THE YEAR THAT HAS BEEN 2013

CAROLINE WINN, CHIEF EXECUTIVE

What a busy year 2013 has been. It was the year in which Comar, Mull and Ionas new arts organisation, ofcially came into being earlier in April. Comar is now at the reins of Mulls two main arts venues, An Tobar and Druimn, and its very own producing and touring theatre company, Mull Theatre. Comar is for everyone who lives, works and visits here - both artists and audiences. It is essential that everyone must feel a connection to our new organisation and to have a stake in its future, to ensure that the arts continue to thrive here. Looking forward into 2014, then, we will be looking for your views and your ideas to help shape our new organisation - what you want from Comar, what you think it should do and what it should achieve especially for you. We will be announcing the details of how you can contribute and be a part of this early next year. But for a moment, lets look back on what has been another year of fantastic events, performances and exhibitions, not only in our spaces at An Tobar and Druimn, but also on tour throughout Mull and Iona, Argyll and beyond.

From everyone at Comar, thank you all for your support in 2013. We wish you all a Happy Christmas and a thoroughly fantastic New Year. We very much look forward to welcoming you at An Tobar and Druimn in 2014.

GORDON MACLEAN, CREATIVE DIRECTOR, MUSIC

Mull seems to become more famous as a place for great music with every passing year, and this one has been no exception. This year we enjoyed jazz from Tommy Smiths Karma, Americana from The Hot Seats (over from Virginia, USA!), deep and dirty blues from the amazing Mystery Juice, contemporary classical piano and sax with the McKenzie Sawers Duo, leading Scottish folk band Rura, powerful pop music from Public Service Broadcasting, free improvisation from the Glasgow Improvisers Orchestra, Canadian songwriter Doug Paisley, some great Scottish singer songwriters including Iain Morrison and Jo Mango, local resident Roddy Woomble playing songs from his latest album, actor Laurence Fox with his original songs, and Mhairi Hall and Patsy Reid put some local string players through their paces as part of a performance of Contours Of Cairngorm. An Tobars recording studio was busy with projects including a new album by King Creosote, new songs by Sebastian Brice and Natalie Farmer, the debut album by Sorren Maclean and some demos for a new album by Idlewild.

AN TOBAR CAFE & SHOP

SATURDAY 7th DECEMBER 10am-4pm ****DISCOUNT DAY AT AN TOBAR - 10% OFF ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING**** Forget the ferry trip to Oban in the wind and rain, or the pain and worry of whether your online shopping will arrive on time. Why not head to the shop at An Tobar instead and get your Christmas presents all in one handy place AND at a discounted 10% off?* Combine your Christmas shopping with a warming of your cockles by our cosy re, and, whilst youre at it, why not a mulled cider or two? Including Poetry Ceilidh from 2-4pm featuring local poets.
*Does not include artwork.

SIN PARKINSON, CREATIVE DIRECTOR, VISUAL ART

My family and I moved from Edinburgh to Mull in August 2013 for me to take up the job of Creative Director of the visual arts programme here. Three months in and I cant imagine the dampeners being put on us any time soon. Im struck by just how much cultural activity there is on the island. It is my pleasure to be contributing towards this activity and I hope to do so with honesty, and so too with fury and fervour. We have two events in the gallery at An Tobar this month: Kartina Zembla / Picture Land, until December 21st. For this we asked artists via open submission to respond to a simple brief: to describe through their art a world of imagined territories and potential futures. The strange new world they catalogue in objects and images is the island Kartina Zembla - a ctional world yet one that is rooted in our own. What holds this newly found state together is the artists shared and deliberate misrepresentation of our world in favour of another: a collectively invented province of the real. We are delighted to be showing four Mull-based artists next to work that has been received from all over the UK and internationally. Deirdre Nelson: Blow Ins, Blow Out, 7-9pm Friday 13th December (free). Former Comar artist-in-residence Deirdre Nelson returns to Mull to host a special ceilidh and hand-over event. On the night, Deirdre will return artworks to each island Muse for whom they were made, originally brought together for the summer exhibition Blow-In Bespoke. In accordance with an artwork made specically for a Gaule living in close proximity to the gallery, crme brle will be torched on site and ung to the walls in observance. Thank you to all the individuals who made such a strong contribution to our visual arts programme this year: Emma Herman-Smith, Fred Schley, Deirdre Nelson, Katy West, Sam Jones, Yvonne Marjot, plus all the artists who submitted artwork for our winter exhibition. (And more personally, thank you to all on Mull and Iona whove made us all so terribly welcome these rst few months. You know who you are and you shine, shine like a star, etcetera)

ALASDAIR MCCRONE, CREATIVE DIRECTOR, THEATRE

Looking back its hard to believe how much we have managed to cram in at Druimn this year, not to mention Mull Theatres own productions on tour, which have visited the smallest island venues to the largest city theatres and festivals, throughout 2013. My Name is Rachel Corrie, starring Mairi Phillips and created with RT Productions, was a moving, challenging and in some ways controversial start to our year, but generated great reviews and many debates throughout its wideranging tour. Starbird, starring Mara Menzies and Julie Heatherill and created with Toto Tales, was a delightful show for children which opened at Druimn and toured small Argyll venues in the spring before its run at the Festival in August. The Drawer Boy by Michael Healey had a cast of Barrie Hunter, Kevin Lennon and me! A brilliant play and a production which was tremendously well received everywhere it went. Look out for its revival tour again in 2014. Doras Duinte by Catriona Lexy Campbell, the rst part of our Gaelic double-bill, was recently premiered in Glasgow. Produced in association with Theatre Gu Leor and Oran Mor, this will tour early next year. The Fisherman and his Wife by Lisa Grindall is a wonderful Christmas treat and is currently on the road playing to the pupils of over 30 primary schools around Argyll. All of that, plus the work of other companies we have hosted at Druimn, including residencies from Magnetic North, performances from Visible Fictions, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Puppet Lab, Rodney Bewes, Scottish Dance Theatre, Fire Exit, Dogstar, Pepperdine University from the USA as well as our very own Mull Youth Theatre and Tidal Dance performances. Follow that 2014!

WINTER OPENING TIMES December: Tuesday to Saturday, 10am-4pm January & February: Thursday to Saturday, 10am-4pm CAF CURRY There are but three - we repeat only three - Caf Curries left in 2013!! After that the curries will not reappear until March 2014. Your very last chance to feast on our tasty dhals and spicy treats is Wednesday 18th December.

BOX OFFICE DETAILS

DRUIMFIN 01688 302828

AN TOBAR

www.mulltheatre.com

01688 302211

Credit: Alan Jack

www.antobar.co.uk

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