AUTHOR Dominic Dromgoole is a regular visitor to this part of the world and looking forward to a return.

He will feature in conversation with Sheena McDonald on May 13 at the Boswell Book Festival which is taking place at Dumfries House.

His father lives near Girvan and loves life in Ayrshire — although he sometimes forsake our winter weather to decant to Miami.

Travelling has become second nature to Dominic as well, having taken on a marathon journey to celebrate the 450th anniversary of Shakespeare’s birth.

As artistic director of the Globe Theatre, he wanted to take the playwright's Hamlet to every country on the planet.

This culminated in two years of performances in almost 200 countries, having clocked up 193,000 miles and has now written a book on the venture.

Released on Thursday, April 20, Hamlet: Globe To Globe tells the story of how he took the production to all seven continents and realise his ambition.

Speaking exclusively to the Chronicle, he said: "Having taken Hamlet to 197 countries, the journey was full of highlights.

"It is very hard to say one was better than another but it was a rich experience as, everywhere we were, people wanted to hear the story. There was an appetite for it.

"On one occasion when we were not allowed into Syria, we played in a refugee camp just north of Jordan. We also performed to Yemeni refugees at a camp in Djibouti.

"A similar experience was when we took the play to Cameroon when the audience also comprised refugees from the Central African Republic, who were living in tents."

Normally, the production was well received while many audiences regarded the play as educational, although there was another major event happening when they were in Kiev, in Ukraine.

Mr Dromgoole said: "It was the night before their last election and the heroes of the 2014 revolution turned up as well as the boxer Wladimir Klitschko.

"It was an exciting night to see so many people engaged with the election and to share a big moment in their history.

"As we drove away next morning, I can vividly remember people queueing up at the election booths. They were taking part in their first election free of Russian interference after all.

"It was momentous and joyous to see people participating in their own fate."

Looking ahead to the Boswell Book Festival, Mr Dromgoole revealed that his father and step-mother are regulars at the event and have told him of its reputation.

He is looking forward to the interview with Ms McDonald which is unscripted, but the author/director says he is 'ready for anything'.

Having successfully spread the Bard of Avon's word globally and at The Global, Mr Dromgoole is leaving Shakespeare behind.

He said: "I am moving into film and have started a production company called Open Palm Films. My first one is called Making Noise Quietly, an adaptation of Robert Holman's play.

"There are three more films in the offing which will be put out into the market place. It is a big challenge after 10 years of Shakespeare at The Globe.

"It is quite hard, having done Shakespeare there, doing it anywhere else. He wrote his plays for such a setting. Shakespeare makes sense in that environment."

Boswell Book Festival: Dominic Dromgoole in conversation with Sheena McDonald — Saturday, May 13, at 8pm. 

Tickets are £8, or £6 concessions — visit www.boswellbookfestival.co.uk to book online, at person at The Palace Theatre or by calling 01563 554 900.