National Theatre of Scotland 2013 Brochure

2013

THE NATIONAL THEATRE OF SCOTLAND IN 2013

An adaptation of a spooky movie. A Scottish classic revisited. A promenade performance for the over sixes. Three world premieres by Chinese writers.

You’ll find all of this in the 2013 programme of the National Theatre of Scotland, not to mention shows about a feat of single-handed road building, about a boy who befriends a dragon, about what happened after the death of Macbeth and about a forgotten t h e a t re m a ke r from the 1980s.

There is more besides in a programme that t a ke s p l a c e everywhere from Ullapool to New York City, Bathgate to Seattle, Dumfries to San Francisco, Arbroath to Birmingham.

As ever, the National Theatre of Scotland is working in collaboration with the finest of Scottish talents, including Vox Motus, Communicado, Dundee Rep, London’s Royal Court, Glasgow’s Arches and A Play, a Pie and a Pint, as well as a group of up-and-coming theatremakers.

Whether you like comedy, drama, politics, folk, adventure, experiment, participation or classics, the National Theatre of Scotland has just the event for you.

This is exactly as it has been since the launch of the “theatre without walls” in 2006. Described by The Scotsman as “an iconic 21st-century institution”, the National Theatre of Scotland has made it its mission to reach as wide an audience in as many places with as many tastes as possible.

It was the first national theatre company to take the radical decision not to have its own building and to exist as an entirely touring company. It’s a policy that

has freed the company to take work all over Scotland and beyond, from theatres and major venues to village halls, tower blocks, forests and car parks.

The company employs over 600 people a year, creating opportunities for writers, actors and theatremakers of all disciplines to find work here in Scotland.

In a single year, it has worked with over 10,000 young people from across Scotland’s communities, engaging them in projects that build confidence and transform lives. Everything the National Theatre of Scotland receives goes directly into creating brilliant Scottish theatre, supporting new work and nurturing talent. It’s a commitment that has earned the company an international reputation for creating theatre that is contemporary, confident and unforgettable.

ALL OF SCOTLAND IS OUR STAGE

If you liked the children’s storybook by Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean, you’ll love this interactive promenade production by Lu Kemp and Abigail Docherty. Working with playwright Oliver Emanuel, they are staging a show for everyone over the age of six in which anything could happen. Here’s how it looks in numbers.

1000The number of multi-coloured stickers that will be used in the weekly Swap Shop events wherever the show travels. Every Saturday, children can bring a toy or a book to swap for other items on the swap table. Supported by Mackies, the Swap Shop is an environmentally friendly way to recycle your toys.

60The number of mini-sound recorders the National Theatre of Scotland has purchased for use in the workshops that accompany the show, which takes place in a series of rooms throughout each theatre – no two performances will be quite the same.

40The number of National Theatre of Scotland workshops led by Eilidh MacAskill and Fiona Manson taking place in Scottish primary schools.

3The number of oven gloves taking on a whole new identity in each workshop.

2The number of goldfish swapped by Nathan in exchange for Neil’s dad.

1The number of electric guitars given to Nathan by Vashti in exchange for the dad he was given by Neil. Now it’s your turn to help get Neil and his sister get their dad back.

SupportWe are offering a limited number of free workshops to primary schools that book to see the show. Never again will you look at an oven glove in the same light! Visit our website for our teachers resource pack available from May 2013.

Families Swap Shop Saturdays, 12–1.45pm

Come and swap a toy, a book or even a dad at our free Swap Shop event every Saturday (and also Sunday at Howden Park, Livingston) during the tour in each venue. For more information contact Gillian Gourlay – 0141 221 0970.

The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two GoldfishBy Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean, in a new adaptation created by Lu Kemp and Abigail Docherty

Written by Oliver Emanuel and directed by Lu Kemp

#2GOLDFISH

The Beacon Arts Centre, Greenock 25th to 27th April

Howden Park Centre, Livingston 2nd to 5th May

National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh Imaginate Festival 8th to 11th May

Macrobert, Stirling 15th to 18th May

Tron Theatre, Glasgow 22nd to 25th May

Eden Court, Inverness 29th May to 1st June

Scottish Premiere Produced by the National Theatre of Scotland

For full details visit www.nationaltheatrescotland.com

#2Goldfish

COUNTDOWN TO SOME FABULOUS INTERACTIVE FUN

THE DAY I SWAPPED MY DAD FOR TWO

GOLDFISH

Communicado Theatre Company and the National Theatre of Scotland present

Calum’s Road

Adapted by David Harrower, from the book by Roger Hutchinson. Directed by Gerry Mulgrew

Calum’s RoadGaiety Theatre and Arts Centre, Ayr 17th and 18th May

Beacon Arts Centre, Greenock 22nd May

Theatre Royal, Dumfries 25th May

Perth Theatre, Perth 28th and 29th May

Brunton Theatre, Musselburgh 31st May and 1st June

Webster Memorial Theatre, Arbroath 4th June

Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh 6th to 8th June

Adam Smith Theatre, Kirkcaldy 11th and 12th June

Ryan Centre, Stranraer 15th June

Eden Court, Inverness 18th and 19th June

Macphail Centre, Ullapool 21st June, Sabhal Mòr Ostaig 25th June

Macrobert, Stirling 28th June


#CalumsRoad

CALUM’S ROAD

You can only admire the tenacity of Calum MacLeod. He was the resident of Raasay who got so fed up waiting for the council to build a two-mile stretch of island road between South Arnish and Brochel Castle that he did it himself. Roger Hutchinson told his single-handed story in a book, Calum’s Road, which is adapted for the stage by playwright David Harrower and Communicado director Gerry Mulgrew for an ensemble performance that is alive with music, poetry and the infectious power of crazy ambition.

