North East Arts Touring (NEAT)

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North East Arts Touring (NEAT) 'Cultivating Creative Communities' http://www.neatshows.org.uk

NEAT is a Rural Touring Scheme

NEAT was formed in 1985 as a collaboration between local promoters, 5 Grampian District Councils and the Scottish Arts Council and in that time has made a positive difference to the cultural and social life of rural communities across the North East. Previous to 1985 there had been little professional theatre provision in the area except for Aberdeen City and Inverness. NEAT identified a service gap and became an organisation focused on providing small scale theatre for local audiences in rural communities and in turn provided tour dates for theatre companies. A coordinated approach meant that NEAT was a cost effective solution, providing high quality art experiences in less populated areas.

🎭 A Halloween Hell 🎃Collieston Community CentreSunday 25 October @ 7:30pmAges 8+Welcome to the ancestral home of Count C...
20/10/2026

🎭 A Halloween Hell 🎃

Collieston Community Centre
Sunday 25 October @ 7:30pm

Ages 8+

Welcome to the ancestral home of Count Chickens. A dark, dank insalubrious place where all with evil in their hearts are trapped by an ancient curse.

Meet Gore the Ghost, the Mistress Monster and the vampire overlord himself as you seek to solve the murder of the poor bagpiper.

YOU are the detectives! Interrogate the characters up close and personal. Ask them anything you like. But be warned, the murderer will lie!

Why does the Monster look so very familiar? Are there Vampire Slayers in the house? Is Gore whiter than white? In a castle with no shortage of murderers and monsters, who is guilty this time? The hunt is on.

Ticket Information
Adults £12.00*
Under 18s & Students £9.00*

*Plus online booking fee per ticket - Adults £0.83 and Under 18s & Students £0.62.

Online ticket sales close one hour before the event. Tickets may be purchased on the door (cash only), subject to availability. We recommend booking in advance to secure your tickets.

Bring your own refreshments.

Tickets are available from www.neatshows.org.uk

Our opening film, Witches, has now completely sold out. Thank you to everyone who has booked.But the magic doesn't stop ...
20/10/2026

Our opening film, Witches, has now completely sold out. Thank you to everyone who has booked.

But the magic doesn't stop there...

There are still tickets available for Häxan: The Esoteric Cut, The Secret of Kells, and She Will as part of Festival of Darkness: Witches at the spectacular Haddo House.

These aren't ordinary cinema screenings. They're a rare chance to experience extraordinary films in one of Aberdeenshire's most atmospheric historic settings, surrounded by stories, folklore and mystery. From a newly commissioned live score accompanying Häxan to a haunting screening of She Will in the Library, these are truly one-off events that won’t be repeated.

Opportunities like this are limited. Years from now, not everyone will be able to say they watched silent cinema brought to life with live music at Haddo House, explored the magical world of The Secret of Kells, or experienced folk horror after dark within the walls of one of Scotland's most evocative buildings.

As Halloween approaches and the nights draw in, join us for a weekend of film, folklore and unforgettable experiences.

🎫 Book now: www.neatshows.org.uk/witches

Come for the films. Stay for the atmosphere. Leave with a story to tell. 🎬🏮🗨

📮 POSTCARD FROM THE ROAD | A WRONG TURN WORTH TAKING! 🚗🌿You never know what you might find when you take the road less t...
19/10/2026

📮 POSTCARD FROM THE ROAD | A WRONG TURN WORTH TAKING! 🚗🌿

You never know what you might find when you take the road less travelled…

On my way home from Findochty, I spotted a sign for Deskford and thought, “I know that name!” So, never one to follow the well-worn route, I decided to take the turn and head that way.

There was just one small problem… 🤔

The Deskford I remembered was down in the Cotswolds, from my days working in rural touring theatre down there! It took me a little while to realise I wasn't heading somewhere familiar after all. 😂

Before long, I had to deploy the sat nav to help me find my way back to a main road!

But it wasn't a wasted detour. Along the way, I discovered this wonderful Women's Land Army Scotland Memorial, tucked away in the countryside not far from Buckie. 🌾

The striking sculpture honours the women who worked on the land during the First and Second World Wars, helping keep the country fed. It’s a beautiful tribute to their hard work and contribution, and a reminder of the stories held in the places we pass every day.

