Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour @ SECC

Ladies and gentlemen, I have a problem. Tonight I went to see a well received and well reviewed play by the National Theatre of Scotland. Written by Lee Hall, who did Billy Elliot, Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour is an alcohol drenched, sex obsessed romp that follows director Vicky Featherstone's once-stated commitment to make theatre that is a good night out, and not a stuffy evening of academic performance.

I think that I like stuffy evenings. I got very little pleasure from Our Ladies. I thought the musical choices were arbitrary - not illustrating the themes of the play, but singalong anthems to hide the sloppy character development. 

Knowing that I have a problem is the first step. My problem is that I go to the theatre for a transcendent experience. Surrounded by an audience which is clearly enjoying itself, I wonder whether I am the right person to be reviewing unashamedly popular theatre. 

The cast are brilliant: great singers, full of energy and, when called upon to give a monologue, moving and passionate. The script has its moments: Hall can write a speech full of detail and suggestion, although he might be leaning on the source novel, The Sopranos. Featherstone keeps things running at a good pace. 

But this is barely theatre. Take a pivotal scene, when two of the young women are discussing their tentative desire. They kiss, they break, and one explains to the other that it isn't going to work. So the other  turns to the audience and says her heart is broken.

That's narrative, not theatre. Why couldn't she have acted her heartbreak? Why have the subtext spelled out so clumsily? There is so much chat to the audience - just like in the recent adaptation of The Iliad at The Lyceum - that actual performance of emotion is replaced by words. Some people call this Brechtian. I don't.

I realise that I am in a minority here. The audience lap it up - possibly because the format ('closer to a gig,' say the programme notes) allows plenty of space for those show stopping numbers. 

And there are loads of reviews that give it four stars. I am nothing if not pragmatic. I want to give the cast and direction the respect they deserve. So I turn to the reviews for answers. 

All I got is plot summaries and bland statements that it is good, or superb, or dynamic. There's no argument, no suggestions of why reading the book would not give me everything the play has. 

So, I am left with a few questions.

If my opinion is so different from the audience around me, does that make my opinion less valid?

Am I just a terrible snob who can't have a good time (I have been annoyed by Breakfast at Tiffany's, too, this week, another populist adaptation which refuses to develop dramatic tension)?

Has the review become little more than an exercise in rewriting the synopsis and few qualitative adjectives? 

Meanwhile at the Oran Mor

Last Dream (On Earth)

National Theatre of Scotland – BELONG SEASON 2015

A Play, A Pie and A Pint, in association with National Theatre of Scotland

and the University of Edinburgh, presents

A Play, A Pie and A Pint: International Plays from Ukraine and Russia

Three new plays from Ukraine and Russia

Curated by Nicola McCartney

Take the Rubbish Out, Sasha by Natalia Vorozhbyt (Ukraine)
Translated by Sasha Dugdale
Directed by Nicola McCartney
Òran Mór, Glasgow, week commencing 23 March 2015
Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, week commencing 31 March 2015
Presented in collaboration with the Traverse Theatre

In a modest home on the outskirts of Kiev, Katya and Oksana are busy preparing a funeral meal for their beloved Sasha. A husband, a stepfather, an Army colonel, he was all these things until he dropped stone cold dead on the bathroom floor.

But Sasha isn’t going without a fight. His women need him. His country needs him. Now more than ever. He and the others must return; they must march again. They have a solemn oath to uphold. It’s time for the sixth wave of mobilisation. Line up!



The War Hasn’t Started Yet by Mikhail Durnenkov (Russia)
Literal translation by Alexandra Smith
Adapted and directed by Davey Anderson
Òran Mór, Glasgow, week commencing 4 May 2015

Russian troops enter Ukraine. But the war hasn’t started yet. Not officially. Meanwhile, protestors take to the streets, parents lose their children, strangers find lovers, journalists lie on television, cancer patients crack jokes about the absurdity of existence, the downtrodden dream of rising up against their oppressors and everyone everywhere is addicted to something.

‘You see all these people in the subway with icy cold eyes. Burning inside. It’s either gastritis, or their souls, or God knows what. They look like they could pounce at any moment, tear you apart and eat you alive.’

A darkly funny, kaleidoscopic look at contemporary Russia on the brink.


Thoughts Spoken Aloud From Above by Yuri Klavdiev (Russia)
Literal translation by Alexandra Smith
Adapted by Peter Arnott
Òran Mór, Glasgow, week commencing 25 May 2015

A surreal and fantastical journey through contemporary Russia as seen through the eyes of one of Russia’s most popular and controversial playwrights. Issues such as gay rights, corruption and love are seen through prisms as wide ranging as Penguins in the Antarctic to a girl on a forest floor. This piece of magic realism will transport the audience to an imaginative Russia never before seen on the Scottish stage.

