Musician's search for her father inspires new show

When Mountains Meet draws on the experiences of violinist Anne Wood

A Scottish musician has created a theatre show inspired by her search for her Pakistani father 30 years ago.

Violinist Anne Wood, who grew up in Scourie and Edinburgh in the 1970s, has performed with bands The Raincoats and Deacon Blue and singer-songwriter Michael Marra.

Her parents met in Scotland when her dad was a medical student and mum, Fiona, was a medical secretary.

Wood said: "My father didn't know I was born because he left to return to Pakistan before mum knew she was pregnant."

Anne Wood, when she was growing up, knew she had a father in Pakistan but little information about him

"Mum never married, and raised me as a single mum," Wood added.

"My experience felt like a very complete family with my mum. I'm really proud of my mum and the great wee family we were."

She added: "I knew I had a Pakistani dad but no more than that."

Wood has not publicly named her father, who died 10 years ago, to avoid causing offence to his wife and children in Pakistan.

The new show - When Mountains Meet - explores Scottish-Pakistani identity and Wood's experiences. It features Scottish and south Asian music and performers.

Anne Wood helping out with sheep shearing in Scourie in the Highlands

Wood, who now lives in Ullapool, decided to look for her father in the late 1980s when she was in her 20s and working in London on the film Sammy and Rosie Get Laid.

The comedy-romance involves Asian characters and was directed by Stephen Frears, who went to make the films Philomena and Dirty Pretty Things.

People warned Wood her search for her father could be difficult.

She said: "I was warned he might not want to know me, or I might never find him."

The only information she had was his name and that he was a doctor.

She called London's Pakistan High Commission hoping to find someone who could help her.

Wood with musicians in Pakistan

Wood said: "I asked to speak to a medical officer and when I told him I was looking for a doctor in Pakistan he told me there were a lot of doctors.

"He said to give me his name and he would see what he could do."

To both their surprise, it turned out the medical officer was a good friend of Wood's father and he gave her the address of the teaching hospital where he was a professor.

"Very tentatively, I wrote a letter telling him who my mum was and that I believed he was my father," she said.

"Within two weeks I got this massive letter back from him, completely accepting me as his child.

"He also told me of his six children and life in Pakistan and that it would be lovely to meet."

Wood says When Mountain Meets explores Scottish-Pakistani identity

Father and daughter continued to correspond until one day in 1987 she got a phone call from him telling her he was in London.

At the time, Wood was preparing for a performance of Liz Lochhead's play Mary Queen of Scots Got Her Chopped Off, in Edinburgh.

Wood said: "He said 'I'll come up to Edinburgh'. I booked two seats at the play for my mum and my dad.

"I didn't have time to meet them before the show.

"I was behind the set peering out at the two empty seats and then this tall man walked in and sat down. It was my dad."

She added: "His first sight of me was when I opened the show dressed in rags and playing some wild violin."

Speaking about their meeting after the performance, Wood said: "He didn't feel like a stranger. We had a real connection."

Wood later took up an offer to visit her father in Karachi.

She said the trip had its challenges, including her father's wife refusing to meet her and times when her father felt uncomfortable describing Wood as his daughter.

But over the years, Wood has built a relationship with her two brothers, with one giving her his perspective of their family situation during the writing of When Mountains Meet.

"That has been really important to the show," said Wood.

"It has really enriched it."