Two of Scotland's smallest theatre companies, the Rowan Tree company from the Borders and Dogstar from Inverness, are celebrating their nominations in this year's Critics Awards for Theatre in Scotland (CATS). alongside such established names as the Citizens, the Traverse and the National Theatre of Scotland.
Rowan Tree has been nominated for Best Use of Music and Best Peformance (female) for its Robert Burns inspired show The Lasses, O and Dogstar is nominated for Best Performance (male) for Matthew Zajac, who both wrote and performed The Tailor of Inverness, a personal and moving story of his own father's flight from Poland during the second world war and the even more extraordinary details that Matthew discovered after he died.
"I've been acting for 27 years" said Matthew, who is one of the two founders of Dogstar, when the nominations were announced. "I guess I have been gradually getting better. I hope this nomination will encourage the Scottish Arts Council to improve our funding. We are still on project funding and it is difficult to keep the company alive."
Judy Steel, who founded Rowan Tree, which is stil lthe only professional company in the Borders, was also cock-a-hoop at the recognition.
"I can't say what it means to Rowan Tree that our performers in The Lasses, O - Gerda Stevenson and the three brilliant musicians, Seylan Baxter, Lillias Kinsman Blake,and Rachel Newton - have all been nominated in their respective sections of the CATS awards.
"Rowan Tree is a small company that has never had SAC funding and which struggles to raise funds from project to project. It is great that CATS has placed us alongside some of the giants of the Scottish Theatre scene and it is as a tribute to all who have helped to build the company over the years, to the point at which it is able to attract practitioners of such high calibre."
The 2009 CATS awards will be presented in a glittering ceremony at the Festival Theatre in Edinburgh on the evening of Sunday 14 June. Tickets priced £15 (including entertainment, wine and light refreshments), are available In person at 13/29 Nicolson Street, Edinburgh EH8 9FT; by telephone on 0131 529 6000; and online via www.eft.co.uk/book_tickets
