AN UNMISSABLE new production set in Dumfries and Galloway takes to the Theatre Royal stage this week.
Performed by members of the Wonder Fools theatre company, ‘The Kelton Hill Fair’ brings captivating storytelling, music and song and explores themes around community, myth and legacy.
Rooted in the region, the history of ‘The Kelton Hill Fair’ started back in 2021 when the company delivered theatre skills workshops to schools across the region and recruited five young people for paid apprenticeships to work on their show And Then Come The Nightjars. These young people – Charlie McAdam Dorans, Emma Forsyth, Holly Marie Chapman, Sara Thomson and Eilidh Thomson – were then given the opportunity to research and develop a local story for a new Wonder Fools show as well as developing their theatre-making skills with bespoke support from the company.
Emma Forsyth, one of the young collaborators says of her experience “To see an idea that was batted around Dalbeattie town hall be something that’s going to appear as a whole world onstage is unreal. The chance to work as an apprentice stage manager in the town next to where I grew up years ago was unheard of, and really motivating for me as an artist to see things can be done down here. I wouldn’t have thought I’d then be involved from the start in creating theatre about my region. Being included in all the stages has been really special and has shaped and consistently motivated my work to add to the rich arts culture in Dumfries and Galloway. It’s just all pretty amazing”
Now their ideas are coming taking to the stage this week. The completed play, written by Robbie Gordon and the region’s own Jack Nurse, The Kelton Hill Fair tells the gripping story of Flora, a defiant and desperately alone care experienced teenager from Castle Douglas. As a mighty storm gathers, Flora runs away and stumbles upon a mysterious fair run by the legendary Billy Marshall ‘The King of the Travellers’.
The Kelton Hill Fair, is a place where time stands still, especially as Billy was supposed to have died in 1792 and is buried nearby in Kirkcudbright. Yet here he is at the fair in 2025 and accompanied by other famous Scottish faces connected to Dumfries & Galloway including none other than Robert Burns, William Hare – of Burke and Hare fame – and Lady Florence Dixie.
Jack Nurse and Robbie Gordon say of the production “We are absolutely thrilled to bring our new production to audiences this spring. It’s been a joy to work so closely with the Young Collaborators in Dumfries and Galloway to create a new show that has such deep roots in the region whilst also holding a wider appeal through its universal themes and bold theatricality. We hope and feel that this is the most ambitious Wonder Fools production yet – we have an unbelievably talented cast and creative team bringing this timeless story to life, and we can’t wait to see people’s reactions in the audience.”
