The festival will feature a glorious variety of events including writing workshops as well as author events, children’s events and will feature an eclectic mix of writing, including, children’s fiction, literary fiction, poetry, erotic fiction, film criticism, song writing and writing for the stage. an interactive online programme can be viewed at Wordplay.

Celebrating Wordplay’s close connections with Screenplay, Shetland’s Film Festival, the event will feature renowned, film critic, writer and broadcaster, Mark Kermode who will make a welcome return to Wordplay in order to talk about, read from, ask questions about and even sign his new book, “It’s Only a Movie: Reel Life Adventures of a Film Obsessive” (Random House).

Continuing the celebration of the relationship between page and screen is Simon King who will make a return visit to Shetland in order to appear at the festival after the highly successful launch of “The Shetland Diaries” in the Town Hall earlier this year.

Wordplay will feature a strong musical element this year, in harmony with Screenplay.  This will take the shape of the legendary Michael Gray, the world’s leading authority on the work of Bob Dylan whose pioneering work, “Song and Dance Man: The Art of Bob Dylan” led the way in developing a literary appreciation of the man’s work. Thirty year s and two editions later we have Song and Dance Man III, a book of genuine weight, which contains a 152 page study of Dylan’s use of the lyric poetry of the pre-war blues in his work. This will be explored in his second talk of the weekend, “Bob Dylan and the Poetry of the Blues”. Michael Gray, who is renowned as a thoroughly engaging and entertaining speaker, has also written a book about the great bluesman, Blind Willie McTell, “Hand me My Travelling Shoes: in Search of Blind Willie McTell” (Bloomsbury) which is the title of his first talk.

Another key element of the music literature theme is provided by Will Kaufman, Professor of American Literature and Culture at the University of Central Lancashire who will be doing some hard travelling himself in order to present his acclaimed live documentary, “ Hard Times and Hard Travelling: the Life and Times of Woody Guthrie.” Dr Kaufman, himself no mean singer and guitarist provides what Ralph McTell has described as “the fastest hour and a half you will ever experience” in a presentation that will involve images and live performances oby Dr Kaufman of  the great American icon’s songs as well as other songs of the period.

As well as the music thread, the festival will have a strong dramatic component featuring both the writing element of the art form and performances. Both of these elements will be explored in the session with the celebrated dramatist, David Harrower which will include a rehearsed reading from his 2007 play “Blackbird” (Faber&Faber) as well as a talk by the writer and a Q&A session. Blackbird won the Critic’s Award for Theatre in Scotland and the Olivier Award for Best Play in 2007.

There will also be drama from closer to home in the form of a series of special performances of ten minute plays written in Shetland over the last year and performed by members of Serpentine Drama, a community group, based in Shetland with the aim of encouraging the writing and performance of new drama in Shetland.

There will also be drama for children, provided by The Story Tellers who will give two performances of “Tales from The Gypsy Caravan.” ‘The Storytellers’ was formed by Pendle Productions in 1985 as a Touring Theatre Company to take adaptations of classics to all types of venues. The Company is directed by the founder, Timothy Lince whose international work includes a 17 year association with the BBC, including working as a commissioned script and musical Writer/Director, Artistic Director of Manitou Arts Centre in Toronto and numerous major musical and theatrical tours. “Tales from the Gypsy Caravan” combines the rich tapestry of traditional storytelling with animated performance, music and song to create a production that is sure to both entertain and enthral.
The first Wordplay, in 2003, was an event primarily for children, and since then the festival has welcomed a long list of great writers for younger readers. This year will see a series of events, run by children’s writers, including Shetland Arts Writer in Residence, Chrissie Gittins. Chrissie’s poems have won prizes, been broadcast on BBCR4 and animated for Cbeebies television. Her adult poetry collections are Armature and I’ll Dress One Night As You. Her children’s poetry collections were shortlisted for the CLPE Award; all three are Choices for the Children’s Poetry Bookshelf. She writes radio drama and her short story collection is Family Connections.  As well as a session for youngsters, Chrissie will take part in a poetry reading for adults.

