Elspeth Turner: Teud A' Briseadh / A Breaking String

To celebrate 50 years of the Scottish Society of Playwrights, in 2024 ten Fellowships Awards, were granted to innovative, inspiring, boundary-stretching projects that honoured, celebrated and promoted playwriting in Scotland. Supported by The National Lottery through Creative Scotland.

Mu Elspeth

Tha Elspeth Nic an Tuairneir na cleasaiche is na sgrìobhadair, stèidhichte ann an Dùn Èideann. Tha i bho thùs a is ann à Dùn Phàrlain, agus dh’ionnsaich i cleasachd aig Acadamaidh Ameireaganach nan Ealainean Dràma agus Gàidhlig aig Sabhal Mòr Ostaig. Chaidh na dealbhan-cluiche aice, The Idiot at the Wall (stiùiriche Emily Reutlinger) agus SpectreTown (stiùiriche Matthew Lenton), a mholadh nuair a chaidh an taisbeanadh aig Iomall Fèis Dhùn Èideann mus deach iad air tursan nàiseanta. Fhuair i duaisean airson sgrìobhadh dràma bho Urras Tom McGrath agus Fonndas Peggy Ramsay.

San Dùbhlachd 2015, fhuair Elspeth coimisean bho Ghlaschu Beò airson pròiseact a leasachadh air a’ cheangal a dh’fhaodadh a bhith ann eadar seinn nan salm san nòs Ghàidhlig agus ceòl Soisgeulach Ameireaganach is Blues. Rinn i obair deich làithean aig Tramway le sgioba cruthachail à Alba, agus dithis chleasaichean às Ameireagaidh tro Skype, a chum taisbeanadh mu bheachdan airson Buaireas anns an Uisge / Trouble the Water. Às dèidh sin rinn i rannsachadh a bharrachd air a’ phròiseact tron sgeama Starter for Ten aig Theatar Nàiseanta na h-Alba.

Gheibhear barrachd fiosrachaidh, ìomhaighean agus bhidio aig www.elspethturner.com.

About Elspeth

Elspeth Turner is an Edinburgh-based actor and writer. Originally from Dunfermline in Fife, she studied acting at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and Gaelic at Sabhal Mòr Ostaig. Her plays include The Idiot at the Wall directed by Emily Reutlinger and SpectreTown directed by Matthew Lenton, both of which played to critical acclaim at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe before touring nationally. She is the recipient of Playwriting awards from the Tom McGrath Trust and the Peggy Ramsay Foundation.

In December 2015 Glasgow Life commissioned Elspeth to develop a project based around Gaelic psalm singing and its possible connection to American Gospel and Blues. She worked for ten days at Tramway with a creative team in Scotland, and two actors in America via Skype, ending with a sharing of ideas for Buaireas anns an Uisge / Trouble the Water. She then went on to explore different elements of the project through the National Theatre of Scotland Starter for Ten Programme.

Further information, images and video can be found at www.elspethturner.com.

Am Pròiseact

Tha Elspeth Nic an Tuairneir glan air a dòigh an Duais SSP@50 a chleachdadh son tionndadh ùr-nòsach, Gàidhlig a chuir air The Cherry Orchard le Anton Chekhov. Ag obair le neach-ealain aig a bheil Ruiseanais gus eadar-theangachadh Gàidhlig a dhèanamh, bidh i an uairsin a’ fuireach ann am Beàrnaraigh, Uist a Tuath, ag obair comhla ri Taigh Chearsabhagh agus cleasaichean sa sgìre gus an sgrìobhadh ùr a shealltainn dhan choimhearsneachd.

The Project

Elspeth Turner is delighted to use the SSP@50 Fellowship to work on a contemporary Gaelic language adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard. Working with a Russian-speaking artist on a Gaelic translation, she will then be based in Berneray, North Uist, working with Taigh Chearsabhagh and local actors towards two script-in-hand readings.

Elspeth’s project was developed in partnership with Taigh Chearsabhagh, North Uist.