photos taken on the day, so our only option was a long distance shot of the opening scene – on the bridge, in the sunshine. I can attest that there was lots of laughter, but the performers and audience are not really visible at all. Oh well. Next time we’ll get Jean Donaldson of Powan to take some crackers!

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#ScottishPlaywright: The Alloway Rap by Sadie Dixon-Spain is published

allowayrapcoverDelighted to announce that the first print run of Sadie’s play for voices, The Alloway Rap have arrived and are now available for sale here in a commemorative edition for Scotland’s  Year of Homecoming 2014.

This is the first in a series of Sadie’s plays that we will be publishing over the next couple of years. We’ve several on the blocks, all telling stories of communities and clans across Scotland, and all of them, like this one, will have pictures of performance, audiences and venues.

Special mention for Kilmodan Primary School who were an integral part of the play’s development.

 

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