A Wee bit of Dramaturgy: Philip Rainford and Adam Tomkins @ Leith Dockers' Club

Theatre Imperative (in association with The Leith Festival) present

The Wee One

By Philip Rainford

MONDAY 13 JUNE - THURSDAY 16 JUNE 2016, 8PM / MATINEE THURSDAY 16 JUNE, 2PM.

LEITH DOCKERS CLUB, 17- 17A ACADEMY STREET, EDINBURGH EH6 7EE

Written by Leith playwright Philip Rainford, The Wee One is a brand new comedy about family life, love and rediscovery.

Following the lives of Marie, John and their thirty-something son Danny, The Wee One is a truly heart-warming original play about the true-to-life challenges of a modern day family in working class Britain. 

What was the inspiration for this performance?

In 2014 writer/performer Philip Rainford wrote a short monologue about an older gentleman who chickens out of an internet date because, as he puts it, "they probably just got rid of a bloke like me". It was warmly received at 5MD in Serenity cafe and Discover 21 Edinburgh and quickly grew to become The Wee One. Philip wanted to explore the isolation and vulnerability of older men in a family context. He recognised that for such a theme to be palatable, it must have the right balance of humour and pathos. Inspired by the likes of Shelagh Delaney, Tony Warren, Ken Loach and John Osborne with echoes of John Cooper Clark, Philip set about writing his first "proper" play.

How did you go about gathering the team for it?

Having worked together on numerous projects including readings at 5MD and Discover 21, Philip Rainford and director Adam Tomkins joined forces to produce their first funded run of The Wee One in Discover 21 in May 2015.

AT: I wanted to work with new and emerging actors who were enthusiastic about the process of developing a new script using different techniques. I knew I didn't want to audition for this play, so we organised a read-through, which enabled us to produce a workable rehearsal script. Once the initial edits were done, we contacted a number of local performers and we were very lucky indeed to arrive at the cast we have. Both Philip and I felt it was really important to work with new actors who could not only bring freshness and skill to rehearsals, but who could create realistic characters who are memorable and lovable.

How did you become interested in making performance?

PR: I stumbled upon performing by accident. About eight years ago after having a stroke, I was left with the reading and writing ability of a primary school boy, along with other physical disabilities. Part of my rehabilitation was to learn how to read and write again. At Transition in Edinburgh, I learnt how to use a computer and gradually regained my literary abilities. As my memory eventually returned, I mentioned my previous enjoyment of theatre to one of the Transition staff who recommended the 'Introduction to Theatre' course at (the former) Telford College. We were under the impression that this would involve trips to the theatre, backstage visits and writing short reports. After about ten minutes of the first day, it dawned on me that it was an Acting course. I stopped the tutor mid-flow and said "excuse me,I think I'm on the wrong course. Is this an acting course?". "Yes", replied the tutor, "this is Introduction to Theatre. It's for budding actors. Would you like to stay or leave?". I stayed. 

AT: I've been involved in theatre and drama groups since the age of eight. I studied Theatre Arts at Dundee college and gained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Acting from QMUC in 2000. Since then I've mainly worked as an actor in theatre in and around Scotland. I moved into professional directing three years ago, when I was confident I had learned sufficient skills and knowledge to give it a proper go. It's risky and unpredictable, but I wouldn't have it any other way. For me, theatre is all about the process of taking a story from scratch and turning it into a memorable stage event. Having the creative freedom of running a new writing theatre company is a joy and it enables me to guide other people through that process.

Was your process typical of the way that you make a performance?

AT: Theatre Imperative are a brand new company - in the forthcoming years we will explore different ways of bringing new scripts to life. Workshops are invaluable - not just for actors, but also for writers who are new to the process of developing a script for production. The great thing about working with creatives is that they bring so many skills and talents to the table. That's part of the joy - not knowing precisely how a process will unfold is exciting and presents people with the chance to pitch in ideas and experiment with their talents. The important thing is that people learn something valuable from the process.

