{"id":6490,"date":"2024-08-26T12:00:58","date_gmt":"2024-08-26T11:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/projects.handsupfortrad.scot\/scotslanguageawards\/?p=6490"},"modified":"2024-08-25T22:45:27","modified_gmt":"2024-08-25T21:45:27","slug":"scots-language-awards-2024-sunset-song","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/projects.handsupfortrad.scot\/scotslanguageawards\/scots-language-awards-2024-sunset-song\/","title":{"rendered":"Scots Language Awards 2024: Sunset Song"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Weel duin tae Sunset Song wha hae bin nominatit in Scots Stage Production o the Year in the Scots Language Awards. Vote now!<\/a><\/p>\n

The Scots Language Awards are in the Cumnock Toon Ha, Cumnock in pairtnership wi East Ayrshire Cooncil on 14th September at 7pm. Tickets fir the ceremony are available tae buy here: https:\/\/eastayrshireleisure.com\/events\/scots-language-awards\/<\/a>. <\/p>\n

We askit Morna Young o Sunset Song thae speirins. <\/p>\n

Tell us aboot yersel or yer ootfit.<\/strong>
\nSynopsis:
\nScotland\u2019s most loved literary heroine Chris Guthrie is brought to the stage in this thrilling contemporary adaptation, co-produced by Dundee Rep and the Royal Lyceum. <\/p>\n

From harrowing family roots, to stirring love and the awakening of self, Chris\u2019s coming-of-age journey to womanhood is one of enduring strength, persistent survival and joyful renewal. Exploring human resilience and the loss of a way of life, through a scorching female protagonist, Sunset Song has a profoundly lyrical intensity that echoes throughout the years and still resonates today.<\/p>\n

This radically reimagined production brings together an award-winning Scottish creative team including writer Morna Young (Lost at Sea, The Stamping Ground), director Finn den Hertog (The Enemy, Square Go) and composer Finn Anderson (Islander, A Mother\u2019s Song) to tell this sweeping story of heart-breaking love, and a land and people in turmoil. With rich Scots language text, dynamic and physically charged staging, and raw and vivid live music, Sunset Song is a celebration of Lewis Grassic Gibbon\u2019s symphonic, astounding and ever-relevant novel.<\/p>\n

Writer:
\nMorna Young is an award-winning playwright and screenwriter from Moray, named \u2018Scots Writer o the Year\u2019 at the inaugural Scots Language Awards in 2019. Most recently, she won the Peggy Ramsay\/Film 4 Playwriting Bursary (Traverse), and received an SSP@50 Fellowship (Aberdeen Arts Centre).<\/p>\n

'Lost at Sea', Morna\u2019s debut full-length play in 2019, won two Critics\u2019 Awards for Theatre in Scotland (CATS), and was a finalist in the Herald\u2019s Culture Awards. She also wrote the CATS winning Runrig musical 'The Stamping Ground' (Eden Court \/ Raw Material) and the CATS nominated adaptation of 'Sunset Song' that toured in Spring 2024 (Dundee Rep \/ Lyceum). <\/p>\n

Other plays include: 'The Snow Queen' (Lyceum), 'Babs', 'Aye, Elvis', 'The Silver Superheroes', and 'Netting' (A Play, A Pie and A Pint), 'The Buke of the Howlat' (Findhorn Bay Arts), 'Smite' (Jermyn Street Theatre), 'She of the Sea' (Paines Plough), 'B-Roads' (Play Pieces) and 'Never Land' (Eden Court). Digital work released in 2020\/21 includes 'A Fairy Tale' (Lyceum), 'A Passing Dance' (Pitlochry Festival Theatre), 'Stella' (Mull Theatre), 'The Twa Chrisses' (Scots Language Centre), and 'Demon Island' (Traverse). <\/p>\n

