JANUARY TO JUNE 2010
LONG GONE LONESOME WALL OF DEATH: A WAY OF LIFE ALLOTMENT tfd TRANSFORM ABERDEEN PETER PAN
"THE NATIONAL THEATRE OF SCOTLAND IS A WONDERFUL MANIFESTATION OF THE NEW SCOTLAND." ALAN CUMMING IN THE HERALD, 4 JULY 2009 th
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ABOUT THE NATIONAL THEATRE OF SCOTLAND SCOTTISH THEATRE HAS ALWAYS BEEN FOR THE PEOPLE, LED BY GREAT PERFORMANCES, GREAT STORIES AND GREAT WRITERS. As Scotland’s National Theatre, we exist to work collaboratively with the best companies and the best artists to produce and tour world class theatre. Our ambitions are simple: to create work that excites, entertains and challenges audiences at home and beyond and which makes Scotland proud. We’re a theatre company with an adventurous streak and at our heart is a strong desire not to do things conventionally. Everything we aspire to challenges the notion of what theatre can achieve. With no venue of our own we’re free to make theatre wherever we can connect with an audience. The National Theatre of Scotland celebrates its fourth birthday in February 2010 and in that short time we’ve achieved things we could only dream of. In the future we will be doing things we can’t even imagine yet. For the latest information on all our activity visit our online home at www.nationaltheatrescotland.com
THE NATIONAL THEATRE OF SCOTLAND WISHES TO THANK THE FOLLOWING INDIVIDUALS AND ORGANISATIONS FOR THEIR SUPPORT: CULTURAL LEADERSHIP PROGRAMME DETERMINED TO SUCCEED JARHAIR LEEDS BUILDING SOCIETY MERCHANTS HOUSE OF GLASGOW MR BOYD TUNNOCK MR MARTIN SEGAL NANCIE MASSEY CHARITABLE TRUST TAQA BRATANI LIMITED THE BINKS TRUST THE HUGH FRASER FOUNDATION THE RJ LARG FAMILY TRUST THE ROBERTSON TRUST TWO FAT LADIES RESTAURANTS SCOTTISHPOWER UNION ADVERTISING AGENCY The National Theatre of Scotland has the support of the Pearson Playwrights’ Scheme sponsored by Pearson plc. Pearson Playwright – Paul Higgins The National Theatre of Scotland is supported by the Mackintosh Foundation under the ITV Theatre Director Scheme.
THE SEASON AT A GLANCE JANUARY 2010 Duncan McLean’s musical tribute to Thomas Fraser’s life, featuring the Lone Star Swing Band, directed by Vicky Featherstone, is back by popular demand. Long Gone Lonesome is playing at the Tron Theatre, Glasgow, as part of the Celtic Connections festival (21st and 22nd January 2010).
FEBRUARY & MARCH 2010 The National Theatre of Scotland, visual artist Stephen Skrynka and the Ken Fox Troupe join forces to present a spectacular piece of touring theatre. Wall of Death: A Way of Life is presented at exhibition centres and show grounds in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen (4th to 28th February 2010). Allotment is a newly sprouted arts bar at Govan Cross Shopping Centre in Glasgow, created by a team of professional artists from the National Theatre of Scotland and local community groups based in the Govan area (19th February 2010). The National Theatre of Scotland presents a season of three new shows for young people by three of Scotland’s leading writers: Empty by Cathy Forde and The Miracle Man by Douglas Maxwell, touring to Glasgow, Musselburgh, Inverness and Aberdeen. Mr Write by Rob Drummond, an emerging young theatre maker, opens in Glasgow then tours to schools and colleges in Spring 2010. The epic National Theatre of Scotland Learn Transform journey arrives in Aberdeen with Paddy Cunneen’s production featuring music, puppets and young people from Dyce Academy (17th to 19th March 2010). Transform Aberdeen is sponsored by ScottishPower and supported by Determined to Succeed, in partnership with Aberdeen City Council.
APRIL to JUNE 2010 John Tiffany directs Peter Pan, in a new version of JM Barrie’s classic adventure by David Greig, relocating the story to Victorian Edinburgh. John Tiffany is reunited with Davey Anderson, Laura Hopkins and Gareth Fry, three of the creative team from the multi-award winning Black Watch. Peter Pan is touring to Glasgow, London, Inverness, Edinburgh and Aberdeen, in a co-production with barbicanbite10 (23rd April to 19th June 2010).
