Cast and Creative Team
Writer Lewis Hetherington
Director Sophie Howell
Set and Costume Designer Christine Ting-Huan
Urquhart
Sound Designer Novasound
Lighting Designer Laura Hawkins
Assistant Director Leila Price
Production Assistant Katy Bancroft
Movement Director Jo Richards
Magic Consultant Chris Cook
Production Manager Mickey Graham
Stage Manager Jessica Ward
Assistant Stage Manager Shay McCourt
Amber Orla Bayne (He/She/They)
Glamber Ryan Simpson (He/They)
Bamber Angus Bryans (He/Him)
Amber 602 Annabelle Conroy (She/They)
Amber 603 Lucy Campbell (She/They)
The Amberate Lewis James (He/Him)
Jessie Sophie Kayembe (She/They)
Benny Odhran Thomson (He/They)
Chilly Cee Reville
Robin Ava Richmond (She/They)
Cameron Max Turner (He/Him)
Caz Nora (El) Rose Trew-Rae
Daz Tristan Saunders (He/Him)
Young Writer Lune Ramsay (Them/They)
Young Director Aalim Somalya (He/Him)
Young Designer Moss
Hutcheon (They/Them/Fae/Faer)
Young Stage Manager Cal Hind
Thank you
First and foremost, we would like to thank our fantastic cast and Young Creatives team for coming on this journey with us. Their talent, energy and relentless enthusiasm has been wonderful to work with and have carried us through rehearsals with lots of laughter! We wouldn’t have been able to make this production happen without the support of the wider Lyceum team of core staff and freelancers – thank you for bringing your expertise to the process and for supporting our young people throughout.
To Mickey Graham, Shay McCourt and Jessica Ward for working your magic to make our ambitious ideas happen. Special thanks to Jackie Crichton, Zinnie Harris and Sharon May for their guidance along the way.
A word from the Writer
The Golden Beaver in the play, is real. There is some debate as to whether it might actually be an otter, but either way, there is an actual statue of a beaver (or otter) which sits in the Water of Leith in the Dean Gardens, right here in Edinburgh. It’s almost certainly not real gold but there is something ridiculous and magical about it, as it sits there glinting away, water rushing past, watching the world go by.
I wanted to set the play in Edinburgh, to locate it here in this city and acknowledge and celebrate the richness and breadth of people who live here - in particular the young people. Those young people who are navigating the turbulent waters of identity, relationships, sexuality, gender, parties, exams, what to wear, what not to wear, what to do with their lives, and so much more. I also wanted it to feel irreverent and expansive, to celebrate the playfulness, curiosity and energy of young people.
I could not have had a better set of guides than the company of actors in the show tonight, as well as the other young creative people who were part of this process at various stages through its development. Their talent, commitment and creativity have inspired, challenged and sometimes totally turned inside out my ideas about what this story might be and who these characters are. I hope I have honoured all the energy, honesty and thoughtfulness that they have been generous enough to share with me. I can’t wait to see what they all go on to create next.
This show is about shining a light on young people, and celebrating all they have to teach us about life, love and the universe. Well, multiverse. I hope you enjoy it! Lewis
Hetherington
A word from the Director
“The multiverse is having its moment right now” is the first thing I said when we commissioned Lewis to write this play, and I think one of the reasons it’s currently such a popular convention is that it brings a sense of hope. If there are infinite universes, then there are infinite opportunities to do things slightly differently and to see worlds that are potentially freer/more open than our own.
The main setting of the play – The Big Nowhere –is a safe-haven for the freaks, the geeks, the queers and everyone who has ever felt like they don’t fit in, and it has been so delightful to be transported there in rehearsals for the last six months. I would have loved a play like this to have been written when I was younger!
Directing this production has been an absolute dream, and it has been such a pleasure to watch our young company grow as performers and to have them so involved in shaping the world of the story. They are such a talented bunch and continue to fill me with such a positive outlook for the future of the theatre industry.
At the start of the project I asked them what they wanted to the show to be, there was a unanimous message that it was important to tell queer and LGBTQA stories that are filled with joy and love – and I think we have achieved that together. I hope you laugh, I hope you dance, and I hope you learn something about yourself while watching!
Sophie Howell
Young Director Interview
We are incredibly proud to have offered four young people the chance to take on ‘Young Creative’ positions on this project, shadowing the professionals as a learning opportunity and putting their skills into practice by creating their own Curtain Raiser performance inspired by the play’s themes.
We sat down with Aalim, our Young Director, to find out more about the ideas, inspiration, and creative process behind the piece.
We’re really excited to present your Curtain Raiser next Thursday! Can you tell us a bit about the inspiration behind what you have created?
We birthed our idea on a few prompts we selected, which swiftly transformed into gay rival clowns. The Young Scriptwriter, Lune, and I had a go at improvising an idea of a scene involving said clowns taking part in nose theft and balloon metamorphosis…if you couldn’t tell, our original idea was a touch absurdist and, as a result, wasn’t quite within the realm of possibility to achieve! We tried establishing themes, setting,
characters, etc… until the scriptwriter came up with the idea of two clowns, Sun, and Moon. When designing the costumes, Moss took inspiration for a local drag queen, Mystika Glamoor, who is a unique performer.
What was your process for bringing the piece to life?
To get to our final product, the Young Designer and Young Stage Manager – Moss and Cal – created some mood boards for set, costume, and all that jazz, while Lune and I gathered some rough ideas of what we wanted the characters to be and what their relationship was. We took everything into the performance space and used our knowledge of the characters and the actor’s interpretation of the characters to solidify what we wanted from the piece.
What have you learnt through being part of this process?
I gained a lot of experience understanding the steps it takes to put something on stage and how it also takes a lot of effort to choose an idea and work with it to make something you’re really proud of. The mentoring I received from the director of TheMultiverseisGayreally awakened me to how differently everyone
processes a character and develops an understanding as an individual, and how that can open up new pathways to explore something you once never even considered.
Can you share a bit about what it was like working with the other Young Creatives?
It was absolutely brilliant working with them, having a massive collaborative effort to pursue a goal was so much fun, bouncing ideas of each other and mindmapping created such a unique atmosphere that I’ve never been given the opportunity to try before. Naturally, Lune and I spent most of our time together to share our ideas of the characters and themes while the Cal and Moss worked on other elements to bring the play to life, but overall the collective effort was an experience that could not be beaten.
How does your piece relate to TheMultiverseis Gay?
For me it relates a lot to the ideas of identity, a distinct one being that you don’t need anyone or anything to be who you are, and that who you are should be a choice you make.
Continued…
What do you think makes a good piece of writing for a young cast?
I think a piece that allows people’s imaginations to run wild and give room for exploring new ideas and ways of bringing those ideas to stage. Something that explores an actor’s strengths and weaknesses, and ways to interpret and build character through many different mediums.
And finally, what would you like to do next?
Greek tragedy. Gotta give it a whirl! Effectively I want something that pushes my brain in a completely different direction, and I think a tragedy will be just right. Understanding what makes an audience feel the way they do is something really important to me and I desperately want to be able to understand that.
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Left to Right (Top): Ava, Max, Nora (El), Cee, Angus, Sophie, Annabelle, Lucy, Cal, Ryan.(Front): Tristan, Odhran, Orla , Moss, Aalim. Not pictured: Lewis and Lune.
Production photography and poster photography by Mihaela Bodlovic.
Poster Design by Madeby.DO