Needing little introduction to Shetland’s young readers is Valerie Watt, who has recently published her third dialect book for bairns.  ‘Bobby an da Burland Pearls’ inspired the musical of the same name.  With ‘Peerie Mootie’ and ‘Da Peesterleeties’ she has toured Shetland schools and nurseries, reading her stories, playing her fiddle and getting bairns involved in roleplay.  It is also rumoured she lends a hand to Tushie Truncherfaece, the world’s only trow columnist, who writes in Shetland Life. Valerie has made several highly successful appearances at Wordplay in the past, including a shadow puppet performance of Da Peesterleeties. This time round she will run a creative writing workshop based on “Bobby an da Burland Pearls” which will feature the puppets from the musical and her own excellent fiddle playing.

With her book “Tarantula Tide”, a prize winning thriller set in Shetland, Sharon Tregenza, will be making her first visit to the festival where she will present a solo event for children. This session will be based on the novel and will be all about the animals that feature in the novel and the animal smuggling trade.  Sharon will also take part in a joint event with Janis Mackay, herself a prize winning author of “Magnus Fin and the Ocean Quest.” Janis will also run a solo session for children, based on the oceanic adventure story that will involve the children imaginatively in creating their own sea monsters.

Poetry lovers will have the opportunity of almost total immersion in their favourite artform, including a reading by Christopher Reid, whose book,  “A Scattering” won the Costa Best book Prize in 2009, making Mr Reid one of only three poets to have ever been honoured in this way – the other two being Seamus Heaney and Ted Hughes.  The poet will read from his work and answer questions.

Saturday will feature two poetry double headers: first up will be Christie Williamson from Yell, now living in Glasgow, who recently won the Callum MacDonald Memorial Award for his pamphlet “Arc O Mons,” a translation from the original Spanish into Shetland Dialect, published by Hansel Cooperative Press. Christie recently featured at Stanza International Poetry festival in St Andrews and will join Christine De Luca who will be launching her new collection “North End of Eden” (Luath). She has now had published five volumes of poetry and enjoys a high standing in the national literature scene and is a prize-winning poet, writing in both English and Shetland dialect.

This reading will be followed by a special guest appearance from Orkney, by Nalini Paul, the current George Mackay Brown Fellow and Morag MacInnes. Nalini Paul has done a great amount of work in collaboration with visual artists and her most recent work is “Skirlags” (Red Squirrel Press). Morag MacInnes regularly contributes to the New Shetlander and has recently had published “Alias Isobel” a cycle of narrative poetry about fellow Orcadian, Isabel Gunn who gained employment in the Hudson Bay Company, disguised as a man.

From further afield, Vancouver, in fact and no less welcome is Miranda Pearson whose poetry has been described as “deeply startling and accomplished.” She has now had published three collections of poetry: “Prime” (Porcepic 2001), “Aviary “(Oolichan 2006), which won the Alfred G Bailey prize and “Harbour” (Oolichan 2009). Reading with Miranda will be Chrissie Gittins also a prize-winning poet. Her adult poetry collections are “Armature” (Arc, 2003) and “I’ll Dress One Night As You” (Salt, 2009) described by Moniza Alvi as “…Lively, accessible and gently surprising…”

The novel will also feature prominently at Wordplay, in the very new forms of “Da Happy Laand” (Luath 2010) by Shetland’s very own Robert Alan Jamieson, his fourth described by Kevin MacNeil as being  “… big in scope, rich in ideas, uncompromising in execution.” The other brand new book to be featured this year will be “And the Land Lay Still” by James Robertson (Penguin 2010) which was described by Irvine Welsh, in his review for The Guardian, as “nothing less than a landmark for the novel in Scotland”.

Making her first appearance at Wordplay is Mitzi Szereto, author, blogger (Errant Ramblings) and creator/presenter of Mitzi TV. She has published several books, including In Sleeping Beauty’s Bed: Erotic Fairy Tales. Mitzi pioneered the erotic writing workshop in the UK and Europe, and has lectured in creative writing at several British universities. She edited the first erotica anthology to feature a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. As well as giving a reading and Q&A session, Mitzi Szereto will run a two-hour workshop on how to write erotic fiction.

