Family Portrait

Family Portrait is an interactive video installation work, combining striking imagery and choreography, capturing Barrowland Ballet’s Artistic Director, Natasha Gilmore, and her three children in an intimate portrayal of family life.

Audiences will see the family through choreographed sequences and more candid, natural ‘off camera’ moments as they encounter and embrace the many different landscapes of Scotland.

With space to roam, the children encounter rabbit skulls, converse with spiders, make war paint with berries and discover the fun of burying their mother in bark.

The work takes us on a geographical and emotional journey, giving the audience an in-depth insight into what it is to be a mother and a single parent to three young children. With humour and candour, the work shares an honest depiction of what family really is – responsibility, joy, balance, intimacy and, most of all, love. A celebration of getting out into nature, it invites you into an intimate journey of family relationships with all its relentless and glorious chaos!

Post-show activity gives time and space for you to explore and re-enact moments from the work, inviting you to create your own family portrait to be included in our Family Portrait Gallery.

Watch ‘How to Make your own Family Portrait’ here

Family Portrait is captioned and audio-described throughout. You can access our introductory audio-description here.

“★★★★★ It is as pure a picture of joy and love as they come”

The Stage

“★★★★ This heartwarming video installation takes us to the heart of our natural world

The List

“★★★★★ Charming, funny and touching. A heart-warming family portrait which will bring tears to your eyes”

Broadway Baby

“Beautifully clear, crystal sharp cinematography... the audience member quickly becomes immersed in a joyful, quirky, sometimes contemplative and inventively original audio-visual experience”

The National

“★★★★ Dazzling and full of depth... a powerful narrative, through images and movement, about motherhood and creativity, and the relationship between the two”

The Scotsman

“It makes you want to get out into the woods and play with sticks and mud and moss and all the things you used to do as a child. It's a really beautiful portrait of family life”

Audience Member

Creative Team

Performers Otis Bazie Gilmore, Inigo Bazie Gilmore, Frieda Bazie Gilmore, Natasha Gilmore

Co-Creators/Directors Natasha Gilmore and Robbie Synge

Text Otis Bazie Gilmore

Music and Sound Designer Davey Anderson

Editor Robbie Synge

Support Editor Monika Smekot

Choreographers Natasha Gilmore, Aya Kobayashi & Robbie Synge

Cinematographers Robbie Synge, Monika Smekot, George Cameron Geddes & Elga Dudareva

Designer Emily James

Video Consultant Tim Reid

Captioning Natasha Gilmore and Monika Smekot

Audio Description Natasha Gilmore

Audio Description Advisor Sally Clay

Chaperone Molly Danter

Producers Jo Walmsley, Belinda McElhinney & Raw Material Arts

General Manager Nicola Denman

Production Manager Craig Fleming

Scenic Artist Martha Steed

Scenic Construction Perth Theatre

Thanks to Take Me Somewhere, Natalie and the team at Sloans, National Theatre of Scotland, Perth Theatre, Suzie Normand, Rock at Warpro Production Services, Barrowland Ballet Board of Trustees.

Previous Performances

Findhorn Bay Arts Festival 2024

Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2023 (Made in Scotland Showcase)

The Egg Theatre, 2023

Hakawy International Arts Festival 2022

Baboro International Children’s Festival 2022

DanceLive, Citymoves 2022

The Lowry, EDITS series exhibition 2022

Edinburgh International Children’s Festival 2022

Theatre in Schools Scotland Tour 2022

Belfast International Children’s Festival 2022

Esplanade, Singapore 2022

Edinburgh Festival Fringe, 2021

Take Me Somewhere, 2021

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