Morna was recipient of the Dr Gavin Wallace Fellowship hosted by Aberdeen City Council (2017), a New Playwrights Award (Playwrights' Studio, Scotland, 2014) and the \u2018Tomorrow at Noon\u2019 award for female playwrights (Jermyn Street Theatre, 2018). Her international work includes The Traverse\u2019s \u2018Scotland-in-Japan\u2019 residency, playwright-in-residence for BATS Theatre in New Zealand for three-months and a Rome residency as part of the Muriel Spark 100 awards.<\/p>\n

Morna has also been writing for screen since receiving the BBC Scotland scholarship 2020 including five episodes of BBC Scotland\u2019s 'River City', the first of which received a Debut Writer nomination at the New Voices Awards, 2023. <\/p>\n

As a working-class woman and native north-east Scots speaker, Morna is interested in exploring under-represented voices and her work often explore class structures. She has a personal interest in folklore, mythology and fairy-tales, and often draws on these within her writing, as well as themes of grief, absence and loss. <\/p>\n

Full info at: www.mornayoung.com<\/p>\n

All questions below answered by Morna.<\/p>\n

Whit wis it got ye involvit wi the Scots leid?<\/strong>
\nI didna set oot tae write in Scots, it\u2019s juist the wye I wis brocht up tae spik. Wi ma first play \u2018Lost at Sea\u2019, it widna hae made sense tae write it ony ither wye. Hoo could ye present life in a North East fishin community withoot scrievin in Doric? Fae then, I\u2019ve aft scrieved in Scots, wi maist o ma plays based in the North East; fae \u2018Aye, Elvis\u2019 aboot a wifie Elvis impersonater fae Aiberdeen, tae \u2018Babs\u2019 aboot a quine fa meets the Baba Yaga. Ither Scots wirk has takken me forder afield, including \u2018The Snow Queen\u2019, a Scotland based version o the classic tale, and \u2018The Water Clan\u2019 for BATS Theatre, New Zealand.<\/p>\n

Why dae ye feel it is important tae use Scots in everyday life?<\/strong>
\nI try tae uise Scots tae explore current themes in a progressive wye an it\u2019s affa important tae me tae attract mare quines tae dee the same.<\/p>\n

Ma Scots is maste aft a colloquial version o Doric an it isna written tae exist on paper alane. When scrievin fir stage, we anely hae oor character\u2019s wirds \u2013 their voices \u2013 tae tell the story. If ma character spiks Scots, then it\u2019s because it\u2019s rooted in their identity, and I like tae play wi variations in hoo each character spiks. I\u2019m prood tae wirk in ma ain tongue an I\u2019m ay gled tae see the response fae audiences fan they recognise thaimsels on stage.<\/p>\n

I wis in schuil when I first read \u2018Sunset Song\u2019 and I mind bein blawn awa by the passage aboot twa Chrisses \u2013 English Chris and Scottish Chris \u2013 feelin ma ain life mirrored back. I couldna believe that a mannie fae sae lang ago could capture that feeling. Reading Scots in a buke, hearing it on stage or beyond, will ay help wi representation \u2013 it maks ye feel seen. I feel prood tae be a wee pairt o that, and ay hope that my wirk will inspire ither North Easters tae scrieve in their ain tongue.<\/p>\n

Dae ye hae a favourite Scots phrase or saying?<\/strong>
\nIt seems affa appropriate tae tell ye a favourite fae 'Sunset Song': <\/p>\n

\u201cWhat's the English for sotter, or greip, or smore, or pleiter, gloaming or glunching or well-kenspeckled? And if you said gloaming was sunset you'd fair be a liar\u2026\u201d <\/p>\n

I hid a fair guid blether wi ma pal Shane Strachan aboot Lewis Grassic Gibbon\u2019s uise o the wird \u201ckenspeckled\u201d insteid of \u201ckenspeckled\u201d here!<\/p>\n

