One of Scotland’s leading cultural organisations is bringing it’s nationwide Roadshow celebrating creative talent and encouraging engagement to Ellisland Farm, Dumfries in September.
Today The Saltire Society announced its first Saltire Roadshow: a series of events throughout Scotland giving a platform to Scottish creatives to share their inspiring work with the general public.
In June this year, The Saltire Society launched its inaugural 40 Under 40 List, celebrating the richness of Scotland’s culture and recognising outstanding creative talent under the age of 40. The list included a range of actors, writers, poets, musicians and campaigners, as well as those doing innovative work in the sciences.
Now The Saltire Society plans to take some of that 40 Under 40 List on tour across Scotland.
The Saltire Roadshow will visit Dundee, Falkirk and Dumfries over August and September, with a fourth in Inverness planned for late October this year. This is an exciting opportunity to showcase Scottish talent, and to celebrate Scotland’s creativity across the country.
Sarah Mason, Executive Director of The Saltire Society said: The Saltire Roadshow is an opportunity for us to engage with the people of Scotland and celebrate some of the outstanding talent within our country. We hope this will be the start of an annual roadshow to support creatives, build networks and develop our membership. At its heart, the Saltire Society is a membership organisation here to advocate for, support, and celebrate Scottish culture.
The Saltire Roadshow will visit a number of culturally significant sites, from Dundee Contemporary Arts, to Falkirk Trinity Church, and Ellisland Farm near Dumfries, built by Robert Burns for his family.
By demonstrating its active role in culture across the country, The Saltire Society hopes to build its network of members, allowing it to increase both its reach and support of culture.
Benefits of membership include access to local Saltire Branches, special discounts on event tickets (including for the Roadshow), plus behind-the-scenes updates on The Saltire Society’s mission to celebrate Scottish creativity.
Tickets for the Dundee, Falkirk and Dumfries legs of the Roadshow are now available at https://www.saltiresociety.org.uk/saltire-society-roadshow (£10 for general admission, £5 for Saltire Society members)
Full Programme
Dumfries (Tuesday 12 September)
Venue: Ellisland Farm, 6-8pm
Performers: Robyn Stapleton (singer & recording artist), Alasdair C Whyte (musician, performer and writer), Pauline Mackay (Senior Lecturer in Robert Burns Studies)
Host: Hugh McMillan (Dumfries poet)
Hugh McMillan Hugh McMillan is a well published, anthologised and broadcast poet, writer and performer who lives in South West Scotland. His latest collection ‘Haphazardly in the Starless Night’ was published by Luath Press in 2021. In 2021 he was appointed editor of the Scottish Poetry Library’s anthology ‘Best Scottish Poems’ and also chosen to be a Saltire Society judge for Best Scottish Poetry Collection of the Year.
Robyn Stapleton is a multi-award-winning singer and recording artist, best known for her captivating performances of Scotland’s traditional music. As an arts leader, she specialises in singing for health and community wellbeing. Committed to improving accessibility to the arts, Robyn serves as a Trustee of the Dewar Arts Awards.
Dr Alasdair C. Whyte is a musician, performer and writer from Muile/Mull. His work includes: several albums of original and traditional Gaelic songs as a solo artist and with the bands WHYTE and Niteworks; a book of original prose/poetry in Gaelic/English (Maim-slè); lead writer/actor in the theatre production MAIM.
Pauline Mackay is Senior Lecturer in Robert Burns Studies and Co-Director of the Centre for Robert Burns Studies at the University of Glasgow. She has collaborated with Industry and Culture and Heritage partners to develop the first ever Burns Virtual Reality experience. She is the author of Burns for Every Day of the Year, published by Black & White Publishing.
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