“Oh Clydeside apple, ma bitter sweet neighbour,
Your skins fair bulgin’ wi zest and flavour,
The mair I munch, the mair I savour
Right doon tae yer pips”
A show dedicated to apples, a food with a truly fascinating history, as seen through the eyes of Katy and her Grandad.
Whenever Katy eats an apple, she’s instantly reminded of her Grandad, an extraordinary man who grew 24 varieties of apple from an old piece of wasteland (the 24th tree being extra special). In remembering her childhood and apple loving Grandad, Katy realises what she needs to do to continue the orchard’s legacy.
The Forgotten Orchard is a heart-warming story of kinship, local food and legacy that re-welcomes to our plate the characterful Scottish apples of our heritage; Tam Montgomery, Scotch Dumpling, The Bloody Ploughman (and all its gore) and the local Glaswegian apple Clydeside.
Featuring storytelling, music and Scot’s ballads, the production brings to life Scotland’s rich orchard heritage and celebrates diversity, home grown food and the joy of harvest.
Touring September – November 2024. Please contact [email protected] to book.
Reviews
The Scotsman
“Informative but entertaining…it succeeds by putting its story and characters first…a superb piece of storytelling.”
Thom Dibdin, The Scotsman (read full review here)
“It made me think about where I get my apples from and if I’ve ever tasted a Scottish apple” Zoe, age 11
“I loved the names of the apples and the stories behind them.” Pupil, St Vincent’s
“It made me think why? Why do we use all the petrol to bring apples to Scotland when we can plant our own?” P6 pupil, Hyndland Primary
“…a delicious morsel of story-telling to whet the appetite for learning about where your food comes from, and a treat for anyone working on the Eco Schools ‘Food & the Environment’ topic” Eve Keepax, Eco Schools Scotland
“A lovely show and I learnt a lot. I am considering working a patch of our garden with my toddler and now am truly inspired. Great to see a performance with a proper balance of learning and entertaining.” Alison Reeves, Creative Director of Whale Arts
Filled with comedy. THE BEST!” Pupils, St Angela’s
“Adults & pupils all thoroughly enjoyed this show, it was a perfect mix of acting, singing, humour and delivering the key messages in a fun way. My class are still talking about this.” N Morrison, Kelvindale PS
“An excellent performance – the children (and teachers) loved every minute.” Jemma Harrison, P5 Teacher Balornock Primary
“This was an excellent show. The children and adults were completely captivated by it. The standard of acting, music and relevance was fantastic. This was an exceptional way of communicating the importance of apples in our lives but more importantly it was about passion and love for nature and our relationship with it. Thank you for coming to our school, we were all very impressed and grateful.” Simon Cundy, Langbank PS