SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE: 29 AUGUST 2007 ST KILDA OPERA (PROISEACT NAN EALAN) Report by Director for Sustainable Communities PURPOSE OF REPORT To provide an interim report on the St Kilda Opera, delivered by Proiseact nan Ealan and part funded by the Comhairle. COMPETENCE 1.1 There are no legal, financial or other constraints to the recommendations being implemented. SUMMARY 2.1 Proiseact nan Ealan’s (PnE) St Kilda Opera took place on 22 - 23 June 2007 in five locations across Europe linked by satellite. The performance celebrated the lives of the people of St Kilda and was one of the most significant events ever staged to celebrate Gaelic heritage. 2.2 PnE are currently undertaking an analysis of the St.Kilda event to satisfy the reporting requirements of their £1.036m European funding. The information from this report will be available late in 2007 and will enable a better understanding of the precise benefits arising from the St Kilda project. In the meantime, this report provides an interim assessment of the project for Members. 2.3 The total estimated cost of the St Kilda Opera is estimated at just over £1.3m. The Highland 2007 Community Fund, of which the Comhairle is a partner, provided a grant of £37,000 towards the Stornoway performance and associated outreach. Of this total, actual Comhairle funding amounted to £17,500. At the time of writing, less than half of this grant has been drawn down by PnE. 2.4 This interim report is presented to Members for noting, in the knowledge that more detailed cost and impact data will become available later in 2007. The final report will be circulated in the Members Information Bulletin in due course. 3.1 RECOMMENDATION It is recommended that the Comhairle note the contents of the report. Contact Officer: Meg Rodger, Arts Development Officer, 01879 602 425 Background Papers: None Appendix: None BACKGROUND 4.1 Proiseact nan Ealan (PnE), based in Stornoway, is the lead body for Scottish Gaelic Arts development. It is also an arts production company with a successful track-record in delivering touring arts exhibitions, theatre productions, music festivals and film and television productions. 4.2 The total cost of the St. Kilda Opera is estimated at just over £1.3m. In 2006, PnE applied for assistance from the Highland 2007 Community Programme, of which the Comhairle is a partner agency. A Highland 2007 grant of £37,000 was approved for the St Kilda Opera, consisting of £17,500 from the Comhairle’s Arts Development budget and £17,500 from HIE’s Highland 2007 programme. The Comhairle component of this Highland 2007 grant was approved by the Arts & Leisure Committee at its December 2006 meeting. To date, only £14,580 of the H2007 grant has been drawn down by PnE (£7,290 of Comhairle Arts Development grant). 4.3 PnE are expected to submit a full report to their European funders later this year and the full costs and impacts of the St. Kilda Opera will not be known until that report is completed. What follows is an interim assessment of the St. Kilda Opera, based on the limited information that has been submitted to date by PnE. ST KILDA OPERA - PERFORMANCE 5.1 The performance aspects of the proposal were as follows: • the performance was based on the story of St. Kilda through the memories of ‘the Caretaker’ who returns to the island. It involved music, opera and pre-filmed projected images of dancers perfoming while suspended on Hebridean cliffs, evoking the experience of the St. Kildan’s who lived by, and worked on, the cliffs. The cliff dance sequence footage won the Innovation Award at the 2006 Kendall Mountain Film Festival against 300 entries from 26 countries; • the script was written by Ian Finlay MacLeod working in partnership with Scottish Opera. It employed 17 Gaelic actors, many drawn from the local community, as well as a host of highly acclaimed performers from across Europe; • live performances of the Opera took place across five European venues - Scotland (Stornoway), France (Valenciennes), Belgium (Mons), Germany (Düsseldorf) and Austria (Bad Ischl) – from 22 to 23 June 2007. Each venue had a satellite link from St. Kilda to enable live images of the islands to be incorporated into the performance; • the Stornoway performance, to which the Comhairle’s funding specifically related, took place in Studio Alba and was performed by Tosg Gaelic Theatre Company in a co-production with Scottish Opera; • around 540 people attended the Stornoway event over the two nights. Attendance figures for the five European venues are not yet available; • PnE are still developing a possible tour of the Scottish production to mainland UK (Inverness, Glasgow, Edinburgh and London) and European venues; and, • the performance received widespread media coverage – data currently available is shown at Appendix 1. Broadcast (television and radio figures) and European media coverage figures