PR: Being quite new to this game, everything is a learning curve. For me there are no typical processes as such. At sixty-two, I can offer a broad life experience, whilst my younger colleagues can offer their theatrical talents. Between us, we can bring a fresh approach to each production. 

What do you hope that the audience will experience?

AT: If people feel connected to the characters and the story, that's a good start. You have to feel emotionally invested and challenged on some level, otherwise it's an hour and a bit of your life you'll never get back. A good laugh and a wee cry is far better for the soul than two and a half hours of trying to stay awake watching a bad play that's already been done three times in the past ten years. Leith is full of people who love the theatre, but there is not nearly enough theatre here to sustain their demand. New plays need to reach out to people in ways that acknowledge who they are and what they hold dear. 

PR: Enjoyment, empathy and to recognise a little piece of themselves in each of the characters.

What strategies did you consider towards shaping this audience experience?

I knew it was important to help Phil create a story that is entertaining, relevant and recognisable to modern working class audiences; I suppose that's who we are, so the language and the characters reflect aspects of ourselves - hopefully our audiences will connect to the play on that level. If nothing else, it's very funny and it makes me cry. I think that's a good sign.

Do you see your work within any particular tradition?

AT: I'm a lover of social realism but I also really relate to absurdist plays. In an academic sense that could be a contradiction or a dilemma; a marriage of the two would seem ideal. That's what The Wee One has and it's why I think Phil is a gifted writer. I often look for hooks in a script and go with whatever winks at me the most. 

The Wee One was winking so much I knew it was trying to tell me something. That said, I don't limit myself or choose what I work on simply based on what appeals to me. I'm just interested in working with people to help them understand their own capabilities a bit better - that's what others have done for me.


After a sell-out run at Discover 21 Edinburgh in 2015, brand new company Theatre Imperative are very proud to present this production for the people of Leith as part of The Leith Festival 2016.

About Theatre Imperative

Established in 2016 by Leith based writer/performer Philip Rainford and director/performer Adam Tomkins, Theatre Imperative are a new writing theatre company whose vision is to harness and develop the talents of emerging writers and performers. Their aim is to produce high quality inclusive theatre productions that address the interests of the local community and enrich the cultural landscape in Leith.

A wee bit more about the play

The play began life in 2014 as a five minute monologue about an older gentleman who chickens out of an internet date because, as he puts it, “they probably just got rid of a bloke like me”. 

The monologue went down a storm at Discover 21 and 5MD (aka Five Minute Dramas at Serenity Café) in Edinburgh. With guidance from director Adam Tomkins, writer Philip Rainford quickly seized upon the opportunity to create his first ever feature length play around his reluctant anti-hero, John. By turns original, familiar, laugh-out-loud funny, touching, tragically sad and memorable, each character has a vividly recognisable and thoroughly believable presence in the story, bringing freshness and life to this feel good show. 

With echoes of Shelagh Delaney and John Cooper Clarke, The Wee One is the flagship production from an exciting new Scottish theatre company.



With Philip Rainford, Catriona Joss, Alexander Staniforth, Emma McKenna and Wendy Barrett. Directed by Adam Tomkins. With kind support from EPAD and the Scottish Recovery Consortium.

Tracks Of The Winter Dramaturgy: Rona Munro @ Traverse

Traverse Theatre Company Announces
Tracks Of The Winter Bear 
By Rona Munro & Stephen Greenhorn 
Directed By Orla O’Loughlin & Zinnie Harris


 
The Traverse Theatre Company today announces the cast for its forthcoming production Tracks of the Winter Bear. 

The all-female, ensemble cast features a number of well-known performers: Deborah Arnott (Caucasian Chalk Circle, Royal Lyceum), Karen Bartke (My Name Is..., Tamasha Theatre, UK tour), Caroline Deyga (Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour, National Theatre of Scotland), Kathryn Howden (The Last Witch, Edinburgh International Festival/ Traverse) and Molly Innes (The Artist Man and the Mother Woman, Traverse Theatre Company).

