Drama
Drama
Throughout Shetland, there is a long tradition of writing dialect sketches and short plays for local performances. They were usually humorous, rarely intended for a wide audience, and few survive from very long ago. Those which do are usually too topical to their time to be used nowadays. Major drama productions i.e. on the Lerwick stage, were almost always in English until quite recently.
The writing tradition, however, continues in several places, and is greatly appreciated by local audiences. It is common to have locally-written material at the annual Drama Festival of one-act plays, and adjudicators from the Scottish mainland often comment on the fact. In recent years, play writing, like drama performances, has been encouraged and publicly supported with professional input, and this has widened the range and varied the style of locally-written plays.
Latest Drama Additions
- 1299
Willie Robertson's 2014 play was inspired by the oldest Shetland document in existence, a witness statement from Papa Stour in 1299. - Tangle Bells
Robert Sim's 'Tangle Bells' (2010) is a tale of young love, class barriers and the twists of fate. It takes place in Lerwick between 1913 and 1927.
- Dancin wi da Mune (Extract 1)
Monologue from Grace Barnes' 'Dancin wi da Mune' (1990s). Thoughts on leaving home.
In This Section
- Dancin wi da Mune (Extract 1)
Monologue from Grace Barnes' 'Dancin wi da Mune' (1990s). Thoughts on leaving home. - Dancin wi da Mune (Extract 2 - Up-Helly-Aa scene)
Up-Helly-Aa scene - Grace Barnes (1990s)
A sideways look at Lerwick's great festival - It wis herd wark, but
'It wis herd wark, but... ' (1987)
Shetland's herring workers come vividly to life in Shetland Youth Theatre's very first play, developed by the company themselves under the direction of John Haswell. - Looking Ta Da Staars
Jacqueline Clark's 'Looking ta da Staars' (2003)
is a play about family relationships. - Tangle Bells
Robert Sim's 'Tangle Bells' (2010) is a tale of young love, class barriers and the twists of fate. It takes place in Lerwick between 1913 and 1927.
- The Story of Maggie Reid
The tragic story of Maggie Reid from 19th century Burra is portrayed in Marsali Taylor's 2004 play for secondary pupils. - Timeshare
Laureen Johnson's 'Timeshare' (1990s) depicts a
Lerwick woman skilfully two-timing a couple of offshore workers. However, disaster is looming. - 1299
Willie Robertson's 2014 play was inspired by the oldest Shetland document in existence, a witness statement from Papa Stour in 1299.