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LONG GONE LONESOME
A NATIONAL THEATRE OF SCOTLAND PRODUCTION TRON THEATRE, GLASGOW 21st & 22nd JANUARY 2010 BOX OFFICE: 0141 552 4267 www.tron.co.uk 8pm TICKETS £12.50 PRESENTED AS PART OF CELTIC CONNECTIONS 2010. CELTIC CONNECTIONS BOX OFFICE: 0141 353 8000 www.celticconnections.com
WRITTEN BY DUNCAN MCLEAN DIRECTED BY VICKY FEATHERSTONE FEATURING THE LONE STAR SWING BAND TOWARDS THE END OF 2002, I CAME ACROSS A CD OF HOME RECORDINGS BY A SHETLAND FISHERMAN CALLED THOMAS FRASER. The track listing was a fascinating mix of early country, blues and jazzy pop, and it only took thirty seconds of the opening track, Brakeman’s Blues, to stop me in my tracks. Despite the fact it had been released by Thomas’s grandson, this CD was no exercise in family nostalgia: Thomas Fraser was a performer of real power and passion. The liner notes told me Thomas Fraser had lived from 1927 to 1978. That he’d been a shy, almost reclusive fisherman from the tiny island of Burra, who pursued no musical career and in fact rarely left his croft. This sketch was fascinating, though it raised as many questions as it answered. How could such a man master the musical styles of four thousand miles away, and make them startlingly, excitingly new through his own alterations and interpretations? And why would he want to? And why would he then keep his talent apparently hidden away? Seven years on, a commission from the National Theatre of Scotland has brought me the opportunity to talk to many people who knew Thomas, some of them intimately, others glancingly. I’ve immersed myself in his music. I’ve studied his guitar style and his yodelling technique. Long Gone Lonesome tries to find answers to those questions that leapt out at me when I heard the first CD. And it includes as many of the stories about Thomas – hilarious, tragic, curious – as time allows. Most importantly, it features a dozen or so of the songs he loved, and that I love too: they’re songs that could almost tell the Thomas Fraser story by themselves, even without my words to link them. I decided early on that we shouldn’t try to imitate Thomas Fraser. Just as he adopted the songs of his heroes and made them his own, our aim has been to reshape and reimagine the songs to evoke, not the exact sound of Thomas, but his inventive, playful spirit. It would never have crossed Thomas’s mind that we’d be gathered here thirty years after his death to celebrate his life and music. But just because he didn’t think of it, doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do it. Thomas was the antithesis of the celebrity culture we are surrounded by now. He had talent by the bucket-load, but applied it to making music, not making himself famous. Long Gone Lonesome doesn’t exist to make Thomas more famous, but we hope it will encourage more people to seek out the work of a great Scottish performer. But in the end this isn’t about biography. As Thomas would surely have preferred, this is really about music, and music’s ability to entertain, to stimulate, and to build bridges. by Duncan McLean Novelist and playwright
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Booking fees may apply.
"IT'S AS IF FRASER IS IN THE NEXT ROOM, TOO BASHFUL TO TAKE THE SPOTLIGHT." THE HERALD * * * * "VICKY FEATHERSTONE, WHO DIRECTS, IS CLEARLY MAKING A STATEMENT ABOUT WHAT MATTERS MOST IN CULTURAL LIFE AT THE MOMENT." THE SCOTSMAN * * * * "IT IS BOTH A DEFIANT RIPOSTE TO THE CULT OF CELEBRITY AND A YODELLING HOEDOWN IN ITS OWN RIGHT." THE GUARDIAN “A CHARMING FUSION OF MUSIC AND STORYTELLING.” DAILY RECORD
Online bonus features include a video trailer, extensive biographies of the performers and the band, and a live audio extract. Image / Duncan McLean and the Lone Star Swing Band. Photograph by Rebecca Marr.
A MUSICAL CELEBRATION OF THE LIFE OF THOMAS FRASER
DIRECTED BY VICKY FEATHERSTONE AND STEPHEN SKRYNKA
PRESENTED BY THE NATIONAL THEATRE OF SCOTLAND WITH THE KEN FOX TROUPE AND STEPHEN SKRYNKA SECC, GLASGOW 4th to 12th FEBRUARY 2010 BOX OFFICE: 0844 395 4000 www.ticketSOUP.com
WALL OF DEATH:
WALL OF DEATH: A WAY OF LIFE
ABERDEEN EXHIBITION & CONFERENCE CENTRE 15th to 17th FEBRUARY 2010 BOX OFFICE: 08444 77 9000 www.ticketmaster.co.uk ROYAL HIGHLAND CENTRE, EDINBURGH 20th to 28th FEBRUARY 2010 BOX OFFICE: 0131 473 2000 www.hubtickets.co.uk
DIRECTED BY VICKY FEATHERSTONE AND STEPHEN SKRYNKA
Ticket prices at all venues are £10 full price and £6 concessions. Performance times vary. Contact venue Box Offices for full details. Booking fees may apply. To discuss access needs for Wall of Death: A Way of Life please contact the National Theatre of Scotland directly on: 0141 221 0970 or email: info@nationaltheatrescotland.com
A WAY OF LIFE
Image / Ken Fox riding the Wall of Death. Photograph by Tony Kemplen.