The double bill brings seasonal stories, with a touch of the mystic, to the stage. It features world premieres by Rona Munro and Stephen Greenhorn inspired by ideas of wintery landscapes, Edinburgh and polar bears. 
 
Both playwrights have achieved considerable fame for their work in stage and other media and have a long association with the Traverse, which counts them among its most successful alumni. 

Both expressed their excitement at the prospect of this unique project and have worked closely to bring their individual ideas to fruition. Here again they bring their renowned wit and surreal but incisive gaze to bear on contemporary issues.


Orla O’Loughlin said, “What a wonderful way to end the year, with a double bill of wintry plays by two of Scotland’s finest playwrights and Traverse alumni. These plays offer a heartfelt and often fantastical insight into themes of loss, fear and love. As such they feel very much of the season. Both create a dreamlike canvas on which two very individual but equally inventive journeys unfold. By turns tragic and darkly comic, our Tracks of the Winter Bear double bill promises an exciting and daringly theatrical experience for Traverse audiences this December.”

 

GKV: What was the inspiration for this performance?Rona Munro: Okay, you said challenge you. What do you mean by ‘inspiration’? Conjures up visions of a radiant muse.
 
There are loads of reasons to write a play, the most common is desire to tell certain stories which, if one’s lucky enough to start making a living at it, is very rapidly followed by economic necessity, ‘because someone offered to pay me to tell that story’. 

Then there’s the delight of working with people one as enjoyed working with in the past. In this case lovely people I’d worked with in the past tempted me with the treat of working with them again and I had an idea that that matched theirs. I love Stephen Greenhorn and I’ve always wanted to write a Christmas show about a bear.

How did you go about gathering the team for it?
That was done by others.
 
What made you decide on this particular venue?
See above.

Was your process typical of the way that you make a performance?

Pretty much, though in this case I had a series of meetings with Stephen and Zinnie Harris where we talked about what the common themes between the two plays might be and how we’d make hem work together.

What do you hope that the audience will experience?
Midwinter magic.

Do you see your work within any particular tradition?
I try and avoid that kind of thinking altogether. It’s like a millipede concentrating on what its legs are doing.

Are there any other questions that might help me to understand the meaning of dramaturgy for you in your work? 
I can honestly say that I had no idea what dramaturgy was till I read your comics. I am still not entirely certain. I think, for an actual creative, it may be as well not to ever think about it. See above lame simile about millipedes. 

Playwright Biography

Rona Munro

Rona Munro has written extensively for stage, radio, film and television including the trilogy The James Plays for the National Theatre of Scotland, The National Theatre of Great Britain and the Edinburgh International Festival.

The James Plays won the Evening Standard best play and Writer’s Guild best play awards in 2015.

Other credits include award winning plays Iron which won the John Whiting Award in 2003, The Maiden Stone which won the Peggy Ramsay Memorial award and Bold Girls which won the Evening Standard award, Critics Circle award and Susan Smith Blackburn award.

Film and TV work includes Oranges And Sunshine directed by Jim Loach and starring Emily Watson and Hugo Weaving, the Ken Loach film Ladybird Ladybird which won a Silver Bear at the Berlin Festival, Aimee and Jaguar, Silver Bear winner and Golden Globe nomination, and BAFTA nominated Bumping The Odds for the BBC.   

She has also written many other single plays for TV and contributed to series such as Casualty’ and Dr Who.

Head to Head, at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery

Head to Head, at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery from 6 June, brings together around 50 sculpted works in a huge variety of styles and media, dating from antiquity to the present day.

