Arts / Drama festival to return to Garrison after three year wait
THE SHETLAND County Drama Festival is set to return to its “spiritual home” in March – the Garrison Theatre.
Last year communities were offered performances in their local halls, courtesy of the ‘Drama Festival Fringe’, and prior to that it was cancelled due to the Covid restrictions in place at the time.
But this year the festival is being restored to what its organisers say is its full glory.
The 71st drama festival will be the first to be held in the Garrison in Lerwick since 2020.
It will also see the return of the festival’s competitive element. There will be entries from school, youth and adult drama groups, with some opting to enter plays in the Shetland dialect section.
Others submit plays for the joy of performing alone and are entered in the “non-competitive” section.
There promises as usual to be a broad selection of theatre on offer to entertain and amuse audiences.
For each night of the festival, customers will be able to enjoy three or four plays.
This year also marks the return of judging to the festival, with Kevin Bolan in the role of adjudicator for the first time.
Bolan studied at the Royal Scottish Academy for three years and graduated from the University of Glasgow with a BA in dramatic studies.
He has been a member of the Scottish Association of Speech and Drama Adjudicators for 25 years and has officiated at Scottish Community Drama Association (SCDA) festivals across many different regions of Scotland.
The Garrison Theatre will open for performance between 6-9 March, and tickets will be on sale from the Shetland Arts box office.
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