Salen pupils take centre stage

Salen Primary School on the Isle of Mull has won The Scottish Salmon Company’s winter show competition, held in partnership with the National Theatre of Scotland.

The school was awarded cash to help it plan and produce its end of term show, The Little Shepherd. The prize included a bespoke oneday workshop with the National Theatre of Scotland plus £500 towards set design, sound and lighting, props and costumes.

The Little Shepherd was performed in a mixture of English and Gaelic and took place on Tuesday December 18.

A selection of schools across the west coast of Scotland and the Hebrides were invited to apply to win funding following a tour of theatre performances presented as part of Theatre in Schools Scotland.

Two theatre practitioners from the National Theatre of Scotland visited Salen Primary School on Tuesday December 4 to help and advise children on developing a script, set design, staging and other technical assistance.

This is the third consecutive year SSC has supported the initiative.

Mairi Maclean, headteacher at Salen Primary School, said: ‘We are so excited to have won this year’s winter show competition. It is wonderful to have the support of The Scottish Salmon Company and we can’t thank it enough for helping us make this year’s Christmas show a truly special one.

‘Our Christmas show is a community highlight, this year’s production really engaged our pupils, developing what we hope will become a lifelong passion for the arts.’