Traditional Tales of Scotland
★★★★☆ Magical
Scottish Storytelling Centre (Venue 30): Fri 4 – Sun 27 Aug 2023
Review by Suzanne O’Brien
With a basic set consisting of a table and chair and no special effects or lights, Traditional Tales of Scotland at the Scottish Storytelling Centre, is a simple and relaxed hour of storytelling.
Featuring a different storyteller each day, the sessions focus on tales about Scotland’s magical creatures, myths and legends – from which there is an abundance to choose. Sarah Wedderburn-Ogilvy was in the storytelling chair on the day Æ visited.
Traditional Tales of Scotland. Image: Analisa Salis
Over the hour, Wedderburn-Ogilvy tells five fascinating tales of giants, gods and monsters. She describes how the hills were carved out by giants, explains the origin of stone circles and details the history of the notorious midge. Through these tales she inspires the listener to see their surroundings in a different light, live life a little more imaginatively and encourages them to see the magic in Scottish nature.
Wedderburn-Ogilvy has a strong ability to convey emotion through her storytelling as well as create some gorgeous visual imagery. In the moments between stories, she engages with the audience and makes the experience feel personal.
journey
Her tales come from all over Scotland, from Orkney to Shetland, to the Highlands and even beyond, to Norway. With each, she acknowledges either the source of the story or where she first heard them, which nicely highlights a small part of the journey these stories have been on.
It’s pot luck to who will be in the storytelling chair and what tales they will tell at each session. But what is certain is that Scotland’s rich mythical history will be brought to life with each storyteller’s unique spin.
Running time: One hour (no interval)
Scottish Storytelling Centre (George Mackay Brown Library), 43-45 High Street, EH1 1SR (Venue 30)
Friday 4 – Sunday 27 August 2023
Daily: 2pm.
Tickets and details: Book here.
Scottish Storytelling Centre website: www.scottishstorytellingcentre.com
ENDS
