Through the Shortbread Tin (2025)
Image: Eoin Carey (eoincareyphoto.com)
Tour dates:
Tuesday 1st April, Melrose Corn Exchange Wednesday 2nd April, melrose Corn Exchange Friday 4th April, Tron Theatre Glasgow Saturday 5th April, Tron Theatre Glasgow Tuesday 8th April, Scottish Storytelling Centre, Edinburgh Wednesday 9th April, Scottish Storytelling Centre, Edinburgh Saturday 12th April, Macphail Centre, Ullapool Tuesday 15th April, Ann Lanntair, Stornoway Thursday 17th April, Aros Centre, Skye Friday 18th April, Dornie Community Hall Wednesday 23rd April, Corran Halls, Oban Friday 25th April, Cove Burgh Hall Monday 28th April, Mareel, Lerwick Thursday 1st May, Eden Court, Inverness Friday 2nd May, Eden Court, Inverness |
Written and performed by Martin O’Connor. Director: Lu Kemp. Music Director: Oliver Searle Sound and Video Director: Rob Willoughby Set and Costume Co-Designer: Emma Bailey Set and Costume Co-Designer: Rachel O'Neill A National Theatre of Scotland Production. The story of the greatest literary hoax of all time. 1760 – Scottish poet James Macpherson sets the world ablaze with stories of the third-century Scottish bard, Ossian. This tartan-trimmed tale of Highland history spreads far and wide, capturing the imagination of thousands– but is it built on deceit? 2025 – Scottish poet Martin O’Connor reads Macpherson’s epic and questions his own relationship with Scottish culture. The sporrans, the stags, the shortbread – do these ‘gift-shop’ images of Scotland hold us back or bring us forward? What does it mean to be authentic, and is the truth sometimes better told in a lie? Through The Shortbread Tin is a brand-new show, performed in Scots with Gaelic songs, which explores Scottish culture, myths, history and identity. Join Martin and Macpherson on an oral odyssey spanning centuries of Scottish history, exploring the myths we tell each other and the stories we tell ourselves. Because it takes a lot ae imagination tae tell a true story. |