“The story told here is of such wisdom and significance that it… moves many in the audience to tears” – Joyce McMillan, The Scotsman

NEW PLAYS FROM CHINA

WRITER AND CURATOR DAVEY ANDERSON TALkS ABOUT

FINDING A NEW GENERATION OF PLAYWRIGHTS IN BEIjING

“I wrote a play for Glasgow’s Royal Conservatoire which was taken to an international student theatre festival in Beijing. Very quickly, I got into conversations with amazing theatre directors over there. I went back to the Beijing Fringe Festival and one of my questions after seeing lots of shows was: “Where are the new writers?” There are lots of directors who make their own work, but it took a big effort to find writers. Once we teamed up with the National Theatre of China, however, we were inundated and there were loads of writers who wanted to take part in our workshop.

“New Plays from China is the third international season of lunchtime plays in A Play, a Pie and a Pint at Glasgow’s Òran Mór. The three plays are adapted by Scottish playwrights to bring them closer to what a Chinese audience would experience. It means giving them our own personal voice and making the language sing in the mouths of the actors.

“They’re all writers with something burning inside them. Rona Munro felt a real attachment to Secrets by Lin Weiran, an intimate play about a doomed love affair, because it’s beautifully subtle and nuanced. I’m working on Thieves and Boy by Hao Jingfang which is about two construction workers who take it upon themselves to get financial compensation for one of their mates by breaking into the house of a government official and trying to steal his money. And Fox Attack by Xu Nuo, adapted by Catherine Grosvenor, is about a student at the top music conservatoire in China who commits a terrible crime and covers it up. It’s wonderful to get access to stories we don’t often see on the Scottish stage – and for these writers to get access to new audiences.”

SECRETS by Lin Weiran Adapted by Rona Munro Directed by Graeme Maley

Òran Mór, Glasgow 22nd to 27th April

Bedlam Theatre, Edinburgh 30th April to 4th May

THIEVES AND BOY by Hao Jingfang Adapted and directed by Davey Anderson

Òran Mór, Glasgow 6th to 11th May

Regal Theatre, Bathgate 12th May

Bedlam Theatre, Edinburgh 14th to 18th May

FOx ATTACk by Xu Nuo Adapted by Catherine Grosvenor Directed by Amanda Gaughan

Òran Mór, Glasgow 27th May to 1st June

Presented by the National Theatre of Scotland in partnership with Òran Mór in association with the Confucius Institute for Scotland in the University of Edinburgh.

Supported by SaiTa (Beijing) Culture Ltd


#NewPlaysChina

#NEW

PLAYSCHINA

#CALUM

SROAD

A MODERN-DAY LEGEND

It’s arguably the National Theatre of Scotland’s most successful show. Since 2006, this portrait of the ancient Scottish regiment in action on the battlefields of Iraq and the drinking dens of Fife has toured the world several times over, receiving wild acclaim wherever it goes. Written by Gregory Burke and directed by John Tiffany, Black Watch is spectacular, funny, urgent and heart-breaking.

“Arrives like a blazing redeemer . . . a cause for hope”—Ben Brantley, New York Times

Black WatchBy Gregory Burke, directed by John Tiffany

American Conservatory Theater at the Mission Armory, San Francisco 9th May to 16th June

Produced by the National Theatre of Scotland


#BlackWatch

BLACk WATCH

#BLACkW

ATCH

There are dragons and there are dragons. When Jamie Harrison and Candice Edmunds of Vox Motus decided they’d like to do a show about a dragon, they were thinking of the kind of creature that would crop up in Harry Potter or How to Train Your Dragon. That was before they went on a research trip to Beijing. Suddenly they realised how much more interesting it would be to create an east-meets-west dragon.

“Eastern dragon philosophy is very different to Western dragon myths where the dragon is always slain at the end,” says Edmunds. “In China, they’re the dragon people, and the dragon is a deity and a life force. We were very influenced by that.”

Dragon is about a 12-year-old boy called Tommy whose mother has died a year earlier. Since then, he hasn’t had an outlet for his anger and grief. “The dragon is a metaphor for all the emotions he is feeling, both in positive ways and negative ways,” she says. “The dragon is a force for restoring balance.”

As well as appealing to the regular Vox Motus audience, Dragon is being designed with younger audiences in mind. Just to stretch their stage skills further, Edmunds and Harrison are telling the tale without using dialogue. The brief to playwright Oliver Emanuel was to write a story not a script. Thanks to the company’s patent brand of theatrical magic, it means a single sentence can morph into a whole sequence using movement, puppetry and transformational set pieces.

“What is left are the spaces in between where Jamie and I tell the story visually,” she says. “We’re influenced by graphic novels and the way the pace is set through the layout on the page. Our dragon is Eastern influenced, although he’s very much a creature of our own imaginings. This is a dark, exciting story full of magic and imagination. The relationship between Tommy and his dragon is at the heart of that. There is something in there for theatre-lovers of all ages.”

SupportFor more information on our exciting Learn activity especially created for this production visit our website from August.

DragonConceived by Jamie Harrison, Candice Edmunds and Oliver Emanuel. Directed by Candice Edmunds and Jamie Harrison. Written by Oliver Emanuel.

Citizens Theatre, Glasgow 11th to 19th October

Eden Court, Inverness 22nd to 26th October

Traverse, Edinburgh 30th October to 2nd November

The Quay, The Lowry, Salford 8th and 9th November

World Premiere Presented by Vox Motus, the National Theatre of Scotland and Beijing Children’s Art Theatre


#NTSdragon

WORDLESS MAGIC FROM THE EAST

DRAGON

#NTSDRAGON

LARGE-SCALE TRIUMPH MARCHES ON

Clear the decks for a supernatural story like no other. This hilarious and spooky show is performed in your local pub, the actors and musicians rubbing shoulders with the audience as they recreate the atmosphere of a snow-bound Borders boozer. With witty rhymes by playwright David Greig and inventive direction by Wils Wilson, The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart tells the story of a specialist in Scottish folklore who gets drawn into a creepy underworld adventure.

