Jun-Dec 2010 | National Theatre of Scotland season brochure

JUNE TO DECEMBER 2010

PETER PAN LITTLE JOHNNY’S BIG GAY WEDDING EXCHANGE 2010 LONG GONE LONESOME BEAUTIFUL BURNOUT CALEDONIA BLACK WATCH 99 . . . 100 THE STRANGE UNDOING OF PRUDENCIA HART A CHRISTMAS CAROL

WE’RE A THEATRE COMPANY W AND AT OUR HEART IS A STRON CONVENTIONALLY. EVERYTHIN THE NOTION OF WHAT THEATRE C OF OUR OWN WE’RE FREE TO WE CAN CONNECT W —

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WITH AN ADVENTUROUS STREAK NG DESIRE NOT TO DO THINGS NG WE ASPIRE TO CHALLENGES CAN ACHIEVE. WITH NO BUILDING O MAKE THEATRE WHEREVER WITH AN AUDIENCE. —

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THE SEASON AT A GLANCE JUNE

Random Accomplice and the National Theatre of Scotland present the final part of the Little Johnny trilogy. Has Little Johnny found his dream man? Audience members are invited to find out as guests at Little Johnny’s Big Gay Wedding at Langside Hall, Glasgow (1st to 12th June 2010).

JULY

The National Theatre of Scotland’s annual celebration of Scottish youth theatre returns. Now in its fifth year, Exchange 2010 will take place at the Byre Theatre, St Andrews, for the first time (public performances 6th to 10th July 2010).

Long Gone Lonesome, Duncan McLean’s moving tribute to Shetland country blues guitar legend Thomas Fraser, directed by Vicky Featherstone, travels to Ireland for a week-long run of performances at the Galway Arts Festival (20th to 24th July 2010).

AUGUST

The National Theatre of Scotland is back at the Edinburgh Festivals this year with two world premieres.

At the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, Frantic Assembly and the National Theatre of Scotland present Beautiful Burnout by Bryony Lavery, directed by Scott Graham (Director, Home Inverness) and Steven Hoggett (Associate Director: Movement, Black Watch). Presented in Frantic Assembly’s popular physical style, Beautiful Burnout is a new play which explores the brutal world of young Scottish boxers. Beautiful Burnout opens at new Fringe venue, Pleasance Forth, (4th to 29th August 2010), before touring nationwide through September and October.

At the Edinburgh International Festival, Caledonia is a story of greed, euphoria and mass delusion, based on the events surrounding Scotland’s failed colonial foray in Darien. Written by celebrated playwright and satirist Alistair Beaton (A Very Social Secretary, The Trial of Tony Blair) and directed by Scottish writer/ director Anthony Neilson (Realism, The Wonderful World of Dissocia), Caledonia is a co-production with the Edinburgh International Festival, with preview performances at Eden Court, Inverness.

SEPTEMBER & OCTOBER

The National Theatre of Scotland’s Black Watch returns to Scotland in Autumn 2010. The production has received acclaim, awards and standing ovations from Glenrothes to New York.

Black Watch will play at the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre, Glasgow (15th September to 9th October 2010), Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre (13th to 23rd October 2010), and at the Barbican, London (27th November 2010 to 8th January 2011) with further UK and international dates to be announced.

NOVEMBER & DECEMBER

99…100 is a major community and education project led by the National Theatre of Scotland and Arts and Theatres Trust Fife (AttFife) which uses music, movement, drama, puppetry, photography, art and design to explore and tell the stories of Fife. 99 … 100 culminates in three weeks of theatrical events in November 2010.

Touring pubs, howfs and other unlikely venues, The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart celebrates the Scottish Border Ballads and folk tales. This tour reunites leading Scottish writer David Greig and director Wils Wilson following the success of their award-winning National Theatre of Scotland children’s show, Gobbo. Touring late October and into November 2010 including dates in Jedburgh, Ullapool, Coatbridge and Berwick Upon Tweed.

Finally, from the imaginations of Graham McLaren (Director, Transform Moray) and Gavin Glover (puppet maker, Peter Pan) comes a spooky and intimate re-imagining of Charles Dickens' classic tale, A Christmas Carol. Full details of performance dates and venue details to be announced.

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A CO-PRODUCTION BETWEEN THE NATIONAL THEATRE OF SCOTLAND AND THE BARBICAN AND PRESENTED BY ARRANGEMENT WITH THE GREAT ORMOND STREET HOSPITAL CHILDREN’S CHARITY AND SAMUEL FRENCH LIMITED. 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)

PETER PAN

BY J M BARRIE, IN A NEW VERSION BY DAVID GREIG DIRECTED BY JOHN TIFFANY

HIS MAJESTY’S THEATRE, ABERDEEN 15th to 19th JUNE 2010 EVENINGS: 7.30pm MATINEES: 17th & 19th, 2pm BOX OFFICE: 01224 641122 www.boxofficeaberdeen.com ACCESSIBLE PERFORMANCES CAPTIONED: 18th JUNE, 7.30pm SIGNED & AUDIO DESCRIBED: 19th JUNE, 2pm (TOUCH TOUR 1.30pm) Ticket prices vary. Family discounts available.

Contact venue Box Offices for full details.

