Scots folksinger Kirsty Law and Magnetic North present the world premiere of Strength in a Whisper, a moving new performance blending folk song, contemporary dance and theatre. Premiering at An Tobar and Mull Theatre before heading to Edinburgh, the production explores resilience, Scots language and queer identity through music, movement and storytelling.
By Grace Hatchell, writing from t’satchel after finding a whisper tucked between the flyers and theatre leaflets.
Some shows arrive in my postbag banging drums and waving jazz hands.
Others sneak in quietly.
Strength in a Whisper belongs firmly to that second camp — and if you ask me, there’s summat rather lovely about a production that doesn’t shout for attention but gently asks you to lean closer.
This new work from acclaimed Scots folksinger Kirsty Law, co-produced with Magnetic North and supported by An Tobar and Mull Theatre, is preparing for its world premiere this June before making its way to Edinburgh’s Assembly Roxy.
And by heck… it sounds quietly beautiful.
Blending folk song, contemporary dance and theatre, Strength in a Whisper brings together live music, movement and storytelling in a performance exploring solitude, resilience and the small but mighty strength people find when life feels uncertain.
Now I’ll be honest with you, village folk — when somebody says “folk theatre” my imagination immediately wanders toward cosy shawls and somebody offering me oatcakes.
But this feels rather different.
This feels like stepping into memory.
At the centre of the story is a young woman waking on a winter morning, snowed in and without power. Gathering wood and fetching water, she encounters a fragile young deer — another creature simply trying to survive the season. What follows sounds less like a conventional plot and more like an unfolding memoryscape, where song, story and recollection become shelter against an overwhelming world.
And I do like theatre that trusts quiet moments.
Performed by Kirsty Law alongside contemporary dancer Suzi Cunningham, the piece explores Scots language, queer identity and the emotional inheritance carried through stories and song.
That particularly caught my eye.
Because folk traditions are often spoken about as if they belong only to the past — polished and preserved behind glass like granny’s best teacups.
But traditions breathe.
They shift.
They hold new voices as well as old ones.
And Strength in a Whisper sounds determined to explore exactly that.
Kirsty herself describes the production as the most important project of her career so far, explaining how creating the character allowed her to explore queerness within folk tradition, her connection to Scots as a mother tongue and the way songs and memories can become a lifeline when the world feels overwhelming.
Now that, if you ask me, is a powerful thought.
There’s also summat rather fitting about this collaboration finding life through Rough Mix, Magnetic North’s creative lab bringing artists together across different disciplines. Artistic Director Nicholas Bone describes the piece as “moving and magical” — and from what’s landed in my satchel, I can understand why.
Not every show needs fireworks.
Sometimes theatre works its magic through stillness.
Through music.
Through a held breath and a story shared softly.
And if Strength in a Whisper manages to make audiences pause long enough to hear that quiet voice beneath the noise of everyday life, I suspect this may be one of those productions that lingers long after curtain call.
I’ll leave a little space in my satchel for this one. Quiet things often travel furthest.
Listings information
Fri 12 June | Mull Theatre, Mull
Sat 13 June | Bunessen Hall, Mull
Mon 15 June | Assembly Roxy, Edinburgh
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