Burns in Barassie

The Twa Dugs entertain

The bard and I travelled to Barassie Primary today in Troon where over 100 young people and staff enthusiastically listened to the show. Sadly the arrival of lunch-time meant we had no time for the usual question and answer session but the pupils were very knowledgeable, being able to list a fair number of poems and songs and joining in with the singing where they could. They have also been using the teachertube videos which is great! Perhaps they might leave some comments there, and/or on here?

About 120 keen listeners!

The local Press also turned up and took some good looking photos so hopefully the school (and the show) will get some good publicity. It is a brand new school and looks really splendid - the pupils were well behaved and hopefully are now a little wiser about Rob Mossgiel. Lastly a big thanks to Mrs Bell for the photos.

The 'Bard' in full flow

Cupar Follow Up

I was delighted to receive a whole batch of letters from pupils in St Columba's School telling me how much they enjoyed the show. The word 'inspired' was mentioned several times and that's what this is all about really. We are obliged to introduce the next generation to the Bard and his works, for they are the future!

A special big thanks to C and M in P7 who sent me their drawing of Robert Burns (shown here) and to A in P6 for his wonderful letter.

About the show itself

The show is primarily aimed at adults but there is a shorter school version too. The issue is that Burns wrote a great deal of 'adult' material which is not best suited to 10 years olds....so there has to be 2 versions. It is in full costume as can be seen here and uses Burns own songs and poems to tell his life story. I take a chronological tour from before his birth until after his death ....suggesting why he wrote some of what he did....reciting the poems and singing the songs. There are several points to this but in the main entertainment and education, which is what I have done all my days. There is an audio visual element with a Powerpoint running behind me on stage. This details various locations important to Burns, gives the words to some songs (audience participation is a must!) and illustrates some of the poems: all of which hopefully increase understanding and improve the experience of the audience.

and so it starts....

This is a bit late really but....you know what they say...better late than.....
Next year is Robert Burns 250th anniversary so, as a keen Burns fan I decided to write a one-man show to celebrate! It had its first pilot airing in Cupar in April and is now ready to go. All the details are on www.burns250.co.uk but I thought it would be interesting to record the journey as it continues....hopefully growing into a popular show...but ...who knows.
Cupar has an audience of approx 40 - and was for a local charity. A re-run for a different charity is now scheduled for November.