Booking fees may apply.

Try something different and take part in our workshops and events for all ages. A range of workshops is available for adults, primary and secondary school children and students and lovers of theatre. Fun activities are available including practical skills sessions, script analysis and comedy workshops.

For more information or to book directly, please contact Pamela Hay, Learn Project Manager Telephone 0141 227 0970 or email pamela.hay@nationaltheatrescotland.com Peter Pan is ideal for the young at heart aged 7 and over.

“HOT, HOT, HOT” DAILY EXPRESS * * * * * “UTTERLY SPELLBINDING” NEWS OF THE WORLD * * * * * “SPECTACULAR” DAILY TELEGRAPH * * * * “A WONDERFUL REINVENTION OF AN INEXHAUSTIBLY POTENT MYTH.” THE INDEPENDENT * * * * Image/ Kevin Guthrie as Peter Pan. Photograph by Mark Hamilton.

MEDIA PARTNER

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LITTLE JOHNNY’S BIG GAY WEDDING CREATED AND PERFORMED BY JOHNNY McKNIGHT DIRECTED BY JULIE BROWN

AFTER SEVEN YEARS OF SEARCHING FOR MR RIGHT, HAS LITTLE JOHNNY FOUND LOVE AT LAST? JOHNNY McKNIGHT IS BACK IN ACTION AS HE TAKES ON LOVE, FAMILY, COMMITMENT, BIG BANDS AND CONFETTI IN LITTLE JOHNNY’S BIG GAY WEDDING.

Of course, before he does that, Johnny has to first figure out what exactly a ‘gay wedding’ means to him. “It doesn’t really have a definition,” says McKnight. “What’s the day meant to be? Does someone call themselves the bride, or is it the groom and the groom? Does somebody walk down the aisle? I’m trying to get my head around that because it’s something I haven’t really thought about.”

Little Johnny’s Big Gay Wedding is the concluding part of the Little Johnny trilogy. It began five years ago with Little Johnny’s Big Gay Adventure, which saw Johnny compare his disastrous attempts at love and happiness with the songs of Madonna. Little Johnny’s Big Gay Musical put Johnny’s life and search for true love into an all-singing and dancing show that toured throughout Scotland in 2009 to great acclaim.

“All three pieces have been about trying to find the perfect boyfriend,” says McKnight. “Obviously I’ve never managed to do it in the last five years. But it’s not for want of trying. It’s not like I’m not advertising it quite openly.” In speaking about Little Johnny’s Big Gay Wedding, he says, “This one’s pretty much about how I’ve used self-help techniques, and the stories and troubles from my family’s past, to get me to a place where I’m ready to find love and settle down.”

And what about Little Johnny – is he a made up character or is he a version of McKnight himself? “I don’t think Little Johnny is a persona, I think he’s me. In my family, my dad is Big Johnny and I’m Wee Johnny. I just use ‘Little’ instead of ‘Wee’ because I think it looks better. Then, on the other hand, can you ever really truly be yourself onstage?”

Another important factor is McKnight’s experience in panto, which he credits with giving him the confidence to be more “easy-osey” while performing as well as giving him a preference for doing shows where the audience gets to participate. With the production set up as a wedding reception, complete with waiters, drinks and live music, the audience will be an important factor in Little Johnny’s Big Gay Wedding.

“The audience effectively becomes my family,” says McKnight. “They’ll be sitting where my family would be sitting and I'd love it if everyone got involved. They don’t have to participate, necessarily, but I’d like it if they were all dressed up as if they were actually going to a wedding. I’d like it if I can talk to them like they were my mum or my granny.”

McKnight’s interaction with the audience will mean the show will be different every night, depending on who chooses to play along. So what does McKnight hope the audience will feel when watching the production? “It’s going to be joyous! Like you’ve just been to an amazing wedding.”

by Michael Cox Freelance arts writer

PRESENTED BY RANDOM ACCOMPLICE AND THE NATIONAL THEATRE OF SCOTLAND LANGSIDE HALL, GLASGOW 1st to 12th JUNE 2010 EVENINGS: 7.30pm PREVIEWS 1st & 2nd, 7.30pm MATINEES: 5th & 12th, 2.30pm BOX OFFICE: 0141 552 4267 www.nationaltheatrescotland.com ACCESSIBLE PERFORMANCES CAPTIONED: 10th JUNE, 7.30pm SIGNED & AUDIO DESCRIBED: JUNE 11th, 7.30pm TICKETS £10 (£8/Previews £5) Booking fees may apply.

An age guide of 14+ is suggested as the production is likely to feature some strong language.

“IF JOHNNY McKNIGHT DIDN'T EXIST, WE'D HAVE TO INVENT HIM JUST FOR A LAUGH - MAKE THAT COUNTLESS LAUGHS, ALL SPIKED WITH A TELLING SENSIBILITY OF WHAT IT MEANS TO BE SCOTTISH, SINGLE, GAY AND APPROACHING 30.”

THE HERALD “THEY DON'T COME MORE GIFTED THAN JOHNNY McKNIGHT.” SCOTLAND ON SUNDAY

Image / Johnny McKnight.

Photograph by Tim Morozzo.