NOT MANY FAMILIES CAN RIDE MOTORCYCLES IN FORMATION ON VERTICAL WALLS, BUT KEN FOX AND HIS WIFE AND CHILDREN HAVE MADE A LIVING FROM THAT FEAT FOR OVER TWENTY YEARS. The Ken Fox Troupe tour the world with their “motorcycle theatre”, a carefully choreographed ballet for kick-start and carburettor performed to the roar of antique 1928 Indian Scout motorcycle engines. Now, visual artist Stephen Skrynka will pit himself against the Wall as part of a new work that allows viewers to learn about the strange life of the Fox family and witness Stephen's own attempts to master their art. After a period of intensive training, Skrynka will follow the Foxes around Britain, recording their life and trying to conquer his own fears. By the time the Wall of Death is built in the Glasgow SECC in February 2010, Skrynka hopes to able to perform his own motorcycle theatre to a very different audience. He will also document the effect the show has on its viewers for a video installation. “I have ridden a motorbike, but according to Ken that’s a handicap rather than an asset,” he explains. “You pick up habits riding the right way up that don’t work when you’re riding at 90 degrees to the Wall.” His plan? Rev up and cling on for dear life. “Once you get over the fear factor, it’s got to be physics, hasn’t it?” For Skrynka, the appeal of the Fox family lies in the itinerant, outsider life they lead on the road, touring their show around the world. The Wall of Death, Skrynka claims, is also a throwback to the days before health and safety, when families would be able to risk their lives on motorcycles. “We live in such risk-averse times, which makes something like the Wall of Death that much more appealing for its reality. You have to trust the performers as you’re watching it. When you watch someone on a trapeze, you worry that they may fall off, but with the Wall of Death you’re worried for yourself in case they come over the top. That excitement is magical.” The Wall of Death has its origins in the travelling carnival traditions of the late 19th century as trick cyclists toured the country, displaying feats of technical prowess and gravity defying skills on portable bowl-shaped apparatus. As motorcycles were introduced in the early part of the 20th century, a version with perpendicular walls evolved, allowing viewers to watch performers speed around at impossible angles whilst sitting barely inches away from the action. The first show in Britain took place in Southend, the Essex seaside resort, in 1929. Ken Fox got his start as a ticket collector on the Wall of Death at Skegness and by the age of sixteen he had become an apprentice, not only as a rider, but into a way of life that would shape his future – from international touring to finally operating his own Wall of Death. Now, having trained his sons Luke and Alex to ride, the Ken Fox Troupe are the only British family keeping the tradition alive. Ken says: “You never get as close to a machine, except when you see us perform. It’s real drama and very exhilarating for the viewers, that’s why they keep coming back. We don’t scare the audience – we thrill them. My family are like angels when we’re riding.” by Jasper Hamill Freelance journalist 9
ALLOTMENT
PRESENTED BY THE NATIONAL THEATRE OF SCOTLAND IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE ARCHES. GOVAN CROSS SHOPPING CENTRE, GLASGOW 19th FEBRUARY 2010 FROM 8pm TICKETS £5 (£3 in advance)
PRODUCED BY ANGIE BUAL AND CAROLINE NEWALL
TICKETS AVAILABLE IN ADVANCE FROM: THE ARCHES BOX OFFICE: 0141 565 1000 www.thearches.co.uk Booking fees may apply. IN PERSON: BRECHIN'S BAR, 803 GOVAN ROAD, GOVAN THE MAGPIE'S NEST, 25 BURLEIGH STREET, GOVAN
ALLOTMENT REINVENTS WHAT THEATRE CAN BE BY CREATING DRAMA IN AN UNUSUAL SPACE. A disused shop in Glasgow’s Govan Cross Shopping Centre has been reclaimed as an area for young visual artists and theatre makers to collaborate and develop original work. Allotment questions where art should happen and what it can be, a unique event that’s accessible and attractive to people who might never otherwise set foot in a gallery or theatre. One of the biggest challenges facing a national theatre company is being rooted in and establishing links with local communities while working on a national and international scale. Achieving a balance between art and cultural regeneration isn’t easy, and, as co-producer Caroline Newall admits: “It can be hard to create work within a community without appearing tokenistic – parachuting in and then disappearing.” For Allotment, the National Theatre of Scotland brings together Govan’s businesses and people with the brightest new artists to bridge the gap. The choice of Govan was natural for co-producer Angie Bual. “Govan is a very special part of Glasgow,” she affirms. “It’s got such a vibrant history. It had a booming industry that has fallen by the wayside as Glasgow developed. But in Govan, you find lots of energy, creativity and a diverse mix of people and cultures.” With its ongoing regeneration projects, and as an iconic symbol of Glasgow’s ship-building past, Govan embodies the tensions within this dynamic city. The first Allotment in October 2009, which wove a missing persons' investigation around a karaoke night, established the project. “One of the barriers people have for not attending theatre is not knowing the ‘rules of engagement’, like how and where to buy tickets, or what to wear,” adds Newall. “To entice non-theatre goers to engage with the work, we rooted the experience in something familiar: a night out in a bar.” For the debut event, playwrights Lynda Radley and Rob Drummond came fresh from recent triumphs at The Arches. Visual artists Lyndsey Macleod and Fergus Dunnet created a number of installations especially for the project, and Nic Rawling projected live animations made from paper onto the walls of the space. The line-up for December 2009's Allotment was equally impressive: a night of live interactive gaming with New Media radicals Paul Maguire and James Houston with performances created and directed by Gary McNair and Kieran Hurley. The Allotment in February – with future events a possibility – promises an equally fertile mixture of talents. Allotment is more than a community project and more than entertainment. It is a brave step forward by the National Theatre of Scotland that fulfils Bual’s promise “to constantly reinvent, imagine and interpret, so that we can connect with, and entertain, new audiences while making work that is the best in the industry.” by Gareth K Vile Theatre Editor ,The Skinny
"A SPEAKEASY FUN PALACE." THE HERALD * * * * "AS A WAY OF BUILDING BRIDGES BETWEEN GLASGOW'S YOUNG CREATIVE NETWORKS AND THE PHYSICAL AND COMMERCIAL COMMUNITY IN GOVAN, THIS ALLOTMENT NIGHT SEEMED TO WORK LIKE A CHARM." THE SCOTSMAN "ALLOTMENT IS A HAPPY CASE OF OPPOSITES ATTRACTING, OR AT THE VERY LEAST FINDING COMMON GROUND OVER A FEW BEERS." THE SUNDAY TIMES "A HIGH-CONCEPT THEATRICAL EXPERIMENT THAT HAS ARTISTS COLLABORATE ON A ONE-NIGHT-ONLY EVENT." THE SKINNY
Community partners include: Brechin’s Bar The Magpie’s Nest The Bridges Programmes GalGael Trust Impact Arts Govan Integration Network Fable Vision Online bonus features include a filmed tour of the venue, full details of all the artists involved to date, and an image gallery from previous Allotment events. www.nationaltheatrescotland.com To connect with Allotment, join our online network: www.allotment-glasgow.co.uk Image / The empty Allotment unit at Govan Cross Shopping Centre. Photograph by Iain G Farrell.