“You shouldn’t miss this show for the world . . . rambunctiously l ife-affirming and touchingly beautiful” – Neil Cooper, The Herald

The Royal Court Theatre presents the National Theatre of Scotland’s production of

The Strange Undoing of Prudencia HartCreated by David Greig (Writer) and Wils Wilson (Director)

London Welsh Centre 12th July to 3rd August

CLF Art Café, Bussey Building, London 5th to 9th August


#PrudenciaHart

THE STRANGE UNDOING OF PRUDENCIA HART

RAISING THE BAR

#PRUDENCIAHART

PAUL BRIGHT’S CONFESSIONS OF A JUSTIFIED SINNER

Stories help us make sense of the world. Whether it’s a story in a newspaper, the story in a favourite book or the story of our life, we rely on them to give us the appearance of order.

Not all stories get heard, however. When, for example, we tell the story of Glasgow’s year as City of Culture in 1990, we tend to forget the contribution made by Paul Bright. He was a theatre artist who busied himself in the late 80s on small-scale projects that often slipped under the radar. Even some of his large-scale work for high-profile festivals is forgotten. So while we remind ourselves of the visit of Peter Brook’s mighty Mahabharata, the nine-hour Hindu epic that gave birth to the Tramway in 1988, we scarcely even remember the equally adventurous events that Bright was putting on in non-traditional venues at around the same time.

So it is in a spirit of theatrical archaeology that Stewart Laing’s Untitled Projects is teaming up with the National Theatre of Scotland to reconstruct one of Paul Bright’s key shows, Confessions of a Justified Sinner. “I think people slip through the cracks,” says Laing. “The establishment narrative about Scottish theatre is all about playwriting, but what’s interesting is there is a history of directors in Scotland. Someone like Lindsay Kemp, a world-class director and choreographer, is missed out of narratives – so too is Ken Davidson, a fascinating artist.”

The project is being driven by actor George Anton who performed in some of Bright’s shows before the director’s mysterious disappearance in the early 1990s and death in Belgium in 2010. “It’s George’s own journey of exploration into his past and his relationship with Paul Bright, who none of the rest of us knew or met,” says Laing. “I have a very vague memory of his Confessions of a Justified Sinner happening. I was working at the Citz in the late 80s and know George from then and I was vaguely aware that George was doing this thing outside the Citz.”

In this revealing solo show, Anton takes the audience on a journey through the business of theatre and into his own past. It’s as much about Anton’s voyage of discovery, with all its unexpected and

often funny turns, as it is a trawl through Bright’s fragmentary archive. Reconstructing Confessions of a Justified Sinner, an adaptation of the James Hogg novel, has not been straightforward because, in the pre-digital, pre-internet era, relatively little theatrical material was archived. “We’re trying to piece together what these performances were like from fragments of archive,” says Laing. “There are scraps of information, pictures and little bits of film – and two people who saw the same performance are telling us very different things.”

The project is making Laing, who worked as a designer at the Citizens Theatre, think again about his own sense of history. “I thought I was involved in the most interesting theatre happening in Scotland, but now I’m completely reassessing that, finding out about all the other theatre that was happening.”

It’s making him think too about the story we tell about how the City of Culture accolade turned Glasgow from a city of knife crime into a place of wine bars and coffee shops. “There’s a common narrative that performance in Scotland exploded after 1990 – that’s when Suspect Culture and Theatre Cryptic came about,” he says. “But the reason Glasgow became City of Culture was that there was amazing culture here already. This project is about exploring alternative histories of what Scottish theatre was.”

Paul Bright’s Confessions of a Justified Sinner Tramway, Glasgow 14th to 29th June

World Premiere Reconstructed by Untitled Projects in a co-production with National Theatre of Scotland and Tramway

Untitled Projects is supported by the Paul Hamlyn Foundation Breakthrough Fund


#NTSsinner

#NTSSINNER

RECONSTRUCTING SCOTLAND’S FORGOTTEN THEATRE HISTORY

Eli is hundreds of years old and drinks blood to stay alive. This strange creature avoids daylight and moves as though free from gravity. Yet to call Let the Right One In a vampire story seems odd. There’s more to this haunting tale than just another episode of Buffy.

That’s why when you talk to the team adapting John Ajvide Lindqvist’s novel for the stage, they prefer to call it a love story – albeit one with a vampire at its heart. “It’s about trust, which is one of the most fundamental things you require in your life,” says writer Jack Thorne. “Without trust, even love doesn’t have any substance.”

Steven Hoggett, the associate director, agrees: “In an age of Twilight, this is actually a lot more complex and a lot more human.”

Published in Sweden in 2004, the novel tells the story of Oskar, a 12-year-old boy living in a nondescript suburb of Stockholm where he tries to avoid his bullying schoolmates. In a conventional horror story, he would take fright when the mysterious Eli moves in next door. Instead, he befriends this stranger. Eli, in turn, lends him supernatural support against his tormentors.

“I knew it could work on stage because of those beautiful scenes about this developing relationship,” says director John Tiffany. “They feel like they belong on stage.”

The novel was a best-seller in Sweden and was quickly made into two movies. First, there was Tomas Alfredson’s atmospheric Swedish-language thriller, then came an American version, retitled Let Me In and set in a wintry New Mexico.

As Lindqvist’s fans already have three versions to choose from, the team felt free to tell the story in their own way. “If you listen to the commentary on the Swedish film version, a lot of it is about the choices they made from the book to the film,” says Hoggett. “So you’re aware of the rich process this creative team went through to make it a visual event. Then you watch the American version and it’s different again. If ever there was one book that allowed itself to be opened out, it’s this. It has this capacity to flex without losing the quality that makes it unique.”

