____ is where the heart is


created by Heather Marshall
produced by Birds of Paradise and Creative Electric
in association with Argyll Arts Collective and The Touring Network
commissioned as part of the BRAW initiative

  • Glasgow: 27th & 28th June 
  • Shetland: 3rd July 
  • Edinburgh: 10th July 
  • Drumnadrochit: 18th July
  • Lochgoilhead: 20th July 
  • Wick: 23rd July

My city and me.
I want change.
A place with real people.
Who stop and smile and say hello.
Who know me.
Really know me.

I saw it on tv. Amish teenagers, when they turn 18, go on a right of passage to the city. They go for a year and try all the things they don’t have at home – clubs, going to the cinema, shopping centres, trains… And if they like it they stay and if they don’t then they go back to their families and are baptised into the Amish faith.

I feel like that’s what I need. I love it here, its beautiful, but how can I know who I am and how I want to live until I’ve experienced other ways of life? It’s a case of unrequited love.

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‘_____ is where the heart is’ is a tale of displacement and identity that weaves stories from local audiences into its narrative to create a play that resonates with each community it visits.

Participants will be invited to the ‘_____ is where the heart is’ pop up recording studio to record stories and memories of their home- the people who make it special, the local folklore and the moments that have gone down in local history.

These stories will then be incorporated into the performance – each community will have a performance that is entirely unique to them.

⬇️ Meet the Team ⬇️

Heather Marshall – Writer / Director
Nicholas Alban – Performer
Conrad Williamson – Performer
Jamie Rae – BSL Performer
Jonny Reed – Technical Stage Manager
Michelle Rolfe – Producer
Geraldine Heaney – Filmmaker
Yvonne Strain – BSL Consultant
Alyson Woodhouse – Audio Description Consultant
Andy Reid – Captioning Programmer

⬇️ Creative Team Bios ⬇️

Heather Marshall: Writer & Director


Heather is a multiple award winning artist who creates accessible socio-political performance and live art for people that may not traditionally attend main stream arts events. She often works under the company name Creative Electric. Recent works includes The Happiness Project which explores the importance of non-sexual physical contact in our digital era and is running at the armyatfringe.org during the Edinburgh Fringe 2019.

Nicholas Alban: Performer

Nicholas is a regular performer and collaborator with Creative Electric. A graduate of the Royal Central School of Speech & Drama recent roles include, The Happiness Project, Shoplifter<>Shapeshifter, and Theatre Uncut at the Traverse Theatre

Conrad Williamson: Performer

Conrad is a graduate of The Academy of Live and Recorded Arts, recent credits include Rosalind in As You Like It – Sam Wanamaker Festival; Josh in The Man Will Kill Us All; and Harold Gillies/Dr Scroggy in Dr Scroggy’s War.

Jamie Rae: BSL Performer

Jamie is an actor and one of the inaugural graduates of the Royal Scottish Conservatoire’s BA Performance in BSL and English.

Access Information

All performances include:

  • Partial pre-recorded BSL, performed by Deaf performer Jamie Rae. Presented on TV screens built into the set.
  • Captions, presented on TV screens built into the set.
  • Verbal Description.
  • Touch Tours available.  Please contact the venue directly to arrange.
  • For venue information please contact them directly.

Set Description 

Click on the below link for a description of the set for “____ is where the heart is”. The document is accessible to screen-readers. “____ is where the heart is” Set Description

What can I expect if I book this show?

BOP can be resident in your community for between 2-7 days prior to performances. This allows community members to build a relationship with the company, create unique work that will feature in the final performances and have ownership of the production.

We recommend a minimum of two days in each community- one day for the company to gather stories and the second as the performance day. However the more time we have within your community the richer the final performance will be.

Workshops can take the following formats and are adaptable to suit your community:

  • Pop up recording studios: open to everyone. People can drop in over a three hour period and record their memories prompted by stimulus and question cards. Perfect for people who like to work independently or are unsure about committing to a full workshop. Recordings can be any length and participants are welcome to visit multiple times.
    Drop in: 3 hrs 
  • Reminiscence workshops: particularly suited for lunch clubs, supported accommodation, nursing homes and activity groups for elder members of the community. These workshops are facilitated by an artist and encourage participants to share memories of growing up in the local area with a focus on variety performance & cinema, family life & expectations and dating & the dancing. These workshops have previously been very popular with participants aged 60+ as they are relaxed and conversational.
    Running time 60-90 mins 
  • Creative writing and storytelling: these workshops start with either food or music as a stimulus and encourage participants to explore memories associated with the stimulus. They are supported by facilitators to create a short story either through creative writing or spoken word that can be performed by participants.
    This workshop is suitable for all ages and can be facilitated in nurseries, schools, youth & community groups.
    Running time 60-90 mins 

Show Details

Performance running time: 40-50 mins (dependent on material collected). Up to two performances per day.

Performance Team: two performers, one director and one TSM. All company members hold enhanced PVG certificates.

Performance Space:_____ is where the heart is’ is an installation based performance that can be adapted to suit your venue. The installation will be set up on arrival at the venue and workshops can be offered in the space. Audiences are free to explore the installation prior to and post performance.

_____ is where the heart is’ can be thought of as a touring, interactive artwork that hosts two performances a day.

Further information available on The Tourbook

Images below are from development work on _____ is where the heart is’ , Lochgoilhead – January 2019

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