Presented as part of The Arches off-site programme
Media Partner
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ALLOTMENT
THE MIRACLE MAN BY DOUGLAS MAXWELL EMPTY BY CATHY FORDE MR WRITE BY ROB DRUMMOND
TRON THEATRE, GLASGOW BOX OFFICE: 0141 552 4267 www.tron.co.uk
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EMPTY 16th & 17th MARCH 2010 7.30pm ACCESSIBLE PERFORMANCES SIGNED, AUDIO DESCRIBED & TOUCH TOUR: 16th MARCH CAPTIONED: 17th MARCH THE MIRACLE MAN 18th to 20th MARCH 2010 7.30pm ACCESSIBLE PERFORMANCES CAPTIONED: 18th MARCH SIGNED, AUDIO DESCRIBED & TOUCH TOUR: 19th MARCH MR WRITE 16th to 20th MARCH 2010 7.45pm Exclusive performances available for schools, youth groups and under 21s at the Tron Theatre, Glasgow from Tuesday 9th to Saturday 13th March. For full details go to www.nationaltheatrescotland.com BRUNTON THEATRE, MUSSELBURGH BOX OFFICE: 0131 665 2240 www.bruntontheatre.co.uk THE MIRACLE MAN 23rd MARCH 2010 EMPTY 24th MARCH 2010 7.30pm EDEN COURT, INVERNESS BOX OFFICE: 01463 234 234 www.eden-court.co.uk THE MIRACLE MAN 30th MARCH 2010 EMPTY 31st MARCH 2010 7.30pm THE LEMON TREE, ABERDEEN BOX OFFICE: 01224 641122 www.boxofficeaberdeen.com EMPTY 2nd APRIL 2010 THE MIRACLE MAN 3rd APRIL 2010 7pm
Ticket prices vary. Concessions available. Contact Box Offices for full details. Booking fees may apply. Image / Artwork by Jesse Tise
THE MIRACLE MAN BY DOUGLAS MAXWELL EMPTY BY CATHY FORDE DIRECTED BY VICKY FEATHERSTONE and MR WRITE BY ROB DRUMMOND “AS SOON AS A PLAY HAS ‘TEENAGE’ PUT ON IT”, SAYS DOUGLAS MAXWELL, “IT CEASES TO BE REGARDED AS A ‘PROPER’ WORK OF THEATRE.” It’s an issue the National Theatre of Scotland is tackling head-on this season. They’re producing Maxwell’s latest ‘proper work of theatre’, The Miracle Man, which is about fathers and sons, about cancer, death, and the way religion glorifies female virginity. Big, weighty themes, and all utterly appropriate to tfd, the Company’s new season, targeted primarily – but not exclusively – at young people. “The idea for this season came about midway through last year’s National Theatre of Scotland Learn Transform project,” explains Vicky Featherstone. “We were going into schools and developing brilliant relationships with the young people who had been involved, and we had to look at our programming and wonder if it was reflecting these relationships. And at the time, no, it wasn’t. The average theatre-goer is about 40. We want to change that.” Reflecting, and therefore attracting, young audiences doesn’t have to involve deliberately altering or climbing down from an adult perspective. It’s important to note that neither Maxwell, nor Cathy Forde, writer of Empty, the second play in the season, wrote these works deliberately ‘for young people’. In fact, Maxwell’s protagonist, Ozzy, is the enemy: a PE teacher. “Entertaining a group of teenagers usually requires speed and colour and originality, things that don’t tend to be valued in adult drama,” says Maxwell. “I wanted to try writing a play for adults that had a teenage engine driving it.” Forde, despite having written fourteen novels routinely classified in the ‘young adult’ section (Empty, for the tfd season, is her first play), says she never deliberately sets out to write for, or ‘at’, young people. “The one thing I had in my mind when writing Empty,” she explains, “was that I didn’t want to write a play that was ‘for’ young people specifically – I thought that would probably be the kiss of death. I wanted something that would resonate with everybody. A teenage party – an ‘empty’ – was the first idea I came up with, because everybody has been to one. Everybody can relate.” The third play in the season is by Rob Drummond, who has taken an entirely different approach. Technically, the script for Mr Write doesn’t actually exist yet: every night one member of the audience will volunteer to have Drummond write a play about their life, and the play will be typed, live, onto a screen on stage. “It’s a way of being able to address teenage issues that doesn’t depend on me, an adult, coming along and telling the audience what ‘teenage issues’ are,” says Drummond. “They get to set the tone themselves. Every time you write a show for a teenager you run the risk of imposing your issues on them.” Perhaps that’s what’s so interesting about tfd. None of these plays has any sort of overarching moral agenda; there’s no pedagogical impulse, no lecturing. “This is just about telling stories,” says Featherstone. “Stories about what you go through when you’re younger – the pain of that, the trauma of that, the joy of that. Everyone’s been there, and I hope that this is going to appeal to them all.” by Kirstin Innes Senior Arts Writer and Assistant Editor, The List
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TRANSFORM ABERDEEN
