Live Scottish theatre, in all its varied forms, appears to be enjoying an upsurge in the Highlands and Islands. 

September alone has seen no fewer than six companies from the area either on the road or preparing to tour a diverse range of shows.

Drama, dance, comedy and music are all on the menu for audiences in theatres and halls across the Highlands and Islands - and into the central belt as well. 

• A huge hit at last year's Highland Festival, Inverness-based theatrecollective@highland's ensemble comedy 'The Accidental Death of an Accordionist' has just completed a 14-date tour, taking in venues as far apart as East Lothian, Skye, Eigg and Caithness.
• During September and into October, Thurso's Grey Coast Theatre Company is taking '51 Pegasus', a new drama by Ian McDonough, to Edinburgh's Traverse Theatre and The Arches, Glasgow, as well as venues throughout the Highlands.
• Mull Theatre Company currently has three very different plays in repertory on its home island and plans to take them on a Scotland-wide tour from 23 September.  These are the Scottish premiere of Martin McDonagh's 'A Skull in Connemara', Michael Frayn's award-winning 'Copenhagen' and Tom Wright's re-appraisal of Burns, 'There Was a Man'.
• Ross-shire's innovative Cartoon Theatre is taking its Edinburgh Festival Fringe hit 'The Comic' back on the road during September with performances at venues ranging from Shetland to Argyll. 
• Tosg Gaelic Theatre Company, from Sleat on Skye, is planning to present a new children's show to pupils in Gaelic-medium units throughout the Highlands in the autumn.
• Shetland's Skeklers Theatre Company takes its new production 'Circles and Tides', featuring music, poetry and visual arts, on a three-week tour of the islands from 20 September.

The area's arts development agency HI-Arts, which is funded by the Scottish Arts Council and Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), administers the Highlands and Islands Theatre Network, a consortium of professional theatre companies. 

The network's development officer, Lorna Shanks, says the diversity of touring shows emerging just now from the Highlands and Islands is even more remarkable than the sheer volume.

"It's not simply that there's a lot going on, it's the quality, variety and boldness of these productions which is so impressive," said Lorna.

"There's a real wealth of talent and energy across the Highlands and Islands at the moment which is clearly reflected in this wide range of productions.

"It's a line-up any festival organiser would be proud to present, mixing hard-hitting drama with family comedy, including works in English and Gaelic and featuring a high proportion of new writing.

"For a predominantly rural area like the Highlands and Islands to generate so much activity in just a couple of months really is remarkable and a lot of credit must go to the HIE network and the Scottish Arts Council for helping to fund many of these productions. 

"It shows that, while funding for the arts remains a constant challenge, there's no shortage of ideas or enthusiasm to build on and the vital signs are good."

Robert Livingston, director of HI-Arts, said arts and culture had an important role in the Highland-wide bid to become European Capital of Culture in 2008.

"It was entirely predictable that some people would scoff at Inverness and the Highlands bidding for Capital of Culture, but, for an area with fewer than 400,000 inhabitants, there's a tremendous amount of high-quality arts activity here," he said.

"The network of village halls, schools, and community centres which will host these tours is one of the unique strengths of the bid."

* More information about the arts in the Highlands and Islands can be found online at www.hi-arts.co.uk