Head to Head explores the many ways in which sculptors have treated and re-imagined that most engaging and most primal subject, the human head. The exhibition creates an arresting dialogue between works which range in size from less than 3 cm. wide (a portrait gem by James Tassie, c.1780) to more than and 3 m. tall (Stephan Balkenhol’s Grosser Mann (Large Man), from 1988). It includes Scottish and European works and examples from a staggering range of traditions – Antique, Renaissance, Baroque, Neo-classical and Modern. The exhibition is spectacularly staged in the Portrait Gallery’s contemporary space on the ground floor, and is the first National Galleries show to feature sculptures drawn from all three collections for many years.

Head to Head illustrates how sculptors continue to work within the tradition of the portrait bust as well as seeking to break free from it, and starts by considering definitions of what a sculpted portrait is. Works here range from conventional to more abstract representations of the model, such as Scottish Pop Art artist Gerald Laing’s bronze head Galina 3 (1974). Part of a series of busts depicting the artist’s wife, this futuristic-looking head replaces facial features with a smooth, reflective metal-like surface.

Laing’s stylised portrait echoes John Duncan Fergusson’s Eástre (Hymn to the Sun) (1924). For his brass portrait of Eástre, the Saxon goddess of Easter, the Scottish Colourist chose a highly polished, golden surface; the work is placed among a selection of sculptures illustrating the various materials available to artists and the different ways they have been used.

Also part of this group is John Davies’ striking Figure on a Swing, made in 1981-1984. Cast in fibreglass, it shows a naked male figure whose ghost-like form was inspired in part by Davies’ memories of a circus he was taken every year to as a child. It will be directly suspended from a beam on the ceiling so as to catch the eye of visitors as they walk into the exhibition.

A third group of sculptures will encourage visitors to consider the function of portrait busts, whether they were created to convey a message or were made for a particular purpose other than being a directly identifiable portrait. This is for instance evident in Nancy Grossman’s Head (1968), which was carved in wood and trussed up in leather to conjure feelings of claustrophobia and vulnerability. Grossman, one of the leading feminist artists of the period, has stated that her head sculptures were a response to restrictions she felt during her childhood.

The oldest sculpture in the show was made around the late 1st century BC - early 1st century AD. Head of a Young Man, a marble bust found in the Greek city of Thebes, is from the Scottish National Gallery’s collection. The most recent work will be Untitled, another marble bust, but one created in 2013 by Edinburgh-based artist Jonathan Owen and recently acquired by the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art.

For Untitled Owen carved directly into the head of a nineteenth-century portrait, turning it into a cage formed from an intricate three-dimensional star pattern, with a marble sphere trapped inside. Owen’s transformation of the original bust into a new object illustrates one of the ways artists continue to reference the tradition of the sculpted portrait, while also seeking to re-invent it. This theme will be further explored by Cesar’s Pouce (Thumb) (1965-1968), a bronze based on a cast of the French artist’s own thumb which conveys his individuality and identity, but without making reference to his head and face at all.

Christopher Baker, Director of the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, said: “’Head to Head’ represents a fresh and dramatic way of making us think about figurative sculpture and the endless, rich variations artists have brought to its forms – whether traditional or radical. It provides an introduction to the wealth of the Galleries’ sculptural collections and many of the fascinating issues around the creation and viewing them.”

The National Galleries of Scotland wish to express their gratitude to Walter and Norma Nimmo whose generous support has enabled them to mount this exhibition.

Anatomy: a tribute

Resilience @ Out of the Blue

Resilience, the current Legislative Theatre project of Active Inquiry, is holding a big event at Out of the Blue on Saturday 11th October. 

Everyone is welcome to come and support this unique experiment in participatory policy-making! The event is free and will include theatre, food and music but booking is essential.

Despite my worries, political theatre is clearly becoming a thing in Scotland. The energy of the referendum campaign is carrying over into the fracking aftermath. 