In this production, names are remaining Swedish, but the look and sound of it are Scottish. Tiffany found it easy to imagine this modern-day fairy story taking place in a town like Dundee. Indeed, it was the atmosphere of the setting that attracted the director to the story in the first place. “The apartment blocks with this climbing frame… the snow lit by orange sodium light … next to the woods… It felt as though it would fit beautifully in Scotland,” he says.

This then, is where we’ll find that unusual thing: a horror story that doesn’t try to scare us. “I would say in this play, we breathe out more than we breathe in,” says Thorne. “It’s a tender horror – and it’s more tender than it is horrifying.”

OtherInspired by the forthcoming production of Let the Right One In and by the city of Dundee itself, the National Theatre of Scotland’s Other project will lead to the creation of a free smartphone app to take you on an eerie, sound-led journey through the other Dundee.

In partnership with award-winning Dundee-based digital games development studio Quartic Llama and in association with Dundee Rep, the National Theatre of Scotland’s Learn department is working across a range of artforms with community groups, high school pupils and students from the University of Abertay, Dundee College and the University of Dundee to create a portfolio of Dundee-inspired stories, games, music and short films.

The project will culminate in a weekend of immersive street-theatre performances, taking audience members on a sinister journey through some of the locations featured in the app. For more information and to keep up to date with Other, please go to: www.otherdundee.com

LET THE

RIGHT ONE IN

BIG-SCREEN CHILLER ON STAGE

#LETTHERIGHTONEIN

Let the Right One In Dundee Rep Theatre 5th to 29th June

World Premiere Presented by National Theatre of Scotland by arrangement with Marla Rubin Productions Ltd and Bill Kenwright, in association with Dundee Rep Theatre.

A stage adaptation by Jack Thorne based on the Swedish novel and screenplay of the film by John Ajvide Lindqvist, directed by John Tiffany.


#LetTheRightOneIn

MacbethEthel Barrymore Theatre, New York City Until 30th June

New Plays from China: Fox Attack Òran Mór, Glasgow Until 1st June

Paul Bright’s Confessions of a Justified Sinner Tramway, Glasgow 14th to 29th June

OCTOBERDragonCitizens Theatre, Glasgow 11th to 19th October

Eden Court, Inverness 22nd to 26th October

Traverse, Edinburgh 30th October to 2nd November

Dunsinane King’s Theatre, Edinburgh 1st to 5th October

Bath Theatre Royal 8th to 12th October

In Time o’ Strife Pathhead Halls, Kirkcaldy 2nd to 12th October

jULY The Strange Undoing of Prudencia HartLondon Welsh Centre 12th July to 3rd August

jUNECalum’s RoadBrunton Theatre, Musselburgh Until 1st June

Webster Memorial Theatre, Arbroath 4th June

Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh 6th to 8th June

Adam Smith Theatre, Kirkcaldy 11th and 12th June

Ryan Centre, Stranraer 15th June

Eden Court, Inverness 18th and 19th June

MAYBlack WatchAmerican Conservatory Theater at the Mission Armory, San Francisco 9th May to 16th June

MacbethEthel Barrymore Theatre, New York City Until 30th June

Calum’s RoadGaiety Theatre and Arts Centre, Ayr 17th and 18th May

Beacon Arts Centre, Greenock 22nd May

Theatre Royal, Dumfries 25th May

AUGUSTDunsinane Eden Court, Inverness 24th to 31st August

Ménage à TroisPaterson’s Land, Edinburgh (Venue #247) 9th to 25th August

The Strange Undoing of Prudencia HartLondon Welsh Centre 12th July to 3rd August

CLF Art Café, Bussey Building, London 5th to 9th August

NOVEMBERDragonTraverse, Edinburgh Until 2nd November

The Quay, The Lowry, Salford 8th and 9th November

Perth Theatre, Perth 28th and 29th May

Brunton Theatre, Musselburgh 31st May and 1st June

The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two GoldfishHowden Park Centre, Livingston 2nd to 5th May

National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh Imaginate Festival 8th to 11th May

Macrobert, Stirling 15th to 18th May

Tron Theatre, Glasgow 22nd to 25th May

Eden Court, Inverness 29th May to 1st June

SEPTEMBERDunsinane His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen 3rd to 7th September

Theatre Royal, Glasgow 10th to 14th September

Oxford Playhouse 17th to 21st September

Birmingham Repertory Theatre 24th to 28th September

A Little Bird Blown Off CourseEun Bheag Chanaidh

Pìos de dhràma ciùil ùr le Fiona J NicChoinnich

St Peter’s Hall, Daliburgh, South Uist 4th September

New Plays from China: Thieves and BoyÒran Mór, Glasgow 6th to 11th May

Regal Theatre, Bathgate 12th May

Bedlam Theatre, Edinburgh 14th to 18th May

New Plays from China: Fox Attack Òran Mór, Glasgow 27th May to 1st June

Culloden Battlefield Visitor Centre 6th September

Arainn Shuaineirt/ Sunart Centre, Strontian 7th September

Ardgay Village Hall 9th September

Torridan Village Hall 11th September

MacPhail Centre, Ullapool 12th September

Strathpeffer Pavilion 13th September

Macphail Centre, Ullapool 21st June

Sabhal Mòr Ostaig 25th June

Macrobert, Stirling 28th June

The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two GoldfishEden Court, Inverness Until 1st June

Let the Right One In Dundee Rep Theatre 5th to 29th June

2013 LISTINGS

Dunsinane By David Greig. Directed by Roxana Silbert Eden Court, Inverness 24th to 31st August

His Majesty’s Theatre, Aberdeen 3rd to 7th September

Theatre Royal, Glasgow 10th to 14th September

Oxford Playhouse 17th to 21st September

Birmingham Repertory Theatre 24th to 28th September

Kings Theatre, Edinburgh 1st to 5th October

Bath Theatre Royal 8th to 12th October

Presented by the National Theatre of Scotland and the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Few plays can rival the success of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, yet it took 400 years for someone to write a follow-up. First staged by the Royal Shakespeare Company, David Greig’s Dunsinane is about the aftermath of the famous tyrant’s defeat in 11th century Fife. Shakespeare made it seem like Macbeth’s death was the end of the story, but Greig wittily suggests the problems were only just beginning.

