Development begins!

We were delighted recently to be getting our bearings around Cumbernauld Theatre as we moved in for a few days. Emily and I spent some time in the lovely studio there....

 We were working with three wonderful actors, and it was pretty special for me to hear my first draft of this new play, set in contemporary Aberdeen, read aloud for the first time. Thanks to the actors Bridget McCann, Keith Macpherson and Lucy Goldie for their sensitive and insightful reading of the characters, and to Emily for guiding us through this first script development.

 

 

 

We then spent a lot of time unpicking the play, the characters, themes, and everyone was very generous in the feedback about what did and didn't work. My mind was pretty much blown by all the discoveries we made, and I'm psyched to be cracking on with the next draft.

Thanks to all at Cumbernauld for the warm welcome - we're really looking forward to hanging out with you guys some more in October, when we return for development Part 2!

Last week we also had a brilliant production meeting. Great for us all to be in the same room together, planning the journey of this new show, and also making arrangements for January and another tour of 'The Idiot at the Wall'. Our much-loved Hebridean folk tale will be playing dates at Cumbernauld Theatre, Celtic Connections, and another festival we can't announce yet, but watch this space! #HappyIdiots. Also great to start working and planning with new Associate Artistic Director Tony Cownie, who is heading up lots of things at Cumbernauld whilst Ed's away.

Big Thank you to Ed Robson for all the invaluable guidance and support since we began our residency at Cumbernauld - all the best on your adventures Ed!

Hurrah for Autumn 2014!

Elspeth xo

Our Board is growing :-)

As we embark on this really exciting residency at Cumbernauld Theatre, it's great to see our Board of Trustees growing in strength. There are many reasons for becoming a trustee of a company, but perhaps the most important one is the desire to use your skills and knowledge to support the progress and development of new enterprises, and I'm delighted to have the support and guidance of these two talented ladies:

Jayne Sledmore (Chair)

Jayne works for The Scottish Government as a Procurement specialist. A force of nature in project-planning, development and accountability, Jayne is massively passionate in her support of the arts and will be a huge asset to the Stoirm Òg family as she helps us to drive things forward. I've known Jayne since we were at High School in Dunfermline together and I'm so proud to be watching her storm ahead in her field. Thanks Jayne :-)

Severine Wyper - Producer and Manager, Vanishing Point Theatre Company

I met Sevi through the excellent Cultural Enterprise Office, who introduced me to her as someone in need of a wee bit guidance and mentoring! What I loved about Sevi from the off was her positive, direct, and aspirational approach to theatre-making - especially when it came to new artists getting started. When I told her that at less than a year old, we wanted to tour The Idiot at the Wall (i.e. 8 people on the road) around the Highlands and Islands, she championed our spirit and immediately set us on our path with incredibly good advice on how to actually do it. #positivityrules. As producer and manager of one of Scotland's most powerful forces in theatre, Vanishing Point, Severine has mountains of wisdom and vision to offer on making theatre happen. I'm so thrilled and honoured to have her join our Board and am excited to work together some more. Thanks Sevi!

 

If you are passionate about theatre and are interested in joining the Stoirm Òg Board of Trustees, feel free to get in touch with us at stoirm.og@gmail.com We are particularly interest in hearing from those with a background in Finance. If you are interested in joining us through the Arts and Business Scotland Board Bank programme, contact Catriona Reynolds at catriona.reynolds@aandbscotland.org.uk Many thanks to Catriona and Arts and Business for their support.

 

Tioraidh an-dràsda!

Elspeth xo

Cumbernauld Company in Residence announced!

Today we are so thrilled to announce that we have taken up the post of Company in Residence at Cumbernauld Theatre. Over the next year we will be working with Cumbernauld to develop new work, grow and move forward as a company, and explore new working practices. We are being mentored by the theatre's brilliant Artistic Director, Ed Robson, whose passion for theatre and tenacity of approach is massively inspiring. The culmination of the residency will be the premiere of my new play in co-production with Cumbernauld at the Fringe 2015. Stay tuned for more news, and if you haven't already, follow us on Twitter for all the latest!