will not be available until PnE compile their substantive report later this year. ST KILDA OPERA - OUTREACH 6.1 PnE are keen to ensure that the momentum and interest generated by the performances in June 2007 are maintained and built upon and a range of outreach activities have been undertaken and are planned including: • a St. Kilda education / information pack has been commissioned and will be developed to meet the requirements of the Curriculum for Excellence for use within schools; • workshops leading to performances complementary to the production took place during June 2007. These targeted schools groups; young actors and amateur dramatic groups; focused on the St. Kildan inheritance; the theme of Exodus and the St. Kildan Diaspora and included play direction and drama. Details of these events have been provided at Appendix 1. ST KILDA OPERA – LEGACY 7.1 PnE proposes the creation of a St. Kilda legacy in the form of an interactive exhibition of the material amassed during the project. This will provide a lasting celebration of the event and of St. Kilda and its people. The creation of some sort of legacy is a key requirement of funding under the Highland 2007 programme. 7.2 This legacy resource will have an arts education / outreach function which will grow from the dramatic impact of the initial event and will attract additional visitors to the community from the UK and overseas. In the longer term it is hoped that this will form part of the the basis for a permanent St. Kilda centre, although plans for this are only at a formative stage. PnE have had initial discussions with Taigh Chearsabhagh, An Lanntair and other community groups with regards to partnership working on these outreach and legacy proposals. PnE are currently in the preparatory stages of developing the interim legacy. This work will be progressed once all materials such as footage, images, music and associated materials are archived. ST KILDA OPERA - BENEFITS 8.1 The St. Kilda project showcased Gaelic culture on the international stage. In particular, awareness of the unique culture of St. Kilda (a UNESCO Double World Heritage site) and the experience of its people was raised through one of the most ambitious and dramatic contemporary Gaelic Art performances ever staged in Europe. PnE are currently undertaking an analysis of the exit questionnaires to provide more detailed information with regards to economic and social impacts and it will not be possible to quantify these impacts until PnE’s final report is presented later this year. 8.2 Anecdotal feedback from the local community regarding the Stornoway performance has been positive and this has been reflected across Europe. Even at this stage it is clear that the performance has increased awareness of St. Kilda, its culture and the associated culture of the Outer Hebrides. Already, there appears to be a raised level of interest in the islands’ heritage and the islands as a tourist destination. 8.3 Despite the unavailability of empirical data, PnE suggest that the following benefits have been realised for the local community: 8.4 Economic: The event has yielded economic benefits as it engaged a range of businesses to support the pre-production and production phases of the Project. The success of this Project will increase international interest in St. Kilda and the Outer Hebrides and will lead to additional income for related businesses (accommodation, boat excursions and cultural trails). 8.6 Social: The Interim legacy currently under development is designed to provide a St. Kilda resource for the local population. In the longer term, there will be direct and indirect economic and social benefits from the permanent legacy, not least the potential for a permanent St. Kilda Centre with exhibition spaces, outreach worker(s), a resource room for use by schools and community groups, conference / meeting facilities, a restaurant facilities and retail area. 8.7 Cultural: Although precise impact figures are not available, it is clear that the project has enhanced the profile of the islands and its Gaelic language and culture on the UK and world stage. It has generated debate and dialogue across Europe with regard to the concept of exodus as a continuing risk for the Gaidhealtachd. Importantly, the project has shown the world that the Outer Hebrides are, technologically and artistically, at the cutting edge of creative developments in Europe. The project has challenged negative preconceptions of Gaelic language and culture and will encourage young Gaels to think about their culture as being of the moment and of the future. 8.8 Community: The Project provided a platform to demonstrate that the area is vibrant, supportive of its culture and history and outward looking rather than introspective. It showcased St. Kilda in a way that captures the imagination and underlines the importance of environmental issues at the continental fringe.