Another first for the festival is the arrival of Book Camp, a three hour master class on how to get published in the world of fiction for children which will be run by Julia Churchill a literary agent with the Greenhouse Agency and Leah Thaxton, senior publisher with Egmont, the largest Children’s Book publisher in the UK. The session will consist of an hour, from the agent’s perspective, an hour from the publisher’s perspective and a further hour’s opportunity to discuss questions from the floor. As with all the Wordplay workshops, advanced booking is necessary for this session.

Shetland Arts Literature Development Officer Donald Anderson said, “ It is immensely exciting to see such a wide variety of writers and events. I think that our volunteer curators, Genny White and Christine Hughson, have made a great contribution in helping us to bring together such a fine programme.”

Shetland Arts would like to thank the event’s main funders, Creative Scotland and Sponsors BP/Sullom Voe Terminal; Brudolff Hotels and Shetland Family Centre Services for their continued support of Wordplay.

Tickets for all events are available from Shetland Box Office, Islesburgh Community Centre, Lerwick – 01595 745 555.

Advanced booking is recommended for all events.

The programme for each festival can be seen on the Wordplay and Screenplay pages.

Also appearing will be film critic, Mark Kermode, who with Linda Ruth Williams will curate Screenplay, the film festival which will be based in the Garrison Theatre and will run from Tuesday, August 31^st through to Sunday 5^th September and will feature actor Jason Isaacs and a wide variety of films, including work by local film makers. Further information about both festivals will be published in due course.

Wordplay – More information and full programme

Screenplay – More information and full programme

Although the ideas are still at the conceptual stage, the proposal is to create a performance that takes the idea of promenade theatre to the extreme and transports the audience to various locations and scenes, culminating in a large scale theatrical event.

Drama Development Officer for Shetland Arts John Haswell said “The project ideas are still in their infancy but both Stuart’s family and Shetland Arts wanted to launch the idea to coincide with the second anniversary of Stuart’s death. We intend that the final project will feature themes that resonate with the aims of the ‘Slow for Stuart’ campaign but will be a dynamic artistic event in its own right. The first stage will be to create a small group of people to take the project forward. This group will feature those who can make an artistic contribution as well as those with a personal and social agenda. Our hope is that many of the people who worked with Stuart will contribute to the final performance.”

Supporting the project, Liz Henderson said “We, Stuart’s family and his fiancée Crystal, are delighted that Shetland Arts is planning to stage this play. This will further the aims of the ‘Slow for Stuart’ campaign. Last year we held a balloon launch on the first anniversary of Stuart’s death to highlight awareness of road safety. On this, the second anniversary, and with road accidents constantly in the news, we felt it was a good time for Shetland Arts to announce this project. Stuart was passionate about Shetland Youth Theatre and we are sure he would be happy that his friends and colleagues want to remember him in this way.

ENDS

Further information from
John Haswell – Development Officer for Drama
01595 743843
01595 743739(direct)
e-mail: john.haswell@shetlandarts.org

The show, written by Phil Woods is a modern version of the 14^th Century original.  In Chaucer’s Middle English work, some two dozen tales are told by a group of pilgrims travelling from London to Canterbury.  In this version, eight of the tales are presented as part of an annual ‘Geoffrey Chaucer Canterbury Tales Storytelling Competition’.  The featured tales reflect the variety of the original with presentations that feature heroic love, singing hens, slapstick and a healthy dose of near the knuckle humour.  In fact the show is described as ‘bold, boisterous and bawdy’ and director John Haswell said; “the approach adopted by the company is best described as ‘Carry on Canterbury’.  Some of the original tales are very rude and this is reflected in the show.  However, it is hopefully a very funny show in the tradition of much of British comedy.  For the young cast one of the most difficult tasks has been to adopt different theatrical styles for the tales and perform some of these in a manner that reflect elements of the worst excesses of amateur dramatics.”

The production features a company of 30 who have worked intensively on the show for the past month, giving up much of their school holidays.  Featuring live music by Philip Taylor and technical design by David Wagstaff, the production promises to feature all the creativity and flair associated with the nationally renowned company but unusually, with less of the angst and misery that define so many of the productions.