RANDOMACCOMPLICE 6

BIG GAY WEDDING

EXCHANGE 2010

NATIONAL THEATRE OF SCOTLAND LEARN IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE BYRE THEATRE, ST ANDREWS. BYRE THEATRE, ST ANDREWS 6TH – 10TH JULY 2010 TICKETS £6/ £4 BOX OFFICE: 01334 475000 WWW.BYRETHEATRE.COM

EXCHANGE 2010

EXCHANGE PERFORMANCE PROGRAMME TUESDAY 6th JULY 2010 7.30pm: CAN'T SEE THE WOOD FOR THE TREES

EDEN COURT THEATRE YOUNG

COMPANY, INVERNESS 9pm: BREAKING SILENCE

ACADEMY ACTS, DUMFRIES

WEDNESDAY 7th JULY 2010 7.30pm: REAL MEN DREAM

IN BLACK AND WHITE

EASTWOOD PARK THEATRE 16-25,

EAST RENFREWSHIRE 9pm:

PETROL BOMB CANDY CREATIVE ELECTRIC, EDINBURGH

THURSDAY 8th JULY 2010 7.30pm: MR WRITE

WRITTEN AND PERFORMED

BY ROB DRUMMOND

FOLLOWED BY POST-SHOW

DISCUSSION FRIDAY 9th JULY 2010 7.30pm: FML

CORK MIDSUMMER FESTIVAL

YOUNG PERFORMERS

ENSEMBLE, IRELAND SATURDAY 10th JULY 2010 7.30pm: REMIND ME WHO I AM AGAIN?

TRON YOUNG COMPANY, GLASGOW 9pm:

OVER THE TOP BYRE YOUTH THEATRE, ST ANDREWS

WITH SUPPORT FROM THE ROBERTSON TRUST AND THE ENDRICK TRUST

Image/ The Byre Youth Theatre presents The Origins of Society at Exchange 2009.

Photograph by Eamonn McGoldrick.

WHAT DO YOU GET WHEN YOU BRING TOGETHER MORE THAN 100 YOUNG PEOPLE WITH A PASSION FOR THEATRE FOR A WEEK OF INTENSIVE WORKSHOPS AND PERFORMANCES? SOMETHING GREATER THAN THE SUM OF ITS PARTS.

It’s impossible to say exactly what springs from a project like Exchange, the National Theatre of Scotland’s annual festival of youth theatre, the effects are so diverse and wideranging. The benefits will reverberate for months or years to come. They might even be life changing.

Since October 2009, talented young people aged 16 to 25 from Dumfries to Inverness have been working on creating their own shows for Exchange with the support of National Theatre of Scotland professionals. For a week in July, they will come together at the Byre Theatre in St Andrews to take part in workshops and to watch one another’s performances.

Simon Sharkey, Associate Director (Learn) at the National Theatre of Scotland, set up Exchange five years ago after witnessing first hand the benefits of similar projects for young people. “I could see how cultural exchange happens, how young people are able to explore what it means to be young, Scottish and international by creating a piece of theatre together. Ultimately, though, the idea behind Exchange has always been about young people making the best piece of theatre that they can.”

The bar is raised still higher by inviting top young companies from overseas. Last year, Exchange hosted Tin Can from Kolkata in India and Kopergietery from Belgium, the company behind the Fringe First-winning show Once and For All We're Gonna Tell You Who We Are So Shut Up and Listen. This year, the festival welcomes the Cork Midsummer Festival Young Performers Ensemble from Ireland. Their production, FML, is directed by Pol Heyvaert, who will be delivering a workshop to all Exchange groups, based around the themes of the show. Also appearing is writer/ director Rob Drummond, who will be taking his show Mr Write to the festival. This acclaimed production involves Rob writing and performing a play live on stage with assistance from a young volunteer chosen from the audience on the night. There will be a chance for the audience to chat to Rob after the performance.

Since last autumn, participating companies have had the opportunity to take part in master classes with professionals such as the National Theatre of Scotland’s Artistic Director Vicky Featherstone. Other workshop leaders include movement specialist Simon Pittman of physical theatre company Frantic Assembly (see Beautiful Burnout page 10) and Random Accomplice’s Johnny McKnight (see Little Johnny’s Big Gay Wedding, page 6).

Islay MacRae, drama worker with Eden Court Young Company in Inverness, says Exchange offers young people a unique chance to work with world-class professionals and to be offered support and resources to devise their own show – and that the young people are more than ready to rise to the challenge. “They’re really inspired,” she says.

“They have a real sense of ownership of the show. It’s not my show, it’s not Eden Court’s, it’s not the National Theatre of Scotland’s: it’s theirs. And that’s really important to them.

“Just because young people are creating the performance doesn’t mean it can’t be a professional show – in fact, there’s every reason why it should be exactly the same standard as a professional show. In a way, Exchange is about showing the young people that they can achieve those standards.”

by Susan Mansfield Arts journalist, The Scotsman 9

BEAUTIFUL BURNOUT WRITTEN BY BRYONY LAVERY DIRECTED AND CHOREOGRAPHED BY SCOTT GRAHAM AND STEVEN HOGGETT FEATURING THE MUSIC OF UNDERWORLD BEAUTIFUL BURNOUT IS INSPIRED BY A VISIT TO GLEASON’S GYM, A HISTORIC BOXING GYM IN BROOKLYN. THE ENERGY AND FOCUS OF THE PLACE PROVED UTTERLY INTOXICATING. ALSO WHAT APPEARED INITIALLY THREATENING AND BRUTAL STARTED TO DISPLAY AN IMMENSE DEDICATION AND INTENSITY AND A WONDERFULLY SIMPLE WORLD OF RESPECT AND MUTUAL DEPENDENCY.

