ABOUT US

Matthew Zajac: Artistic Director

MATTHEW ZAJAC - ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
​Matthew is from Inverness. He studied Drama at Bristol University and has worked as an actor for 36 years, alongside producing and directing many new plays. In recent years he has also become a writer. Theatre acting includes work at the Citizens Theatre Glasgow, Manchester Royal Exchange, Bristol Old Vic, Liverpool Everyman, Royal Lyceum Edinburgh, the Lyric Hammersmith, Bush Theatre and the Young Vic. Screen acting in recent years includes feature films The Crucifixion (Xavier Gens), Valhalla Rising (Nicholas Winding Refn), And Violet (Paul Gray), A Lonely Place To Die (Julian Gilbey) and TV appearances in Shetland, One Of Us & Still Game. He appeared in Dogstar's 2018 climate change comedy by Morna Pearson, Let's Inherit The Earth, co-produced with Sweden's Profilteatern. In 2017, he wrote and appeared in Dogstar's award-winning play about women's experience of the Syrian war, The Sky Is Safe, directed by Ben Harrison.  He also played the title role in Dogstar's award-winning 2016 Scottish-Danish co-production Mungo Park-Travels in the Interior of Africa, directed by Martin Lyngbo.  He directed Seven Ages (2001), The Seer (2006), ‘e Polish Quine (2007), Jacobite Country (2010), Sweetness (2011) and The Baroness (2013) for Dogstar and wrote and performed The Tailor of Inverness for the company, winning the 2009 Best Actor Award at the Critics' Awards for Theatre in Scotland, a Scotsman Fringe First, the Holden Street Theatres Award and the Stage Award for Best Solo Performer at the 2008 Edinburgh Fringe. The Tailor of Inverness went on to run for a month at the 2009 Adelaide Fringe Festival, winning nominations for Best Production and Best Performance.  This production has now had 5 sell-out Scottish tours and has also toured to Denmark, Sweden (twice), Poland, Ukraine (twice), USA, Germany, Wales, England and Ireland (twice), including selling out for 3 weeks at New York’s 2015 Brits Off Broadway Festival. For Dogstar, Matthew has also appeared in Seven Ages, Sweetness, Factor 9, The Captain’s Collection & The Heretic’s Tale. He played Ulfheim in When We Dead Awaken for Riksteatern, Vasterbottensteatern (Sweden) & Unity Theatre Liverpool (2008) and he worked for Vasterbottensteatern on the company's Swedish language production Hohaj in 2011-12.  He was a founder member of London-based Plain Clothes Productions, producing, acting and directing for the company’s six productions in the 1990s. These included the George Devine Award Winner Blue Night in the Heart of the West (1992), A Prick-Song for the New Leviathan, Wolf and Her Sister’s Tongue. As Associate Director of Grey Coast Theatre Company 1994-98, he directed Camster and the Helmsdale Community play The Great Bunillidh Volcano and appeared in Songs of the Grey Coast & The Niss. Matthew has produced two films, The Beauty of the Common Tool (1st Prize at the Palm Springs International Short Film Festival) and the digital feature Gordon Bennett. For Licketyspit early years theatre company, he directed remounts of Molly Whuppie(2003 & 2006); Wee Witches(2005 & 2007); The Christmas Quangle Wangle (2004). Other acting work includes Creon in Antigone (TAG), Joe Saul in Burning Bright (V.amp/Tramway), Long Rob in Sunset Song (Prime Productions), Karl Marx’s Beard (Arches/Traverse), Mr Hansen in Further Than the Furthest Thing (Prime Productions), and screen appearances in The Planman, Taggart, Inspector George Gently (ITV), Fiona's Story, Garrow's Law, Single Father, Eve (BBC), High Times (STV), Low Winter Sun, Zastrozzi (C4), and the feature films Iona, Young Adam, Culloden 1746 (formerly Chasing the Deer) & Man To Man. His book, The Tailor of Inverness was published in 2013 by Sandstone Press.  He recently completed a stage adaptation of James Robertson's novel The Testament of Gideon Mack and he is currently writing his first novel.
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Donna Macrae: Producer

DONNA MACRAE - PRODUCER
​Donna Macrae was born in Inverness. She left school to attend the Edinburgh College of Art, didn't like it and left after a year. She went on to run her own first business at the age of 25, employing at that time over 20 people. Over the last 30+ years Donna has been involved in Production and Production Management in the Arts world with her business Firefly Productions delivering hugely successful productions and events across a wide range of disciplines from Television Production, Music Agency and Music Business Consultancy through to delivering the Highland-wide Blas Festival for 12 years from its inception through to November 2016. She has taught music business studies at the then Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, has produced two training courses for traditional musicians and has been engaged as a consultant by a wide variety of businesses from photographers to jewelers. Donna ran the first professional 24-track digital music studio in The Highlands between 1993 and 2003. She has set up tours for a wide range of musicians from a classical ensemble from Rostov on Don to legendary traditional musicians Dr Aly Bain and Dr Phil Cunningham. She still paints and enjoys portrait painting, having studied with Charles Cecil in Florence during the summers of 2004 and 2005.
Over the years Donna has contributed to a number of company boards including Eden Court theatre and David Hughes Dance Company. Donna speaks French and Russian in a 'passable' fashion. She plays classical guitar for fun and has learned to fly light aircraft. She is interested in the History of the Near East and has taken part in distance studies with the University of Tel Aviv.
She has one married daughter, one grand daughter and a German Wire Haired pointer called Rosie, who helps out in her office.

