Introducing Splinters Productions.....
His radio career include “The Silver Darlings”, “Kidnapped”, “Dracula”, “The Thirty- Nine Steps”, “Hatters Castle” “The Master of Ballantrae” and “Uncle Vanya” as well as countless serialised readings of classics such as “Travels with a Donkey”, “red Gauntlet” and Galts “The Member”. .
Television appearances range from “Annals of the Parish”, “What Every Woman Knows” and “Weir of Hermiston” to “Taggart” and “Still Game” .
His own adaptation of Chekov’s “ The Harmfulness of Tobacco” Was Johns first venture into the art of the one man show. He has now created a gallery of charactersin ten solo performances. He won Fringe Firsts for solo plays “Every Inch a King” as actor David Garrick and “Port and Lemon” as Sherlock Holmes’ unique landlady, Mrs Hudson. .
He was nominated best actor by The Stage in 1995 for “The Bloody Heart” about King James II. .
John has played Robert Louis Stevenson across the world from Edinburgh, the Cevennes, San Fransisco and Samoa in 1994 to commemorate the centenary of RLS and subsequently in “The Laird of Samoa” the fifth one man piece created for him by John Cargill Thompson. Other memorable portrayals include John Buchan, Lord Cockburn, McGonagall in the “The Great McGonagall Entertains” and a gravura turn as Lady Bracknell in Paul Doust’s ‘Lady Bracknell’s Confinement”. Merlin Holland, Oscar Wilde’s grandson, described John’s performance as “one of the best Lady Bracknells, with a difference!”. .
John was especially proud to be involved in “Home” the award winning production which successfully launched the National Theatre of Scotland in March 2006, in Lerwick, Shetland – his birthplace. .
He has recently recorded for BBC Radio the serial “Catch My Breath”, a thriller “The Sensitive” and can be heard reading letters and poems by George Mackay Brown in Radio 4’s feature “The Muse of Rose Street” broadcast in March 2008. John's most recent radio performance was "Early Belt and the Present" for Radio 4 Afternoon Theatre. He can be heard on the BBC Burns website as part of the corporation's huge tribute to presenting on-line the entire canon of the Bard's work.
Most recently on Armed Forces day, the 25th June 2011, he took part in a 19th century re-enactment at the Nelson Monument on Calton Hill. In July he appeared as an engine-driver (of a 150 year old steam locomotive) at the National Museum of Scotland.
His theatre career includes Waffles in “Uncle Vanya”, Dennis in “Just Between Ourselves” at the Byre Theatre, St Andrews. For the Arches Theatre, Glasgow he appeared as Judge Danforth in “The Crucible”, “D’Armagnac” in “The Devils” and King Hrothgar in “Beowulf”. His work with Prime Productions includes Shylock in “The Merchant of Venice”, and the popular success “Whisky Galore”. It was with Prime Productions that he first teamed up with John Shedden in their two handed tribute to Chekhov, “Splinters” based on the playwrights short stories and farces.
Television credits include "Taggart", “Rebus”, “Monarch of the Glen”, “Rab C Nesbitt”, “Overnite Express” and "River City".
His Film appearances include “3D Halloween”, “Senseless” and for BBC Films “Regeneration” in which he played Major Huntly”.
Since Splinters Productions was formed, he has been involved in all their presentations: “Postmans Knock”; the double bill of “Lady Bracknell’s Confinement” and “Wendlebury Day”. “Opium Eater”; “Faith Healer”; “For the Islands I Sing”; “Scot of the Anarchic”; "Home to Neverland" and now "The Matchmaker".
Last year she also performed a revival of 'Consider the Lilies' at the Citizens theatre, her one woman play which won a fringe First several years ago and successfully toured Ireland and Canada. 'Consider the Lilies' is a very popular production, and still available for performances. 'A Spellbinding Performance' .The Herald, 'Few Scottish Actresses Speak Their Own Tongue So Sweetly Or Sincerely' .The Observer
Since joining 'Splinters', Anna has performed with John and Finlay in 'For the Islands I sing' ,'Scot of the Anarchic' and 'Home to Neverland', which she also co-wrote and directed. She has also performed the part of Grace in Brian Friel's 'Faith Healer' with Splinters Productions.
Television appearances include 'Monarch of the Glen', 'Rebus', Taggart, 'Me Too', 'Jess the Border Collie' and 'Still Game'. Films include'Dear Frankie', 'Pork Chop', Guys and Dolls', 'Island to Isla' and 'The End of Evil', a drama documentary on Peter Manuel for SMG playing Mrs Manuel.
Last year Anna wrote and performed 'Mary Queen of Scots:The last Letter' at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. 'Historically accurate yet never dull this was an outstanding performance'
She has recently filmed in 'Young Herriot' , broadcast on BBC1 in Autumn 2011.
