Reviews

Dr Johnson Goes to Scotland (as actor / musician / Musical Director)

'Gerda Stevenson and Morna Young account for all manner of sonsy womankind as well as the hauntingly lovely Gaelic singing that adds to the pleasure of this piece.' (Herald ***)

Sunset Song (as Performer / Musical Director / Composer)

"strong musical direction from Morna Young, who plays a live folk-based score" (Herald ****)

"by using traditional music to link scenes and mood changes, musical director Morna Young reminds us that underneath the gruff exterior of traditional working Scots lie sentimental, passionate hearts." (Edinburgh Spotlight ****)

"The music is simply marvellous and the compositions that Morna Young (has) given us match the melancholy, the joy and the story perfectly." (Fringe review ****)

"under musical director Morna Young, this production made the idea fresh. The wedding scene in particular used music beautifully" (whatsonnorth ****)

B-Roads (as "Louise" - co-performer / co-writer)

"The balance between humour and sadness is well-handled by Morna and David in the writing – and their strong, well-matched and compelling performances ... a powerful subject imaginatively handled." (Inverness Courier)

Mary Queen of Scots Got Her Head Chopped Off (as The Fiddler/Ensemble/Musician/Co-composer): 

"Morna Young is the onstage ensemble musician giving a poignant sound commentary." (The Public Reviews ****)

"...an old story, delivered by a talented cast." (Edinburgh Evening News ****)

"With the addition of Morna Young contributing to the ensemble and providing onstage music, this is a tight, inventive production." (The Stage)

"The hard working cast were a pleasure to behold. Introducing Knox into the play with an orange flute band was a stroke of genius." (Edinburgh Guide *****)

Caledonia (as Serving Girl)

"The clear highlight of the show is Morna Young's serving girl playing her fiddle and singing a lament." (onstagescotland.co.uk)

"A talent-spotting mention for Morna Young, the serving girl. Her proudly displayed skills included being traditional Scottish fiddler and flautist. She managed her overall role as wandering failure of Scottish ambition, bringing comfort to the audience and alerts them to the modernity of the piece." (actingwithpurpose.tumblr.com)

"...there's considerable talent on display here, and even in smaller parts, no small actors." (edinburghguide..com)

"A tribute to the skill of all those involved - including a fine cast, led by Paul Higgins - that what Caledonia finally achieves, in its closing scenes, is a kind of profound elegiac lyricism about the sheer human cost of the enterprise, expressed in brilliantly theatrical terms." (Scotsman 4*)

Vagabonds' Voyage (as Roma the actor-musician)

"The cast are engaging and the singing and music-making are charming and poignant" (Lyn Gardner, The Guardian ***)

"Wondrously simple, charming and witty... It has beautiful harmonic compositions" (remotegoat ****)

"The cast seamlessly bridge that gap between being person present and the character they are playing, being both informant and performer." (British Theatre Guide)

Kathakali: The Hunter's Story (as The Storyteller/Musician)

"The unique and imaginative soundtrack, created and performed by Morna Young and Martin McAuslan as 'the Storytellers' enhanced the performance as they wove between words and music playing instruments from fiddle to flute, bodhran to djembe. In a final striking move they created a seamless handover to the Kathakali musicians through a group performance in which the music moved from Celtic to Indian." (The Northern Scot)

Science Scams (as Theresa Clay)

(Channel 4/Clarity Productions): nominated for the Jim Poole Short Film awards 2007.