End of an era: Mull Theatre tour closes in Cove on Saturday

Written by Peter Arnott and directed by Alasdair McCrone, ‘Unspotted Snow’ is based on the tale of the ill-fated expedition to the Arctic in 1845 led by Sir John Franklin, who led 129 men off in search of the Northwest Passage linking the Atlantic and Pacific – but who were never seen again after they set off.

But the show’s Cove performance, this Saturday, May 11, isn’t just the last of the tour: it’s also the 49th, and very last, Mull Theatre production for the play’s production designer and scenic artist, Alicia Hendrick, who hails from Cardross.

Brought up on the Kilmahew estate in the village, Alicia attended school in Helensburgh before going on to study at the Glasgow School of Art, and has collaborated for the last 24 years with Alasdair McCrone, who is the director both of Unspotted Snow and of Mull Theatre’s parent organisation Comar – and is also bowing out from Mull Theatre after this Saturday’s show.

On top of that, Alicia has two sisters, and several cousins and friends, who still live in the area, while her parents moved to Rosneath after retiring.

The play won a three-star review in the Advertiser’s sister title, The Herald, while respected critic Joyce McMillan gave it four stars.

It tells the story of the Orcadian explorer and physician John Rae, who brought news of the expedition’s tragic end to London – and to Sir John’s wife, Lady Jane Franklin – nine years after it set off.

Playwright Peter Arnott said: “John’s unique contribution was as a pioneer in the wilderness survival techniques now familiar to us through the likes of Ray Mears, but quite extraordinary in his own time.”

The curtain rises for Unspotted Snow at Cove Burgh Hall at 8pm this Saturday. Doors open at 7.15pm.

Admission is £10, with tickets available in advance at

and at the door subject to availability.

There will also be a bar and raffle.