Record Entries From Caithness For SCDA Highland Division Youth Festival

27th February 2007

This year sees a record entry for the Scottish Community Drama Association (SCDA) Highland Division with a total of six team entries from Halkirk, Wick and Thurso. Because of this interest the Festival will be held over two nights, Monday 5th and Tuesday 6th March. The venue on both evenings will be Thurso High School and the curtain goes up at 7:00pm.

First up on Monday 5th March is Out of Eden's collaboration with Halkirk Primary School's Drama Club with a musical entitled, "Pirates!, with Molly on Board". The show features a cast of over 30 with pirates and islanders who sing through a number of lively songs. Captain Blackbeard, played by Ruaridh McCartney, is a fearless Pirate who has had his wings clipped by his wife, Molly, played by Naomi Crawford, as she finds out about life on the ocean waves.

This will be followed by the first of two entries from Thurso Players. 'A Load of Rubbish' by Sue Gordon describes itself as an Eco-Drama. The characters have decidedly human traits, but, are very clearly 'A Load of Rubbish', who have landed in a local beauty spot having fallen from the back of lorries on their way to a landfill site. Watch out as the Carrier Bag plays peacemaker between two ageing balls of wool and a coke can. The friendly and down to earth beer can has an interesting chat to a French Perfume Box and the militaristic Empty Ink Cartridge feels the need for order.

The evening concludes with yet another Out of Eden collaboration, this time with Ormlie Drama Club who will perform a version of George Gunn's poem, ' The Last Tree in Dunnet'. The young cast will tell the story of the transformation of Dunnet Head from an Atlantic Forest to the peat bogs of today. The story is told through the eyes of the animals living on Dunnet Head, and tells us a fable of the damage we have done to our surroundings.

On Tuesday 6th March the evening's entertainment begins with Thurso Players and 'Uncool' by Vin Morreale explores the world of teenagers in school. The settling in and bullying that a new girl works through are seen through the eyes of those around. This play explores some of the issues that many of our young performers have heard about or experienced.

This is followed by the Wick Junior Players entry The Musicians by Patrick Marber. The School Orchestra is to give a concert in Moscow at the European Festival of Youth, playing Tchaikovsky's Fourth Symphony before an audience of cultural bigwigs. But there is problems with the instruments, due to the foolishness of Second Flute. Luckily, Alex, the Russian boy who cleans the hall comes up with a plan to save the day. But will it work?

The evening rounds out with the final Out of Eden collaboration, this time with Thurso High School Drama Club who present a devised play called, 'CRUSH'. This piece, written by the group, looks at the story of Emma, a young girl seduced by the coolness of an older a boy, and follows her through her traumatic story. The story is a frank look at teenage life in the 21st Century and contains a number of serious issues.

Tickets for both evenings performances are priced at �5.00 and �3.00 (Under 18's and over 60's) and are available from Macbeth Jewellers, Thurso and Poltney News, Wick. Tickets can also be purchased at the door on the evening of the performances.