And it got me thinking… sometimes it's worth taking the unfamiliar road. You might get a little lost, but you never know what you'll discover along the way!

💬 Have you visited this memorial? Do you know more about its story, or have you ever taken a wrong turn and found somewhere unexpected?

👇 I'd love to hear your stories in the comments!

📍 Travels with Our Placemaker — little discoveries, unexpected detours and stories from the road with North East Arts Touring.

🎹🎷🎸 ONE FILM. THREE MUSICIANS. A NEW SCORE PERFORMED LIVE.On Saturday 24 October, Häxan: The Esoteric Cut comes to Haddo...
18/10/2026

🎹🎷🎸
ONE FILM. THREE MUSICIANS. A NEW SCORE PERFORMED LIVE.

On Saturday 24 October, Häxan: The Esoteric Cut comes to Haddo House for a one-off Festival of Darkness experience.

At its heart is a new score, commissioned by Haddo Arts, composed by pianist Neil Birse and saxophonist Matthew Kilner, and performed live alongside the film by award-winning guitarist, composer and improviser Graeme Stephen.

And what a trio ...

🎹 Neil Birse is an Aberdeen-born, classically trained jazz pianist and Guildhall School of Music and Drama graduate whose musical influences span jazz, folk, classical and rock.

🎷 Matthew Kilner is an award-winning saxophonist who has performed at Ronnie Scott’s, PizzaExpress Live and Regensburg Jazz Festival. He won the Ogston Performance Prize in 2019 and reached the final of BBC Radio Scotland’s 2023 Young Jazz Musician of the Year competition.

🎸 Graeme Stephen is an award-winning composer, guitarist and improviser whose work spans jazz, contemporary classical music, folk and free improvisation, shaped by more than 30 years of collaboration and performance.

And then there's the film ...

Made in 1922 by Benjamin Christensen, Häxan is an extraordinary silent-era blend of documentary, essay film, horror and dramatised storytelling that journeys through historical beliefs and superstitions surrounding witchcraft. More than a century later, the BFI still describes it as formally daring and wildly inventive.

🎬 COME EARLY FOR THE STORY BEHIND THE FILM

At 6.45pm, film writer and historian Jez Conolly will introduce Häxan, exploring its production, Benjamin Christensen's career and the film's place in the golden age of silent cinema. Jez holds an MA in Film Studies and International Cinema and has written extensively on horror and folk horror.

⚠️ The pre-screening talk is limited to just 50 places, so book early.

📅 Saturday 24 October
🎤 6.45pm – Pre-screening talk with Jez Conolly
🎬 7.30pm – Häxan: The Esoteric Cut + LIVE SCORE
📍 Haddo House, Tarves, Aberdeenshire

🎟️ Tickets
Pre-screening talk and film £14.00 (Plus online booking fee of £0.98 per ticket)
Film only £12.00 (Plus online booking fee of £0.84 per ticket)

👉 BOOK NOW - https://neatshows.org.uk/witches/

If you love film, if you love live music, or if you simply want to experience something you won't see every weekend, this is the one.

A landmark film. A brand-new score. Three outstanding musicians. Performed live, for one night at Haddo.

🎹🎷🎸 ONE FILM. THREE MUSICIANS. A NEW SCORE PERFORMED LIVE.On Saturday 24 October, Häxan: The Esoteric Cut comes to Haddo...
18/10/2026

🎹🎷🎸
ONE FILM. THREE MUSICIANS. A NEW SCORE PERFORMED LIVE.

On Saturday 24 October, Häxan: The Esoteric Cut comes to Haddo House for a one-off Festival of Darkness experience.

At its heart is a new score by pianist Neil Birse and saxophonist Matthew Kilner, commissioned by Haddo Arts and performed live alongside the film with award-winning guitarist, composer, and improviser Graeme Stephen.

And what a trio ...

🎹 Neil Birse is an Aberdeen-born, classically trained jazz pianist and Guildhall School of Music and Drama graduate whose musical influences span jazz, folk, classical and rock.

