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As a composer / lyricist Ian has written several musicals –CAVALLO, which he produced in the Edinburgh Fringe, DORIAN GRAY – THE MUSICAL, also produced in Edinburgh, BLUDE RED and a shorter adaptation of WHISKY GALORE – A MUSICAL! both produced at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2006. In 2007 his musical FLING! written with Suzanne Lofthus, was one of the ten finalists in MACMUSICAL – 10 ON A HIGHLAND QUEST screened on BBC2. He has also written music for productions of A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM, THE CAUCASIAN CHALK CIRCLE and for Scottish Youth Theatre HOW TO CREATE AN AVATAR.

WHISKY GALORE – A MUSICAL! ran at Pitlochry Festival Theatre in the 2009 season and was revived in 2011, to sell out audiences and was nominated for two Critics’ Awards for Theatre in Scotland.

In 2013 with a grant from Creative Scotland, then ongoing feedback from Ken Davenport and Eric Webb, Ian developed CARNEGIE – THE STAR -SPANGLED SCOTCHMAN’ a new musical based on the life of Andrew Carnegie which he produced at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2016 and the Carnegie Hall in Dunfermline in 2019. He is also developing a new musical comedy called ‘HYMN IDOL’. In 2016 Ian wrote the song ‘Help a Child Belong’ to support the Foster in Fife campaign, it is also performed every year at Wembley Arena as part of the ‘Voice in a Million’ concert.

In 2014 WHISKY GALORE – A MUSICAL!' was published by Stagescripts Ltd and has been performed throughout Scotland by various amateur companies. In 2019 CARNEGIE – THE STAR -SPANGLED SCOTCHMAN' was also published by Stagescripts.

He recently wrote the music for the video short of Cyclist Josh Quigley as he set a new world record for the North Coast 500 race.

Ian was one of the shortlisted finalists in the Pitlochry Festival Theatre/Capital Theatres search for a new musical competition in 2021.

He is currently working with Suzanne Lofthus of Cutting-Edge Theatre Productions, to develop the new musical ‘Now, Voyager’, based on the novel and Bette Davis movie written by Olive Higgins Prouty. This will be produced in Scotland in 2023.

With Ken MacPhee, he has also recently written screenplays for a new ‘Carnegie’ TV series, a science fiction TV series and a sci-fi/horror TV series as well as the feature ‘Live Again’ and is working on children’s illustrated book, ‘McShoogle and the Woogles - save the Haggis’. He also hopes to develop this into a new family musical.

As an actor and singer, he has appeared in leading roles in several musicals.
In 2017 he directed Fiddler on The Roof for EMT at the King’s Theatre Edinburgh and in 2018 Whisky Galore for Markinch Musical Society.