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Tag Archives: Mary Queen of Scots

Every night a different show……

27 Tuesday Jun 2017

Posted by shehannemoore in Author Interviews, Scottish

≈ 90 Comments

Tags

Dundee, John Quinn, Joseph Lee, Juteopolis, Mary Brooksbank, Mary Queen of Scots, Mary Shelley, Mary Slessor, O halflins an hecklers an weavers an weemin, Play, Verdant Works, William McGonagall, William Wallace, Winston Churchill

 

SHEY…….

.  was the story of jute in Dundee. How it got there, how Dundee came to be known as Juteopolis and how the mills are all gone now, how the Irish came during the famine in their droves, quadrupling the population in no time at all in a city which was unprepared for the onslaught,  how they joined Highlanders being cleared off their land, courtesy of the Duke of Sutherland.

 

 But it was also the story of weaving  in the city and how the city and its people, who are not an easily impressed people, have always kept their story moving forward.  The title says it all. Halflins were children who did half a day at school and half a day in the mills. Hecklers? Well, Dundee gave the world the word.

Weavers  speaks for itself. As for the Weemin? To quote poet Dundee poet Ellie Macdonald… and I did get to quote these lines in the play and boy did it give me a thrill to deliver them.

‘For any woman brought up in the Dundee tradition there should be no straining for equality no, need for a new consciousness of the power of women. We have inherited a freedom which seems unnecessary to verbalize. We are just waiting for the world to catch up.’

Why did the women have this freedom? Because they were the family breadwinners.

Shey…Well…..talking that…  because there’s a story that William Wallace went to school in Dundee and got in a ‘rammy’ –a row–with the English governor’s son, Selby, killed him,

thus becoming an outlaw but not before being hidden by a weaving woman just outside Dundee who sort of suggested he disguise himself…..

 

 

Shey. Indeed. Dundee has quietly furnished the world with one or two weel ‘kent’ folks, or folks who were inspired by their stay in the city. 

 

Mary Shelley said Dundee was where she got her idea for the famous ‘unbeast.’  Ian Fleming’s grandfather worked in the jute mills here. We also had a scene involving from mill girl, to missionary to magistrate Mary Slessor.

She was also known as the Mother of All the People. So we had a wee song about her too , one of two we wrote especially for the show, here sung by the most fabulous choirs, Loadsaweeminsingin and The Lochee Linties. In the middle of the first proper utterly chaotic run through, what they had done from scribbled music with Mr Shey’s words had my jaw on the deck.

 

We had the world’s best known writer of bad verse,

 

William McGonagall …  with two of his drunken hecklers….

and an enactment of the only known instance of the famous Scottish play where the lead character refused to die.  We had a wee onstage riot courtesy of Dundee woman Mary Brooksbank who wrote the Jute Mill Song, a visit from Mary Queen of Scot’s ghost, .  And did I mention Winston Churchill, famously served a maggot in his kipper here

and flung out the town which, despite being the drunkest city in the British empire elected a prohibitionist instead.  

We also had a scene featuring Joseph Lee, Dundee’s fighter writer and forgotten WW 1 poet.  Michael Marra’s daughter Alice, also a professional musician, sung her dad’s amazing Happed in Mist as a solo at this point. It was stunning. Here’s his version.

 

and then Mr and I recited one of the poems before the scene started. Alice was so stunning I could hardly speak. For once.

‘I dreamed that a man went home last night, from the trench where the tired men lie.

And walked through the streets of his own, old town. And I dreamed that man was I.’

Shey…I played tour guide Em Fae Dundee, opposite Mr who played Ken O ‘ Dundee, the sort of keeping everything together hardly off the bloody stage,  parts, William Wallace, A singing Suffragette, and on the Sat night cos we were two members of cast short, Mary Brooksbank, mill worker Jeanie

and an American tourist.  Oh and on opening night I do believe I also played an unscripted football fan…don’t ask……….A certain blond wig was on the wrong props’ island at that stage…

Shey. Pretty difficult because none of the stellar cast ever intended to be on this play and so far as I was concerned my directing days were done. Five weeks before the play was due on the theatre company who had been involved pulled out.  Meantime the fabulous choir run by Alice Marra, had learned all the songs, several of which were  written by her late father, Dundee musician Mike Marra. Tickets had been sold. It took two weeks to put together this  cast under the name of  a theatre co Mr and I once ran.