Click here for more information about The Cumbernauld Theatre, including its exciting new building project!

Welcome Claire!

Stoirm Òg is growing again! I'd like to extend an official welcome to our new Producer, Claire Brogan. For the past few months, Claire has been doing brilliant work alongside Aiyana and myself, focusing on development and fundraising. I'm massively excited to have her join us as we move the company forwards in what is turning into a super-exciting year!

A wee bit more about Claire...

Claire is a freelance Producer and Development Manager from Fife. She studied English and Drama at Manchester Metropolitan University and then subsequently completed a Post Graduate Diploma in Arts and Cultural Management at Queen Margaret University in Edinburgh. She began her Arts career working for Live Nation, in a range of venues from the Edinburgh Playhouse, Sunderland Empire, Palace Theatre Manchester and the Motorpoint Arena Cardiff, in a variety of management roles. Claire comes to Stoirm Og after five years working as Business Manager at Cumbernauld Theatre, bringing with her a wide range of skills and experience in Business Management and Planning, Finance and Fundraising, and Touring and Project Management. 

Hooray! Stay tuned for more news :-)

Elspeth

New Projects and Tours!

Hello,

March is almost over! How'd that happen?! This lucky girl got to begin 2014 in Australia. Fascinating country! Definitely want to go back and explore more sometime....

I've been busy writing, learning Gaidhlig, and seeing some amazing, inspiring theatre. Managed to catch NTS's mind-blowing production of David Greig's 'The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart' last weekend. Loved it so much on Friday, I took my Dad back to see it on the Saturday. Just loved it. Came away thinking in verse and moved by thoughts of love and ballads and this great country :-) Pals Annie Grace and Aly Macrae were on their finest form!

I've also been lucky enough to see The Lyceum's production of UNION twice - and what an inspiring, ambitious, rowdy, colourful night of theatre it is! A beautifully poetic rendering of the events of 1707 which led to the Scottish parliament voting itself out of existence. Heartening and bolstering to see this enthralling, important, and under-taught period in our history brought to life by one of our most exciting new playwrights, Tim Barrow. Hooray for The Lyceum Theatre and Mark Thomson for this epic production. I'm gaun agin on Saturday with the whole family! Do check it oot :-)

2014 is starting to heat up for Stoirm Òg :-) We've just received news from Creative Scotland that we're being awarded funding to develop our next project - a new play set in Scotland's North East. Stay tuned for more news!

There's an addition to the Stoirm Òg team! Claire Brogan is joining us as our Producer and Development Officer. I'm really excited to work with her and Aiyana as we plough ahead with various projects in 2014. More details on Claire to follow. She's ace :-)

We're busy planning another tour of THE IDIOT AT THE WALL. This is scheduled for January - April 2015, and we'll be taking in venues across the UK and Ireland. If you're interested in booking the show, drop us a line at stoirm.og@gmail.com.

Finally, it gives me great pleasure to present to you our beautiful new trailer for THE IDIOT AT THE WALL. Filmed and edited by exciting Edinburgh film-maker Robbie Jones. Click HERE !! Thanks Robbie xxx

I have one more piece of news which I can't tell you quuuuiiiiite yet....but soon!

Slàinte mhòr, agus a-maireach gun smal,

Ealasaid xo

Oz!

I'm off to Australia!! See you in February!!

Elspeth xo

The Beauty of the North East!

Hello!

Hope you're all having a peachy weekend. I'm bundled up and ready to tell you all about Stoirm Òg's adventures in the North East!

