Mach ann an Deich
20 February 2007
The wheels are in motion as Mach Ann an Deich, or Mach 10, hurtles towards opening night. An Lanntair’s 2 day non competitive festival of short Gaelic Drama is funded by Gaelic Arts Strategic Development (GASD) and will take place from the 12 – 17th March. The main event will be a selection of short Gaelic plays which were submitted to An Lanntair over Christmas from amateur and professional writers. Now it’s time for the hard work to really begin as the playwrights get on with casting, directing and rehearsing their theatrical gems.
One of the aims of the project is to encourage more people to get involved in Gaelic drama – including writers, actors and audiences. An Lanntair is opening up the secrets of what goes on behind the scenes, by documenting the processes in the lead up to the final show. Daibhidh Martin, one of the budding playwrights, has been commissioned to write a diary blog about the casting, rehearsing and performing aspects that go into any production. He will be doing this through Myspace – the interactive social networking site.
The Mach 10 Myspace will host Daibhidh’s blogs and will show how a play goes from paper to the stage. It is hoped that this backstage angle will interest a new audience, in particular those who would like to get involved in Gaelic drama in the future. The site will be written bilingually but will also include pictures and video clips. Daibhidh is currently a GASD funded Writer in Residence for An Lanntair. He is carrying out his residency at the Sir E Scott School in Harris, working with the pupils as they write and produce their own play for the festival – The Hearach Factor – based on TV’s The X Factor. Daibhidh has also submitted his own play – which will be starring Donna Morrison and featuring an acting debut from Rapal presenter Niall Iain Macdonald.
The blogs will offer valuable insights into the theatrical world, and hopefully a few laughs along the way. As the festival itself draws closer check out the Myspace for competitions and some special offers. To be kept up to date, go to http://www.myspace.com/lanntair, where people can read the diary blog and view images and videos even if they’re not signed up to Myspace. For those who are on Myspace, add Mach 10 as a friend and subscribe to the blog so as not to miss a thing!
For more details log on to http://www.myspace.com/lanntair or contact An Lanntair on 01851 703307.
Mach ann an Deich will run 12th – 17th March. Tickets available from An Lanntair and www.thebooth.co.uk.