This vulgar romp through the nether regions of medieval storytelling is performed at the Garrison Theatre on Thursday 27^th and Friday 28^th August at 7.30pm.  On Saturday 29^th August there is a performance at 2.30 pm.  Tickets priced £7/£5 (concessions) are available from Shetland Box Office on Lerwick 745555.

The story so far

Aeson, king of Iolchus has grown weary of running his kngdom, but his son, Jason, is not yet old enough to rule. He appoints his brother, Pelias, to rule in his stead. Upon reaching maturity Jason wishes to reclaim his kingdom from his uncle, but Pelias is unwilling to give up his power. Responding to a challenge to prove himself, Jason sets out in the Argo to seize the Golden Fleece from the kingdom of Kolchis. After an adventurous voyage the Argonauts arrive in Kolchis and King Aeetes consents to give up the fleece if Jason can yoke to the plough two fire breathing bulls and sow in the ground the teeth of a dragon which, it was known, would turn into a crop of armed warriors intent on killing their producer.

Jason accepts these conditions. However he pleads his cause to Medea, daughter of the king. He promises her marriage in front of the altar of Hecate and calls on the goddess to witness the vow. Medea yields to Jason and as a noted sorceress, uses her charms to help Jason safely encounter the fire breathing bulls and the dragon’s teeth warriors. With a potion supplied by Medea, Jason lulls to sleep the dragon that guards the Golden Fleece. Seizing his prize, Jason, Medea and the Argonauts return to their vessel to make good their escape. Pursued by Aeetes, Medea kills her young brother Absytrus and scatters his severed limbs in the sea. Aeetes slows to reclaim his dead son and the Argo escapes back to Iolcus.

Iolcus is still ruled by the usurper Pelias. Medea uses her charms to concoct a potion. She cuts the throat of Jason’s father and replaces his blood with this potion. At once the old man revives, forty years younger. The daughters of Pelias witness the transformation of the old man and want the same for their father. Medea then brews another potion and convinces the girls to stab their father in order to replace his blood and rejuvenate him. The potion, however, is not magical and the girls unwittingly kill their father. Jason and Medea make their escape.

The lovers flee to Corinth and Medea bears three children to Jason. In Corinth Medea is always regarded as an outsider. Eventually it becomes clear that Jason is to marry Glauke, daughter of the king, Kreon. Medea is a threat and an embarrassment. She is to be banished. Thus the scene is set for revenge and despair…

Open Door Drama

Open Door Drama, as its name suggests, is a drama group available to anyone and performs a mixture of shows with adults, shows with children and a bi-annual pantomime. Anyone interested in the work of the group should contact Izzy Swanson on 01595 744017.

The company will soon be finalising plans for their summer project.  This is likely to be ‘ Canterbury Tales’ with rehearsals starting at the end of July with perfromances at the end of August

The company were magnificent and the response remarkable.  It was a great event.  We had achieved our goal of embracing the audience into the theatre event.  It almost made up for the tragedy unfolding on the football pitch.

Every year, Imaginate, The Bank of Scotland International Children’s Festival brings the best theatre available for children and young people to Scotland. Over recent years companies have travelled outside Edinburgh and performed in different parts of the country. Once again Shetland Arts is delighted that once again a company is coming from the Festival to perform in the Garrison Theatre.

Story of a Family (and everyday things) is presented by Compagnia Rodisio from Italy. Physical, funny and genuinely moving the show is a delicious peek at a family through the eyes of a child. While every family is different, some things are the same no matter where you live. So as well as being hysterically funny and touching, the show promises to be ‘oh, so familiar.

Shetland Arts Drama Development Officer John Haswell said; “this is a wonderful opportunity for Shetland audiences to experience some of the best theatre available for young people. We are delighted to once again be part of the Imaginate Festival tour. The quality of the shows we have brought up in the past has been phenomenal. This show has received stunning reviews at the festival and we are excited at the prospect of seeing in here.

Story of a Family lasts for an hour is best suited for those aged 10 and over There is one public performance of the show at the Garrison Theatre on Tuesday 9th June at 7.30. Tickets (priced £5.00/£3.50) are available from the Shetland Box Office on 745555

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