26 May 04
Grey Coast – North Highland College co-production on tour in Caithness and Sutherland
Four young Caithnessians, coming to the end of their first year as drama students at North Highland College in Thurso, will take to the road this weekend as their new play, From A Flagstone Floor, begins a week-long tour of theatre, hotels and village halls around Caithness and Sutherland.  Helen Mackay, Jacqueline Barclay, Iain MacDonald and Calum Greig wrote the play and will be performing it for communities across the north under the banner of the Thurso-based Grey Coast Theatre.  The unique co-production between college and theatre company opens this Saturday night, 29 May, at Britannia Hall in Dunnet, where the action is set.  See page for other performance dates and venues. dates

51 Pegasus First Night Report 5 September 2002
The first night got the tour off to a great start and Artisitc Director George Gunn had good reason to be satisfied.  the first night audience got great performance from a cast that got well behind the playrights intentions.  Delivered it with gusto and the humour shone through.  Serious subjects were under review and they carried it off excellently. 
See the rest of the report

51 Pegasus  - Latest Production Goes On The Road 2 September 2002
After the resounding success of their last tour, Farm Land, Scotland’s most Northerly professional theatre company bring you 51 Pegasus, a hilarious and moving new play by Ian McDonough.

51 Pegasus will tour throughout Scotland from 4 September to 5 October, including three nights at the Traverse in Edinburgh and two at The Arches in Glasgow. The opening night will be in Thurso High School on 4 and 5 September and the Press Night will be in Eden Court Theatre on Sat 7 September.

An exciting young cast has been assembled for the play.
These are;
Jodie Campbell from Skye
Dan Oliveira from Elgin
Floss Ross from Brora
Martin Docherty and PJ Farrell from Glasgow

John James and Billy McPhee meet outside a Highland dance hall on a summer’s night. The stars are in the sky. As “Granny’s Heilan Hame” drifts across the Kyle the physics student and the lobster fisherman spar and tease, drink vodka and re-kindle their life-long friendship.

Ever had that feeling of just wanting to get away? Is the village too small or the Universe too big? Or is it the other way round?

51 Pegasus explores the concept of scale and the distances between people and between planetary bodies in our Universe.

The play examines the tensions faced in a small village by young and old alike when faced with the dilemma of leaving to study and work or staying put and facing the monotony of everyday life. An emotionally gripping journey from the north coast of Sutherland to the farthest star.

Ian McDonough is the second playwright to emerge from Grey Coast’s “Playharvest” scheme, which was set up to encourage new playwrights from the Highlands. Bess Ross’s play Farm Land, which toured Scotland in the spring, was the first.

Ian McDonough hails from Brora in Sutherland and currently lives in Edinburgh. An established poet, he is the convenor of Edinburgh’s “Shore Poets” and co-edited their anthology “The Ice Horses”, which was published in 1998. In 1999 he received the Scottish Arts Council writers bursary. His poem sequence “Rising Fever” was published in 2000. Chapman 2002 published his critically acclaimed anthology of poems, The Clan McHine, earlier this year.

In keeping with Grey Coast’s educational tradition, artist Sue Jane Taylor will again be working with two schools, Golspie and Farr, holding workshops with pupils to produce pieces of art work which are relevant to the production.

The theme and basis of the workshop is taken from the play’s focus on the “tinker”. The other important element is the mapping of the skies. Arthur Dutch, a retired tinsmith, who has worked for Historic Scotland and National Museum of Scotland, will give practical advice. This is an invaluable way of involving the local children. All of Grey Coast’s work incorporates this and community work to some degree.

Timothy Neat, author of “Summer Walkers” will give a talk to the two schools involved and people from the community who want to participate. A well-known tinker elder will also speak to the group.

51 Pegasus will be directed by Tom McGill and designed by Moley Campbell. Music composed by Andy Thorburn of Blazing Fiddles.