Donna and Firefly Productions joined Dogstar in 2016 acting as producers for touring productions, delivering the general administration of the company and working with Matthew Zajac to further develop the company's reach. 

Hamish MacDonald: Artistic Director ( Retired)

HAMISH MACDONALD - FOUNDER
​Hamish, now retired from Dogstar, was the very first Scots Screiver for the National Library of Scotland. A novelist, songwriter and playwright, Hamish was involved in touring productions as producer, writer and performer in the Highlands and Islands from the mid-1980s. He has written for BBC Scotland and the Comedy Unit, including sketches for Naked Video, Velvet Cabaret & the Daily Sketch. He became a full-time writer in 1998. Published in poetry, short story and fiction, works include acclaimed novel The Gravy Star (11:9 Publishing 2001), and a novella in Scots, The Girnin’ Gates (ItchyCoo 2003). Plays include Factor 9, Redcoats, Turncoats & Petticoats , The Captain’s Collection, The Strathspey King, Seven Ages, The Heretic’s Tale, Singing Far Into The Night, Slainte Mhath Mr Capone. He was the inaugural Robert Burns Writing Fellow for Dumfries and Galloway Arts Association 2003-06. He has also written two series for BBC Radio Scotland: an adaptation of The Captain’s Collection, and the original radio version of The Strathspey King, both of which won awards at the Celtic Film & TV Festival (2000 & 2001).

Associate Artists

Alyth McCormack: Associate Artiste

Alyth comes from the Island of Lewis off the North West coast of Scotland. There she was brought up steeped in the Gaelic culture. Influenced by this great musical heritage, she went on to study opera and drama at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow. She is well known as a singer and has toured and festivalled extensively throughout Europe and America since 1996. She features on a number of CDs including her 2000 solo album, Am Iomall. As an actress, she has worked with TOSG, Wee Stories, Scottish Ballet, theatrecollective, Dance Productions, Theatre Workshop and, of course, Dogstar.  Alyth tours regularly to large-scale venues in the USA as a guest singer with Irish folk giants The Chieftains.

Jonny Hardie: Associate Artiste

Jonny Hardie was brought up in Aberdeenshire A fine exponent of fiddle and guitar, Jonny also studied viola at the Royal Northern College of Music.
Jonny co-founded Old Blind Dogs in 1929, or thereabouts. Since the band began, they have recorded 13 studio albums and two live albums. Over the years, Jonny has been involved in many other musical collaborations. He has performed with/arranged or produced over 50 CDs in his career (so far) recording and performing with artists as diverse as Kylie Minogue and The Chieftains with Ry Cooder. Jonny is currently working with fellow Aberdonians Simon Gall (in Clype) and Jenny Sturgeon. He is also musical director and writer for Dogstar Theatre Company and teaches fiddle at Aberdeen City Music School.

Gavin Marwick: Associate Artiste

Gavin Marwick is a fiddle player and composer. He has performed at concerts, theatres, festivals and dances all around the world in numerous bands including Bellevue Rendezvous, Journeyman (a project to perform his own tunes), Iron Horse, the Unusual Suspects and Ceilidh Minogue. Commissions include works for the BBC, SkyArts, the Traverse Theatre and Dogstar (The Tailor of Inverness).

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Annie Grace: Associate Artiste

Annie grew up in Lochaber and attended Glasgow School of Art. An acclaimed singer and whistle player, she was a member of the internationally successful ‘90s band Iron Horse. She has worked on numerous other musical projects including her 2005 solo album Take Me Out Drinking Tonight. As an actress, she has worked with the Traverse, Oran Mor, theatrecollective, RC Kelly, National Theatre of Scotland and Dogstar.

Douglas Russell: Associate Artiste

Doug is from Aberdeen and studied Medieval History at St. Andrews University.  He  has worked as an actor in Scotland for over 15 years.  This has included work with the Royal Lyceum, Edinbrugh; Pitlochry Festival Theatre; Grid Iron & Eden Court. He has toured extensively with Prime Productions, Mull Theatre and Dogstar, appearing in The Seer and 'e Polish Quine for the company.  He has also made numerous screen and radio apearances, including Rebus & Taggart (ITV), Low Winter Sun (C4), Dear Green Place &  The Red Fox (BBC),  Tunes of Glory & Let It Bleed (BBC Radio 4) and the recently-made feature films Valhalla Rising and Running in Traffic.

Bruce MacGregor: Associate Artiste

Bruce MacGregor is one of Scotland’s most celebrated and accomplished fiddle players. 
Taught by the great Donald Riddell CBE, Bruce’s style encapsulates the finest points of Highland fiddle music – bold and rugged at times, lyrical and beautiful at others.

For Bruce, the essence of Scottish fiddle music lies in its ability to retain its heart and soul, whilst displaying diversity and a sense of adventure that, when brought together, make it truly unique in terms of traditional music.

Bruce is probably best known as founder and driving force behind the multi award winning Blazin’ Fiddles. He also toured and recorded with the first incarnation of Gaelic supergroup Cliar.
As well as a touring musician Bruce’s composing skills have seen his work commissioned for TV, radio and stage.  He also features on many soundtracks across television and radio.