 Oh and of this cast, if we now add in the sound technician, there were four originals. Lol, here’s an oldie.  Anyway of our ‘new hastily constructed’  cast,  only five had ever done any serious theatre work. And two who had, could not do the Saturday night. I had to think about the overall look of the play–hence the tee shirts and the cast never leaving the playing space, I had to think about the difficulties of that nonetheless wonderful playing space the High Mill at Verdant works, a former mill now a museum,   about  working each scene in a way that would let  folks who had never been on a stage, shine–for example rather than cluttering the Highland clearance scene with a cast of thousands, why not just have the whole thing read, even the ‘Be off with you’ bit from the proclamation, as if it was part of it. I also  divvied up the parts in a way that might allow them to rehearse together where they were related to one another.  We had the mill during the day but that was no use to some of the cast.  There was no time for blocking rehearsals going on for weeks, or technical or props ones either.  This play went out there on opening night having been run start to finish twice.  There were bits that had been talked through, in terms of business and props at a meeting and then only had one rehearsal. I have to say the cast were wonderful. LOL and I am not saying that cos more than my Mr were family.

And it’s not easy being right up against an audience, although, the audiences were wonderful, it’s not easy never going off stage either, although okay…we did have a slogan, ‘Every night a different show.’ That was in terms of the ad libbing Mr and me did after he did little things, like start the wrong scene, not know what scene we were meant to start. 

Shey…No doubt, all down to the fact that on opening night,  I spoke the word you never EVER say onstage or off…….

When, in  a noble moment as Mr wandered up and down waiting to hear the immortal words  ‘Turn Hellhound, Turn.’ and would be waiting yet since he’d cut the speech that made scene of the entire scene, and my older girl who had taken the sword fight scene off me the night before, stood saying, ‘ What do I do Mum?’ and she is trained,  I stepped forward and spoke. I also had McGonagall escaping the killing fields not floors. Oh well.  You know, a fabulous time was had by all. Mr Shey loved us for putting on a different play from what he wrote. And yep, the cast were so good, I’m glad they  all said at the after show party, they are well up for another run.. ….  

It’s very nearly Rabbie’s Day

23 Thursday Jan 2014

Posted by shehannemoore in heroes, heroines, Lists of, writing

≈ 12 Comments

Tags

Burns night, Etopia Press, Flora Macdonald, His Judas Bride, Jenny Geddes, Kate Barlass, Mary Queen of Scots, Mary Slessor, Robert Burns. Scots

img101

And being a good Scot’s lass–ok mixed ancestry but hey– to celebrate I am going to be looking at certain things Scottish over the next few blogs. Sharon Struth,  can we just get the kilts out the way now, please thank you…

kilting

Kara and the Wolf –my hero and heroine of His Judas Bride — will give you their own Burns supper. Yes. Ewen and Dug may even attend doing the toast tae the dugs.  (Anne Lange WILL like that).  I want to look at who I believe are the best Scots literature giants and their creations…. Scottish films…  Then there’s Scots royalty…

SO do tune in.

To start with I am reblogging some Scottish women…ones who absolutely knew their place in life as Scottish women do,  but that will be it for the reblogs. Besides  I know there are those who are yet to read…….

Kate Barlass.