THE NATIONAL THEATRE OF SCOTLAND LEARN PRESENTS TRANSFORM ABERDEEN. SPONSORED BY SCOTTISHPOWER SUPPORTED BY DETERMINED TO SUCCEED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH ABERDEEN CITY COUNCIL'S ARTS EDUCATION TEAM THE FORUM, ABERDEEN 17th to 19th MARCH 2010 EVENINGS: 7.30pm MATINEE: 19th, 2pm SIGNED PERFORMANCE: THURSDAY 18TH, 7.30PM
DIRECTED BY PADDY CUNNEEN
THE ENTIRE SCHOOL WAS ON ITS FEET. TEENAGERS CHEERING AND CLAPPING FOR ONE OF THEIR OWN, A LAD WHO HAD JUST SUNG A SONG HE HAD WRITTEN. For a moment, teachers at Dyce Academy in Aberdeen wondered if they were at a rock concert. In fact, they were tasting the raw power of theatre. It wasn’t a concert but a “sharing”, the culmination of the first stage of work on Transform Aberdeen, one of a series of projects devised by the National Theatre of Scotland. In the past couple of years, thousands of young people across Scotland have felt the same thrill, the result of top theatre professionals engaging with schools and communities to create world-class theatrical events. Aberdeen is the last in the series of ten Transforms which have already taken place in Inverclyde, East Ayrshire, Fife, Dumfries, East Renfrewshire, Moray, Orkney, Caithness and Glasgow since March 2008. On each project, a team of artists is embedded within a school and they create links with local community groups. And each is unique. It is too early now to describe the flavour of Transform Aberdeen, but it’s safe to say that it will involve music: Dyce Academy, in the commuter belt to the North of the city, is home to Aberdeen City Music School. Director Paddy Cunneen, whose background is as a composer, is determined the show will have a non-naturalistic flavour. His team will include movement specialist Jen Edgar, puppeteer Ailie Cohen, designer Kenny Miller and writer Lewis Hetherington. Hetherington says the team will be looking to the young people for ideas. “Hopefully, the show will express the thoughts and passions of that school and that local community. We’re there to help them realise that. We work hard to tie it all together so they can be creative and do whatever they want.” As on all Transforms, pupils are treated like professional performers. “All these disciplines – song-writing, puppetry, movement and creative writing – bring with them requirements to master a skill, and in so doing you discipline yourself,” says Cunneen. “Even in those two weeks, the pupils really responded to that challenge.” Lead teacher on the project, Lynsay Wilson, already has more than 150 eager volunteers. She hopes the project will create a sense of community within the school and leave a lasting legacy. At the sharing event, she and fellow teachers could only look on while the pupils, cheering and clapping, ignored the bell which signalled the start of the October holidays. “The kids were fantastic, the excitement was huge. I hope this project will prove to the young people that they are talented, that they have got a lot to give. Their confidence has already grown.” This is a hallmark of Transform, along with breaking down barriers and building communities. Simon Sharkey, the National Theatre of Scotland’s Associate Director (Learn), whose brainchild Transform is, says he is continually surprised by the results. “It transforms the way that schools work, it transforms people’s lives. There have been some incredible pieces of theatre. Most of all, those involved leave with the idea that they can create something world-class. They’ll carry that for the rest of their lives.” by Susan Mansfield Arts Journalist, The Scotsman
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A FREE BUT TICKETED EVENT. BOX OFFICE: 01224 641122 www.boxofficeaberdeen.com
“THIS MUST BE ONE OF THE FINEST PIECES OF YOUTH PROJECT ARTWORK SCOTLAND HAS EVER PRODUCED. A MOVING AND MEMORABLE SHORT SHOW, AND AN OUTSTANDING INSTALLATION.” THE SCOTSMAN ***** ON TRANSFORM ORKNEY “THE PROJECT HAS CHANGED SO MUCH FOR US. IT HAS TRANSFORMED THE WAY WE THINK ABOUT THEATRE AND THE WAY WE SEE THURSO. IT TRANSFORMED HOW WE SEE EACH OTHER AND IT CHANGED A LOT OF THE TEACHERS' OPINIONS OF THEIR PUPILS TOO. EVERYONE HAS BEEN TRANSFORMED IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER, AND WE ONLY HAVE THE AMAZING PROFESSIONALS TO THANK. WE ARE NEVER GOING TO FORGET THEM. WE OWE THEM EVERYTHING.” LOUISE HENDERSON PARTICIPANT, TRANSFORM CAITHNESS The National Theatre of Scotland opens up great theatre experiences to as many people as possible across Scotland. Since its launch in February 2006, the National Theatre of Scotland has created many educational and outreach theatre projects, involving over 104,000 participants and audience members, over 4900 workshops and over 90 schools in 26 Scottish local authority areas.