“Nothing in the history of Russia or Ukraine is ever simple.”

Collaborating on their fifth international season, A Play, A Pie and A Pint, in association with the National
Theatre of Scotland and the University of Edinburgh, presents new work from three of Russia and Ukraine’s most established and respected writers of “Novii Drama” or “New Drama.”

The writers were asked to respond to the conflict that has escalated between the two countries over the last 18 months. The result is the three new plays forming this season; a timely blend of comedy, tragedy and farce.

Novii Drama is a relatively new form of theatre in Russia and Ukraine, where, traditionally, social realism and the plays of playwrights such as Chekhov have dominated the scene. These exciting new pieces will be adapted and directed by acclaimed Scottish theatre -makers, Peter Arnott and Davey Anderson.

Curator Nicola McCartney says:

“Four years ago, David MacLennan asked me to travel to Moscow to find out if anyone there might be interested in A Play, A Pie and A Pint; he was keen to commission a season of Russian work.

There was a lot of interest – and also some consternation at the idea of great art such as theatre being mixed with alcohol and pies. Shortly after that trip, the hostilities between the two countries commenced and we knew the time was ripe.

The three playwrights I have chosen for this season come from both nations involved in the conflict, are well-established and enormously respected, not just in Russia and Ukraine, but the world over. What is even more special is that they are best friends. We asked them to respond to what has been happening over the last 18 months. Nothing in the history of Russia or Ukraine is ever simple…”

Susannah Armitage, producer of A Play, A Pie and A Pint says
 "Both A Play, A Pie and A Pint and the National Theatre of Scotland are particularly excited to be presenting new work from both Russia and Ukraine in Spring 2015. It feels like a prescient time to be turning a cultural spotlight towards that part of the world and to dIscover artists’ responses to what has been happening in their countries. It is also the realisation of a long-term ambition of both David MacLennan and Nicola McCartney to see contemporary Russian and Ukranian work as part of the A Play, A Pie and A Pint programme” 

With thanks to the University of Oxford for translation support.

Revealing the New (venue of the month)

A Venue without Walls

FEATURE BY GARETH K VILE.

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE SKINNY 25 FEBRUARY 2011

When the National Theatre of Scotland was born five years ago, after a protracted conception and labour, it boasted that it was "theatre without walls." In much the same way, this venue of the month is a venue without walls, featuring the Reveal programme, part of the NTS' debate about its identity as Scotland's national theatre.

Reveal is clearly designed to introduce the NTS's audience to the new generation of theatre makers. Gary McNair, last seen bothering global capitalism with Crunch, Robert Softley getting political about the right to self-determination and Molly Taylor loving the transport system are all working for the first time with the company, while a rehearsed reading of Martin Travers' Roman Bridge and a platform performance of Ian Finlay MacLeod's Somersaults give insights into works in progress. 

With both the Traverse and, more surprisingly, the Citizens enlisted to stage the season – with additional help from The Play, A Pie and A Pint team at Òran Mór, Reveal aims to locate the NTS at the experimental edge of theatre and made good its inclusive manifesto.

Given the energy and experimentalism that characterises much new Scottish work, the NTS's audience may be introduced to unfamiliar styles. McNair, although a veteran of The Arches and The Òran Mór, straddles a variety of genres: "I've tried to avoid labelling myself – people have said it is a hybrid of stand up and monologues," he explains. "But I am just making what I am making." And while he avoids easy classification, McNair's skill is to unite radical ideas and an easy-going, audience friendly performance. 

Unsurprisingly, McNair is diving into new territory. "I tend to tackle subjects i don't understand," he laughs. "If I did make shows about things I do understand, I'd make one show, about REM, and then I'd have to get a job." And after heading to the apocalypse and financial meltdown, there was an obvious topic. "I realised as a 25 year old, it's not good to know nothing about politics. That why I went for this."

Across the NTS's programme, there has always been a diversity of subjects and styles. In the past, this has led to criticism from critics who believe that its remit ought to be to preserve the best of Scottish drama. While that is catered for elsewhere in this year's selection, Reveal consciously goes beyond the parochial, as in the teaming of Robert Softley with Pol Heyvaert, the Belgian creator of Aalst, one of the NTS's great successes.

Softley, like McNair, is excited by the opportunity to collaborate with the national company, especially as it allows him to maintain the distinctive identity of his work. "It’s inevitable every time I perform, being disabled, that the audience reads layers into the work that wouldn't be there with a non-disabled performer," he begins. "But I usually focus on other issues.  My previous work has always tended towards the overtly political – I guess at the core of what I want to do is engage with people and then challenge them to change their preconceptions of the world around them."