Looking incredibly noble here for someone about to have their arm snapped….let’s see how good she looks after eh?…. did Kate sit mutely doing her embroidery, saying I know my place,  when assassins arrived to kill James 1st of Scotland?  A quite common occurrence for a Scottish king, by the way. No. Kate’s place was at the chamber door, sticking her arm through the staples, while the King fled into a sewer tunnel. Now, if she had spent all these hours embroidering tapestries and bed sheets, would she have had the eyesight to see the bolt had been removed?  She didn’t save the king by the way, but it wasn’t for want of getting her arm broken for her trouble.

Jenny Geddes

Jenny certainly knew her place in that she went to church. Yes. But as for sitting quietly there, Jenny wasn’t for having Charles 1st’s new prayer book. ‘Daur ye say mass in my lug?’ Jenny enquired, turfing her prayer stool at the minister.  Before we go thinking Jenny did this entirely from a desire to keep her ears unblemished, she, and a number of other women had been paid to disrupt the service. Would any man have done that if he thought woman were meek and mild?  Jenny’s stunt sparked a riot, which led to a war, which led to the execution of a king, Charles 1st. Who says only the Scots did that? Mind you he was of Scots’ descent.

Flora Macdonald

Well, what list of Scottish women would be complete without Flora?  When the Bonnie Prince fled Culloden, more or less landing up on her doorstep with his tattered hopes and dreams,  a price on his head, did she say, I’m awfie sorry Charlie, but I wouldnae be kenning my place if I let you in the night?

Absolutely not. Flora did time for taking the Prince, disguised as a maidservant, by boat, over the sea to Skye.

Mary, Queen of Scots

Again, the list would be incomplete given the way Mary blazed through life. Imprisoned at the age of 25, by which time she’d lived a lifetime, widowed twice, a son she would never see again, a ruinous marraige to the kidnapping, allegedly rapacious, Bothwell, Mary had a lot of time to learn her place. But the feisty queen preferred to spend her time escaping, allegedly writing letters implicating her in her second husband’s murder and getting involved in various plots. All leading to her place eventually being on the executioner’s block – in a dark red petticoat no less.

 Mary Slessor

Mary would hardly be commemorated on Scottish banknotes today if she’d known her place. At that time in Dundee? You would have to be mad. Mary was soon saving hundreds of sets of twins in Calabar – a place said to be less rough than Dundee Hilltoon on a Saturday night – nursing, teaching, and generally gaining a respect unknown for a woman there. it wouldn’t have happened if she’d worked in a Dundee jute mill.

NEXT UP. On their first Burns Night together just how  will Kara and the Wolf, not to mention Dug,  fare……?

Tae like it or lump it

28 Wednesday Nov 2012

Posted by shehannemoore in heroines, Lists of, writing

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

Andrew, Etta-Place, Jenny Geddes, Mary Queen of Scots, Mary Slessor, Scotland, Scottish people, St. Andrew's Day

This time you can blame my pal Ross. He told me last week he’s longed for a mention.  I have a great story about Ross, but I’m keeping it just now. Anyway Ross will understand the significance of the title. It’s from a time we were being somewhat bolshie with regard to a certain situation, a certain person, a certain crest and the altering of a certain magazine cover. I say no more. Except we didn’t.

Tomorrow is St.Andrew’s Day.

scotland-st-andrews-day-party-set-flags-bunting-table-flags-1759-p

Ross is probably of greater Scottish extraction than I am. Having dipped into the past and found a fairly volatile mixture of rebels, robber barons, frequently had up in court for causing illegal distress to their neighbours, – murdering them in other words to get their mitts on their widows, ergo their lands –  and foreign mercenaries, not to mention Irish potato-blighted farmers, I think I can say that. But yes, a highlander line was there. So…

Oh…and also my older girl – she of Arboard fame, talking of saints – is such a blond, despite being a brunette. In keeping with the last post I wanted to show the pic of her a la Butch and Sundance on the bike. But it’s temporarily vamoosed…as had her brains the day she came home to tell me it was a scene from ET she was doing, perched on the handlebars in a fancy long frock. ET, with raindrops falling on his head? Well maybe, had Spielberg thought of it.