Boxing is a sport that thrills and appalls. That dynamic intrigued us. How can something so revered and idolized also cause such disgust and outrage? The title, Beautiful Burnout, borrowed from a song by Underworld, seemed to us to capture this clash.

In researching the Scottish boxing world we have found people who dedicate their time and energies to others, people who find a home in boxing, in its camaraderie, its positive role models, its ethos of discipline and respect. We have been welcomed at every stage by people interested in what we were doing and keen to help in any way they can.

We have no desire to dismantle their faith in their world. They present an attractive case for boxing. Yet the possibility, or even the inevitability, of damage remains.

Authenticity is everything in this production. We feel we cannot truly engage with this sport on stage if we cannot really get inside what it feels like to partake. Similarly we feel we have to do the power and physicality of boxing justice on our stage. This takes a similar dedication shown by those boxers whose lives we want to explore.

Our performers have been training in gyms across the country but fitness is only part of the journey. Their training has been about giving and receiving blows, about getting inside that particular mindset that is prepared to enter possibly the most lonely and intimidating arena and believe they can win. We believe our desire for authenticity means knowing boxing from the inside out.

Boxing, like theatre, is a live event. The movement of boxers has all the grace and balance of dancers but with a power and brutality that is not fully appreciated if experienced merely through television.

Beautiful Burnout, as we hope the title suggests, aims to capture the full range of the boxing experience. Confronted with the live spectacle and all of the motivations behind it, we hope this show offers audience members who might usually feel uncomfortable with the brutality of boxing an insight into what others find so thrilling and absorbing about the sport.

For other members of the audience who might typically consider themselves boxing fans we hope the show may provoke some ethical questions about the spectacle of boxing and the effects the sport can have on the fighters, the supporters and those connected to it.

by Scott Graham Frantic Assembly

PRESENTED BY FRANTIC ASSEMBLY AND THE NATIONAL THEATRE OF SCOTLAND PLEASANCE FORTH, THE PLEASANCE, EDINBURGH 4th to 29th AUGUST 2010 EVENINGS: 7.30pm MATINEES: 14th, 21st & 28th AUGUST, 2.30pm BOX OFFICE: 0131 556 6550 www.edfringe.co.uk ACCESSIBLE PERFORMANCES SIGNED & AUDIO DESCRIBED: 15th & 22nd AUGUST, 7.30pm CAPTIONED: 19th & 26th AUGUST, 7.30pm TRAMWAY, GLASGOW 2nd to 11th SEPTEMBER 2010 EVENINGS: 8pm MATINEES: 4th, 9th & 11th SEPTEMBER, 2.30pm BOX OFFICE: 0845 330 3501 www.tramway.org ACCESSIBLE PERFORMANCES CAPTIONED: 8th SEPTEMBER, 8pm SIGNED & AUDIO DESCRIBED: 9th SEPTEMBER, 8pm YORK HALL, LONDON 16th SEPTEMBER to 2nd OCTOBER 2010 EVENINGS: 8pm MATINEES: 18th, 22nd, 25th, 29th SEPTEMBER & 2nd OCTOBER, 2pm BOX OFFICE: 020 7638 8891 www.barbican.org.uk ACCESSIBLE PERFORMANCES CAPTIONED: 23rd SEPTEMBER, 8pm SIGNED & AUDIO DESCRIBED: 26th SEPTEMBER, 8pm ROTHES HALL, GLENROTHES 13th to 16th OCTOBER 2010 EVENINGS: 7.30pm MATINEE: 14th OCTOBER, 2pm BOX OFFICE: 01592 61 11 01 www.attfife.org.uk CRUCIBLE, SHEFFIELD 3rd to 13th NOVEMBER 2010 EVENINGS: 7.30pm MATINEES: 6th, 10th & 13th NOVEMBER, 2pm BOX OFFICE: 0114 249 6000 www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk MINERVA THEATRE, CHICHESTER 16th to 27th NOVEMBER 2010 EVENINGS: 7.45pm MATINEES: 18th, 20th, 25th & 27th NOV, 2.15pm BOX OFFICE: 01243 781312 www.cft.org.uk Ticket prices vary. Concessions available.

Contact Box Offices for full details.

Booking fees may apply.

Beautiful Burnout contains strong language and scenes of a violent nature. An age guide of 14+ is recommended.

A full range of accompanying creative learning activities will be available from Frantic Assembly and the National Theatre of Scotland, including workshops, resources and post show discussions.

For more information on the events and resources available with Beautiful Burnout visit www.nationaltheatrescotland.com/learn or contact our Learn department on 0141 227 9232 Image/ Taqi Nazeer by Ela Włodarczyk.

