Bringing Hutton to Life: Meet Our Living Hutton Winners
We’re delighted to announce that Greg Cross and Cora Todd have been named the winners of the Living Hutton competition. Both brought enormous enthusiasm, warmth and creativity to their roles, helping to create a memorable experience for everyone who met them at this year’s Royal Highland Show.
Created as part of the celebrations marking the 300th anniversary of James Hutton’s birth, the competition was designed not only to bring Hutton’s story to life for visitors, but also to shine a spotlight on emerging Scottish acting talent. Greg and Cora are both recent graduates of the BA (Hons) Acting and Performance course at Queen Margaret University, an institution with a long history of nurturing performers who have gone on to successful careers on stage and screen.
Taking on the roles of James Hutton and his sister Isabella, they spent four days at the Show chatting with visitors, sharing stories about Hutton’s life and work, and exploring how science and farming have evolved over the past three centuries. Greg, an Edinburgh-based actor and writer with a talent for engaging audiences, brought Hutton’s curiosity, intelligence and passion for discovery to life. Alongside him, Fife-based actor, singer-songwriter and theatre-maker Cora brought warmth, wit and personality to the role of Isabella, helping visitors connect with the human story behind one of Scotland’s greatest scientific minds.
While Isabella took the excitement of the Show in her stride, James was particularly fascinated by the latest agricultural technology. It’s fair to say he had never imagined tractors quite like those of the 21st century!
Living Hutton showed how the arts can offer a fresh perspective on science. Through their performances, Greg and Cora transformed historical figures into relatable characters, helping visitors connect with James Hutton’s discoveries through stories, conversations and shared curiosity. The project also gave two emerging performers the opportunity to engage with thousands of visitors at one of Scotland’s largest public events.
Marion Scott, Head of Acting at Queen Margaret University, said she was delighted to see Greg and Cora embrace the challenge of bringing James and Isabella Hutton to life for a public audience.
She said: “It was a fantastic opportunity for graduating students to bring history and science to life for a public audience at such a high-profile event.
“Experiences like this not only build confidence and creativity but also highlight the value of collaboration between the arts and science.
“We are very grateful to the Hutton for providing this opportunity to expand the students’ repertoire.”
Professor Colin Campbell, Chief Executive of the James Hutton Institute, praised all of the finalists and the contribution they made to the tercentenary celebrations.
He said: “The standard of acting was so high, it was hard to select the best, but we were very pleased for Cora and Greg who were extremely engaging and really brought James and Isabella to life.”
We caught up with Cora to find out more about her experience at the Royal Highland Show and what she took away from being part of Living Hutton.
How does it feel to have been selected as one of the winner of the Living Hutton Emerging Talent Acting Competition?
I was absolutely thrilled! It’s such a tough industry and it’s not often you hear that you’ve got the part, so it was VERY exciting. I feel so grateful for the unique opportunity to bring Hutton’s legacy to life.
How do you prepare for playing a historical figure from the 1700s?
I was very thankful for the three research days we got…they were needed! I must admit, I hadn’t heard about Hutton or the Institute before, so it was fascinating to learn about such an important, local figure and organisation. As well as learning about Hutton’s life and legacy, I also had to do the ‘actory’ bit and consider how I’d play Isabella. Not so much is known about her, so I got to be creative and figure her out for myself while also considering the dynamic between her and her brother.
(I think she kept him right a lot of the time).
What did you learn about Isabella that surprised you the most?
Honestly, that they both never married. Or so they say…
What was your favourite part about performing at the Royal Highland Show and did you have any memorable interactions?
I loved the interaction with the public and the fascinating conversations with the Hutton scientists. The world of science and agriculture wasn’t one I’ve ever encountered so up close, so every day was a school day.
And I have to say, what sticks out to me the most is when three little girls approached me asking if I was a princess. I didn’t have the heart to say no, so I was ‘Princess Isabella’ to them. The smallest of the three even gifted me a paper love heart she drew. They weren’t so interested in James though…I think in my lovely dress, I might have upstaged my brother more than a few times that weekend!
If Isabella had social media, what do you think she’d be posting about?
I’d like to think Isabella would be off the grid, conducting her own scientific research in some far-off land. Maybe she’d occasionally share some political or climate activism. I feel like she’d be screwed on in that department.
We’d like to extend our thanks to Greg and Cora for the energy, creativity and curiosity they brought to the roles of James and Isabella. They helped make our tercentenary celebrations truly memorable, showing how performance and storytelling can bring science to life to inspire new audiences to engage with Hutton’s legacy.
It has been a pleasure to work with them both, and we look forward to seeing where their talents take them next.
You can watch their full sketch from our reception at the Royal Highland Show on our YouTube channel.