🎷 Matthew Kilner is an award-winning saxophonist who has performed at Ronnie Scott’s, PizzaExpress Live and Regensburg Jazz Festival. He won the Ogston Performance Prize in 2019 and reached the final of BBC Radio Scotland’s 2023 Young Jazz Musician of the Year competition.

🎸 Graeme Stephen is an award-winning composer, guitarist and improviser whose work spans jazz, contemporary classical music, folk and free improvisation, shaped by more than 30 years of collaboration and performance.

And then there's the film ...

Made in 1922 by Benjamin Christensen, Häxan is an extraordinary silent-era blend of documentary, essay film, horror and dramatised storytelling that journeys through historical beliefs and superstitions surrounding witchcraft.

More than a century later, the BFI still describes it as formally daring and wildly inventive.

🎬 COME EARLY FOR THE STORY BEHIND THE FILM

At 6.45pm, writer and historian Jez Conolly will introduce Häxan, exploring its production, Benjamin Christensen's career and the film's place in the golden age of silent cinema. Jez holds an MA in Film Studies and International Cinema and has written extensively on horror and folk horror.

⚠️ The pre-screening talk is limited to just 50 places, so book early.

📅 Saturday 24 October
🎤 6.45pm – Pre-screening talk with Jez Conolly
🎬 7.30pm – Häxan: The Esoteric Cut + LIVE SCORE
📍 Haddo House

🎟️ Tickets
Pre-screening talk and film £14.00 (Plus online booking fee of £0.98 per)
Film only £12.00 (Plus online booking fee of £0.84 per ticket)

CLICK THE LINK TO BOOK - https://neatshows.org.uk/witches/

If you love film, love live music or simply want to experience something you won’t see every weekend, this is the one.

A landmark film. A brand-new score. Three outstanding musicians. Performed live, for one night at Haddo.

17/10/2026

🌒 YOUR SEAT AWAITS IN THE SHADOWS…

Imagine watching She Will, not in a conventional cinema, but inside the Library of Haddo House.

An old Scottish country house. An intimate audience. On screen, a haunting journey through the Scottish landscape, where past and present begin to blur.

For one night only, the surroundings become part of the film.

The screening will begin with a short pre-film talk by Dee Lawlor, setting the scene before we enter the world of She Will.

📅 Sunday 25 October | 7pm
📍 Library, Haddo House
🎟️ £7 + £0.49 online booking fee
🔞 Certificate 15 | 1hr 35mins

Places in the Library are limited, so book early.
Seating is unreserved.

🎟️ BOOK your tickets - https://www.ticketsource.com/festivalofdarkness

Join us in the Library, where the land remembers, the past lingers, and something begins to awaken.

Your seat awaits in the shadows.

Set against the magnificent backdrop of Haddo House, Festival of Darkness: Witches invites you to explore the stories th...
17/10/2026

Set against the magnificent backdrop of Haddo House, Festival of Darkness: Witches invites you to explore the stories that have haunted, fascinated and challenged us for centuries.

From the persecution of those accused of witchcraft to the ways their stories resonate today, discover a weekend of film, music, conversation and shared experiences that looks beyond the shadows to question what we fear, what we believe, and whose stories we choose to remember.

🎬 FILM & DISCUSSION
Explore the history and modern meaning of witchcraft with the documentary Witches, followed by a discussion panel. Discover the unsettling world of Häxan: The Esoteric Cut, with a live performance of a brand-new score by Neil Birse and Matthew Kilner, commissioned by Haddo Arts. And join us for She Will, a haunting psychological drama preceded by a talk exploring mental health and the Scottish witch trials.

✨ A LITTLE MAGIC FOR ALL AGES
Bring the family along for the enchanting animated film The Secret of Kells, inspired by Irish mythology and folklore, followed by a magical outdoor trail through Haddo Country Park.

🕯️ STORIES THAT DESERVE TO BE HEARD
The festival continues beyond the weekend with Wicked Quines in Banchory — an opportunity to explore the Aberdeenshire Witch Panic of 1596–97 through theatre, history, folklore and community storytelling.

🍂 MAKE AN EVENING OF IT
Join us for a warming autumn supper from Haddo’s Courtyard Café between Saturday’s screenings. Advance booking for supper is essential.

