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A new celebration of oral culture on Jura

Jura is showing what a can be done now with our great oral traditions of story, poetry and song. This is a vital part of what makes every place in Scotland creative. Donald Smith, Director SSC

Jura's first festival of oral culture will be held over Easter weekend, the 8 and 9 April
2012.

Jura's annual September jamboree of Scottish Traditional music has been a must go, must see, must hear event for over a decade and a half. Now, that team is bringing their enthusiasm to mounting an Easter holiday event. Bàrr mo Theanga or Tip of the Tongue is a celebration of oral culture in many forms storytelling, poetry, song and reading out loud, in English and Gaelic. With place at its heart, the new event will explore Jura, Scotland and her islands and that common ground that is human experience. Artists and features confirmed for Bàrr mo Theanga include:

Anne Michaels, Orange Prize for Fiction winning Canadian author of 'The Winter
Vault', set partly on the island.
Ian Stephen, Lewisman, storyteller, poet and man of the sea.
Alasdair Roberts, renowned musician and folklorist.

Jura's ceilidh and oral tradition will be at the fore with workshops, ceildihs, song
cycles, oral histories, a wonderful children's programme and a new song cycle based on the works of the Islay Bards.

All this at what those in the know say is the best time of year to see an island that
boasts one the UK's last wildernesses, with a community that won't stop making you part
of it while you're there, and of course, there's always the chance of a dram or two.
The event has been made possible by a Quality Production award from Creative Scotland
and support from Jura Development Trust's Argyll and the Islands Leader and HIE funded
GatE Local Development Officer.
You can find more information at www.tipofthetonguefestival.com

posted 13.02.2012

Authors Live: Celebrate Burns with Scotland's Makar Liz Lochhead, National Poet of Scotland

Join the Scottish Makar, Liz Lochhead, National Poet of Scotland for a very special celebration of Robert Burns for Authors Live. Liz will be discussing why Burns means so much to her, as well as treating us to some readings of her own poems featured in her collections Liz Lochhead: Selected Works, Colour of Black and White and Dreaming Frankenstein. The event is suitable for P6-S4 (age 9-16) pupils and fans of Robert Burns, Liz Lochhead or just poetry in general!

Click here for further information about this free event or to watch this extraordinary event in your home, classroom, library or wherever you have a good internet connection.

Authors Live is a series of world-class author events broadcast over the internet organised by Scottish Book Trust in partnership with BBC Scotland Learning.

posted 16.01.2012

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Swallows & Amazons Story Competition

Read Ciaran’s Story: A Golden Adventure on Hind Hill

Read Jonathan’s Story: Getting lost with Luke

We’re very excited about the Scottish premiere of the smash-hit stage adaptation of Swallows & Amazons – the classic tale of mysterious islands, dastardly pirates and young adventurers.

Help us celebrate by telling us about the biggest adventure you’ve ever had. Have you been camping in the wilds, sailed on the sea or slept under the stars? The most action-packed and exciting story wins a Family Ticket (2 adults and 2 children) to the Scottish Premiere at Festival Theatre Edinburgh on 31st January at 7pm.

The winning writer will also get the chance to tell their story live at the Scottish Storytelling Centre’s Telling Tales event on the 28th April. You will be treated to some coaching and tips on how to present your story to an audience with the help of event organiser and storyteller extraordinaire Tim Porteus.

Age Category?
There will be two lots of winners from two age groups:
Aged 6-10 and aged 11-15

Word Count?
400 words maximum

Who decides?
A team of judges from the Scottish Book Trust, the Scottish Storytelling Centre and the Festival Theatre

Where to submit?
Email: lindsay@scottishstorytellingcentre.com with “Swallows and Amazons Story Competition” as the subject matter
Post: Lindsay Corr, Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43-45 High Street, EH1 1SR
Please clearly state your age on entries and provide contact details.

The competition is open from Friday 9th December until Friday 13th January.  The winner will be announced on Friday 20th January, in plenty of time for the performance!

Swallows & Amazons is a thrilling musical adventure guaranteed to charm the whole family. The story of an idyllic era, of endless summer evenings and the beauty of youthful imagination, this delightful production is directed by Tom Morris (War Horse) and features new songs by Neil Hannon from The Divine Comedy.

Only Scottish dates: Tue 31st January – Sat 4th February, Festival Theatre Edinburgh, 7pm (Wed & Sat matinees at 2pm).
£17 - £24. All children’s tickets half price!
0131 529 6000 www.festivaltheatre.org.uk (booking fees apply)

Terms and Conditions
To enter, you must be:

• (a) A UK resident; and (b) between the ages of 6 and 15 years old at the time of entry. Please clearly state your age on entries.
• The competition is not open to employees (or members of their immediate families) of Festival Theatre, Scottish Storytelling Centre or Scottish Book Trust.
• No responsibility can be accepted for entries that are lost or delayed, or which are not received for any reason.
• No entries will be accepted after 5pm on the published closing date.
• If you win, we will notify you by email/post and tickets will be issued on arrival at the Festival Theatre.
• The judges combined decision will be final, and no correspondence will be entered into.
• The prize is not exchangeable for cash or any other prize.
• If, for any reason, an advertised prize is not available, we reserve the right to offer an alternative prize of equal or greater value.
• Travel costs to and from theatre cannot be covered.

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