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PRESENTED BY THE NATIONAL THEATRE OF SCOTLAND AND EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL

CALEDONIA

EDEN COURT, INVERNESS PREVIEWS: 13th, 14th & 16th AUGUST, 8pm BOX OFFICE: 01463 234 234 www.eden-court.co.uk KING’S THEATRE, EDINBURGH 21st to 26th AUGUST 2010 EVENINGS: 7.30pm WORLD PREMIERE: 21st AUGUST, 7.30pm MATINEES: 22nd, 25th & 26th AUGUST, 2.30pm BOX OFFICE: 0131 473 2000 www.eif.co.uk ACCESSIBLE PERFORMANCES CAPTIONED: 24th AUGUST, 7.30pm SIGNED & AUDIO DESCRIBED: 25th AUGUST, 7.30pm (TOUCH TOUR 6.30pm) EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL EXPLORATIONS THE DARIEN VENTURE THE HUB, EDINBURGH TUESDAY 24th AUGUST, 2.30pm EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL CONVERSATIONS THE HUB, EDINBURGH TUESDAY 24th AUGUST, 5pm TICKETS £6.50 Supported through the Scottish Government’s Edinburgh Festivals Expo Fund

BY ALISTAIR BEATON DIRECTED BY ANTHONY NEILSON

IT BEGAN AS A HEROIC VOYAGE INTO THE NEW WORLD, AN OPTIMISTIC ODYSSEY THAT HAD SCOTS – TEETERING ON THE BRINK OF THE 18TH CENTURY – ENTHRALLED BY THE POSSIBILITIES. IT ENDED IN A NATIONAL TRAGEDY OF EPIC PROPORTIONS.

In an original work written for the National Theatre of Scotland, celebrated Glasgowborn playwright Alistair Beaton brings all the drama of the disaster to the Edinburgh International Festival in his new play, Caledonia.

The piece resurrects the notorious Darien scheme, which in the 1690s saw two Scottish fleets set sail for Panama to establish the New Caledonia colony after the fashion of a European superpower. It led to the loss of over 2000 lives and at least a quarter of the nation’s wealth.

“I don’t think it’s too much to expect our leaders to learn from the lessons of history,” Beaton insists.

The plan was created by trader and banker William Paterson. His idea of financing the project by subscription meant rich and poor at home and abroad were ruined when the imagined beehive of activity faded to reveal, rather, a wasps’ nest of disease and disaster.

“I make out of the history the story I want to tell,” Beaton says, adding: “I think it’s unquestionable that Darien played a substantial role in Scotland’s willingness to accept the Treaty of Union with England in 1707. Historians argue about the influence of Darien on that final loss of independence – my own feeling is it was absolutely central. It made Scotland particularly vulnerable to a very large English bribe, which came up in cartloads of gold coins from London.”

Given the current financial crisis, none of the irony is lost on a writer with a political sense as keen as Beaton’s. His television writing credits include Spitting Image (1984-96), A Very Social Secretary (2005) and The Trial of Tony Blair (2007), while one of his previous plays, Feelgood (2001), was a satire on New Labour’s spin doctor culture.

“One of the reasons I decided to write about Darien was that it was a very indirect way of writing about modernity. A story in its own right, it’s also full of echoes of today.”

In telling the tale, Beaton joins forces with director Anthony Neilson for the first time. Edinburgh-born Neilson’s work as a writer/director includes the acclaimed National Theatre of Scotland co-productions Realism and The Wonderful World of Dissocia. Both presented visually vibrant offerings from the hazy border between fantasy and reality, an area set for further exploration in this rendering of the Darien venture.

“The chief target of the play is the willingness of an entire nation to buy into an illusion, and the people who manipulated the nation to encourage that,” says Beaton.

“It’s a very poignant story. There will be parts that I hope will be very funny, because there’s some ridiculous posturing by the leadership, but the sheer human tragedy, the scale of it, is unbelievably moving.”

by Andrew Davies-Cole Freelance arts journalist

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BLACK WATCH

BY GREGORY BURKE DIRECTED BY JOHN TIFFANY

EVERY WAR REPORTER HAS THEM: SNAPSHOTS FROM THE MEMORY BANKS OF HORROR, FOREVER LURKING AND IMPOSSIBLE TO ERASE. HAVING COVERED CONFLICT FOR THE LAST THIRTY YEARS, I HAVE MANY OF MY OWN.

One memory, indelibly etched, is standing among the scattered limbs of the civilian victims after a suicide car bombing on the streets of Baquba in Iraq. More than anything though, what I most remember most are the faces and voices of those caught up in battle.

From Iraq, it might be the young American infantryman who told me how his buddy had just been blown to pieces by a roadside bomb.

More recently, in Afghanistan, it was the confession of a young Scots marine, a sniper, who talked emotionally of how even his closest mates in civilian life could never grasp what he had gone through. But then just who, other than soldiers themselves, could ever be expected to understand such experiences? How many of us can honestly relate to what it must be like to watch a close friend die horribly in battle? Politics, the war on terror, making our country safe – for most soldiers none of that matters half as much as camaraderie, staying alive and getting home.