The English army is trying to establish King Malcolm on the throne while keeping the locals happy. The peace-keeping force seems to mean well but, thanks to ancient clan loyalties and Scotland’s unforgiving terrain, the situation is more complicated than it looked from outside. There’s a guerrilla uprising to contend with and the troops are short on experience. “Tell the men we’ll be in Scotland a little longer than expected,” goes the order.

With Siobhan Redmond’s Gruach (aka Lady Macbeth) making things as awkward as possible for the occupying forces, the play is full of resonances with wars in our own time. From the writer of Midsummer and The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart, it is a funny and thorny drama about what happens when one nation presumes to occupy another.

“A triumph . . . Roxana Silbert’s supple production is beautifully acted . . . engaged, art iculate, provocative entertainment” The Times



#Dunsinane

#DUNSINANE

DUNSINANEFIRST AMONG SEqUELS

A LittLe Bird BLown off Course

EUN BHEAG CHANAidH

Celebrating the life and Gaelic song collection of Margaret Fay Shaw, A Little Bird Blown off Course is a new piece of music theatre by Fiona J Mackenzie, presented by the National Theatre of Scotland and Blas Festival in partnership with the National Trust for Scotland.

Margaret Fay Shaw was one of the most notable and important collectors of authentic Scottish Gaelic song in the 20th century, even though her name may not be well-known outside of traditional music circles.

Born in Glenshaw, Pennsylvania USA, Margaret came to Scotland as a teenager and spent a year at school in Helensburgh. She went on to study music in Paris and New York, but returned to Scotland and eventually settled on South Uist. Whilst living there, she met the Gaelic scholar John Lorne Campbell and they married in 1935. For the rest of their lives, the couple were to dedicate themselves to the collecting and preserving of Gaelic songs and folklore for future generations.

Lifting extracts from Margaret’s autobiography, letters, personal photography and previously unseen film footage of island life, A Little Bird Blown off Course will cast fresh light on the importance of this collection to Gaelic culture past and present, and examine the role new Gaelic speakers play in reinvigorating the language. The production will feature live music and song, including extracts from the Gaelic song collection that Margaret and John created and preserved and that form the rich legacy they have bequeathed to Scotland.

The creation of A Little Bird Blown Off Course has been led by Fiona J MacKenzie, the BBC Scotland Traditional Music Personality of the Year (2004) and winner of the Burnsong International Songwriting Competition (2009). Fiona is the National Theatre of Scotland’s Gaelic Associate.

A’ comharrachadh beatha Mairead Fay Sheaghach agus an cruinneachadh de dh’òrain Ghàidhlig a rinn i, tha Eun Bheag Chanaidh mar phìos de dhràma ciùil ùr le Fiona J NicChoinnich, air a thaisbeanadh le Theatar Nàiseanta na h-Alba agus Fèis Blas ann an com-pàirteachas le Urras Nàiseanta na h-Alba.

Bha Mairead Fay Sheaghach mar aon de luchd-cruinneachaidh fìor òrain ann an Gàidhlig na h-Alba a b’ ainmeile agus a bu chudromaiche san 20mh linn, fiù ged ’s dòcha nach eil a h-ainm cho aithnichte taobh a-muigh saoghal a’ chiùil thraidiseanta.

Air a togail ann an Glenshaw am Pennsylvania sna Stàitean Aonaichte, thàinig Mairead a dh’Alba nuair a bha i na deugaire agus chuir i seachad bliadhna san sgoil ann am Baile Eilidh. Chaidh i air adhart a sgrùdadh ceòl ann am Paris agus New York, ach thill i a dh’Alba agus aig deireadh gnothaich rinn i a dachaigh ann an Uibhist a Deas. Fhad ’s a bha i a’ fuireach an sin, choinnich i ris an sgoilear Ghàidhlig, Iain Latharna Caimbeul, agus phòs iad ann an 1935. Airson a’ chòrr de am beatha, chùm an dithis aca air adhart le dealas a’ cruinneachadh agus a’ gleidheadh òrain Ghàidhlig agus beul-aithris airson nan ginealaichean ri teachd.

A’ togail earrannan à fèin-eachdraidh beatha Mairead, agus à litrichean, dealbhan pearsanta agus criomagan fiolm mu bheatha nan eilean nach fhaca duine a-riamh roimhe, tha Eun Bheag Chanaidh a’ taisbeanadh sealladh ùr air cho cudromach ’s a tha an cruinneachadh seo a thaobh cultar na Gàidhlig mar a bha agus mar a tha, agus a’ sgrùdadh an t-seasaimh a tha aig luchd-ionnsachaidh na Gàidhlig ann an ath-neartachadh a’ chànain. Anns an riochdachadh seo, bidh ceòl beò agus òrain a’ nochdadh agus iad a’ gabhail a-steach earrannan bhon chruinneachadh de dh’òrain Ghàidhlig a chruthaich agus a ghlèidh Mairead agus Iain, agus a tha a’ cumadh na dìleib shaidhbhir a tha iad air fhàgail aig dùthaich na h-Alba.

