Scots Language Theatre Company to Bring Family Drama To Clydesdale's Village Halls This September

March, 1924. Nancy Gibbs is running barefoot to Abington railway station with her family's rent money in her pocket. Her life is as cold as the Clyde in winter but she knows she's going to be a star.

So Long, Wee Moon is the second play from Braw Clan, the Scots language theatre company. Following the sell-out success of Secret Wrapped In Lead which launched the company last summer, So Long, Wee Moon is a captivating drama set at a turning point in Scotland's history, when cinema began to change the way people speak. Whipsawing between the dazzle of Broadway and a rundown Clydesdale cottage, this new play explores how a family of women hurt and help each other as they struggle to survive. So Long, Wee Moon will be performed in Scots and American English and is accompanied by a suite of digital resources examining challenges to rural women's mental health. The play will tour to Crawfordjohn, Biggar, Leadhills, Wiston, Crawford, Roberton and Symington from Wednesday 18 – Saturday 28 September.

Written and produced by award-winning playwright Martin Travers (Secret Wrapped In Lead, Whatever Happened To The Jaggy Nettles) and directed Ros Sydney (Small Wonders,), So Long, Wee Moon stars Helen McAlpine (Rillington Place) as Annie Gibbs, Chiara Sparkes (Tally's Blood) as Nancy Gibbs and Morven Blackadder as her sister, Wee Moon (Secret Wrapped In Lead.)

Writer Martin Travers said: “I knew I wanted to write a play about a girl set in 1920s. A girl with a head full of dreams. A girl who is desperate to become an actress during the silent movie era. I was interested in how, as a Scots speaker, she'd be affected by the talkies coming in. Recently I've been reading the plays of coal miner playwright Joe Corrie. He's probably most known for his play “In Time O Strife,” set during the general strike in 1926. I love how he wrote about working class characters, for working class audiences. His work hasn't dated and is really funny and harrowing. His plays were performed by the Bowhill Players who made "propertyless theatre for the propertyless class” in Fife. They took their productions out into their communities – that's what Braw Clan does too. It just felt right to have a connection with the Bowhill Players in “So Long, Wee Moon.”

Director Ros Sydney said: “This play shows hardship and darkness but also great warmth,  humour and heart. It's sprinkled with the mischievous songs of Harry Lauder and the glitzy magic of Broadway musicals in the 1920s, and yet we're watching three fascinating women doing what they can to survive. This story is going to burn so brightly. I'm excited to bring “So Long, Wee Moon” to village halls in Clydesdale.”

So Long, Wee Moon premieres at 7.30pm in Crawfordjohn Village Hall on Wednesday 18th September. Press night is Friday 20 September. Travel assistance is available. 

Touring Dates

Wednesday 18 September, 7.30pm, Crawfordjohn Village Hall, Manse Road, ML12 6SR
Friday 20 September 7.30pm, Arts At Loaningdale, Carwood Road, Biggar, ML12 6LX
Saturday 21 September, 2.30pm + 7.30pm, Arts At Loaningdale, Carwood Road, Biggar, ML12 6LX
Tuesday 24 September, 7.30pm, Leadhills Village Hall, Ramsay Road, ML12 6YA
Wednesday 25 September, 7.30pm, Wiston Village Hall, Millrigg Road, Wiston, ML12 6HT
Thursday 26 September, 7.30pm, Crawford Village Hall, 100 Carlisle Road, ML12 6TW
Friday 27 September, 7.30pm, Roberton Village Hall, Mill Road, ML12 6RS
Saturday 28 September, 7.30pm, Symington Village Hall, 55 Main Street, ML12 6LL

Tickets are priced on a Pay What You Decide basis, which means there's no upfront cost.

Audience members decide what they want to pay after the performance.

Tickets: https://brawclan.com/so-long-wee-moon/

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