Halloween 2015
Yes, that time's finally arrived! After months of planning and meetings and more than 6 weeks working full time to creat the amazing costumes and wearable art pieces you're seeing tonight, as well as many workshops and rehearsals with groups of performers from PACE Youth Theatre, Right2Dance, Historical Adventures & St Catherine's Primary, there's just one day to go before this groundbreaking project takes place!
110 participants
70 Lanterns
60 young performers
34 hand-made costumes & wearable art pieces
3 Youth Arts Groups & 3 Languages – Gaelic, Scots & English
Major Bilingual Gaelic Street Theatre & Spectacle Parade – As Part of Paisley Halloween Festival
6pm, Friday the 30th of October, leaving from Thomas Coats Memorial Church, High Street, Paisley, PA2 9NH
Continuing the legacy of 2013's Royal National Mòd in Paisley & building on the success of last year's inaugural Paisley Halloween Parade, where Independent State of Happiness worked with 7 young stilt performers and over 280 children & parents from the Paisley area creating bilingual Gaelic street theatre and spectacle for the parade, Artistic Director of Stàit Neo-Eisimeileach Sonais/Independent State of Happiness, Ariel Killick, is delighted to be present this groundbreaking and ambitious project. Working in partnership with Renfrewshire Council Town Centre & Events Team, PACE Youth Theatre, Right2Dance, Historical Adventures & St Catherine's Primary, creating 12 individual parade sections, this event will be one of the largest bilingual Gaelic drama performances ever to take place.
Going forward, Stàit Neo-Eisimeileach Sonais / Independent State of Happiness will be working to collaborate with communities across Scotland, developing similar bilingual Gaelic street theatre and spectacle parade content to:
• raise the profile of Gaelic & local events in a highly public, accessible & participative manner
• broadening and strengthening contemporary Gaelic arts engagement opportunities and language use contexts
• afford opportunities for creative & linguistic engagement across age groups
• build social cohesion & pride
• deepen & broaden understanding and appreciation of Scotland's diversely rich cultural heritage and identity.
as we seek to incrementally build on resources via locally available funding, to return bigger events and greater engagement opportunities to each community year on year.
This is a landmark event that marks a significant breakthrough for Gaelic Arts, with significant potential to effect positive transformation and progress in the visibility and profile of Gaelic across Scotland over coming years.
If you'd like to chat to Ariel about bringing this transformative work to your community, you're welcome to get in touch via the Contact Page.