Thàinig Eun Bheag Chanaidh gu bith le stiùireadh bho Fiona J NicChoinnich, Pearsa Ciùil Traidiseanta na Bliadhna (2004) aig BBC na h-Alba agus buannaiche Farpais Eadar-nàiseanta Burns airson Sgrìobhadh Òrain (2009). Tha Fiona na Co-phàirtiche Gàidhlig aig Theatar Nàiseanta na h-Alba.

Tha Eun Bheag Chanaidh air taic fhaighinn bho Alba Chruthachail, Urras Turtleton agus Urras Iain Latharna Chaimbeu, Bord na Gaidhlig, Tobar an Dualchais agus a’Chruinneachadh Chanaigh.

#NTSLITTLEBIRD

A Little Bird Blown Off CourseA new piece of music theatre by Fiona J MacKenzie

St Peter’s Hall, Daliburgh, South Uist 4th September

Culloden Battlefield Visitor Centre 6th September

Arainn Shuaineirt/ Sunart Centre, Strontian 7th September

Ardgay Village Hall 9th September

Torridan Village Hall 11th September

MacPhail Centre, Ullapool 12th September

Strathpeffer Pavilion 13th September

Presented by the National Theatre of Scotland and Blas Festival in partnership with the National Trust for Scotland. Supported by Creative Scotland, The Turtleton Trust, The Canna Discretionary Trust, Bord na Gaidhlig, Tobar an Dualchais and the Canna Collection


#NTSLittleBird

Eun Bheag ChanaidhPìos de dhràma ciùil ùr le Fiona J NicChoinnich

Talla Naomh Peadair, Dalabrog Uibhist a’Deas, 4 Sultain.

An t-Ionad-tadhail Bhlàr Chùil Lodair 6 Sultain

Àrainn Shuaineirt, Sròn an t-Sithein 7 Sultain

Talla Ard Gaoithe 9 Sultain

Ionad Choimhearsnachd Toirbheartan 11 Sultain

Ionad Mhicphàil, Ulapul 12 Sultain

Pùball Srath Pheofhair 13 Sultain

Air a thaisbeanadh le Theatar Nàiseanta na h-Alba agus Fèis Blas ann an com-pàirteachas le Urras Nàiseanta na h-Alba.Tha Eun Bheag Chanaidh air taic fhaighinn bho Alba Chruthachail, Urras Turtleton agus Urras Iain Latharna Chaimbeu, Bord na Gaidhlig, Tobar an Dualchais agus a’Chruinneachadh Chanaigh.

Airson tuilleadh fiosrachadh, feuch www.nationaltheatrescotland.com

IN TIMEO’ STRIFE

In 1926, 1.7 million workers walked out in protest at low pay and poor conditions in industries across the UK. The nine-day General Strike was a key moment in the story of British industrial relations and academics and politicians have written about it at great length. Nobody, however, reacted to it quite like Joe Corrie.

He was a miner from Cardenden who had been working in the Fife pits since 1908 when he was just 14. It was the experience of the General Strike that prompted him to write In Time o’ Strife, one of the landmarks of Scottish theatre. “It is way ahead of its time,” says director Graham McLaren, who sees parallels with Ena Lamont Stewart’s Men Should Weep (1947), that other great play of working-class Scottish life, which McLaren himself directed for the National Theatre of Scotland in 2011. “You go back two decades to 1928 and you find Joe Corrie, who is only able to write a play like In Time o’ Strife because he was a miner out on strike. A lot like Ena Lamont Stewart, he was never really accepted by the mainstream.”

McLaren also sees a parallel with Billy Elliot which was set 60 years later during the miners’ strike of the mid 1980s. In Time o’ Strife is about a young man who wants to elope with his sweetheart to Canada to start a new life. For that, he needs money. The only way to earn anything, however, is to cross the picket line. And if he does that, he will be ostracised by the tight-knit mining community, making marriage impossible. “It’s a real dilemma,” says McLaren. “And I love it.”

He compares Corrie’s heightened drama of ordinary working people to the plays of Federico García Lorca, the great Spanish dramatist who was writing at about the same time. Unlike Lorca, however, Corrie received little encouragement from the mainstream theatre of his day. Although the Scottish National Players had put on a successful production of two of his one-act plays in 1926, the company rejected In Time o’ Strife. Corrie, who believed the decision to have been politically motivated, staged the play himself with the Bowhill Players, a group drawn from the local mining community. The show was such a success that it was picked up by an agent and taken on a tour of Scotland’s major variety houses, attracting audiences of up to 1000 a night.

#TIM

EOSTRIFE

A RADICAL VISION FOR A RADICAL CLASSIC

For the past 20 years, choreographer Claire Cunningham has been in a three-sided relationship. There is her and there are her two crutches. Working with video artist Gail Sneddon in partnership with the National Theatre of Scotland, she explores this love triangle in Ménage à Trois, returning by popular demand to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe where it is part of Made in Scotland 2013. Funny and touching, the show is about a lonely woman who tries to construct the perfect man out of the only thing she knows: her crutches. It’s a bold and inspirational piece of dance-theatre that reaches out to anyone who has ever doubted they will one day be loved.

“Shimmers with the fantastical feel of a fairytale” – Mary Brennan, The Herald

Ménage à Trois By Claire Cunningham and Gail SneddonCreated in partnership with the National Theatre of Scotland Paterson’s Land (Venue #247), Edinburgh Festival Fringe 7th to 25th May

Part of Made in Scotland 2013


#MenageaTrois

Part of British Council Edinburgh Showcase

#M

ENAGEATROIS

MéNAGE à TROIS

HOPING TO CLICk

It established him as a leading playwright, but in the absence of professional support, he was forced to concentrate his efforts on writing for Scotland’s amateur dramatic groups. He would eventually write more than 50 one-act plays and became a familiar figure on the am-dram scene. “Joe Corrie kept doing it through ever-decreasing financial circles,” says McLaren. “It’s a shame he was never encouraged because here was a great playwright with an original voice, writing about things that no one had any idea about. Miners? It was way ahead of what was happening elsewhere.”