Image / Students from Dyce Academy prepare for Transform Aberdeen. Photograph by Rhuary Grant. SPONSORED BY
SUPPORTED BY
TRANSFORM ABERDEEN DIRECTED BY PADDY CUNNEEN
PETER PAN BY JM BARRIE, IN A NEW VERSION BY DAVID GREIG DIRECTED BY JOHN TIFFANY
A CO-PRODUCTION BETWEEN THE NATIONAL THEATRE OF SCOTLAND AND BARBICANBITE10 AND PRESENTED BY ARRANGEMENT WITH THE GREAT ORMOND STREET HOSPITAL CHILDREN’S CHARITY AND SAMUEL FRENCH LIMITED. KING’S THEATRE, GLASGOW 23rd APRIL to 8th MAY 2010 (NO PERFORMANCES: 25th APRIL & 2nd MAY) EVENINGS: 7.30pm MATINEES: 1st, 5th & 8th MAY, 2.30pm BOX OFFICE: 0844 871 7648 (bkg fee) Groups & Schools 0141 240 1122 www.ambassadortickets.com (bkg fee) ACCESSIBLE PERFORMANCES CAPTIONED: 7th MAY 7.30pm SIGNED & AUDIO DESCRIBED: 8th MAY, 2.30pm (TOUCH TOUR 1.30pm) Barbican, London 12th to 29th MAY 2010 (NO PERFORMANCES: 17th & 24th) EVENINGS: 7.15pm MATINEES: 15th, 22nd, 26th & 29th MAY, 2pm SUNDAYS: 16th & 23rd MAY, 3pm BOX OFFICE: 020 7638 8891 www.barbican.org.uk EDEN COURT, INVERNESS 1st to 5th JUNE 2010 EVENINGS: 7pm MATINEES: 3rd & 5th JUNE, 1.30pm BOX OFFICE: 01463 234 234 www.eden-court.co.uk ACCESSIBLE PERFORMANCES CAPTIONED: 4th JUNE, 7pm SIGNED & AUDIO DESCRIBED: 5th JUNE, 1.30pm (TOUCH TOUR 12.30pm) FESTIVAL THEATRE, EDINBURGH 8th to 12th JUNE 2010 EVENINGS: 7pm MATINEE: 12th JUNE, 2pm BOX OFFICE: 0131 529 6000 www.festivaltheatre.org.uk ACCESSIBLE PERFORMANCES CAPTIONED: 11th JUNE, 7pm SIGNED & AUDIO DESCRIBED: 12th JUNE, 2pm (TOUCH TOUR 1pm) HIS MAJESTY’S THEATRE, ABERDEEN 15th to 19th JUNE 2010 EVENINGS: 7.30pm MATINEES: 17th, 2pm & 19th, 2.30pm BOX OFFICE: 01224 641122 www.boxofficeaberdeen.com ACCESSIBLE PERFORMANCES CAPTIONED: 18th JUNE, 7.30pm SIGNED & AUDIO DESCRIBED: 19th JUNE, 2.30pm (TOUCH TOUR 1.30pm) Ticket prices vary. Family discounts available in Glasgow, Aberdeen and Edinburgh. Contact venue Box Offices for full details. Booking fees may apply. Peter Pan is ideal for the young at heart aged 7 and over. Photograph by Mark Hamilton Media Partner
PETER PAN BY JM BARRIE, IN A NEW VERSION BY DAVID GREIG DIRECTED BY JOHN TIFFANY
AS THE NATIONAL THEATRE OF SCOTLAND’S ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR JOHN TIFFANY SEES IT, JM BARRIE'S PETER PAN IS “THE MOST INFLUENTIAL STORY EVER WRITTEN BY A SCOTTISH WRITER”. It’s hard to disagree with him. Aside from the many stage productions of JM Barrie’s classic, there are the countless movie versions, ranging from the Disney cartoon to Finding Neverland with Johnny Depp, not to mention the many fresh-faced stars, such as Cliff Richard and the late Michael Jackson, who have taken on the mantle of “the Peter Pan of pop”. Even the name Wendy owes its popularity to this 1904 play. “Peter Pan has always haunted me,” says Tiffany, who is pitching the show at adults and children over seven. “There’s something inextricably tragic about not growing up, but it’s also the most exciting thing in the world. And I’m haunted by the big, iconic images of someone coming into your room and enabling you to fly off to another land. The directions are ‘second to the right and straight on till morning’ – the resonance of those images is incredible.” The global success is entirely merited, but now Tiffany wants to bring the play back home to Scotland where Barrie was born exactly 150 years ago. “I spent two or three days walking around Kirriemuir and I absolutely believe that the inspiration for these creations was his childhood in Scotland, even though they manifested themselves in Kensington Gardens,” he says. “Peter is a Scottish feral imp. He’s got that cheek about him. The fairies and mythology of the Highlands represent a world where Peter Pan would sit very happily.” Embarking on the National Theatre of Scotland’s biggest production yet, Tiffany is promising a folk-influenced score by Davey Anderson, a Tinker Bell who appears as a wondrous ball of fire courtesy of magician Jamie Harrison and, of course, lots of flying. “Our movement director Vicki Amedume uses a technique from Chinese circus that has been used in films like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and The Matrix,” he says. With playwright David Greig, he is relocating Peter Pan from Edwardian London to Victorian Edinburgh, introducing a mysterious atmosphere of haar and gas lamps to the story of the boy who wouldn’t grow up. They are also reworking the adventures in Neverland to add extra tension, although all the old favourites, from Captain Hook to the ticking crocodile, will be present. “We found these incredible images of the Forth Rail Bridge being built,” he says. “When they had built just the three diamond-shaped sections of the bridge before they were linked, it looked like some monster or crocodile. That crystallised everything I’d been thinking about connecting a fantasy, Highland Neverland with an urban place.” The story that has captivated audiences around the world for almost a century returns to the country of its origin in the year of its author’s birth. And still, despite the swordfights, the flying, the dazzling theatrical spectacle that has made this story beloved by millions, at its heart remains the idea that the most exciting and the most terrifying thing of all – is to grow up. by Mark Fisher Writer, editor and critic
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UNSTAGED
