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Third Angel presents

Cape Wrath

Credits

Written and performed by
Alexander Kelly

Directed by
Rachael Walton

Dramaturgy Placement & Publicity Photography:
Elliot Roberts


General Manager
Hilary Foster

Video Documentation by
Christopher Hall


Full length (1 hour) video documentation of a performance at Sheffield Theatres in 2014, for an invited audience.

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You can read more about the making and touring of Cape Wrath in Alex’s PhD thesis Telling Life Stories, free to download here.

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“This enchanting ride” Exeunt

“a must see.” The Skinny

A Scotsman HOT SHOW 2013

An epic journey in a stationary minibus.

Watch the whole show here:


Download the full text of Cape Wrath here.

Third Angel presents a story of family, of fellow travellers, of whisky and chocolate, of the longest bus journey in Britain. Told to an audience of just 14. Heartfelt, moving, compellingly intimate, Cape Wrath takes you on a journey to the edge of the island.

Some Background

“After he retired, my grandad went on a trip from the Midlands up to Cape Wrath, the most north-westerly point of his native Scotland. He sat, looked at the sea, and thought about his life. Then he got up and went home. Over 20 years later, I got on a coach and followed in his footsteps. This is what I learned.”

In September 2011, Third Angel’s Alexander Kelly travelled from his home, roughly in middle of England, to Cape Wrath, the most North-westerly point of the British mainland. He took public transport the whole way there and back: coach, bus, ferry, minibus, train.

In September 1988, Alex’s grandad had undertaken the same journey, also travelling by public transport and hitch-hiking. He got to Cape Wrath, sat and looked at the sea and thought about his life. Then he went home. 

In Cape Wrath Alex tells the story of retracing his grandfather’s footsteps, family histories, family myths and the longest bus route in Britain.

Read more about the making of the show on the blog.

“the most wonderful story…a joy to be part of…a master story teller.” 

getreading.co.uk​

Reviews

“Look, the piece seems to say, it’s not so hard after all. Just notice one another… Through this intimate story about family and travelling, Third Angel manage to delicately pack in plenty of other, bigger ideas: the psychological dimension of travelling, what ancestry, nation and place mean to us, the mythical fascination of isolated locations, how we relate to those around us. It’s simple, yes, but not simplistic… We can just enjoy this enchanting ride.”

Catherine Love, Exeunt, 16 August 2013

“There is something more than charm, though, in the sharp narrative arc of Kelly’s story, as he tries to retrace his grandfather’s steps to Durness and beyond. There is a recognition of the complexity of Britain, and its huge range of lives and landscapes and connections, that adds something heartfelt and significant to the current debate about the future of the union; and a sense, too, of the importance of love – binding people to the places they came from, helping them build new lives elsewhere – in easing the passage from past to future, and from the place where we once lived, to where we are now.” “HOT SHOW”

Joyce McMillan, The Scotsman, 24 August 2013

“Is this story-telling or drama? Both. I don’t think labels matter in this must-see show. Book quickly. This is one of the Fringe secrets that is fast getting out by word of mouth.”

The Skinny, 2 September 2013

“The most wonderful story… a joy to be part of… a master story teller. When we got off the minibus a fellow traveller said ‘it feels like we should be somewhere else now’, and I couldn’t really have put it any better myself, feeling as if I’d travelled hundreds of miles without moving anywhere at all.”

GetReading.co.uk, 30 June 2014

Supported by:

Leeds Met University, ARC Stockton, Northern Stage and by a private donor who wishes to remain anonymous.

Touring Archive

20 May 2018, 19:00
Tennyson d'Eyncourt Memorial Hall, Tealby, Lincs
21 Apr 2018, 17:00
Outside Bonnington Theatre, Arnold, NG5 7EE, Nottinghamshire
21 Apr 2018, 14:00
Outside Bonnington Theatre, Arnold, NG5 7EE, Nottinghamshire
07 Oct 2017, 16:00
The Dog Inn, Belthorn
07 Oct 2017, 12:00
The Dog Inn, Belthorn
06 Oct 2017, 17:00
Halton Mill, Halton, Nr Lancaster
06 Oct 2017, 14:00
Halton Mill, Halton, Nr Lancaster
05 Oct 2017, 14:00
Cherestanc Square, Garstang, Lancashire
05 Oct 2017, 11:00
Cherestanc Square, Garstang, Lancashire
28 Sep 2017, 19:30
University of Worcester, St John's Campus


There's lots more information about making and touring Third Angel projects 2008-2017 on our original blog, and 2017-2023 on the blog on this site.