Music, Storytelling

Open Hearth: Hosted by Douglas Mackay, with Fiona Herbert, Tim Porteus & Rachel Newton

Special Events

(Fri 13 Oct: 8pm)

Our Open Hearth sessions gather together storytellers and musicians for a relaxed evening of stories and music in the Netherbow Theatre. As the darkness closes in and minds glow with pictures in the symbolic fire, this is the perfect way to end your day!

Hosted by Douglas Mackay, with Fiona Herbert, Tim Porteus and musician Rachel Newton.

Fiona Herbert

Fiona Herbert has a wide repertoire of stories which includes historical tales of Scotland, myth, folk and fairytales, as well as her own modern adaptations and pure inventions! There is a strong element of comedy in many of Fiona’s tales and her warm, dramatic style of telling entertains and fires the imagination.

Douglas Mackay

Dougie Mackay blends the traditional, hearth-side style of storytelling that has warmed hearts and imaginations for centuries, and more dynamic, contemporary performance telling gaining popularity across Europe. His performances are intimate, yet crafted, suiting firesides, schools and theatres equally.

Tim Porteus

Tim Porteus loves sharing the wonderful world of folklore, mythology and legend, but he has also developed an interest in collecting and telling modern urban tales, as well as personal family stories and reminiscences. He is a very engaging character and tells stories with passion and humour, adaptable to all ages.

Rachel Newton

Singer, harpist and composer Rachel Newton draws on poems, ballads and stories that are hundreds of years old, working them into her contemporary compositional style to create a rich sound that is ambitious, original and unique. She is a founder member of The Furrow Collective and the Lost Words: Spell Songs, as well as the duo project Heal & Harrow with long time friend and colleague Lauren MacColl. Rachel was named Musician of the Year at both the Scots Trad Music Awards 2016 and the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards 2017 and her albums To The Awe and Here's My Heart Come Take It were shortlisted in the Scottish Album of the Year (SAY) Awards.

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Join us as we explore, question and celebrate the Right To Be Human. This year, on the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we consider the many challenges we face, from human health and wellbeing to the health and future of our planet. However, there is also a worldwide movement to meet these challenges, and to exist imaginatively, fairly and in community with the whole diversity of life. Storytelling has embraced these values from the dawn of culture and stories today can help us be more connected to the world around us, as well as our rights, showing us how to be more alive and creative as humans.

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Purchase a Storytelling Festival Pass and make the most of SISF 2023!

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