AIF2025 - The Passion of Tam Shanter

Arran writer and storyteller, Marty Ross, returns to the festival this year with his brand new piece, The Passion of Tam Shanter, a bold reimagining of the Robert Burns classic - less comic ballad, more eerie psychological thriller. Set in rural Ayrshire, Tam is now a swaggering property developer with plans to demolish a ruined kirk … until ancient forces rise to meet him.

With original music composed by Electra Perivolaris and performed live by flautist Lucy Walsh, this atmospheric, genre-blending tale promises an unforgettable night of storytelling, sound, and shadow.

Marty Ross is a celebrated Scottish storyteller and dramatist whose bold, gothic tales have captivated audiences on BBC Radio 4, Audible, and stages across the UK. He recently collaborated with Sam Mendes on a Dickens trilogy for Audible, starring Helena Bonham Carter and Miriam Margolyes. A long-time favourite on Arran, Marty returns to AIF2025 with The Passion of Tam Shanter—a new commission that reimagines Scots folklore as vivid, contemporary psychological drama.

You may also like the following events from Arran International Festival of Chamber Music and Song:

• Next Monday, 18th August, 07:00 pm, AIF2025 - A Concert Crossing Borders in Campbeltown
• Next Tuesday, 19th August, 01:00 pm, AIF2025 - Crossing Borders: The People’s Voice and the German Roots of the Scottish Ballad Revival in Campbeltown
• Next Thursday, 21st August, 07:30 pm, AIF2025 - A warm festival welcome! in Saltcoats

Also check out other Arts events in West Kilbride, Performances in West Kilbride, Festivals in West Kilbride.