I first saw Black Watch not in Scotland, but in the United States. I had gone there to cover the US premiere of the play in Los Angeles, and was to watch it in the company of three US Army Iraq war veterans. For all four of us, what we witnessed that night was a visceral and emotional return to some of the most haunting experiences of our own lives. It was a rare moment when art truly imitates life. "I’d never have believed that a play like this could capture what it’s like being a soldier in Iraq," one of the men told me afterwards. All three admitted having come expecting an anti-war play. What they got, they said, was a rollercoaster tale of esprit de corps that any soldier, anywhere, could identify with.

To those of us outside this military fraternity, it’s all too easy to see those in uniform simply as heroes or villains. As is so often the case, the truth behind the soldier’s role, like the motives that take them to war zones in the first place, is often far more complex. Seeing Black Watch is to be reminded of the universality of the frontline soldier’s experience. The boredom, the profanity and above all the black humour of a close-knit community.

Since that day in September 2001 when the twin towers buckled to the ground in New York, have we ever really paused to consider what impact the prosecution of the "war on terror" has had on a generation of our own young men and women who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan?

Today, as the war in Iraq still menaces ordinary people there, and that other conflict in Afghanistan touches us all in some way or other, Black Watch has more resonance and power than ever before. A bleak and unsettling theatrical experience it certainly can be, but above all else, Black Watch remains a profoundly uplifting reminder of the values of comradeship.

by David Pratt An award-winning journalist, author and filmmaker, David has been a foreign correspondent and has covered wars across the globe. He is a regular contributor to the BBC, and is currently Foreign Editor of the Sunday Herald newspaper in Scotland.

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SECC, GLASGOW 15th SEPTEMBER to 9th OCTOBER 2010 EVENINGS: 8pm MATINEES: 2nd & 9th OCTOBER, 3pm BOX OFFICE: 0844 395 4000 www.ticketsoup.com ACCESSIBLE PERFORMANCES CAPTIONED: 2nd OCTOBER, 3pm SIGNED & AUDIO DESCRIBED: 7th OCTOBER, 8pm AECC, ABERDEEN 13th to 23rd OCTOBER 2010 EVENINGS: 8pm MATINEE: 16th OCTOBER, 3pm BOX OFFICE: 08444 77 9000 www.ticketmaster.co.uk ACCESSIBLE PERFORMANCES CAPTIONED: 22nd OCTOBER, 8pm SIGNED & AUDIO DESCRIBED: 23rd OCTOBER, 8pm BARBICAN, LONDON 27th NOVEMBER 2010 to 8th JANUARY 2011 EVENINGS: 7.45pm PREVIEWS: 27th & 29th NOVEMBER, 7.45pm MATINEES: 2pm BOX OFFICE: 020 7638 8891 www.barbican.org.uk ACCESSIBLE PERFORMANCES AUDIO DESCRIBED: 11th DECEMBER, 2pm CAPTIONED: 21st DECEMBER, 2pm Black Watch contains very strong language, loud explosions and strobe lighting and an age guide of 16+ is suggested. Black Watch is 1 hour and 50 minutes long with no interval.

The Black Watch resource pack is currently available free to all schools in Scotland.

The National Theatre of Scotland's full range of accompanying creative learning activities including workshops, talks and tours will be available in Glasgow and Aberdeen.

For more information on the events and resources available with Black Watch or to request a free resource pack, visit www.nationaltheatrescotland.com/learn or contact our Learn department on 0141 227 9232

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NATIONAL THEATRE OF SCOTLAND LEARN IN CO-PRODUCTION WITH ARTS AND THEATRES TRUST FIFE PRESENT 99…100

99...100

SPONSORED BY SCOTTISHPOWER PRESENTED AS PART OF CELEBRATING FIFE 2010 WITH SUPPORT FROM FIFE COUNCIL. ADDITIONAL SUPPORT FROM THE SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT PERFORMANCES 8th to 27th NOVEMBER 2010 FULL EVENT AND BOOKING DETAILS TO BE ANNOUNCED.

DIRECTED BY SIMON SHARKEY

WITH SUPPORT FROM THE RUSSELL TRUST. “I DON’T THINK ANY OF US REALISED WHEN TRANSFORM WAS FIRST TALKED ABOUT, HOW MUCH FUN WE WOULD HAVE AND HOW MUCH WE WOULD LEARN FROM THE EXPERIENCE. IT WAS INSPIRING.” “I HAVE ENJOYED THE EXPERIENCE THOROUGHLY AND MY CONFIDENCE HAS GROWN IMMENSELY.”

“ONE OF THE BEST THINGS ABOUT TRANSFORM HAS BEEN THAT I HAVE BECOME FRIENDS WITH PEOPLE I HAD NEVER EVEN SPOKEN TO.” FEEDBACK FROM DYCE ACADEMY PARTICIPANTS TRANSFORM ABERDEEN

SPONSORED BY

FROM A CAST OF MORE THAN 200 ON A FOOTBALL PITCH IN BARRHEAD, TO A BRAND NEW PIECE OF PROMENADE THEATRE CREATED IN THURSO BY THE DIRECTOR AND CHOREOGRAPHER BEHIND BLACK WATCH, THE NATIONAL THEATRE OF SCOTLAND’S TRANSFORM PROJECTS WERE AS REMARKABLE AS THEY WERE AMBITIOUS.

Not content with making ground-breaking community theatre on an unprecedented scale, the National Theatre of Scotland Learn team have been concerning themselves with thinking even bigger.

