Two Scottish theatre companies will be performing award-winning drama for young people across two continents early in 2008.

Catherine Wheels and Visible Fictions, two of Scotland’s leading companies producing work for young people, received awards of £15,000 and £12,590 respectively from the Scottish Arts Council to support international showcasing opportunities.

Catherine Wheels’ production of ‘Lifeboat’ has been invited to the New Zealand International Festival in February 2008, followed by a two-week run at Sydney Opera House in March 2008. Visible Fictions will perform Jason and The Argonauts at the 30th Annual International Performing Arts for Youth Showcase and at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Centre in Florida, in January 2008.

David Taylor, Co-Director of Arts, at the Scottish Arts Council said: ‘Scotland has exceptional talent producing work for children and young people, work that is consistently attractive to overseas promoters and programmers and widely recognised as world-class.

‘I’m delighted that we’ve been able to finance these exciting opportunities for both companies to present their work to new audiences.’

Catherine Wheels’ Artistic Director, Gill Robertson said:

‘This has been an incredible year for the company. We performed Lifeboat on Broadway in March and we’ve recently returned from The Netherlands, where we performed Martha in Dutch. Being invited to perform in New Zealand and at the Opera House in Sydney is a real honour for the company and also an important showcase of Scottish theatre for children and young people. The support of the Scottish Arts Council has been vital to developing our international profile.’

Visible Fictions’ Artistic Director Dougie Irvine also welcomed the news, adding:

‘Visible Fictions is delighted to be supported by the Scottish Arts Council and with this extra investment we are thrilled to be able to present our work further afield to international audiences. Following the performances in Florida, Jason & the Argonauts returns for a tour of America and has invitations to sail to Broadway, Australia and Canada. Shopping for Shoes by Tim Crouch will also perform in Canada in 2008, a year that will also see Visible Fictions co-produce with the Minneapolis Children's Theatre Company. This vital assistance once again helps us demonstrate that Scotland is a world leader in the creation of work for young audiences and with the support of the Scottish Arts Council we can play our part in continuing to create a respect, appreciation and demand for Scottish theatre across the world.’

‘Lifeboat’, by Nicola McCartney, was commissioned in 2001 by Catherine Wheels and was first performed at the Brunton Theatre on 7th May 2002. Since its first performance Lifeboat has toured throughout Scotland, England, the Republic of Ireland, Canada and the United States.

Visible Fictions’ ‘Jason and The Argonauts’ Visible Fictions' was created during 2005 and 2006 and first performed at Paisley Arts Centre on 5th October 2006. In its first year it has toured the Republic of Ireland, England and across Scotland, including the Bank of Scotland's Children's International Theatre Festival in 2007.

Both productions have already toured extensively throughout Scotland.

The two awards announced today are part of the Scottish Arts Council’s International fund which supports the Scottish Arts Council’s Corporate Aim of supporting artists in Scotland to realise their potential and raise their profile abroad.