GET INVOLVED / CASTING CALL
APPLICATION DEADLINE / 20 SEPTEMBER, 5PM
Set during the 1745 Jacobite Rising, Flight of the Heron is a sweeping story of rebellion, loyalty and friendship across enemy lines. Combining dramatic storytelling, live music, movement and ensemble performance, the production transforms Belloporto Town Hall into a world of Highland homes, royal palaces, battlefields and military prisons.
The casting call is open to current Queen Margaret University students, QMU graduates and alumni, and performers from Edinburgh and the wider community. We welcome generous, committed collaborators with a range of backgrounds and experience.
ROLES AVAILABLE
Ewen Cameron of Ardroy
A young Highland chieftain and committed Jacobite. Charismatic, honourable and occasionally impulsive, Ewen is torn between duty to his people and his growing friendship with the man he is expected to regard as an enemy.
Keith Windham
An English Redcoat officer. Proud, intelligent and deeply principled, Keith’s loyalty to the British Army is increasingly tested by his encounters with Ewen.
Alison Grant
Ewen’s fiancée. Politically astute, determined and actively involved in the Jacobite cause, Alison is much more than someone waiting at home for the men to return.
Lachlan MacMartin
Ewen’s foster brother and fiercely loyal companion. Superstitious, passionate and suspicious of Keith, Lachlan believes a mysterious heron has warned him of danger.
Margaret Cameron
Ewen’s aunt and the formidable matriarch of Ardroy. Warm, sharp-witted and protective, she understands the human cost of rebellion better than most.
Donald Cameron of Lochiel
Chief of Clan Cameron and Ewen’s elder cousin. A respected leader carrying responsibility for his clan, his family and the Jacobite cause.
Supporting roles & ensemble
Supporting roles
Bonnie Prince Charlie, The Duke of Cumberland, The Earl of Albemarle, Major Guthrie, Captain Greening, Sergeant Mullins, Lady Easterhall and The Inverness Blacksmith. Some supporting roles may be combined with ensemble parts.
The ensemble is central to the production, creating its shifting world through movement, group storytelling and singing. Instrumental, movement, dance, stage-combat or vocal experience is welcome, but not essential.
Venue: Belloporto Town Hall, Edinburgh. Technical and dress rehearsals: 8–9 June 2027. Performances: 10–12 June 2027 at 7pm and 2:30pm. Applicants must be available throughout the production week.
Principal cast rehearsals take place weekly at Queen Margaret University from October 2026. Ensemble rehearsals begin in May 2027, with additional dates agreed and communicated in advance.
First round: self-tape. Please submit your name and brief introduction, the role or roles that interest you, a performed monologue or dramatic extract of no more than two minutes, and details of any relevant experience. A clear phone recording is entirely suitable.
Second round: shortlisted applicants will be invited to an in-person audition at Queen Margaret University in the first week of October. Extracts from the play will be provided in advance.
HOW TO APPLY
Include your name, contact details and relevant availability information. This is an unpaid student and community production with no participation fee. Please share any access requirements relating to the application, audition or rehearsal process.