A group of youths from an Aberdeenshire acting school will kick start the 42nd Aberdeen International Youth Festival (AIYF) in apt style today.
This year’s festivities will attract more than 1000 young people to the city for artistic performances encompassing music, dance and other artistic disciplines.
Young performers will be coming to Aberdeen from as far afield as Jordan, Ukraine, Japan and Azerbaijan to delight audiences.
However, today a theme a little closer to home will start the events.
“Our Scotland”, crafted by a company of 34 from Inverurie’s Mitchell School of Drama (MSD), will take a humorous look at all things Scottish.
Rhona Mitchell, the school’s co-ordinator, said: “It’s a real mix of stuff, I think there will be something for everyone. It’s just a lot of fun really.
“Because it’s homecoming year we decided to do something Scottish, in a tongue in cheek kind of way.”
This will be the fourth year the MSD has started off the AIYF, with this year’s company of 34 all aged between 13 and 22.
The play will feature music and sketches created by the team, and will be based around a fictional Scottish television studio.
Tartan-clad presenters and a six-piece band will accompany the performances.
Ms Mitchell – who has around 30 years of experience as a drama teacher, director and choreographer – said: “It’s a mix of sketches and a lot of fun ideas, strung together by the presenter.
“There are some quite poignant moments, and it has quite a poignant ending.
“It was a lot of work, it was devised by the whole group. It’s been a good process, it really has brought the whole cast together.
The play will debut at The Lemon Tree at 7.30pm, with tickets priced at £6.
It will run at the venue from Thursday until Saturday.