For this National Theatre of Scotland production, the director is focusing on the play’s central love story and drawing also on the playwright’s less well known poetry, lyrics and music. He is treating In Time o’ Strife not as a historical relic, but as a springboard to create a modern and exciting evening of theatre. “People will see Joe Corrie in a whole new light,” he says.


In Time o’ Strife By Joe Corrie Directed by Graham McLaren

Pathhead Halls, Kirkcaldy 2nd to 12th October

Produced by the National Theatre of Scotland


#TimeOStrife

SUPPORT

FRIENDS

It’s great to be friends! Friends enjoy a close relationship with us and in return for their support they receive special offers on tickets, an annual friends’ reception and regular updates on new and upcoming work.

www.nationaltheatrescotland.com/friends

BENEFACTORS

A special scheme for those who want to play a greater role in the National Theatre of Scotland. Members of our Benefactors’ Circle enjoy a range of special opportunities including meeting the cast and creative teams of our productions.

www.nationaltheatrescotland.com/benefactors

PATRONS & VISIONARIES

An inspirational group of supporters, Patrons and Visionaries are the National Theatre of Scotland’s venture philanthropists helping us put each new show on the stage. Patrons and Visionaries attend opening nights, behind-the-scenes talks and tours and get to the very heart of what we do.

www.nationaltheatrescotland.com/patrons

HOW YOU CAN SUPPORT YOUR NATIONAL THEATRE

How you can support your national theatre

The National Theatre of Scotland has been making unforgettable theatre since 2006. In this short time, we have created over 180 new productions, toured to nearly 200 different locations and been seen by almost one million people across four continents.

We annually employ around 600 people, creating opportunities for actors, writers and theatremakers of all disciplines to work in Scotland. We are committed to supporting young and emerging talent as well as attracting the world’s finest artists to come and make work with us.

Last year alone, we worked with over 10,000 young people from across Scotland’s communities, engaging them in projects that build confidence and transform lives.

We couldn’t do this without you.

Everything we receive goes directly into supporting new work, nurturing talent and creating unforgettable Scottish theatre.

Please join an inspirational group of people who help us make it happen.

CORPORATE SUPPORT

A partnership between your company and the National Theatre of Scotland will create amazing opportunities for your clients, elevate your brand and offer ways to reward and entertain your colleagues.

www.nationaltheatrescotland.com/corporate

To find out more please contact:

Elly Rothnie, Director of Development [email protected] or call +44 (0)141 221 0970

Stella Litchfield, Head of Development [email protected] or call +44 (0)141 221 9236

www.nationaltheatrescotland.com/ makeithappen

THANk YOU

PATRONS AND VISIONARIESPeter and Diane CabrelliJo and Alison ElliotJoan ElliottRichard FindlayFiona GilbertTari and Brian LangPeter LawsonJoan and Enda LoganGerard and Amy McCuskerFraser McMillanJohn and Pilla Scott MoncrieffBrian ParkNick, Margita, Siri, Jesper and Freja PriceRita RaeIan RankinIan RitchieElly RothnieProfessor Dame Joan Stringer and Mr Roel MaliJohn TiffanyChris Weir

BENEFACTORSJim and Betta Adams Max and Angela Hendry Stella Litchfield Mairi MickelSir Ronald and Lady MillerMay and John MorelandJonathan A. M. Muirhead Juliette Paton Sir Adrian Shinwell David Stevenson

PRODUCTION SPONSORS 2012/2013BenromachMackie’s of ScotlandScottishPower

CORPORATE MEMBERSBank of Scotland Private BankingBDO LLPBrooks Brothers UK LtdGlasgow Chamber of CommerceMaclay Murray & Spens LLPPinsent Masons LLPQuartic LlamaRaeside Chisholm Solicitors LtdTurcan Connell

FRIENDS AND SUPPORTERSAge ScotlandAilsa MooneyAli PatersonAlister FairAmbITion Scotland Andrew LockyerAnn GrayAnne HepburnArnold Clark B Scenic ConstructionBrian LoganBruce and Nicky WalkerCalum CampbellCarol FenderChristopher HomfrayCreative Scotland Commonweal FundCrerar HotelsDaisy DunlopDCI Print ManagementDonald FraserDonald J MacDonaldDorothy BothwellDr Thomas Campbell McGeeEaster V SmartEdith SteeleEilidh DouglasEllis CroftEsmée Fairbairn FoundationFrank and Shirley HowellFred and Irene SheddenFreda MillerGary WattGavin McneeGillian Hamilton Gráinne SmithHannah BlackHelen LivingstonHiper LtdIain MacnivenIan Clark and Dulce MassieuIan Gilmour TransportInchrye TrustIsabel GarganISISJames and Norma MainJanet StewartJerry CowhigJessica BurnsJoan C Grant John Mather Charitable TrustKarin HayhowKynesisLady Eda Jardine Charitable TrustLaura and Jonathan Gordon

Lauris CalnanLiz SutherlandMAC CosmeticsMaciain Service Martin CurrieMaterial_GROUPMB Martin Brown HairMelina MacleanMelvyn GreigMichael PattonMr and Mrs IL BancroftMr and Mrs M RothnieMrs Katharine ListonNesta R&D Scotland Fund Penny and Euan LoudonRana KeaneRebecca HeaneyRene HamiltonRoberta DoyleRoss AndersonSantander FoundationSchuhShirley GallacherSiobhán ConveryStephen and Anna SpackmanSylvia Aitken Charitable TrustTalteg LimitedThe Alexander Moncur Trust The Binks TrustThe Campbell Trust The Craignish TrustThe Cresswell Family FoundationThe Educational Institute of ScotlandThe Endrick TrustThe Ernest Cook Charitable TrustThe Hamamelis TrustThe Hugh Fraser FoundationThe Merchants House of GlasgowThe Robertson TrustThe RS Macdonald Charitable TrustThe Turtleton TrustThe Warehouse Sound Services LtdThe Wolfson FoundationThe Young Start FundTwo Fat Ladies RestaurantsUnion Advertising AgencyVicky HunterVirginia AndersonWilliam and Vanessa Prosser

