WEST COAST ARTS
promoting music and theatre on Loch Ewe
West Coast Arts is a local non-profit community organisation run entirely by volunteers. It aims to promote subsidised live music and theatre events from all over the world for both local people and visitors to this remote area of north-west Scotland to enjoy year-round.
WCA uses several venues - mainly Aultbea Village Hall, an old building with a stage which was once a cinema for the use of troops stationed on the Loch in World War Two - and Poolewe Village Hall, which features a modern, purpose-built performance space ideal for musical events and theatre in the round. Sometimes we also stage larger performances at Gairloch Community Centre and smaller ones in the bar at Poolewe Hotel.
Aultbea Village Hall
Poolewe Village Hall
Gairloch Community Hall
Poolewe Hotel
Our 2009 season:
Thursday 4th June 2009 THE LAST CUCKOO by Nigel Forde with Andrew Harrison.
Gairloch Hall 7.30pm £7 Adults, £5 Concessions, £2 Children
We have a great show coming up on Thursday at Gairloch. ome of you will remember Andrew Harrison and his powerful John Muir piece a couple of years ago. This promises to be as fantastic as before! Summary of Show Using a rich panoply of sound effects and with exquisitely drawn characters "The Last Cuckoo" is both a hilarious and profoundly moving story of one man's life-long passion for birds and the outdoors. Loathed, adored and misunderstood Harry Baskerville takes us on a fascinating and enchanting journey of discovery. Andrew Harrison's astonishing performance moves and stirs the hardest hearts and provokes laughter, intrigue and enjoyment for all.
30th June I Miss Communism Gairloch Hall 7.30pm £7 Adults, £5 Concessions, £2 Children http://www.imisscommunism.com/ Summary of the Show East goes West; communism goes capitalism; atheism goes God. From Croatia to America and back, my story is about three generations of women who lived through three wars in a drama with intense comic moments that won't leave you untouched. It's what I was raised in, it's what I came to America to escape from, and it's what I ran back to. It's about freedom of the spirit not the systems. It's about a woman coming of age. It's about religion. It's about war. It's about Oliver Twist.
21st July Traverse Theatre Gairloch Hall 7.30pm £7 Adults, £5 Concessions, £2 Children Summary of the Show Midsummer [a play with songs] by David Greig & Gordon McIntyre Midsummer is the story of Bob and Helena and a great lost weekend of bridge burning, car chases, wedding bust ups, bondage miscalculations, midnight trysts and horrible hung-over self loathing misery. Featuring Cora Bissett and Matthew Pidgeon as the ill-advised love match, Midsummer is a new play with songs by David Greig and Gordon McIntyre and the inaugral production in our new Traverse Too programme of work.
7th August Ali McCulloch Gairloch Hall 7.30pm £7 Adults, £5 Concessions, £2 Children http://www.alistairmcculloch.com/ A return visit by this hugely popular Celtic fiddler and his band. Three times former National Fiddle Champion, Alistair McCulloch is one of the busiest and best-known fiddlers in Scotland. As well as having a highly successful solo career, Alistair is lead fiddler in the band 'Coila' . His annual tour of the Scottish Highlands has become an eagerly awaited event in the Scottish Music calendar with his high energy concert performances and infectious humour
8th August TBC Christopher Guild - Pianist This recital will be ticketed as the only available venue with a Steinway is Carole's front room which can only hold 30 tops! It would be brilliant to encourage this very talented young pianist who hails form Moray but is graduating this year from the Royal Academy of Music in London and is already making his mark on the classical world having won several prizes already!
8th September Mull Theatre - Island Nights Entertainments Gairloch Hall 7.30pm £7 Adults, £5 Concessions, £2 Children Tales of adventure and suspense, tales of foreign lands, tales of those new to this land, tales of those who left and those who came back... with, drama, readings, poetry and song from and about the Argyll, the West Highlands and Islands, an area with an unparalleled history and wealth of literature. There will be laughter, there will be drama, there will be live music and dancing - and it'll finish off with a bit of a ceilidh dance! For all ages.
17th October Venue to be confirmed Corrina Hewat - Unplugged This wonderful Harper is in the area coaching and has agreed to do a concert. Corrina Hewat is a singer, harpist and composer, and widely recognised as one of Scotland's most unique and innovative musicians. Born in Edinburgh and raised in the Scottish Highlands, her huge range of musical influences has contributed greatly to her very individual take on traditional music. She is probably best known for her work with bands Bachué (with pianist David Milligan), Shine (with Mary Macmaster & Alyth McCormack) and Scots supergroup the Unusual Suspects, which she also formed and co-directs with David Milligan.
Of course there are other things in the 'fire' so to speak. We are negotiating with a harp and percussion group for October ... we are trying to find as broad a range of acts as possible but are limited very much by what is touring the Highlands. There doesn't seem to be as much going round this year! Possible Acts/Dates for Next Year Definite - 23rd February 2010 - Essential Scottish Opera kicking off the 25th Year of West Coast Arts Celebrations April 2010 - Monika Stadler, Jazz Harpist from Germany touring the Highlands. May/June 2010 - Opera on a Shoestring
Check us out, become a friend or leave us a comment on MySpace.
Click here for some details of our past events....
For all West Coast Arts business contact:
Carole Miller, (chairman), Treasurer Alasdair Wright (treasurer) or Clare O'Brien (publicity)
Other local links:
Hi-Arts: Arts in the Highland region
An Comunn Gàidhealach Meur Loch Iu: local Gaelic culture
Harp2Ewe : local traditional music workshops and tuition
Poolewe Ceilidh Nights: singing and dancing, traditional style
Species 8472: local non-trad music outreach project
Black Cherry: Ally, Carole and Clare's folk/jazz crossover band
Clare O'Brien: local writer
Coming here on holiday? Looking for somewhere to stay on Loch Ewe? Try Poolewe Hotel or if you're after self-catering - Coille Bheag, Stone Ewe Croft or Tigh-na-Sith And while you're here, don't forget to visit Poolewe Swimming Pool!
West Coast Arts receives support from The Highland Council and The Scottish Arts Council
