I come from Gnilowoda.  I come from a tailoring school in Podhajce.  I come from the Eastern Front because when you are a tailor, they send you to be a soldier.  I come from the Soviets and the Nazis.  I come from a farm, from the forests and fields of green Ukraine.  From the resettlement camps of Germany.  From the beaches of the Adriatic.  From the grimy streets of Glasgow.  And the cool air of Inverness.  Now I am here.  I am from here.  I speak the language of here.

The Tailor of Inverness is a story of journeys, of how a boy who grew up on a farm in Galicia (Eastern Poland, now Western Ukraine) came to be a tailor in Inverness.  His life spanned most of the 20th century.  His story is not straightforward.  He was taken prisoner by the Soviets in 1939 and forced to work east of the Urals, then freed in an amnesty after the German invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941.  He then joined the thousands of Poles who travelled to Tehran, then Egypt, to be integrated into the British Army, fighting in North Africa and Italy.  He was then resettled in Britain in 1948, joining his brother in Glasgow.  This is the story he told.

But there is another story, and perhaps a third and fourth one, for in order to survive, he had to adopt different identities.  Like all immigrants, the tailor had to adapt and he did that very successfully, integrating himself into the fabric of Highland life.  And fabric was perhaps the most important medium through which he achieved this.  He made a variety of clothes for thousands of people, including himself, constructing the outward trappings which play a part in defining hwo we are.  Fabric.  Fabrication.

Crossing the borders from Poland to Russia to Iran to Egypt to Italy to Germany to Scotland, the fable reflects on the Second World War but is personal, intimate and rooted in two cultures:  Galicia and the Scottish Highlands.  The play uses the central metaphor of the tailor and his fabric.  Layers of ghostly clothes are projected on to with a series of still and moving images from the tailor's past and present-day Ukraine.  The performance combines storytelling, songs, poetry and physicality with a rich soundscape of live fiddle music and effects.

The Tailor of Inverness previewed at the Arches Theatre, Glasgow on July 29th & 30th 2008 and opened at the Assembly Rooms, Edinburgh on July 31st, running to August 24th. 

The production will tour Scotland from late January 2009, going on to the Adelaide Festival, Australia for three weeks.  A tour of Ireland in spring 2009 is also being planned.

Reviews:
"...in Zajac's simple, beautiful presentation and performance we feel his sense of self first challenged, then enriched."  Financial Times ****

"...a brave biographical piece...that has succeeded in turning a deeply personal family story into a universal work of theatre."  Sunday Herald ****

"...theatre at its best...achieves more power, humour and inventiveness in its 75 minutes than most full-length plays manage in three hours...Zajac's performance is phenomenal.  It is easy to get swept away by the narratives, the numerous characters and the constant theatrical surprises that Harrison and Zajac create...personal, creative and mesmerising.  This should not be missed."
onstagescotland.co.uk ****

"...a stunning realisation of the one-man form...visually breathtaking in its simplicity."  festmag.co.uk ****

"...it is both familiar and unpredictable, challenging yet funny, epic but also profoundly moving...It carries heart-rending poems in hidden pockets and you should definitely try it on."  The Stage

"...a captivating piece of theatre...a must-see."  The Inverness Courier

Directed by Ben Harrison
Performed by Matthew Zajac
Violinist -  Jonny Hardie/Gavin Marwick
Polish Voice - Magdalena Kaleta

Set & Costume Design by Ali Maclaurin
Musical Arrangement by Gavin Marwick & Jonny Hardie
Video Design by Tim Reid
Lighting Design by Kai Fischer
Sound Design by Timothy Brinkhurst
Production & Stage Manager  Laura Edwards
Technical Stage Manager  Sholto Bruce
Rehearsal Assistant  Hannah Reade
Translation  Magdalena Kaleta, Lucy Ash, Tom Morrison

Project Administrator  Angela Cran
Press & Marketing  Liz Smith
Publicity Photography  Laurence Winram
Graphic Design  Karen Sutherland
Production Photography  Tim Morozzo
Produced by Matthew Zajac                                     

Where and When:
Celtic Connections, Tron Theatre, Glasgow, 24 and 25 Jan 09 H: 20:00 Tickets: £12.50, Box Office: 0141 353 8000. Online @ www.celticconnectios.com

The Catstrand, New Galloway, Castle Douglas, Jan 09, H: 19:30, Tickets: £8/£6, Box Office: 01644 420374. Online http://www.thebooth.co.uk/

Eastgate Theatre, Peebles, 29 Jan 09, H: 19:30 Tickets: £11/£9, Box Office: 01721 725777. Online @ http://www.thebooth.co.uk/

Brunton Theatre, Musselburgh, 30 Jan, H: 19:30,Tickets: £10.50/£8.50; under18 £6, Box  Office: 0131 665 2240. Online @ www.thebooth.co.uk

Webster Theatre, Arbroath, 31 Jan, 19:30, £8/£6 £5 Clubs, Box Office: 01241 435800

Carnegie Hall, Dunfermline, 2 Feb, 19:30, £8.50/£7/£5 ,Box Office: 01383 602302. Online @ http://www.carnegiehall.org.uk/

Tower Mill, Heart of Hawick, 3 Feb, 19:30, £8/£6, Box Office: 01450 360688. Online @ http://www.thebooth.co.uk/

Byre Theatre, St. Andrews, 4 Feb 19:30, £14/£12/£8 24 & under , Box Office: 01334 475000. Online http://www.byretheatre.com/

Macphail Theatre, Ullapool, 5 Feb 20:00, £7/5£ Email: This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it ,%20Box'; document.write( '' ); document.write( addy_text23735 ); document.write( '<\/a>' ); //-->\n This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it Office: 01854 613336

An Lanntair, Stornoway, 6 Feb, 20:00, £8/£6 £7 An Lanntair friends, Box Office: 01851 703307. Online @ http://www.thebooth.co.uk/              

Sabhal Mor Ostaig, Isle of Skye, 7 Feb, 20:00, £9/£4students/£3 children/£7 members, 01851 844207. Online @ http://www.seall.co.uk/

Airainn Shuaineirt (The Sunart Centre, Strontian), 9 Feb 20:00, £8/£6, under 18, Tickets:  01397 709228

Druimfin, Tobermory, Isle of Mull, 10 Feb, 20:00, £8/£6, Box Office: 01688 302828

Lossiemouth Town Hall, 12 FEB 19:30, £9/£8, Box Office: 01343 812016

Woodend Barn, Banchory ,13 Feb, 19:30, £9 (£7) £5 under 16, Box Office:  01330 825431  http://www.woodendbarn.co.uk/                     

Lonach Hall, Strathdon, Aberdeenshire, 14 FEB,  H: 19:30 (door: 18:45), Tickets:  £7/ £5, Online @ http://www.thebooth.co.uk/ lub telefonicznie 019756 51779.

OneTouch Theatre, Eden Court, Inverness, 18 till 21 Feb 09, H: 19:30, £12/£10, Box Office: 01463 234 234 online http://www.eden-court.co.uk/