What I wanted to say – boy will you be glad to hear – is when it comes to heroines, Etta-Place is some woman. (Seen here with Sun by the way)

Maybe she never took a trip across the moon with ET, but just look at some of the other things she did behind her school-marm guise. She’s an outlaw’s lover, who puts her education to pretty good use by teaching Spanish when she’s on the run. Not so Butch and Sundance can pass as natives in Bolivia. So they can rob banks. Her too.

Yes, that tagging biz got me on my soap box re heroines – especially imperfect ones – but more importantly women who give the lie to any historical notion of what a woman’s place should be.  What was it the delightful John Knox said…about our place being to obey man and God? Aye… right. Given the average Scottish woman he was probably on a hiding to nothing, even then.  Just trying to look the big boots by saying it.

Anyway it being St.Andrew’s Day.,..nearly…. here’s my list of Scottish bolshie women from history.

Kate Barlass.

Looking incredibly noble here for someone about to have their arm snapped….let’s see how good she looks after eh?…. did Kate sit mutely doing her embroidery, saying I know my place,  when assassins arrived to kill James 1st of Scotland?  A quite common occurrence for a Scottish king, by the way. No. Kate’s place was at the chamber door, sticking her arm through the staples, while the King fled into a sewer tunnel. Now, if she had spent all these hours embroidering tapestries and bed sheets, would she have had the eyesight to see the bolt had been removed?  She didn’t save the king by the way, but it wasn’t for want of getting her arm broken for her trouble.

Jenny Geddes

Jenny certainly knew her place in that she went to church. Yes. But as for sitting quietly there, Jenny wasn’t for having Charles 1st’s new prayer book. ‘Daur ye say mass in my lug?’ Jenny enquired, turfing her prayer stool at the minister.  Before we go thinking Jenny did this entirely from a desire to keep her ears unblemished, she, and a number of other women had been paid to disrupt the service. Would any man have done that if he thought woman were meek and mild?  Jenny’s stunt sparked a riot, which led to a war, which led to the execution of a king. Who says only the Scots did that? Mind you he was of Scots’ descent.

Flora Macdonald

Well, what list of Scottish women would be complete without Flora?  When the Bonnie Prince fled Culloden, more or less landing up on her doorstep with his tattered hopes and dreams,  a price on his head, did she say, I’m awfie sorry Charlie, but I wouldnae be kenning my place if I let you in the night?

Absolutely not. Flora did time for taking the Prince, disguised as a maidservant, by boat, over the sea to Skye.

Mary, Queen of Scots

Again, the list would be incomplete given the way Mary blazed through life. Imprisoned at the age of 25, by which time she’d lived a lifetime, widowed twice, a son she would never see again, a ruinous marraige to the kidnapping, allegedly rapacious, Bothwell, Mary had a lot of time to learn her place. But the feisty queen preferred to spend her time escaping, allegedly writing letters implicating her in her second husband’s murder and getting involved in various plots. All leading to her place eventually being on the executioner’s block – in a dark red petticoat no less.

 Mary Slessor

Mary would hardly be commemorated on Scottish banknotes today if she’d known her place. At that time in Dundee? You would have to be mad. Mary was soon saving hundreds of sets of twins in Calabar – a place said to be less rough than Dundee Hilltoon on a Saturday night – nursing, teaching, and generally gaining a respect unknown for a woman there. it wouldn’t have happened if she’d worked in a Dundee jute mill.   

It all depends on the place. It all depends on the woman. Happy St. Andrew’s Day to you all. I have one more image to show. You will have guessed by now, I ain’t good at this promotional thingy, which is why I have kept it till last. It’s the cover for my forthcoming book. Here she is at last. I can’t tell you how gobsmacked I was to open the email and see it.

Like it or lump it?  Well, I don’t know about anybody else but I LOVE it. And I’m showing it big cos I  want to say a mega huge thank you, hugs, kisses the lot  to my talented cover artist for capturing this particular lady for me.

Some rules are made to be broken sure enough…..

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