Commemoration of Great War as theatre hosts touring work

Some of the country’s best known folk singers will take part in a production commemorating the end of the Great War in Dundee.

Fife’s Barbara Dickson and Outlander star Siobhan Miller will grace the stage of the Whitehall Theatre on October 7 in the critically acclaimed Far, Far From Ypres.

Dickson will sing in memory of her uncle David Dickson, who died at the Battle of the Somme after enlisting, underage, at 16.

The show will incorporate real stories of local men and women and their experiences of the conflict.

The touring production will come to a close on Armistice Day, November 11, with a performance at the Usher Hall in Edinburgh.

The show has been written by The McCalmans’ band leader Ian McCalman, filled with odes inspired by songs which filled the trenches by soldiers of all ranks trying to take their minds off the horrors of the front line.

Ian said: “During the war, soldiers sang together to bond and alleviate fear, sharing songs from contemporary music halls as well as creating their own. Looking back on the music of the war today, we can see how attitudes towards the conflict changed over its course.”

Culture secretary Fiona Hyslop said: “The First World War had a devastating impact on our nation, with no town or village unaffected.

“The Far, Far From Ypres tour, part of the broader programme of activity to commemorate Scotland’s Armistice centenary, will ensure that we continue to learn more about and reflect on what we have learned from the First World War.”

Barbara Dickson will appear in Dundee on October 7.