Quest Not Over

1 Jul 2006

THE SHOWCASE FINAL of the Highland Quest will produce a winner for development as a full stage musical next year, but as Carol Metcalfe explains in a feature this month, the process is by no means over for the lucky team.

Getting to the final was a big achievement for all five, but huge challenges still await the winner in turning a successful 25-minute excerpt into a show to open the new second theatre at Eden Court next year, and tour as a major part of Highland 2007. Our best wishes go to all of the contenders.

The Rock Ness event at Dores seemed to pass off well enough in organisational terms, even if the reviews were decidedly mixed, and the promoters are already talking up next year’s event as a possible two day festival featuring major name performing artists rather than just DJs. One obvious thought that comes to mind if they go down that road is that it might start to look rather more like next month’s existing Tartan Heart festival at Belladrum. Time will tell.

The festivals keep coming all across the Highlands & Islands, from Mendelssohn on Mull at the start of the month to Fèis an Eilein on Skye at the end, with the Hebridean Celtic Festival taking centre stage mid-month. The annual Caledonian Canal Ceilidh Trail also gets underway mid-month, while to the east of our region the Elphinstone Institute of the University of Aberdeen host the North Atlantic Fiddle Convention 2006: Connecting Cultures.

Julie Fowlis is one of the headline artists at Heb Celt this year, and has enjoyed a spectacular time of it since we last spoke to her. Julie provides our main interview this month.

Charioteer Theatre are the subject of our HITN Profile, while our ArtsFolk feature comes from Clare Gee in Orkney, along with our review coverage of the St Magnus Festival. Look out, too, for a weblog from touring theatre company Birds of Paradise as they travel the region with their new show, ‘Mouth of Silence’.

As ever, there will be much more to come, so keep checking back for news, reviews and features.

Kenny Mathieson
Commissioning Editor, Northings

Kenny Mathieson lives and works in Boat of Garten, Strathspey. He studied American and English Literature at the University of East Anglia, graduating with a BA (First Class) in 1978, and a PhD in 1983. He has been a freelance writer on various arts-related subjects since 1982, and contributes to the Inverness Courier, The Scotsman, The Herald, The List, Times Educational Supplement Scotland, and other publications. He has contributed to numerous reference books, and has written books on jazz and Celtic music.