Published on:
22
July 2009
A nationwide search has begun to find a voice to portray Mary Queen of Scots. Organisers are looking for someone who can speak with a mix of Scots and French pronunciation to play Mary in a new audio exhibit about her relationship to Alloa Tower.
Alloa Tower was home to the influential Erskine family, protectors of the Stuart dynasty. The short script covers her early visits to the tower as a child and her return seeking refuge with her infant son, Prince James who became King James VI of Scotland and James I of England.
The search is managed by the Forth's Timeline project, a joint initiative to promote the history and culture of the Forth Valley.
Organisers believe that Mary would have had a mixed accent. In 1548, aged just five years old, she moved to France for protection. Although she sport many languages, after thirteen years education in the royal court French would have dominated her local tongue.
The competition is open to women of any age. Organisers are hoping it will be of interest to standard grade and higher French speakers or drama students keen to find out more about Mary. The competition is also open to native French speakers who have picked up some local dialect while living in Scotland. Apart from the accent, they are also looking for a voice that captures Mary as a confident diplomat and leader.
Councillor Kenny Earle, the Council's tourism spokesman, said: "Clackmannanshire is forging ahead with regeneration, and we are lucky enough to have a tremendous outdoor environment and beautiful architecture in our towns and villages.
"As well as the county's extremely important connection with Mary Queen of Scots, we have excellent walking and cycling routes, an incredible amount of Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian architecture, and a long historical connection with the brewing, glass making, textile, ceramic and mining industries.
"For our regeneration to be successful, we must promote the positives about the area while working to improve what some may consider to be the negatives."
To enter phone 0131 208 0627. Calls are charged at local rates. For full terms and tips visit on how to speak like Mary, visit www.forthstimeline.com. Entries close on 9th August.
Stephen Gilmour, whose credits include two Harry Potter films, Children of Men and Shakespeare in Love, will record the finished versions. The final presentation will feature sounds effects and music to place Mary in the correct period.
The search is part of the Forth's Timeline project. Organised by a collection of museums, galleries and historic building Forth's Timeline promotes the profile of selected cultural attractions in Clackmannanshire, Falkirk and Stirlingshire through collaboration. The project is supported by the Scottish Government through Museums Galleries Scotland's Regional Development Challenge Fund.
This is the first search for a member of the public to appear in one of the presentations. Previous audio exhibits for the project have used local personalities and experts to give voice to colourful characters from the area.
The three previous recordings featured Charles Gascoigne a controversial figure who ran the Carron Company Ironworks near Falkirk, a medieval footballer who talks about the more refined side of in the royal courts and Surgeon William Munro, a decorated doctor with the Sutherland Highlanders, amputating an arm in the battlefield.