Scottish storyteller Marty Ross is an old friend of No28 Belper, having performed, and indeed premiered, many popular shows there in the past (and having also previously lived in Belper itself).

But since his moving all the way to the Isle of Arran in 2017, the logistics of staging shows in the far distant East Midlands has made further performances there more impractical.

Until now! Marty returns with his most dramatic, theatrical show yet, THE PASSION OF TAM SHANTER in which he takes the classic Robert Burns ballad of a man who gets a little too close to a distinctly Scottish witch cult - and radically reworks it as a modern day psychological thriller, more Stephen King than Burns supper. Tam Shanter is now a ruthless property developer, drunk on his own power and careless where the women in his life are concerned.

He aims to demolish an old ruined church with a sinister reputation, clearing the way for a massive out-of-town retail development. But powerful forces, most of all in the form of a mysterious young woman, are out to show him he's not as all-powerful as he thinks he is, the action building towards a dramatic and eerie climax beyond even the events of the original ballad.

As ever, Marty Ross does not simply "tell" the story but enacts it, performs it, with vivid theatrical physicality, creating something exciting as any film or stage play. Since his last show at No28, Marty has continued his career as a writer, particularly writing epic audio drama for Audible: the very first show he ever performed at No28, The Blackwater Bride, was actually developed into the full cast Audible drama The Darkwater Bride: but Belper saw it first!

He has also adapted classics such as Treasure Island, the Three Musketeers and Moby-Dick. Recently he dramatized three Charles Dickens stories in a row - Oliver Twist, David Copperfield & Bleak House in a trilogy executive produced by Sam (Skyfall) Mendes and starring the likes of Brian Cox, Helena Bonham Carter, Toby Jones, Mackenzie Crook, Mark Strong and Nicola Coughlan.

Other productions have starred the likes of Stephen Fry and David Morrisey. Last year Audible produced his original story The Dead Of Rannoch Moor and BBC Radio premiered his reworking of the classic film Local Hero (still available on BBC Sounds). But Marty's greatest love remains the live performance of his own stories:

No28 played a big part in the development of his work as live storyteller: he is looking forward to returning for an intimate, immersive night of full tilt theatre! Tickets are £18, pay on door or book online (places limited!) at... https://www.ticketebo.co.uk/arran-storytelling-theatre/the-passion-of-tam-shanter-belper 

Theatre, Drama, Storytelling @ No28 Belper, 28 Market Place, Belper DE56 1FZ

BYOB for intimate cafe-style seating