Inverness-based Dogstar Theatre Company is to undertake a tour of four cities in Western Ukraine in early November with their 2004 hit, SEVEN AGES by Hamish MacDonald. The company has been invited to perform at the Ternopil Theatre Festival followed by performances in the cities of Lviv, Rivne and Ivano-Frankivsk. This follows a visit to the Ternopil Theatre Festival in 2003 by Dogstar’s Joint Artistic Director, Matthew Zajac, whose father was from the region. The tour is being supported by Highlands and Islands Enterprise and by Scottish & Newcastle, which has a substantial investment in Ukraine.

Originally premiered in 2001 and hailed as “the most glittering jewel in the Highland Festival crown” (HIGHLAND NEWS), Dogstar toured Scotland with Seven Ages in spring 2004.

The play is set in Highland Scotland and features seven wonderful tales which span a human life and range across five centuries:

 

Birth – witch hunters and religious fanatics in 17th century Scotland believe a baby to be the devil’s as famine grips them

Discovery - Sir Thomas Urquhart of Cromarty – swashbuckling knight - gifted, eccentric and allegedly insane inventor of the world’s first universal language and translator of Rabelais – the man who died in a fit of laughter on learning of Cromwell’s death

Love – Marianna, a World War 2 refugee finds love and hope with Ranald in a barren landscape

War – the Highland regimental tradition is played out on the streets of war-torn Iraq as those back home absorb themselves in Celtic’s 2003 UEFA cup final

Wisdom – a battle of speed, skill and strength between a one-legged cook and a lumbering navvy plays out in the work camp of a Highland Hydro Electric construction site

Dotage – Ranald is now a down-and-out on the streets of Glasgow. Through an alcoholic haze, he mistakes a prostitute for his long lost Marianna and is transported to the optimism of their early life in America

Death – Jack the Beachcomber defeats Death himself to protect his ailing mother, and everyone suffers the consequences…

From the first scream to the final breath…comedy and tragedy follow times of conflict and peace accompanied by a rich soundtrack of songs and tunes which celebrate the cycle of life through the Seven Ages – a uniquely powerful Highland slant on the universal experience.

Taking us on a voyage through this mortal coil are two outstanding Highland performers, Matthew Zajac and Alyth McCormack, joined by two of contemporary Celtic music’s finest – fiddler Jonny Hardie (Old Blind Dogs) and harpist Mary MacMaster (The Poosies/Shine). Written by Hamish MacDonald, a novelist and playwright whose works include Dogstar’s previous plays The Captain’s Collection and The Strathspey King, both adapted into award-winning series for BBC Radio Scotland. The production is directed by Hamish McDonald and Matthew Zajac.

Some press reaction to SEVEN AGES:

The Times Robert Dawson Scott
“Writer and co-director Hamish Macdonald does not shrink from the big issues…it is just not like other plays…an appealing economy of staging…a tenderness and sorrow that any number of more elaborate stagings might not have captured…terrifically well done…ambitious, stylish and very popular, a timely reminder of the quality of performers all over Scotland.”

The Scotsman Joyce MacMillan
“…this eloquent show is a timely reminder of how much Scottish theatre needs this strand of Highland-made work with all its wild surrealism, structural anarchy, passionate lyricism and spiritual openness…Zajac and his co-star Alyth McCormack make a fine job of sustaining this complex show.”

The List Meg Watson
“Inexhaustible energy…teaching the whole of Scotland a thing or two about the vitality and vibrancy of life up north…Diverse in content, the show is uniform in its quality of performance. Alyth McCormack and Matthew Zajac fulfil each role with accomplished skill. Their talent is matched by that of musicians Jonny Hardie and Mary MacMaster, whose live, traditional folk soundtrack is enchanting.”

For more information, contact Matthew Zajac on 0044 (0)7813 781636 or 0044 (0)131 556 6637
dogstartheatre@blueyonder.co.uk      www.dogstartheatre.co.uk