At some point, I'll have to think about 'political performance' and 'the performance of politics'. In the meantime, I can only add my support to this event. Not only is 'resilience' one of my favourite words (it is a quality to which I aspire), but it is free and have the word 'participatory' in its description. I always worry that political theatre is 'show and tell' rather than 'get involved.'
Speaking of Resilience Gavin Crichton, Artistic Director of ACTive INquiry, says: 'We live in difficult economic times. Many community organisations are expected to do more with less resources and have to focus on surviving everyday. How can we enable these organisations to be able to become more resilient and thrive?'

The investigation seems to have started with public engagement - a reversal of the usual theatrical practice of rehearsing quietly until the Big Day comes, and the production is presented for public appraisal. The process is part of the product... the way it is made defines its outcomes (this is always true, but here is a model than breaks the fourth wall before it gets built).

'We live in difficult political times. Although a lot of language focuses on community empowerment and involving communities in decisions that affect them, this is often not seen in communities. How can communities be supported to take more control of their own assets and the decisions that affect them?'

'Over the past year Active Inquiry has been working with community organisations in Edinburgh to carry out research into the above questions. This event on 11th October will see the culmination of this research in the form of a piece of Legislative Theatre.'

'Legislative Theatre originated in South America and enables an audience to use a piece of theatre to propose and vote on new policy and laws. How can Edinburgh Council support communities and community organisations to become more resilient and thrive?'

It must be something to do with Boal and his theatre of the oppressed.

As well as the Legislative Theatre event there will also be food from World Kitchen and performances from local artists and choirs.

 Saturday 11th October 2014
4-9pm
The Out of the Blue Drill Hall, 36 Dalmeny Street, Edinburgh, EH6 8RG
Free! (although donations will be appreciated!)

For catering reasons it is essential that people book for this event. 

Alternatively you can email gavin@activeinquiry.co.uk with your name and how many tickets you would like.
A crèche will be provided but booking for this is essential. For more information please contact Gavin on gavin@activeinquiry.co.uk or 07714321629

Active Inquiry enables grassroots communities to make and use excellent theatre as a catalyst to uncover and challenge injustice. For further information visit www.activeinquiry.co.uk

gavin@activeinquiry.co.uk
www.activeinquiry.co.uk

Strange and Wonderful Instruments

http://www.strangeandancientinstruments.com/

Breathe: Errol White

www.facebook.com/errolwhitecompany

www.twitter.com/ErrolWhiteCo

The Studio at The Festival Theatre
Fri 10 & Sat 11 Oct, 7.30pm
Booking: 0131 529 6000

Lemontree, Aberdeen
Thu 23 Oct, 7.30pm
Booking: 01224 641122

Platform, Glasgow
Sun 26 Oct, 4pm
Booking: 0141 276 9696

Scottish School of Contemporary Dance, Dundee
Tue 28 Oct, 7.30pm
Tickets £5 on the door

Brunton Theatre, Musselburgh
Fri 31 Oct, 7.30pm

Booking: 0131 665 2240 

SEEP II: Mirrors and Mires

Giants In Edinburgh (Giants in the Forest, Chapter 4: Edinburgh)

The last time I spoke of my quest for The Giants in the Forest, I was lost in the small patch of woodland on Falkland Estate. I am going to leave myself there for a while - it might ruin the drama of when I get attacked by the werewolf (I survived to see other Giants), but it doesn't preclude the possibility of there being another exotic encounter in Fife.

Instead, I jump forward to a journey that ought to have been easy. I nipped over to Edinburgh to check out The Giants at the end of the Royal Mile. I had a train ticket, and the three big boys are located at the end of the street where I work at The List. My contact was Sarah Cooke, and she works for the nation.

The first three days out had spread me across the country, and I'd been enjoying the travel. Being in the Central Belt - and being a super arts writer who gets to see all the big productions - had made me into a snob. Chatting to people in the under-rated Borders and enjoying the sunshine in Fife reminded me that Scotland is not just two cities and a strip of motorway. There is life and art all over the place, and that they work so hard to protect it in, say, Peebles, is a testament to a different vibrancy than the one I get stalking home from Sauciehall Street on a Saturday.