NATIONAL THEATRE OF SCOTLAND IN PARTNERSHIP WITH BLIPFOTO, CHANNEL 4 AND SCOTTISH SCREEN. HOW TO ENTER ENTRY IS OPEN TO ANYONE OVER 13, WITH A SEPARATE CATEGORY FOR UNDER 18s. ENTRANTS WILL BE ELIGIBLE TO SUBMIT A SERIES OF FIVE IMAGES WITH WORDS (THE TEXT IS AS IMPORTANT AS THE IMAGE). REGISTER FREE AT www.blipfoto.com/unstaged THE PRIZES
A GLOBAL PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION WITH FANTASTIC PRIZES
THE NATIONAL THEATRE OF SCOTLAND HAS JOINED FORCES WITH CHANNEL 4, SCOTTISH SCREEN AND SCOTTISH BAFTA AWARD-WINNING WEBSITE BLIPFOTO TO CREATE A YEAR-LONG PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION. Each organisation shares the common goals of nurturing creativity, artistic innovation, spontaneity and participation. The aim of the competition is to celebrate and share extraordinary moments and stories from everyday life, through this unique online community. Blipfoto is a daily photo blogging community and Scottish digital success story. Blipfoto members post one photo a day to the site and invite response from their fellow community of “blippers”. Joe Tree, the creator of Blipfoto, told 15 close friends about the site three years ago. Purely through word of mouth, there are now “blippers” in 120 countries, with contributions from Malawi to Morningside, Perth to Peru, and Delhi to Dundee. Blipfoto currently holds over 350,000 images and has logged over 2,199,367 comments and they deliver millions of page views per month to over 40,000 visitors. Blipfoto won the 2009 BAFTA Scotland Award for Best Website. THE COMPETITION Unstaged is a global photographic event comprising three consecutive competitions, each emphasising aspects of the extraordinary in daily life. Between each competition start and end date, entrants produce a collection of 5 theme-related photographs with accompanying text. Photographs are uploaded, within the competition dates, through Blipfoto’s daily photo journal platform. There will be three different competitions throughout the year, running from November 2009 to September 2010. The first competition, Unstaged: Scotland at Play, will run from November 2009 through to February 2010. Full details of the subsequent two competitions will be announced in early and mid 2010. Nominations and final judging will be based on the entrant’s collection as a whole, where the underlying concept is as important as the technical execution, and where image aesthetics are balanced by narrative text. Unstaged is truly open to all — a winning entry is just as likely to come from a camera phone as an expensive digital camera. THE THREE COMPETITIONS ARE: Scotland At Play [Winter 2009/10] invites submissions that capture the spirit of performance and play in Scotland. The only competition with a geographic limitation, photos must be taken in Scotland to be eligible. Forever Young [Spring 2010] invites submissions that convey the feeling of youthfulness and vibrancy. This is an open international competition allowing broad examination of a timeless theme. The Theatre of Everyday Life [Summer 2010] invites creative interpretation of what theatre means beyond the spotlight. Truly Unstaged, it challenges participants to find the dramatic, bizarre and wonderful narrative in everyday life.
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OVER 18s Winner: £500 cash, a Canon EOS 500D camera, one day shooting with National Theatre of Scotland and a lifetime Blipfoto premium membership. Second and third place: Panasonic Lumix LX3 and one year Blipfoto premium membership. Seven runners-up: One year Blipfoto premium membership. UNDER 18s Winner: £250 cash, a Canon EOS 1000D camera, one day shooting with National Theatre of Scotland and a lifetime Blipfoto premium membership. Second and third place: Panasonic Lumix FS7 and one year Blipfoto premium membership. Seven runners-up: One year Blipfoto premium membership. THE JUDGES Members of the Blipfoto community will act as the first judging group, voting the best entries through to the judging panel. The judging panel includes Stuart Cosgrove (Channel 4's Director of Nations and Regions), Vicky Featherstone (Artistic Director, National Theatre of Scotland), Joe Tree (Blipfoto), Paul McGuigan (former photographer and award -winning Director of the Acid House and Lucky Number Slevin), and Mark Daniels (Director, New Media Scotland).
Photograph by Louise Menmuir
UNSTAGED PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION
NATIONAL THEATRE OF SCOTLAND LEARN PETER PAN
Lose yourself in the world of Peter Pan, try something different and take part in one of our workshops and events for all ages. For schools and teachers For P5– S3: Workshops are available to take place at schools or after-school activity venues and offered on a first-come, first-served basis. Workshops will take place in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Inverness and Aberdeen. An online Peter Pan resource pack will be available in April 2010 For the over 50s Laugh yourself silly and relive your childhood in laughter workshops for older people in care homes or sheltered housing accommodation. For more information contact Gillian Gourlay, Learning and Outreach Manager, gillian.gourlay@nationaltheatrescotland.com
DIGITAL RESOURCES
If you are the kind of person who likes to discover more about what you see, our online home is packed with features and bonus material on every production. Interviews, short documentaries, trailers, reviews, photos and audience responses are online so that you can get clued up in advance or go back to find out more.
