MORAG, YOU'RE A LONG TIME DEID Comes to ZOO Southside

Inspired by the grandmother she never met, Scottish-Canadian multidisciplinary queer artist Claire Love Wilson and Austrian performance-maker Peter Lorenz will bring their show Morag, You're a Long Time Deid to ZOO Southside for this year's Edinburgh Festival Fringe. 

 

This transitional collaboration emerged from an artistic conversation about cultural heritage and queer storytelling and has continued over the last 8 years. A semi-autobiographical work, a diverse array of artists from Scotland and Canada have developed it to present on world stages.  The company is currently in residence with An Tobar and Mull Theatre to create a touring version of the show that will tour throughout Scotland/Ireland/England in September 2024. 

 

This dynamic, experimental musical is a love letter to ancestors who ‘didn't fit' that playfully warps, disrupts and reconfigures traditional Scottish ballad singing. Told from the perspective of the Scottish diaspora, the show skilfully juxtaposes levity and tragedy, celebrating queerness, while grappling with the question “What do we do with broken pianos, people and traditions?”

Morag's death left a silence in her place. When her Canadian granddaughter Sam inherits Morag's piano, Sam also inherits the mystery of her Scottish granny's story. An intimate letter composed of fragmented Scottish ballads leads Sam to uncover Morag's possible queerness. In piecing together Morag's history through their shared musical heritage, Sam discovers her own voice. 

 

A powerhouse duo of musical performers Claire Love Wilson and Sally Zori bring the story to life. Love Wilson deftly transforms into multiple characters, musically guiding the audience through a multi-generational odyssey of queer ancestral searching and dreaming. Multidisciplinary artist Zori adds their unique musical perspective as both a performer and musical director.  

 

Bridging the gap between generations, Morag, You're a Long Time Deid invites audience members to close their eyes and listen to traditional songs, tap their toes to Celtic grooves, and get up and dance to club beats. Lovingly crafted with inventive low-tech magic, original compositions are interwoven with electronic loops to tell old stories anew. 

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