The McLellan Festival
Though this annual festival is mostly in September, it begins at the end of August with a flourish of music, poetry and drama. On Friday and Saturday, the 23rd and 24th, there will be a McLellan evening in the Community Theatre at the High School, with a performance of his strange and mysterious play, The Carlin Moth. Due to unforeseen circumstances, the new play by Cicely Gill planned for the same night cannot be performed, but it is high on the programme for next year.
The following Thursday, August 29th, sees Joni Keen performing with the Euan Stevenson Trio, again in the Theatre, and the poetry competition with its £1,000 prize will be judged the following evening, Friday 30th, by the renowned poets Anne and Peter Sansom. They will be running a poetry workshop the following morning in Corrie Hall, and to judge from previous experience, these get-togethers of like-minded people are highly simulating. That same day is rounded off by a ceilidh, where Arran’s redoubtable Jazz Café Band will play and the magical cooks of Corrie will provide delicious food.
The next week romps on with a Tuesday showing of The Angels’ Share, a great Scottish film about whisky and much else, followed by more archive film of old Arran. The splendid Opera Gala, at which the talented students of the Royal Northern College of Music will once again stun everyone with their talents, takes place on Friday 6th September. The Festival ends with a performance of Mendelssohn’s Elijah, in which local singers join with the students.
All details are shown in the programme below. Tickets can be bought at the door or online at www.arranevents.com, and a fortnight of mingled delights is all set to unfold.