CREATIVE CONVERSATIONS
From post-show discussions to one-off events, we are offering you the chance to engage with the key creative minds involved in bringing our work to the stage. The Creative teams will be taking part in free discussions and Q&A sessions at selected venues. Check online for more information and details of how to book.
SET TOURS
The National Theatre of Scotland Technical Department is offering audiences the chance to get a rare glimpse backstage at Peter Pan. Set tours, incorporating touch tours, are led by the Company Stage Manager, and will be available at selected venues. Tours are free but ticketed, and numbers will be limited. Contact venue Box Offices or check online for booking information.
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ACCESS YOUR NATIONAL THEATRE
COMING SOON
SHOWS WITH CAPTIONING, AUDIO DESCRIPTION AND TOUCH TOURS
EMPTY THE MIRACLE MAN TRANSFORM ABERDEEN PETER PAN SHOWS WITH BRITTISH SIGN LANGUAGE INTERPRETATION Empty The Miracle Man TRANSFORM ABERDEEN Peter Pan
The National Theatre of Scotland is fully committed to providing access to its performances for everyone, regardless of ability or circumstance. We aim to provide audio description, audio guides, touch tours, captioning and BSL interpretation for all our productions wherever possible.
AUDIO DESCRIPTION
Audio description offers a live commentary for audience members with visual impairment. The description starts about 10 minutes before the show and includes information on the production. The audio describers then provide commentary on the action and visual effects throughout the performance. This information is relayed over an infrared system to individual headsets, which are available free of charge from the venue Box Office.
TOUCH TOURS
Touch tours offer blind and visually impaired members of the audience a chance to orientate themselves with the set and costumes immediately prior to an audio described performance. The Stage Manager will lead these tours. Those wishing to take part in a touch tour should register with the Box Office when booking tickets for the performance.
AUDIO GUIDES
We will provide an audio guide to the performance when we are unable to offer full audio description. This will be free and available at venues and to download from our website prior to the performance. The guide will provide audience members with thorough detailed content about the show including scene by scene breakdown, descriptions of the set and information provided by key members of the cast and creative team.
BSL INTERPRETATION
Touch tours begin one hour before performance time.
EXCHANGE 2010
Wall of Death: A WAY OF LIFE To discuss access needs for Wall of Death: A Way of Life please contact the National Theatre of Scotland directly on: 0141 221 0970 or email: info@nationaltheatrescotland.com
5TH to 10TH JULY, BYRE THEATRE, ST ANDREWS Now in its 5th year, the National Theatre of Scotland's Exchange youth theatre festival has a new format, with monthly master classes, a young writer’s strand, an online community, daily workshop programme and increased participation. Two international companies and six Scottish youth theatre groups will gather together for one week in July 2010 to create new and exciting theatre. Participating groups in Exchange this year include: East Renfrewshire Youth Theatre; Creative Electric: Young Company, Edinburgh; Academy Arts, Dumfries; Byre Youth Theatre, St Andrews; Eden Court Young Company, Inverness; and Tron Skillshops, Glasgow.
TICKETS FOR ALL ACCESSIBLE PERFORMANCES, HEADSETS FOR AUDIO DESCRIPTION AND AUDIO GUIDES MUST BE BOOKED IN ADVANCE FROM VENUE BOX OFFICES. www.nationaltheatrescotland.com contains full details on all accessible performances. The site also links to the websites of many of the venues we perform in. These sites contain information on the theatre facilities, methods of booking and any discounts you may be entitled to. Do you make use of one or more of our accessible services? We would like to know what you think. We want to ensure that everything we do is up to scratch and meets the needs of every member of our audience. If you can't find a service you need, please contact Marianne McAtarsney on 0141 227 9238, or email marianne.mcatarsney@nationaltheatrescotland.com or write to: Marianne McAtarsney Audience Development FREEPOST National Theatre of Scotland
BSL (British Sign Language) interpretation offers deaf and hearing impaired audience members a live translation of all spoken words and sound effects into sign language. Please mention when you contact the Box Office that you are booking for the BSL interpreted performance so you can be allocated seats with the best view of the signer. To find out who will be signing each show visit www.nationaltheatrescotland.com in advance.
CAPTIONED PERFORMANCES
Captioning converts the spoken word into text that provides people with hearing loss access to live performance. In captioning, the words appear on a screen at the same time as they are spoken or sung. Captions also include sound effects and offstage noises.
OUR TEAM
This season's audio description will be provided by Bridget Stevens, Frances Clark and Pauline Laverty. Captioned performances will be provided by Glenda Carson and Lousia McDaid and BSL Interpretation will be provided by Natalie Macdonald and Lesley Crerar. Image / Run by Kopergietery at Exchange 09. Photograph by Eamonn McGoldrick.
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NATIONAL THEATRE OF SCOTLAND CIVIC HOUSE, 26 CIVIC STREET GLASGOW G4 9RH Tel: +44 (0) 141 221 0970 Fax: +44 (0) 141 331 0589 info@nationaltheatrescotland.com www.nationaltheatrescotland.com
Copyright 2010 National Theatre of Scotland and individually named contributors. All information correct at time of going to press and subject to change. The National Theatre of Scotland reserves the right to alter casts, performances, seating or ticket arrangements. Booking fees may apply on tickets, please check with the venue Box Office when booking. The National Theatre of Scotland is a registered Scottish charity SCO33377. The National Theatre of Scotland is core funded by the Scottish Government.