Simon Sharkey, the National Theatre of Scotland’s Associate Director (Learn), will direct 99...100. The aim, he says, is to build on Transform’s success. “The Transforms weren’t just community plays. Everybody celebrated them as really good pieces of theatre.

To take things further, we asked ourselves – how do we get more people involved? How can we give people more ways of connecting with theatre in their communities? Can we continue to push the boundaries in the forms of theatre that we’re creating?”

While each Transform project was based within a local high school, this project will cast its net across a wider spectrum of age groups. Theatre professionals such as movement specialist Simon Pittman and musician Michael John McCarthy from Glasgow indie band Zoey Van Goey will work directly with groups at schools, further education colleges and in the community. The project will also involve contributions from local artists, community members and groups including Anstruther-based musicians The Fence Collective.

“Despite the logistics, the primary focus will always be on the quality of the work,” says Sharkey. The exact size and shape of the project will evolve as the work is made, but Sharkey is confident that they have an idea which is strong enough to capture the imagination, yet broad enough to allow people space to tell their own stories.

“99...100 could be a birthday party, or a game of hide and seek. It could be that we go out and find 100 of something – 100 stories, 100 ways of relating to people, 100 bad haircuts – and we gather these in and create a piece of theatre out of that.”

Sponsored by Scottish Power and presented as part of Celebrating Fife 2010, the show is co-produced by Arts & Theatres Trust Fife (AttFife), more used to running existing arts spaces in the area. AttFife were a key partner in 2009’s Transform Fife, turning an abandoned factory in Dunfermline into a theatre.

AttFife’s Head of Programming and Creative Development, Hazel Wotherspoon, is looking forward to the project. She said, “The significance of our 99…100 co-production is that it highlights the level of ambition that we have – to produce work at the highest level, working with the best companies and artists to bring the very best cultural experiences to audiences and to celebrate the unique creativity of our region".

Heather McDonald of ScottishPower said, “Following on from the phenomenal success of Transform, ScottishPower is delighted to be supporting 99…100. We are very interested to see the results of such an innovative project which draws on the actual experiences of young people.”

99…100 takes place over nine-months, culminating in three weeks’ of performances in November 2010. The production will feature a number of local stories gathered from the Fife community as well as a series of surprise one-off events in public spaces throughout the region.

by Susan Mansfield Arts journalist, The Scotsman 17

UNSTAGED

THE NATIONAL THEATRE OF SCOTLAND IN PARTNERSHIP WITH BLIPFOTO, CHANNEL 4 AND SCOTTISH SCREEN HOW TO ENTER 1. BECOME A BLIPFOTO CONTRIBUTOR. IT'S COMPLETELY FREE AND ONLY TAKES A MINUTE. 2. YOU CAN SUBMIT UP TO THREE PHOTOGRAPHS WITH ACCOMPANYING CAPTIONS AND ADD THEM TO YOUR BLIPFOTO JOURNAL.

A GLOBAL PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION WITH FANTASTIC PRIZES

3. WITH THE REST OF THE BLIPFOTO COMMUNITY, NOMINATE YOUR FAVOURITE ENTRIES FOR FINAL JUDGING. We’re looking for completely new material, so all the photographs you submit have to be taken between the competition opening and closing dates.

THE NATIONAL THEATRE OF SCOTLAND WITH CHANNEL 4, SCOTTISH SCREEN AND BAFTA AWARD-WINNING WEBSITE BLIPFOTO LAUNCH THE GLOBAL PHASE OF THE UNSTAGED PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION.

Unstaged aims to celebrate and share extraordinary moments and stories from daily life, through this unique online community. For the final phase of the competition, participants are invited to submit entries based on the theme The Theatre of Everyday Life.

ABOUT BLIPFOTO Blipfoto is a daily photo blogging community and Scottish digital success story. 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 500,000 images and has logged over 2.75 million 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 Theatre of Everyday Life opened on April 29th and closes August 31st 2010.

PRIZES OVERALL WINNER: Canon EOS 5d Mark II, £500, a day shooting with the National Theatre of Scotland and a lifetime Blipfoto membership 2nd & 3rd PLACES: Panasonic Lumix LX3 and a 1 year Blipfoto membership 7 RUNNERS-UP: 1 year Blipfoto membership

THE THEATRE OF EVERYDAY LIFE For this competition, we are looking for creative interpretations of what theatre means beyond the stage. The challenge for participants is to find the dramatic, the bizarre and the wonderful in life’s daily drama. This is an open, international competition allowing broad examination of a timeless theme.

HOW TO TAKE PART To take part, you need a free blipfoto.com photo journal. Each image you nominate for the competition must be taken and uploaded to your Blipfoto journal. Your competition entries can consist of up to three photographs with accompanying captions.

JUDGING At the close of the competition, the Blipfoto community – including participants in the competition – will be given a week to nominate the finalists. The top ten nominations then go before a judging panel for a final decision. The judging panel will include Joe Tree (Blipfoto), Stuart Cosgrove (Channel 4), Vicky Featherstone (National Theatre of Scotland) and others.