I've actually become quite sentimental about Scotland: in a week's time, when I arrive in Aberdeen, I shall say out loud, for no good reason, that I love this country. It did get me some funny looks. However, this isn't about identifying some defined cultural community the country is supposed to have. It isn't even about the beauty of the landscape between Dyce and Drum Castle.

It's the different voices. And it's the road. A moment on the way to Yellowcraig, a speeding train races past my bumping bus: I watch it go, and enjoy how the cars on the outside lanes try to keep up. Travel, in itself, is the vacation. I forget that when it's the morning bus over the M8, or when I go on a fancy holiday to The Foreign.

I am not regretting that this trip is merely an hour long, or to a location that I already know. It's worth it for the experience of the trains being completely snarled, meaning that the biggest problems I have in the whole trip happen in the capital. And Sarah chats about The Royal Mile, mixing up the importance of tourism and local people having a cheeky peek at the weaved threesome.

Prelude to the Giants

I am about half way through my mission. So far, I have taken trains and buses, cycled and hitched across large swathes of Scotland, even dipping briefly into England (Berwick –upon-Tweed, admittedly a location that has had its share of border conflicts and now best known as the answer in quizzes to ‘what English football team plays in the Scottish league?’), made a guest appearance at T in the Park and spent a day off being driven deep into East Lothian. I spent a weekend teaching the next generation of critics at the National Festival of Youth Theatre in Glenrothes, which has the largest pound shop I have ever seen, and have been without phone signal and Internet for days at a time.  That last is oddly disturbing and liberating.

But the purpose of my mission has been both the drive to my enthusiasm and has provided highlights. I am seeking out the Giants in the Forest, a series of sculptures placed around Scotland. Sometimes they are remote – one destination was the Bowhill Estate in the Borders, a good hour from the nearest village – sometimes to hand – The Edinburgh Giants are five minutes walk from the office of The List. And although they are all based around a similar design, each set (they come in threes) has its own distinctive identity.

Looking back over my written and recorded responses so far, I can see themes emerging. The first week was spent in the Borders – dropping down to Berwick, then hooking across to Galashiels, then Peebles before rising back to Edinburgh. My writing is full of timid attempts to capture the thrill of travelling outside of the city. There’s a similar problem in the day trip to see the Holyrood Giants: I am worried that my thoughts are unremarkable, a trite collection of obvious tourist comments.

I recognise how predictable, how mediated my responses are. The first day, an extract from my original introduction, makes vague comments about how ‘escaping the city’ encourages a ‘more open, gentle state of mind.’ Nature is probably going to be described as beautiful and calming if I read on. Then I start contrasting my usual urban anxiety against the spiritual warmth of the countryside.

Then there are the photographs I took in Edinburgh. A vista that takes in Arthur’s Seat and an old graveyard: a panorama across Holyrood. They are generic, and even as I click the shutter, I sigh at the realisation that what I am seeing is never going to be captured on film, or in words.

I am spreading out my recollections in front of me. I flicker between styles: here’s a stab at beat poetry, this one is a parody of a travel article from a broadsheet paper. Every so often, I fall back on my standards; acting like everything is an exercise in aesthetics. I am on an adventure, but I struggling to find the way to relate it back to my critical writing.

Let’s start with a cliché, then. You can take the man out of the city, but you can’t take the city out of the man. 

The Gramophones Theatre Company@ The Scottish Storytelling Centre- 30th May

I have a soft spot for the Scottish Storytelling Centre. This might be because it showcases a performance art that is accessible to all ages and interests, yet retains a huge influence on contemporary experimental practice: both Rantin and The Riot of Spring (entries in the recent NTS Auteurs season) reveal this heritage. It might be because their cafe has a fresh atmosphere and good cakes. 

The SSC has a habit of putting on intriguing shows. Next up, The Gramophones Theatre Company with the tale of their "daring and unusual journey from one end of Great Britain to the other on as many different forms of transport as possible with only one pound per mile." The subsequent show at the 2012 Fringe End to End was a five star success...

