Have you been to see The Pipers' Trail show at the Edinburgh Fringe?

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The theatrical sensation "Jamie's Story" makes its debut at the Edinburgh Fringe this week.

"Jamie's Story" will run for 11 days (6th - 17th August) at George Square Theatre (George 4) performing daily at 11:00am.

The production has already travelled over 470 miles from Shetland where The Pipers' Trail was launched on 17th June, and has played in over 30 locations including Lerwick, Inverness, Aberdeen, Dundee, Stirling and Glasgow. The debut show at Ross Theatre in Edinburgh's Princes St. Gardens attracted an audience of almost 3000 people.

The play charts the story of Jamie, a young man in search of success in life. He aspires to be like his grandfather who took part in the Great War, and became one of the first world piping champions – ‘the greatest piper the world has ever known’.

Travelling from his home in Shetland to the World Pipe Band Championships in Glasgow, Jamie falls in step with a talented but edgy young woman, Morag, and an older man, Robert, an ex-soldier and pipe major, who becomes their friend and mentor. Together they encounter a host of characters from contemporary Scottish life and enjoy a number of adventurers. Along the way, both Jamie and Morag are tested by their circumstances against the Army’s core values.

Tickets to the show are free, and are available now from the Edinburgh fringe festival website or by calling the Pleasance box office on 0131 556 6550.

You've seen the show, now get the t-shirt!

All Pipers' Trail t-shirts, polos and hoodies are now available to order online. These quality garments are an ideal souvenier of the Trail's visit to your area.

There's only a limited supply available so hurry and get them while they're piping hot!

Browse the merchandise here>>

The Pipers' Trail will be visiting the Falkirk Wheel, as part of their 460 mile piping and drumming journey.

The Pipers' Trail Show - a first class piping and drumming display - will be performed at the wheel this Sunday 13th July, at 1pm.

Everyone is welcome to come along and watch the free Pipers' Trail Show, it's guaranteed to be enjoyed by people of all ages!

Pipers Trail TV has just been launched, keeping you up to date with all the latest footage from events happening on the Trail. Video updates will be posted regularly so check back often for the latest footage, or subscribe to our PTTV RSS feed.

Videos currently available include: footage from the Trails’ visit to Lerwick, an introduction to the Trail from Commander Allfrey, a “stomp” scene from The Pipers’ Trail Show, and footage from the visit to Orkney.

The Trail will be filming when it visits your area, if you have any requests or comments, please get in touch: pressoffice@thepiperstrail.com
 

As the trail makes their epic 470-mile journey across Scotland , you can now chart their progress through Google Maps!

The map shows the locations the Trail will be visiting this summer, with todays location marked with a yellow pin. Click on a pin for more information on the dates the trail will be visiting, and events happening in that area.

Event listings for the entire length of the Trail are now available in the Events in your Area section.

There is lots going on along the Trail including parades, spectacular piping and drumming performances and workshops open to everyone, so take a look now to see whats happening in your area.

Workshop registration for each area is also available online. Simply find the workshop happening in your area using the event listing, click into it and fill out the form on the page. We'll be in touch shortly to confirm your place.

After months of planning The Pipers’ Trail launched in dramatic fashion in Lerwick yesterday with music, colour and all-round spectacle for the Shetland islanders.

Making great use of the local landscapes pipers and drummers from military and civilian bands heralded the start of the 470-mile celebration of music, performance and the Army in Scotland before marching through Lerwick to a civic reception.

Today, Wednesday, sees the Piping and Drumming Workshop in full swing plus a parade from the TA Centre to the Harbour, performing at the Harbour between 12.20 and 1pm, before parading back to the TA Centre at 1pm.

So come along and see the show and give the pipers a rousing send-off as they head south towards Kirkwall.

The press are already picking up on the Trail with stories in today’s P&J and Courier. Here’s a link to the story in the P&J: http://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/Article.aspx/695584?UserKey=0
 

We are pleased to announce that detailed event listings are now available on the site at Events in your Area.

Trails event details for Lerwick, Kirkwall, Stromness, Thurso, Wick and John O' Groats are now available.

You can click on an event in your area to find out more about timings, locations and parade routes.

We're working hard to get information for all areas up soon, please keep checking back for more information, or add our RSS feed to your feedreader to get notified of updates as soon they are posted.

The Pipers’ Trail Show will be exhibiting at different locations along the trail, and incorporates a mix of music, dance, parades and a theatrical performance in varying degrees of scale. The Pipers’ Trail show will also feature at the Edinburgh Fringe in August.

The theatrical element of the show is the story of Jamie, who leaves home to embark on a journey of self-discovery in an attempt to emulate his Grandfather, who to him, had been one of the world’s greatest pipers; a veteran and a hero in Jamie’s eyes. Jamie meets Morag and they become friends and so decide to travel together. Jamie experiences a variety of challenges through which he learns deep-seated lessons for life. The two are joined by Robert, an ex-serviceman now traveller, who adopts the role of mentor, guide and older brother. He is able to ignite in Jamie the ability to question not only himself but also the world around him.

The Pipers’ Trail is an ensemble piece of musical theatre, a narrative illustrated by some of Scotland’s finest pipe tunes. Watch a short excerpt of the play below.

The Pipers' Trail will be delivering a series of short piping and drumming workshops during the weeks of the TRAIL in various locations. The workshops will be run by the Royal Scottish Pipe Band Association (RSPBA) and supported by the Army School of Bagpipe Music and Highland Drumming (ASBM&HD), the Army in Scotland and the Civil Authorities. We are keen to attract from Scotland and the Commonwealth, pipers and drummers and pipe bands of all ages and standards to study and play together each lifting the musical standard of the others.

Instruction will be delivered by RSPBA qualified instructors so whether you are a beginner, or wish to improve and play with others, get help as a band with your competition pieces, or get help tuning your instruments, you are more than welcome to sign up and come along.

The Workshops are open to all ages and all standards, from novice to advanced. Even complete beginners who would like an introduction to the great Highland bagpipe or the drums are encouraged to join us. Come on your own or bring your friends and family, everyone can join in - come and have some fun!

The Workshops will run over a period of two-three days, and can be booked online, over the phone or in person at the registration day. You can attend for just one day or all days, and at the end of the week participants will have the opportunity to join in The Pipers' Trail Show, following a day of rehearsals.

Detailed information on workshops on each area, including timings and locations are due to be announced shortly, please check back for updates.

To stay up to date, add our news RSS feed to your feedreader, or add your email to our update list.
 

We want you to be part of The Pipers’ Trail as it travels across Scotland this summer.

From Lerwick to Edinburgh we will be passing through villages, towns and cities and we would like to invite pipers, drummers and other musicians to ‘own’ a mile along the way. Individuals and bands can join in by playing a mile with the trail in or out of their local town.

Whether you wish to pipe or drum or even just walk with the band for a mile or two, this could also be a fantastic opportunity to do some fundraising for local charities.

For more information on the miles available, please see: Join in The Pipers' Trail