Joyce Falconer once sold pies at Pittodrie to earn her pocket money. At that point, the notion she might star in front of capacity audiences in her home city was just a dream.
But now, the Torry-born actress will take centre stage when an epic theatrical production is unveiled in Aberdeen later this year.
Tickets have gone on sale for the spectacular event which marks the conclusion to Granite, the high-profile arts venture which was launched by the National Theatre of Scotland and Aberdeen City Council last September.
Three outdoor performances will take place on a custom-built set within the quadrangle of Marischal College from Thursday, March 31, to Saturday, April 2.
And Ms Falconer, who is well-known to Scottish audiences after appearing for many years in the BBC Scotland TV soap opera River City, will be at the forefront of one of the most ambitious projects ever staged in the north east.
She said: “I look forward to performing in Granite and putting on a show celebrating our heritage. We Aberdonians are not always very good at celebrating ourselves, but the city and its people have outstanding stories and culture to share.
“I love working on ensemble pieces and will enjoy working with all the groups already involved in Granite.”
The work tells the story of the city from 1863 to 2016 in the space of just over an hour, transporting audiences from 19th-century Aberdeen across oceans, continents and centuries. The production follows some of the men and women who made the city famous, those who left Aberdeen to find their fortunes and those who are arriving now to seek their own destiny.
The action will take place in a wide range of settings: from the granite quarries of Kemnay and Rubislaw to the fishing boats and oil platforms of the North Sea.
Then there is the contrast between a night out on Union Street and an ocean voyage on an Atlantic schooner; and from the snowfields of Tsarist Ukraine to the football ground in Gothenburg which hosted Aberdeen FC’s legendary victory in the 1983 European Cup Winners’ Cup final.
Audience members will be seated around a 20-metre-long stage, to experience a production that features a live orchestra and choir, aerial performances, video projection and a large cast.
The latter comprises professional actors – including Ms Falconer and HM Theatre panto favourite Alan McHugh – and performers from a diverse collection of local community arts groups, including Aberdeen Performing Arts, ACT Aberdeen, Citymoves Dance Agency, the University of Aberdeen, Delisto Afroreggae Dancers and the Slovo School.
Granite director Simon Sharkey said: “After two years of planning and six months of engagement, this piece of theatre, shaped with the people of Aberdeen, becomes delightfully imminent as tickets go on sale.
“The real challenge of telling this city’s story begins now. The excitement is tangible: I have an amazing cast made up of some of the Aberdeen community alongside some of our finest actors. The dates are set, and the prospect of the audiences coming through those doors at Marischal College to experience the story of their city in the open air is exhilarating. I can’t wait.”