Is there a Scots speaker who inspires you?<\/strong>
\nMa Auntie Stella haes a turn o phrase like nae ither. She can mak me laugh and greet in a hertbeat, and she\u2019s inspired an affa lot o ma wirk. I juist adore her.<\/p>\n

Do you hear Scots spoken regularly in your local area? Have you noticed any changes over time?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ony particlar career heighlichts<\/strong>
\nIt took me eicht years fae conception tae bring ma play \u2018Lost at Sea\u2019 tae the stage. Ma ain faither wis lost at sea when I wis a bairn an I wantit tae pey tribute tae the mony fishermen that hae lost their lives. Tourin this wark aroon Scotland in 2019 is ma highlight, an I wis fair chuft that the production wis recognised at the Critics\u2019 Awards for Theatre in Scotland an at the Herald Culture Awards. Mareower, I wis blawn awa by the response fae fishin fowk.<\/p>\n

Getting tae adapt \u2018Sunset Song\u2019 is anither highlicht, because it\u2019s a buke that\u2019s been wi me ma hale life. I\u2019ve turnit tae ma aul copy time an time again ower the years, ay thinkin aboot ma different sides, the English and the Scots. It\u2019s a buke that\u2019s helped me understaun ma complex feelings aboot identity, an it wis an honour tae bring ma version o the story tae the stage.<\/p>\n

Wha’s yer plans fir the days aheid?<\/strong>
\nScrievin a new play and for River City, developing some new ideas for stage and screen, and spending time wi ma new wee dug. He\u2019s a cracker.<\/p>\n

Read more about Sunset Song<\/a>
\nhttps:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=F99I-BIQ23E<\/a>
\nFacebook: http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/mornayoung<\/a>
\nTwitter: http:\/\/www.twitter.com\/mornayoung<\/a>
\nInstagram: http:\/\/www.instagram.com\/msmornayoung<\/a><\/p>\n

The Scots Language Awards are in the Cumnock Toon Ha, Cumnock on 14th September at 7pm. Tickets are available to buy here: https:\/\/eastayrshireleisure.com\/events\/scots-language-awards\/<\/a> There wull be some grand entertainmint oan the nicht tae, includin a recital fae Billy Kay, Susie Briggs, alang wi musical performances fae Claire Hastings an S\u00e8an Gray.<\/p>\n

If you would like to support Hands Up for Trad in their work with Scottish trad music and musicians please consider supporting our Patreon<\/a> campaign. We have 3 tiers starting at $1 a month and everything helps support us in our work. Read more at www.patreon.com\/handsupfortrad<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Weel duin tae Sunset Song wha hae bin nominatit in Scots Stage Production o the Year in the Scots Language Awards. Vote now! The Scots Language Awards are in the Cumnock Toon Ha, Cumnock in pairtnership wi East Ayrshire Cooncil on 14th September at 7pm. Tickets fir the ceremony are available tae buy here: https:\/\/eastayrshireleisure.com\/events\/scots-language-awards\/. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6491,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[88],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-6490","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nominee2024","8":"entry"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/projects.handsupfortrad.scot\/scotslanguageawards\/files\/2024\/08\/Sunset-Song.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/phaZzh-1GG","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/projects.handsupfortrad.scot\/scotslanguageawards\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6490","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/projects.handsupfortrad.scot\/scotslanguageawards\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/projects.handsupfortrad.scot\/scotslanguageawards\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.handsupfortrad.scot\/scotslanguageawards\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.handsupfortrad.scot\/scotslanguageawards\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6490"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/projects.handsupfortrad.scot\/scotslanguageawards\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6490\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6492,"href":"https:\/\/projects.handsupfortrad.scot\/scotslanguageawards\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6490\/revisions\/6492"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.handsupfortrad.scot\/scotslanguageawards\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6491"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/projects.handsupfortrad.scot\/scotslanguageawards\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6490"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.handsupfortrad.scot\/scotslanguageawards\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6490"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.handsupfortrad.scot\/scotslanguageawards\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6490"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}