The War of the Birds
Go Local South Scotland
(Sat 14 Nov: 7:30pm)
The War of the Birds is a collection of famously untold Eastern European Stories. Unpublished and rarely translated into English, the War of the Birds is a Babushka doll of nested narratives, each exploring class, identity, and place, in the old world where things were darker, colder, and altogether stranger. Set against a backdrop of Klezmer dancing and evolving ambient soundscapes – these stories take us through lands of strange symbols, to the great grassy plains of the steppe, and deep into the Kamchatka sea. This is storytelling steeped in the Samovar, smoked by the teamakers, with a deep familiarity and deep strangeness imbued over long winters by our Northern neighbours.
In the War of the Birds, traditional storyteller Mark Borthwick weaves traditional and electronic music together with full-blooded stories of the old world to transport us to the shores of a new one, where stories are currency, and memory is home. An exploration of postwar migrations, family histories lost to time, and the stories which made us all that we are, a long time ago.
At Heart of Hawick, 2 Kirkstile, TD9 0AE.
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This year’s Festival explores the rich relationship between storytelling and the natural world through our theme Bird and Beast. Alongside a vibrant programme at the Scottish Storytelling Centre in Edinburgh, storytellers across Scotland bring these tales to life this autumn through the Go Local programme. We proudly celebrate Scotland’s cèilidh tradition with an invitation into the story circle, extending a warm welcome to international guests who share their stories, traditions and contemporary practices alongside Scotland’s own world-class talent. Join us for some unforgettable tales and moments that bring us closer to nature, as we follow the trail of footprints and feathers and let our imagination take flight.
Ticketed via liveborders.org.uk/book/whats-on/hoh-war-of-the-birds/.
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SISF - Go Local
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£10.00 -
14 November 2026 -
60 minutes -
19:30 -
Scottish International Storytelling Festival -
Regional Events -
12+
