SCOTTISH INTERNATIONAL STORYTELLING FESTIVAL CONTINUES UNTIL 31st OCTOBER
As the days get shorter, the stories of Birds and Beasts being told during the remainder of the Scottish International Storytelling Festival take a darker turn…
These include:
● The Battle of the Birds: A Darker Tale presented by storyteller Owen Pilgrim,whose rich repertoire includes tales of the fairy folk, Celtic Mythology and Scottish Traveller stories. Owen will be igniting the imaginations of audiences with his retelling of this classic folktale brought to life through trickster tales of the Devil, occult imagery, and Traveller’s tales. With live music from Gordon Cameron.
● Under Your Skin, a workshop co-led with storyteller Ines Alvarez Villa who has worked with the Edinburgh Horror Festival for the last six years, and Deaf storyteller Tania Allan. Participants will explore ghost storytelling techniques and learn how to build suspense and dread through silence, gesture and atmosphere.
● Open Hearth, to close the festival on Halloween night, Scottish folk duo Harp and Carp (Daniel Serridge and Neil Wood), folk-storyteller and this year’s festival exhibition artist Morvern Graham, and Shetlandic storyteller and stand-up comedian Marjolein Robertson will be sharing their own dark tales during this finale event.
Other festival highlights, taking place ahead of the weekend, include:
● The Alan Bruford Lecture with guest speaker Dr Tiber Falzett, Head of Irish Folklore in the School of Irish, Celtic Studies and Folklore at University College Dublin. Dr Falzett will discuss the fragility of tradition and what happens when voices fall silent because of displacement, migration and the loss of languages and species.
● A reinterpretation of the tale of Dedalus and Icarus presented by Bolona’a Fraternal Compagnia APS in special recognition of the centenary of Nobel Prize winner Dario Fo. The company will also be exploring the roots of their theatre and folk storytelling by introducing audiences to the Italian tradition of Commedia dell’Arte.
● Sruth nan Gàidheal: The Carrying Stream of Gaelic Nova Scotia with Màiri Britton who will share some of the incredible songs and stories she discovered whilst working on the Cainnt is Ceathramhan/Language in Lyrics project. This project created an index of over 7,000 Gaelic songs and re-catalogued and transcribed the Cape Breton Gaelic Folklore Collection. This event will be followed by a song-circle led by Brian Ó hEadhra from the North Atlantic Song Convention (NASC).
● Nuair a Bha Gàidhlig aig na h-Eòin/When the Birds Spoke Gaelic led by Gaelic singer Màiri MacMillan with musicians Alana MacInnes (pipes), Pàdruig Morrison (accordion), Shona Morrison(fiddle) and Gillebrìde MacMillan (voice) who will weave traditional and original songs with bird calls and music.
● Brazilian artists Giulia Drummond (vocals, drums and shruti box) and Mario Caribé (double bass, guitar and foot percussion) presenting a ritualistic performance of music and stories of the Orishas, Yoruba deities who personify the forces of nature and timeless human archetypes. Gira – Songs for the Orishas features jazz arrangements of Afro-Brazilian songs and chants dedicated to the Yoruba Orishas.
The Scottish International Storytelling Festival runs until 31 October thanks to support from the Scottish Government’s Expanded Festivals Fund and Multi-Year Funding from Creative Scotland.
The Festival’s Go Local programme runs throughout October and November and includes over 100 of events taking place in village halls, pubs, cafes and gardens across Scotland, from the Borders to Shetland and the Western Isles.
Festival Director Daniel Abercrombie said: “The final days of this year’s Storytelling Festival are packed with incredible stories from different corners of the world.
“We welcome Bologna’s Commedia dell’Arte players who pay homage to Nobel Prize winner Dario Fo; there is Gaelic music and tales from Cape Breton and our own shores; and we share darker tales and mask-making as the days get shorter and we get closer to celebrating the Samhuinn and Halloween traditions.”
To purchase tickets and browse the full programme, visit sisf.org.uk
