The Scottish Government are being asked to intervene to save an acclaimed Inverness theatre company.
Highland MSP Rhoda Grant has written to culture secretary Fiona Hyslop asking for funding support for the Dogstar Theatre Company.
The award-winning group revealed last week that they are on the brink of disbanding after being turned down for regular funding from Creative Scotland.
The Westhill based group are well known for their production The Tailor of Inverness which has toured all over the world.
But artistic directors Hamish MacDonald and Matthew Zajac had to hold an emergency meeting last week due to the financial worries.
Ms Grant called on the Scottish Government to put pressure on Creative Scotland to support the arts in the north.
She said: “Dogstar Theatre is a well established theatre company that has been a regular feature of Scottish Theatre for many years.
“It has gained an enviable international reputation and is something that we, in the Highlands, are justly proud.
“Three quarters of regular theatre funding from Creative Scotland goes to Edinburgh and Glasgow organisations with no funding coming further north than Pitlochry. I feel that Creative Scotland, also, has a responsibility to support theatre across the whole of the country.
“Fiona Hyslop MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs, has already shown a willingness to intervene with the decisions of Creative Scotland when she asked for a reconsideration of the application for funding from Scottish Youth Theatre. I am asking her for the same reconsideration of Dogstar Theatre’s application.”
Creative Scotland have said they do no comment on individual applications for funding, but will meet with Dogstar to discuss alternative routes for funding.