Nominations and final judging will be based primarily on the images, but good supportive text can enhance entries as both text and image will be presented to the community and judges. The competition is truly open to all – a winning entry is just as likely to come from a camera phone as an expensive digital camera.

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FIND OUT MORE AND START BLIPPING www.blipfoto.com/unstaged Image/ Winning entry for Unstaged: Scotland at Play by Louise Menmuir.

PHOTOGRAPHY COMPETITION

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THE NATIONAL THEATRE OF SCOTLAND WISHES TO THANK THE FOLLOWING INDIVIDUALS AND ORGANISATIONS FOR THEIR SUPPORT. Alma and Leslie Wolfson Charitable Trust Determined To Succeed Inchyre Trust JarHair Leeds Building Society Merchants House of Glasgow Miss E.C. Hendry's Charitable Trust Mr Boyd Tunnock Mr Martin Segal Mrs Katharine Liston Nancie Massey Charitable Trust North British Hotel Trust Schuh ScottishPower TAQA Bratani Limited Tayfield Foundation The Binks Trust The Craignish Trust The Endrick Trust The Hugh Fraser Foundation The Pleasance Trust The RJ Larg Family Trust The Robertson Trust The RS Macdonald Charitable Trust The Russell Trust Two Fat Ladies Restaurants Union Advertising Agency The National Theatre of Scotland is supported by the Mackintosh Foundation under the ITV Theatre Director Scheme National Theatre of Scotland has the support of the Pearson Playwrights’ Scheme sponsored by Pearson plc. Pearson Playwright - Paul Higgins

SUPPORT THE NATIONAL THEATRE OF SCOTLAND GREAT THEATRE HAS THE POWER TO MOVE, INFLUENCE AND TRANSFORM.

THEATRE WITHOUT WALLS FUND

A donation to the Theatre Without Walls Fund enables you to take a seat for one year within our virtual theatre. Membership of the Theatre Without Walls Fund brings with it a range of benefits. Join us and take your seat amongst our many supporters. Already seated are Alan Cumming OBE, Sir Sean Connery, Blythe Duff and Bill Paterson.

Where will you sit?

CORPORATE PARTNERS

We wish to develop long-lasting, mutually valuable relationships with a small number of corporate partners. Through these new partnerships we aim to create strategic, innovative high profile associations allowing both sides to achieve their objectives.

For information on ways to support us and enjoy a rich and rewarding relationship with Scotland's national theatre, contact Stella Litchfield in the Development department on 0141 227 9236 or email: stella.litchfield@nationaltheatrescotland.com

INDIVIDUAL DONORS

By making a donation to the National Theatre of Scotland you play a vital role in helping us to develop and deliver exceptional work. You will help to nurture a new generation of theatregoers, bring Scottish excellence to an international stage and create access to a wide range of experiences so that theatre can touch and enhance the lives of all.

If you would prefer to discuss supporting our work in person please contact Stella Litchfield in the Development department who will be delighted to speak with you on 0141 227 9236 or email: stella.litchfield@nationaltheatrescotland.com

TRUSTS AND FOUNDATIONS

Trusts and Foundations play an essential role in supporting many areas of our work.

For more information contact Robin Gray, Trusts and Foundations Manager, on 0141 227 9494 or email: robin.gray@nationaltheatrescotland.com

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ACCESS YOUR NATIONAL THEATRE

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

When we are unable 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.

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 sung or spoken. Captions also include sound effects and offstage noises.

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SHOWS WITH CAPTIONING, AUDIO DESCRIPTION AND TOUCH TOURS PETER PAN LITTLE JOHNNY’S BIG GAY WEDDING BEAUTIFUL BURNOUT CALEDONIA BLACK WATCH SHOWS WITH BRITISH SIGN LANGUAGE INTERPRETATION PETER PAN LITTLE JOHNNY’S BIG GAY WEDDING EXCHANGE BEAUTIFUL BURNOUT CALEDONIA BLACK WATCH Touch tours normally begin one hour before performance time. Check at Box Office for details.

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 Maxwell on 0141 227 9017, or email marianne.maxwell@nationaltheatrescotland.com or write to: Marianne Maxwell Audience Development FREEPOST National Theatre of Scotland

COMING SOON THE STRANGE UNDOING OF PRUDENCIA HART OCTOBER & NOVEMBER 2010 DEVISED AND CREATED BY WILS WILSON AND DAVID GREIG Touring throughout Scotland this Autumn is a show based on Scottish Border Ballads and folk tales. Director Wils Wilson and writer David Greig are bringing Prudencia and co to pubs, howfs and other unlikely venues all over Scotland, in a heady mix of live music, poetry, action and storytelling.

A CHRISTMAS CAROL DECEMBER 2010 DIRECTED BY GRAHAM MCLAREN

Your presence is requested at the offices of Messrs Scrooge and Marley . . . Charles Dickens’ immortal tale of the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge tormented by the ghosts of his Past, Present and a very fateful Future is brought to eerie life by the National Theatre of Scotland.

Featuring a cast of haunted-looking puppets and a set that will bring you closer to Scrooge’s world than you’ve ever been, A Christmas Carol is one show you can’t afford to miss this December.

Image / A Christmas Carol. Photograph

by Douglas McBride.

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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

Design by Graphical House www.graphicalhouse.co.uk 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.