More information at www.annahepburn.com
Contact Anna's Agent at:
As well as her own work, Kara's experience within the film and Television industry includes roles as Casting Assistant on Peter Mullan's critically acclaimed feature The Magdalene Sisters, as well as Assistant Producer of STVs Politics Now.
As well as filmmaking, Kara has been acting from an early age and since 1993, has regularly performed on stage at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Plays include; Jane Austen's Emma, Dancing at Lughnasa and Brighton Beach Memoirs. Kara has also toured various Scottish Theatres with productions including Medea, Antigone and The Roup.
Having been involved in theatre in education drama workshops as a performer, Kara decided to put her filmmaking skills to use, devising and delivering practical filmmaking workshops within education. She has facilitated a number of primary school and youth film projects, empowering children and young people to learn filmmaking skills and produce their own work.
Kara has recently returned from an eight month round the world trip, travelling extensively within China, South East Asia and South America. She is now looking forward to her next adventures, embarking on a number of new projects.
He began directing for his local amateur dramatic club in 1980, and has been their principal director since then. A number of his productions have reached the finals of the Scottish Community Drama Association's One Act Play Festival. He has also been involved with the production of musicals both with his local group and with the school, directing shows such as Oklahoma, Oliverl(twice), Annie, Fiddler on the Roof, The Wiz, My Fair Lady, Bugsy Malone, Me and My Girl, and The Sound of Music. He was also Technical Director for River of Dreams, Perth & Kinross County Council's contribution to the Millennium dome.
He directed and was technical director for his wife's, Anna Hepburn, Scotsman Fringe First winning play Consider the Lilies, which has also toured Scotland, Ireland and Canada, and has had a recent revival at the Citizen's Theatre in Glasgow. Since 2003 he has worked as technical director for Splinter Productions, for their shows Faith Healer, For the Islands I Sing and Scot of the Anarchic.
He has also been known to inform visitors of the delights of touring in Highland Perthshire, as a customer services assistant in Aberfeldy Tourist Office.
Donald Smith Donald Smith is a storyteller, author and educationalist. As Director of The Netherbow Arts Centre from 1982, and founding Director of the Scottish Storytelling Centre since 2003, Donald has been in the thick of cultural and social developments in Scotland, and beyond, over three decades. He believes in the power of culture to enhance confidence and well-being, and in the vital importance of individuals and communities being the inheritors and makers of their own stories.
Born in Glasgow of Irish parents, Donald has worked in theatre and literature in Scotland since the seventies. Director of the Netherbow Arts Centre from 1983, Donald became founding Director of the Scottish Storytelling Centre in 2003. He was also a founding Director of the National Theatre of Scotland, first Chair of the Literature Forum for Scotland, and a founder of FEST, the Federation for European Storytelling. In addition to his creative work Donald has written, lectured and published widely on Scotland’s cultural and religious life, past and present. He has been Artistic Director of the Scottish International Storytelling Festival since its inception in 1990.
A pioneer in arts provision for children and young people, Donald has sought to integrate creativity in the curriculum, and in community life, from the early years to lifelong learning. With five grown up children and married to a Nursery Headteacher, this could be described as a personal survival strategy as well as a social vision.
"My first play The Bothy was produced in 1986 for the Commonwealth Arts Festival, and my first novel The English Spy was published in 2007. I have produced, adapted or directed over sixty plays and published a series of books. I had three plays touring in Scotland in 2010, including my biographical piece on J. M. Barrie, 'Home to Neverland'. Devised with Splinters Theatre Company, and my mixed media drama 'Burns:Rough Cut', while my adaptation of 'The Matchmaker' by John B Keane has just launched for 2011-12. My passion is stories and their telling − the choice of medium comes afterwards, depending on the nature of the narrative, the intended audience, the age group and so on. Live storytelling is the foundation and it is a skill and creative experience that belongs to everyone. In all those regards my personal hero is Robert Louis Stevenson, and I have adapted two of his books for small scale theatre − 'Kidnapped: When Kilts Were Banned' and 'Jekyll and Hyde: A Specimen', both of which fronted 'One City, One Book' reading campaigns in Edinburgh. My second novel Between Ourselves came out in 2009 along with my book on Burns-'God, the Poet and the Devil:Robert Burns and Religion.' I am currently working on a novel about Mary Queen of Scots and the Scottish Reformation, titled 'Now and at Our Final Breath'."
Donald Smith holds a first class honours degree in English and Classical Greek with specialisms in Shakespeare, Ancient Philosophy and Biographical Studies. He also holds qualifications in Theology, and was awarded a Ph.D in the School of Celtic and Scottish Studies of Edinburgh University in 1982. He is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and a Visiting Professor at Edinburgh Napier University.