Tam o'Shanter
Our lively adaptation of the legendary Scots poem by Robert Burns begins in the local tavern. After a raucous ale-fuelled night, Tam stumbles across a terrifying scene of witches and ghostly creatures dancing bewitchingly in Auld Alloway Kirk. Tam yells out, and a frantic chase begins… This story ranges from comedic moments to eerie intensity. It is accompanied by atmospheric music, including Saint-Saëns and Mendelssohn.
Our retelling of Tam o’Shanter draws strongly on the poem's traditional Scots routes, through music, style of dance and costume. But through our retelling, we also challenge stereotypes through our exploration of gender norms and female empowerment.
We performed Tam o'Shanter at Forest Theatre, Greenside @ George Street, from 19th - 24th August 2024.
Scroll down to read reviews from press and our audiences.
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A tale in four parts...
Our adaptation of Tam o'Shanter
01
The Tavern
Tam O’Shanter is enjoying a night in the tavern with his wife Kate and his best friend Johnnie. The tavern is heaving and they meet lots of folk. As folk drink into the night, things get out of hand. After one last dance the barkeeper, Morag, kicks everyone out and closes the tavern.
02
Closing time
Everyone goes home, but Tam, Johnnie, and Effie continue drinking on the street outside. Tam drinks into a stupor while Johnnie and Effie flirt with eachother. Eventually, Tam falls asleep...
03
Auld Alloway Kirk
It's well past midnight when Tam wakes up and gets on his grey mare, Meg, to head home. In the distance he hears the sounds of church bells ringing. As he gets closer he sees the Alloway Auld Kirk in the distance, he rides up to look inside. Peaking through the window, he sees a terrifying, debaucherous scene: the devil surrounded by witches, warlocks, and ghosts dancing. As the dancing gets more raucous, he catcalls one witch in a particularly short skirt - ‘Weel done, cutty sark!’.
04
The Chase
Suddenly all goes black, and when light returns every witch, warlock and ghost in the kirk is pressed up against the window looking menacingly at Tam. They chase him and Meg away from the kirk, led by the terrifying witch Isobel. As they reach the Brig o’Doon, the witches' chase is stopped by the running water, but at the last second Nannie ('cutty sark') grabs Meg’s tail which comes off.
Tam gets back to the tavern and collapses on the ground where he woke up earlier. As dawn breaks, Kate comes along to find her husband where she left him....
Casting and Credits
Tam o'Shanter was directed by Katy McMillan and Rachel Clowes.
It was choreographed by Katy McMillan, Rachel Clowes and Vanessa Smer-Barreto.
Photographs all by Roddy Simpson.
Praise for Tam o'Shanter
"What comes across...is the sensitivity in which this show has been created. The original choreography by Rachel Clowes, Katy McMillan and Vanessa Smer-Barreto... is perfectly pitched to the technical facility of each dancer. The two or three who could easily take their place in a professional company are given more complex material, those less able are never over-stretched but neither are they left standing at the side. Which means everyone has a chance to shine" - The Scotsman
"[A]n absolute delight of a show!" - audience member via Fringe.com
"...Edinburgh Ballet Theatre need to be congratulated on a very professional performance. The story was engaging, the dance wove its magic and conveyed emotion, the lifts were confident..." - Audience member via Fringe.com
"Tam o'Shanter is a brilliant production, which I would thoroughly recommend. That the very talented cast was able to tell the story using dance and facial expression, with music, and hold the audience from start to finish, to me is a gift. I enjoyed this ballet so much the first time that I went to see it again. Well done Edinburgh Ballet Theatre, that was a treat." - Audience member via Fringe.com