Celtic Connections kicked off in spectacular style last week, and today sees the launch of a brand new theatre strand as the festival celebrates the influence of Celtic culture on the stage.

With over 2100 artists performing in 300 events taking place in 20 venues across 18 days, Celtic Connections 2012 features an outstanding line up of theatre, including a vibrant dramatization of the life of fiddler and composer Captain Simon Fraser, a celebration of the hugely influential Woody Guthrie and the world premiere of a very special Scots play for all the family.

Highlights include:

The Captains Collection

Wednesday 25^th– Thursday 26^th January, 8pm, Tron Theatre

Originally the brainchild of Blazin’ Fiddles’ Bruce MacGregor, Dogstar Theatre Company’s award-winning music theatre production Captain’s Collection vibrantly dramatises the life and work of Captain Simon Fraser – fiddler, composer, publisher, dispossessed laird and Empire soldier – whose 1816 collection The Airs and Melodies Peculiar to the Highlands of Scotland and the Isles, preserved a wealth of ancient Gaelic songs and tunes for posterity. The cast comprises Matthew Zajac (winner of Best Actor at the 2009 Critics’ Awards for Theatre in Scotland) and Gaelic singer/actress Alyth McCormack, with live music from Jonny Hardie and Ingrid Henderson. Written by Hamish MacDonald and directed by Alison Peebles

Woody Sez

Sunday 29^th January – Thursday 2^nd February, 8pm, Tron Theatre


The political strand within Celtic Connections’ 2012 programme overlaps wholly organically with the festival’s centenary celebration of Woodrow Wilson Guthrie (1912-1967), the “dust bowl troubadour” who both chronicled and protested the Great Depression, “singing for the plain folks and getting tough with the rich folks.” Named for his Daily Worker newspaper column, this dynamic production features four multi-talented actor-musicians – playing guitars, fiddles, banjo, mandolin, dobro, autoharp, dulcimer, jaw harp and spoons – who bring to life both Guthrie’s own colourful, arduous story and the rich cast of characters who shared in it. The show features around 30 classic Guthrie songs, from desolate ballads to defiant rallying-calls, paying tribute to a towering folk icon. Produced by Mary Cossette Productions in association with UK Arts International

The Boy and The Bunnet – World Premiere

Friday 3^rd February (2pm) – Saturday 4^th February (7pm), Tron Theatre

This ambitious new Scottish production receives its world premiere in its Scits version during Celtic Connections and is hailed as Scottish traditional music’s answer to ‘Peter and the Wolf’.

The Boy and the Bunnet unites the talents of Booker-nominated author James Robertson and pianist/composer James Ross. Robertson’s Scots text, narrated by Gerda Stevenson, tells the tale of a wee boy who gets lost in the woods, and encounters an array of real and supernatural creatures, each characterfully conjured by Ross’s typically imaginative, lyrical score.

Originally premiered in Aonghas MacNeacail’s Gaelic translation at the 2011 Blas festival, this inaugural Scots performance again features Ross with Corrina Hewat (harp and voice), Patsy Reid (fiddle), Neil Johnstone (cello), Angus Lyon (accordion) Fraser Fifield (pipes) and Signy Jakobsdottir (percussion). Bring all the family wearing their bunnets and your family ticket will be £31!

Source: Celtic Connections