I first thought of bringing 'The Idiot at the Wall' to this part of Scotland in November 2012, when I was spending some time in Portsoy. My mother grew up there, in this picturesque little village on the Banffshire Coast. In November it takes a bit of a battering from the wind, so I was very glad to stay warm by visiting folk who remembered my Mum's dad being the local doctor, and playing my fiddle too :-) The people were so welcoming, and interested in this play I was thinking of touring, so I thought: why not? The play deals very much with a community which lives and dies by the sea, and I was sure the folk of Portsoy would relate. Then I learned about North East Arts Touring which helps and promotes rural touring in the North East, and the rest rolled along from there. #happyidiots

Friday, October 4th 2013

As we left Edinburgh, however - part of me wondered: "Will they like it up there?" Apart from Greenock, and our home crowd at the Traverse, we had only really performed the show in the West Highlands - where more Gaelic is spoken, of course, and they kent a lot of the songs! Well, I needn't have worried: we had a full house in New Deer, and the audience were brilliant. Playing ceilidh tunes at the top of the show, I looked out, saw rows and rows of beaming faces, and thought: yep, they're into it! Also, in New Deer Village Hall they served wine at the interval - a great move - perked them up for Act II it did :-) Also, my Mum came with 3 friends! She loves zooming around Scotland!

So after a lovely show, we packed up the van once more...the Butterchurn being Kenny's job - obviously...

 

And off we went to bed!

 

 

Saturday, October 5th 2013



On this day, we made the short drive over to Kemnay. On the way, we stopped in lovely Inverurie, where some of us shopped and some of us went for tea and some of us went to see the ducks! 'Twas a nice wee breather :-) Arriving at Kemnay Village Hall, we were so impressed to see the place so well maintained - it was obviously used often, and cared for with a lotta love.

We were given loads of cakes and tea as we set up for the evening - yum :-) As on Berneray, and a few other halls since, we had the question again of whether to play at the side of the hall, or on the length. We chose the former once more - much, much more intimate and allows the audience into our world more :-) From backstage, we heard the hall filling up, and again extra seats were added! The whole front row was full of Mr. Eilbeck's family and friends - he always has the biggest fan-club :-)

The show was a raging success with the charming audience, and we packed up tired and happy and ready for the drive to Portsoy, where Mum's fish pie was waiting!! Thank you to all in Kemnay xxx


Sunday, October 6th 2013

OUR FINAL SHOW!!!

Together with Helen, the lovely promoter in Portsoy, we had decided to do a 3pm show, since it was a Sunday. It's a family show, and you can't keep folk up on a school night! Helen and her team had done an amazing job of spreading the word, and had even advertised Afternoon Tea - with scones! - as being part of the ticket price. Ace! It always tickled me that the tickets could be purchased from Portsoy's famous ice-cream shop :-) Also, my Mum - A.K.A Magic Macrae, as I think I'll call her - did loads of work letting people know that Dr. Macrae's granddaughter's play was coming to the village!! Mum - you're the best :-)

Portsoy's Town Hall is a beautiful old building, and was the perfect setting for our final show. We used the meeting room upstairs as our dressing room, and on the walls hang portraits of all the town's provosts (inc. Dr. Macrae), going way back. So I felt quite stirred by the history of the place, and as we watched the audience arriving from this upstairs window, we were all excited to finish things with a bang.

And we did! The huge hall was full of people, and a lovely crowd they were too. The music sounded divine, and of course, being our last show - on this tour at least - it all felt extra poignant to us.

I want to thank Helen and her team - for inviting us to Portsoy, for the pancakes, for doing a great job spreading the word. A big thank you to my Auntie Ismay, who allowed our troupe to stay in her cottage - so very much appreciated. Thank you to Maisie Bruce, a friend of said Auntie's, and my Mum's, who also put us up and fed us!!

Thank you Emyr and Ruth at NEAT for all your help and support :-)

Thank you to my Mum - Jean Turner - who looked after us so well on the last leg of our tour. We arrived to mountains of food and warm beds, and you were a perfect hostess to this weary lot. It was a special and wonderful time :-)

Susan looking down to Portsoy's 17th c. harbor.

Goodness - that's it! I've told you all of it! (Well, not the ugly/x-rated bits ;-)

Before I finish, I want to offer a huge Thank You to our director, cast and production team for coming on this journey with me. Can't wait to work with you all again in the near or distant future: it's been a privilege.

Love, light and peace,

Elspeth xxx

p.s. Trailer for 2014 coming soon!