Whether you're drawn to classic cinema, contemporary film, local history, folklore or the stories that lie at the edges of the familiar, there's something here to intrigue, inspire and perhaps unsettle you.

Come curious. Leave questioning.

🖤 Festival of Darkness: Witches
📍 Haddo House
📅 Saturday 24 & Sunday 25 October
🎭 Wicked Quines — Wednesday 28 October, The Barn, Banchory

🎟️ Explore the full programme and book your tickets:
https://neatshows.org.uk/witches/

📮 POSTCARD FROM THE ROAD | FINDOCHTYLook who I found on my travels! 👀⚓Meet the White Mannie, keeping watch over Findocht...
16/10/2026

📮 POSTCARD FROM THE ROAD | FINDOCHTY

Look who I found on my travels! 👀⚓

Meet the White Mannie, keeping watch over Findochty Harbour.

I wonder how many stories he could tell about this lovely fishing village if he could talk!

So, I’ve got a few questions for you…

⚓ Have you seen the White Mannie?

📅 How long do you reckon he’s been sitting there?

🎨 And how often do you reckon he gets repainted? He looked so smart!

💬 Do you have a memory, a story or an interesting fact about him to share?

I’d love to hear from local folk and anyone who knows Findochty well. Let’s see what we can discover together!

👇 Over to you — tell us what you know in the comments!

📍 Travels with Our Placemaker — little discoveries from our journeys around the North East with North East Arts Touring.

🍲 DON’T GO HUNGRY INTO THE DARKNESS…On Saturday, Haddo’s Courtyard Café is planning a special Festival Supper from 5pm–6...
16/10/2026

🍲 DON’T GO HUNGRY INTO THE DARKNESS…

On Saturday, Haddo’s Courtyard Café is planning a special Festival Supper from 5pm–6.30pm.

Whether you’re coming out of Witches, heading into Häxan, or joining us for both, enjoy a tasty concoction from the Haddo cauldron between films, carefully prepared by Haddo’s own culinary wizards! 🧙‍♀️

🍂 Autumnal soup with rustic roll or oatcakes – £8
🥔 Jacket potato with your choice of filling, side salad & autumn coleslaw – £12.50

⚠️ ALL MEALS MUST BE PRE-ORDERED. The café will not take walk-in food orders, so please book in advance.

Tea, coffee and cakes will be available for Festival Supper diners to purchase on the evening.

Enjoy supper indoors or take it away. Indoor seating is limited to 34 and is first-come, first-served. Tables cannot be reserved.

Book by 23:55 on Sunday 18 October.

👉 Book your Festival Supper - https://neatshows.org.uk/witches/

🕯️ WICKED QUINES: THE STORIES WE MUSTN’T FORGETWho gets remembered in history — and whose stories are left untold?Join u...
16/10/2026

🕯️ WICKED QUINES: THE STORIES WE MUSTN’T FORGET

Who gets remembered in history — and whose stories are left untold?

Join us for Wicked Quines, an evening of theatre, history and storytelling inspired by the Aberdeenshire Witch Panic of 1596–97. 🔥

Taking place at The Barn in Banchory, this event offers a fascinating glimpse into the development of a new play, exploring how historical research can be transformed into powerful drama.

🎭 The evening begins with an interactive workshop, featuring script extracts, discussion and optional practical theatre exercises. Discover how Wicked Quines is taking shape — no previous theatre experience is needed, and there’s no pressure to perform.

📚 The event then opens to the wider public for a talk and community story-sharing session, exploring the history of the witch panic, its relevance today, and the stories of North East Scotland that deserve to be remembered.

And we want to hear from you! Bring along your own local legends, folklore, family stories, forgotten figures or fascinating historical events. Who knows which stories might inspire a future stage production?

📅 Wednesday 28 October 2026
🕢 7:30pm
📍 The Barn, Burn O’Bennie, Banchory

🎟️ Pay What You Decide — £0, £3, £6 or £9
Come for the workshop, the talk, or both!

Discover the history, share your stories and help bring the past to life.

Address

The Barn
Banchory
AB315QA

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 3pm
Tuesday 9am - 3pm
Wednesday 9am - 3pm
Thursday 9am - 2pm

Telephone

+441330826525

Website

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