Leaving aside the value of stars at the Fringe, the adventure of three women crossing the country at bargain rates is another example of how performance has long since abandoned the predictable "write a script, act a script" approach. The Gramophones are playful, witty and smart. If they begun on a whim, they soon found plenty to celebrate about the nation they were crossing.

Six Degrees Of Separation – Edinburgh Graduates Theatre Group

"I read somewhere that everybody on this planet is separated by only six other people.  Six degrees of separation.  Between us and everybody else on this planet." 

Ouisa Kittredge – Six Degrees Of Separation.

Back when I used to teach Religious Studies (it was in another country and, besides, the career is dead), there was a popular website based around this very concept. I think it ended up like everything else that played with Social Networking before Facebook - so irrelevant that I can't even be bothered to Google search it. However, there was a film about the idea, and it had the Fresh Prince of Bel Air in it. That was more successful.

Then there was a game, called Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon. The idea was to link up everyone in the world to Kevin Bacon. Then Kevin Bacon started up a charity called sixdegrees.org. As long as this keeps him away from making a sequel to Footloose, I approve.

Before the film, there was the play. It was written by John Guare. Now there is a production in Edinburgh. Edinburgh Graduates Theatre Group are doing it at Adam House in April. Their press release plays with the concept.

Step One. 

Ross Hope, director of  Six Degrees of Separation for EGTG, attended a workshop last year with Niamh Cusack (now a Friend Of The Grads).
Step Two. 

Niamh Cusack’s brother –in – law is Jeremy Irons.
Step Three. 

Jeremy Irons starred in the mini-series Elizabeth I with Hugh Dancy.
Step Four. 

Hugh Dancy is married to Claire Danes.
Step Five. 

Claire Danes starred in Romeo + Juliet with Leonardo DiCaprio.
Step Six. 

Leonardo DiCaprio was directed in the film Marvin’s Room by Jerry Saks, who directed the original Broadway production of .... Six Degrees Of Separation.

It has been a long time since I saw the film, but I do remember being surprised that Will Smith could act. Before then, I had him down as a light-weight rapper who would not swear. These days, he turns in solid performances in the worst sort of film (I, Robot, which has the world's most blatant sneaker product placement and that one about Happyness (sic), which is something else I can't be bothered to Google search). I was also convinced by the script: there was an authenticity in the dialogue that made the absurd premise of cool art dealers being suckered by a man pretending to be Sidney Poitier's son a viable foundation for a meditation on inter-connectivity.

It is one of those plays that I like: it is intelligent, compassionate and encourages discussion about Big Ideas. In Six Degrees, it is Trust, Relationships and Authenticity (with a side order of Race). It was smart enough to make me take Mr Big Willy Style seriously, even after he did Wild Wild West.

About EGTG
Never shy of a challenge, EGTG have in recent years staged adaptations of Shakespeare’sThe Tempest, set on a barge in Leith, as well as his Comedy Of Errors, Antony & Cleopatra and Hamlet. Additionally, they have tackled more contemporary material - Christopher Hampton’s Les Liaisons Dangereuses, the Scottish premieres of Michael Frayn’s adaptation of Chekhov’s Wild Honey and Owen McCafferty’s adaptation of Sophocles’ Antigone, Patrick Marber’s Closer and Stoppard’s modern classic Arcadia. Their adaptation of Margaret Edson’s Wit was the SCDA full-length competition winner for 2009-10. In 2011, EGTG were selected as the public’s choice to take part in Sky Arts’ televised competition Stagestruck, reaching the final stages and building a relationship with acclaimed actress Niamh Cusack (see Steps 1 and 2 above).

EGTG’s production of Six Degrees Of Separation runs from Wed 4 April to Sat 7 April at Adam House, Chambers Street, Edinburgh. Doors are at 7.30pm. Tickets are available from The Hub.