EVENT INFORMATION

We are thrilled to be hosting four scratch performances by emerging theatre-makers living/studying in the Highlands. We know how important it is to get work in the early stages seen by audiences, so join us in a diverse night of theatre-making, supporting the development of new work for the stage.

6PM-6.30PM In Darkness He Calls

This is not his story. It is about the servants who worked, lived, loved, and feared in Boleskine House.

In Darkness He Calls is set in the 1900's. The play fictionalises the events that occurred in Boleskine House by Loch Ness – owned by the infamous occultist Aleister Crowley. In contemporary retellings and myth about the events which occurred there, In Darkness He Calls asks the question: who were the people that served in the shadows?

Rebecca Martin | Playwright

Highland stories and Highland voices are important to me. I'm also motivated to produce work that represents mental health issues, uplifts women and tells stories that celebrate the neurodiverse experience.

6.30PM-7PM Never/Meant to Be Sent

We've all done it; written, and rewritten, letters that were never meant to be read. What would you do when these secrets, letters never meant to be sent, begin to receive replies?

Simon Lyall | Playwright / performer

Simon is a freelance writer and performer with over 20 years' experience writing, directing, producing and performing theatre. Simon is a Drama Tutor at Eden Court, Junior Florians Leader, a Florians Committee Member, and a member of Inverness Musical Theatre and Inverness Playwrights. He is currently writing his first play about life in the world of amateur dramatics.

7PM-7.30PM Fittin in or Faan oot?

You are invited to Reenie's flat party.

Reenie's flat is going to be destroyed tomorrow and she is having one last party to celebrate!

She will tell you that she has had an exciting and fulfilling life, but – as Reenie desperately tries to be the party host that she definitely cannot be – you will begin to see that it has been a lonely one where she has had to alter her identity and suppress her Doric dialect to fit in.

She is now in a state of crisis.

In an attempt to connect with you, her guests and colleagues, she will continually implicate you in party activities that she thinks will uplift the mood.

Lucy Beth | Playwright / performer

Lucy Beth is a professional performer currently studying on the MLitt Theatre and Performance Practices course at the University of Glasgow. Prior to postgraduate study, Lucy was working as a drama lecturer at the North East Scotland College and was course leader for both the first year Higher National Diploma in Acting and Performance and the National Progression Award in Technical Theatre.

7.30PM-8PM The Budding Collective Debut

They don't fear us enough.

What if I made a noise?

These are the starting points for a surprise performance by the Budding Collective.

The Budding Collective is a new initiative by Vivid Roots Collective; bringing together emerging theatre-makers in the Highlands to create work and support each other's creative development.

FESTIVAL INFORMATION

ROOTS Festival

Celebrating Highland art & artists | Forging & deepening creative connections

This event is part of ROOTS Festival 2023, this is Vivid Roots Collective's first ever theatre festival for Highland and emerging theatre-makers. Join us in celebrating the talented artists in the region, learning new skills, and meeting like-minded creatives with talks, workshops, performances and networking!

The festival is fully in-person at the Spectrum Centre in Inverness. The venue has amazing transport links, situated at the bus station and a 2 minute walk from the train station in the city centre. We are taking over all three of Spectrum's main rooms with a quiet room upstairs for attendees who need to take a break.

This year has been programmed in response to our recent report, FUTURES, which evidences the needs of emerging theatre-makers in the Highlands. You can read our report, see our full digital programme, and learn more about our company on our website.

ROOTS is supported in-kind by the Spectrum Centre; funded in part by the National Lottery via Creative Scotland; and funded in part by Start-It! from the Social Entrepreneurs Fund, delivered by First Port

Tickets

We are using a pay-what-you-can system for tickets this year because we know that the cost of living has been affecting everyone. We would, however, like to explain that ticket sales are an important source of income. If you are able, choosing a higher ticket price will help us to pay our artists fairly, and improve the experience for all attendees. For those of you who kindly opt to pay the higher prices for the events, you will also be supporting those who face more financial barriers.

All tickets will allow you to attend the festival networking event for free. The festival networking event will be from 8pm-9.30pm on Saturday the 30th September in the theatre.

Thank you for your generosity and we look forward to having you.

Accessibility

To find out about accessing the venue, see the Spectrum Centre website here.

We will be releasing an access bursary scheme in September to subsidise the costs associated with attending a festival in Inverness. Follow us on social media and check out our website for updates on access bursaries.

We are a small team but we care about your experience with our company and events, if anything here is inaccessible to you, please be in touch and we will do our best to help.