Doric TikTok sensation Aye Tunes set tae tour

My Doric Diary by Katie Barnett. Image credit - Jonnie Scott

Doric TikTok sensation Aye Tunes will bring My Doric Diary to stages across the country thanks to National Lottery funding through Creative Scotland.

My Doric Diary is among five new and five revived productions receiving £1m from the Touring Fund for Theatre and Dance to tour venues throughout Scotland’s villages, towns and cities, from Autumn 2023 - Spring 2024.

Fraserburgh-born actor and singer Katie Barnett and her actor-musician husband, James Siggens first performed as Aye Tunes during lockdown where they recorded Doric covers of pop songs including ‘Shout Out To My Ex’ by Little Mix, which racked up over 80,000 views overnight.

My Doric Diary follows the story of Daisy - a teenager from Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire - who is finding her voice amongst the grief of her mother’s death. It’s December 31st in Fraserburgh, and Daisy has disappeared down memory lane again. Obsessed with what could have been, Daisy is suddenly given the opportunity of a lifetime – to go back.

The Doric jukebox musical was a hit on stage during its A Play, A Pie and A Pint run at Òran Mór (Glasgow), Traverse Theatre (Edinburgh) and The Lemon Tree (Aberdeen) in April 2022.  Following the run Katie was nominated for Scots Performer of the Year at the Scots Language Awards for her performance which received fantastic reviews.

On touring the work, Katie Barnett commented: “We are so excited to be bringing My Doric Diary out on tour next year. Taking it up to the Northeast will be such a wonderful opportunity to celebrate Scots language with those who speak it and performing it elsewhere in Scotland will hopefully be a fun and original way for folk to hear our amazing dialect. A Doric musical is something I'm so proud to have created.”

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Burnt Out by Penny Chivas. Image: Brian Hartley.

Popular music is at the heart of several of the productions being funded. Battery Park by Sleeping Warrior Theatre Company tells the story of a 90s Britpop band from Greenock that never made it. It’s a bittersweet love letter to more positive times that will make audiences laugh, cry and reminisce whilst also providing biting satire about where the UK finds itself now.

Thanks to National Lottery players, many of these productions will offer wrap around engagement to invite local communities and audiences to further consider the important issues raised in these productions such as the climate emergency. Shō and the Demons of the Deep by Zoë Bullock and Independent Arts Projects is a visual-adventure story for children about overcoming fear, climate crisis, and how the actions of one generation can affect the next. Burnt Out is a solo dance theatre work by Penny Chivas, centred around our changing climate. Weaving spoken word and movement we are taken on a journey through past Australian bushfires including Penny's own experiences, through their ignition and devastation, and left with space to ponder how we got here.

After a critically acclaimed and exciting world premiere at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe at Summerhall as part of Made in Scotland, Pain and I by Sarah Hopfinger is a bold exploration into chronic pain experience that returns in its live and digital forms – dance performance, audio piece, and graphic score. Woman Walking by Sylvia Dow is performed, written and directed by three women all in their 70s. Funded productions also include the next intimate chapter in Rona Munro’s critically acclaimed cycle of plays with James V – Katherine by Raw Material Art, among others.

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Paper Moon by Shaper Caper. Image: Laura Mumby.

Laura Mackenzie-Stuart, Head of Theatre, Creative Scotland said “Ranging across physical performance, musical theatre, dance and theatre this vibrant selection of contemporary productions will not only entertain but educate and inspire children, families and audiences across the country.

“The current selection includes new work inspired by local Scottish landscapes, people and events alongside remounts of dance and theatre which have previously wowed audiences at home and internationally.

“There was exceptional demand for this fund with an ask of £6.6m against an available budget of £1m. We would have liked to have supported many more productions which demonstrates the breadth of talent across the country.”

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Download the Production Descriptions

Background

Katie Barnett and James Siggens both trained in musical theatre at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Katie’s previous work with National Theatre of Scotland includes the Olivier Award Winning Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour (The Duke of York’s Theatre, London).

The Touring Fund for Theatre and Dance was developed as a collaboration between Creative Scotland, the Federation of Scottish Theatre and their members. The Fund supports the touring of theatre and dance, enhancing opportunities for artists, producers and companies to work more collaboratively with venues to grow audiences and provide greater access to high quality work across Scotland.

£1,023,031 National Lottery funding for ten companies is the seventh round of awards made through the Touring Fund for Theatre and Dance. Applications opened for applications on Tuesday 30 August 2022 and closed on Monday 31 October 2022.

Decisions were made by a panel consisting of members with a wide range of expertise across the dance and theatre touring sector. They were Laura Mackenzie Stuart, non-voting Chair (Head of Theatre, Creative Scotland); Lulu Johnston (Dance Officer, Creative Scotland); Karen Dick (Head of Place, Partnerships and Communities, Creative Scotland); Stuart Cameron (Equalities and Diversity Officer, Creative Scotland); Lorna Duguid (Multi Art Form Manager, Creative Scotland); and external panellists Claire Dow; Simon Hart; Anna Meldrum; Graham McLaren and Peter Vallance.

The Deadlines for the next round of the Touring Fund for Theatre and Dance will be announced in Spring 2023.

The National Lottery has raised more than £42 billion for over 625,000 good causes across the UK since 1994. Thanks to National Lottery players, more than £1.2 billion has been awarded in the last year to support communities and thousands of organisations across the UK to cope with the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic. https://www.national-lottery.co.uk/

Creative Scotland is the public body that supports the arts, screen and creative industries across all parts of Scotland distributing funding provided by the Scottish Government and The National Lottery. Further information at creativescotland.com. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Learn more about the value of art and creativity in Scotland and join in at www.ourcreativevoice.scot

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