ONE-MAN’S jOURNEY INTO MADNESS

Alan Cumming’s solo version of Shakespeare’s Scottish play proved such a hit on its debut run in Glasgow and New York that it has been revived by producer Ken Davenport for a high-profile run on Broadway. Theatregoers on the Great White Way will enjoy a bravura performance in which the actor plays not only the murderous Macbeth but all the key characters, from Banquo’s ghost to Lady Macbeth.

“The performance has a smooth v ir tuos i t y…Cumming delivers the verse with lucidity and intelligence” – Charles Isherwood, New York Times

Ken Davenport presents the National Theatre of Scotland‘s production of

MacbethBy William Shakespeare

on Broadway in New York in Spring 2013.

Performed by Alan Cumming

Directed by John Tiffany and Andrew Goldberg

MACBETH#

NTSMACBETH

CONNECT

CHAMPIONS

We have recruited a team of voluntary Champions from across Scotland. Our Champions come from all backgrounds, ages and locations. Working closely with members of the National Theatre of Scotland, this team of theatre lovers helps to spread the word of our work to their local communities.

YOUNG ADVISORY GROUP

10 exceptional people aged between 13 and 19 from all over Scotland have been selected to form the first National Theatre of Scotland Young Advisory Group. The group have the chance to influence and shape the future of the National Theatre of Scotland and represent the voice of Scotland’s young people. As volunteers, the group are mentored by members of the Board of Directors and will help us continue to be one the most exciting theatre companies in the world.

The next Young Advisory Group selection process will begin early in 2014.

EVERYTHING THAT WE DO SHOULD BE ACCESSIBLE TO

YOU. IN 2013, THERE ARE SEVERAL WAYS FOR

AUDIENCES EVERYWHERE TO GET CLOSER, GET

INVOLVED AND GET MORE FROM US.

DEAF THEATRE CLUB

Working in partnership with Solar Bear, we create regular innovative theatre packages across Scotland for deaf audiences including information on all our BSL performances, interpreters, ticket deals and exclusive talks, tours and events.

To find out more and to sign up to Deaf Theatre Club contact: [email protected]

THEATRE COMPANY

In 2013, we are offering the opportunity for older people interested in going to the theatre more. If you would like to join a group that meets regularly to attend performances, events and trips to productions across Scotland, just get in touch.

RELAxED PERFORMANCES

We are committed to programming performances exclusively for audience members who would benefit from a more relaxed theatre environment, including people with an Autistic Spectrum Condition or sensory or communication disorder and their families. Working closely with the National Autistic Society these performances are a supportive, relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere for all the family.

To find out more about any part of our work or to help us improve our service, contact:[email protected] call +44 (0)141 221 0970National Theatre of ScotlandCivic House, 26 Civic Street, Glasgow G4 9RH

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

If we’re not able to offer full audio description we will provide an Audio Guide to the performance. 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 breakdowns, descriptions of the set and information provided by key members of the cast and creative team.

BSL INTERPRETATION

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.

CAPTIONED PERFORMANCES

Captioning converts the spoken word into text that provides people with hearing loss better 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.

TICkETS FOR ALL ACCESSIBLE

PERFORMANCES, HEADSETS FOR AUDIO

DESCRIPTION AND AUDIO GUIDES MUST BE BOOkED IN ADVANCE FROM VENUE

BOx OFFICES.

AT THE NATIONAL THEATRE OF SCOTLAND WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO CONNECT WITH US

IN A WAY THAT SUITS YOU

PHOTOGRAPHY

Dunsinane, front and back cover Simon Murphy

The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two GoldfishSimon Murphy

Calum’s RoadSimon Murphy

New Plays from ChinaTommy Ga-Ken Wan

Black WatchManuel Harlan

Let The Right One InAlbert Watson

Dunsinane, listings page Richard Campbell

A Little Bird Blown Off Course/ Eun Bheag Chanaigh Hugh Harwood

Paul Bright’s Confessions of a Justified SinnerJack Wrigley

The Strange Undoing of Prudencia HartDrew Farrell

In Time o’ StrifeMurdo MacLeod

Ménage à TroisKenny Mathieson

MacbethManuel Harlan

Words by Mark Fisher Design by O Street

National Theatre of ScotlandCivic House, 26 Civic Street, Glasgow G4 9RHTel: +44 (0)141 221 0970 Fax: +44 (0)141 331 0589

[email protected]

For the latest information on all our activities, visit www.nationaltheatrescotland.com

Find us on Facebook: NationalTheatreScotland

Follow us on Twitter: @NTSonline

Copyright © 2013 National Thea t re o f Scotland and i n d i v i d u a l l y n a m e d contributors. All i n f o r m a t i o n 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 and latecomers may not be admitted. Booking fees may apply on tickets, please check with the venue Box Office when booking.

The National Theatre of Scotland, a company limited by guarantee and registered in Scotland (SC234270), is a registered Scottish charity (SCO33377). The National Theatre of Scotland is core funded by the Scottish Government.

WITHTHANkS

National Theatre of Scotland 2013 Brochure

Documents

national theatre of

national theatre company

brilliant scottish theatre

touring company

new work

swap table

number of mini

weekly swap shop events