Stream: Shades of Tay 3

Pitlochry Festival Theatre

Elizabeth Newman has not been idle during the lockdown. Since taking over as artistic director with only one season under her belt, she has had to confront having the beloved theatre closed indefinitely. Something which has never happened since its inception in 1951. So bravely she set about thinking digital for the time being. She has commissioned a four-month season of short new works by leading playwrights, relating to the River Tay on the banks of which the theatre stands. Each weekend a new piece is premiered against the background of the river and performed by different members of the company.

These last two weeks have been some of the best so far.

‘The Fish Woman’ by Frances Poet

Taking the story of Georgina Ballentine, reputed to have caught the biggest fish on the River Tay, sixty-four pounds and 54 inches long, Poet creates a captivating five minutes of storytelling.  Waiting for five years for the return of her first love, nursed during the war, she is confronted by a different man. She learns of her love’s death and accepts this new love, releasing the first into the river as a fish returning free into the waters. This piece is full of imagery and character creating a compact yet compelling story. Read with lively pace by Kirsty Stuart.

‘A Man Stood by a Forest’ by Peter Arnott

Another five minutes of excellent writing. This piece depicts a soldier returning to the Tay. Set against the images of and sounds of war he seeks solace in the peace of the riverbank. He reminds the listener that this land has been forged by the ice age and the rivers are eternal. Wars have raged and gone but nature always returns. The imagery of the sounds of the river flowing over stones and birdsong are set against thoughts and sounds of gunfire and war. This is movingly read by Richard Colvin and reminds the audience  of the healing powers of the beautiful Highlands.