The seriousness of Softley's approach is also  reflected in McNair's content, yet they share a desire to be more than just agit-prop. "Girl X fits in with my political work," he continues. "Although I hope audiences are also entertained while they’re being challenged – there’re quite a few laughs here too!" And in this mixture, Reveal's intentions are precisely revealed.

You The Inbox Editor

Oh no! My inbox is so full that I have mixed up various press releases! Can you sort out which play goes with which release?

(Release 1): One afternoon Susan finds herself lying on the lawn of her suburban garden, concussed by a garden rake, and the family doctor tending to her; soon her adoring, handsome husband and the rest of the family arrive home to spoil her.

But when her real husband – a vicar whose main love is writing the 60-page history of the parish – arrives home, we realise that Susan has created an entire fantasy family as an antidote to the real one.

Soon, as Susan becomes increasingly bewildered, the two worlds start to overlap – and finally collide, leading to situations of hilarious but agonising awkwardness.

‘It’s wrong to bottle things up, then? At worst, there’ll be an almighty explosion and a great deal of damage. Even at best, you’re liable to finish up with your dinner all over the ceiling’.

Something, but something, will have to give...

(Release 2): West Avenue is pleased to announce that a love story about a gay Londoner living with HIV, is returning to the capital for a three-week run this spring from 13 May - 1 June at Waterloo East Theatre.

The London run follows a successful stint at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2013 and a sold-out performance at the Waterloo East Theatre on World AIDS Day last December.

“If Britney can get through 2007, then I can get through today.”

Benji's mantra has got him through the first year following his HIV diagnosis, and now the time has come to grab life by the balls and start to live again.

With assistance from fun-loving housemate Nikki, guidance from his overbearing mother, and just a little help from Britney, Benji finally decides to get his love life back on track. Inspired by true stories, this is an honest and uplifting tale about an ordinary guy living with one of Britain's most misunderstood diseases.

Playwright Shaun Kitchener, who has just completed the Royal Court’s Young Writers’ Programme, says: “The play  has had a really exciting journey over the last year and continually received great reactions, and we are looking forward to showing this fresh script to a new audience.

“I think the story we're trying to tell is still as relevant as ever; challenging the inaccurate preconceptions around people living with HIV in a light-hearted but honest way. It’s not really about ‘illness’; it’s ultimately a love story – and hopefully a taboo-busting one at that.”

(Release 3):King’s Theatre Glasgow, Mon 2 – Sat 14 June

The smash hit musical comedy inspired by the songs of Rod Stewart, that premiered in the West End in 2003 and went on to play sold-out theatres across the UK, has hit the road again as part of a new UK tour.

Set on the mean streets of Detroit and in the glamorous clubs of uptown LA, the show tells the story of Stu, a shy young man, so tongue tied that he cannot find the courage to declare his love to the girl of his dreams.

How different he is to his hero, that legendary rock n’ roll vagabond Rod Stewart! One night our hero strikes a deal with the Devil, trading his soul for Rod’s. It seems like a good idea at the time but he’s is about to find out the hard way that you can’t find true love using another man’s moves and that devil or no devil, there’s only one Rod Stewart!

With a book by multi award-winning writer and comedian Ben Elton (We Will Rock You), it features spectacular staging, a world class band, dazzling choreography and includes over 20 classic Rod Stewart hits like Hot Legs, Baby Jane, Do Ya Think I'm Sexy, Maggie May, This Old Heart of Mine, I Don’t Wanna Talk About It, Ooh La La, Some Guys Have All the Luck, Forever Young, Sailing and many more.

Rod Stewart said: “In the past, any ideas for musicals revolving around my songs just didn't work for me. I'm absolutely thrilled that this great show is touring the UK again.”

Says Ben Elton: “Rod is such a totally unique artist. I initially approached him about a musical because his songs are all about storytelling and I felt that a great story could grow from them.”

(Release 4): Presented by the National Theatre of Scotland
Performed at various locations across Scotland, the UK, the world and the web, streaming live over 24 hours on 23rd June 2014, from 5pm

The National Theatre of Scotland is delighted to announce that public submissions have been selected to take part in the exciting 24 hour online broadcast of live theatre, taking place on Monday 23rd June, from 5pm.

National Theatre of Scotland’s Show will feature over 840 performers and theatre-makers from eight countries, presenting a series of live scenes, songs, skits, rants and dramas, as a democratic dramatic response to the theme of “Independence”. The show will celebrate a momentous year and provide hundreds of answers to one very important question; allowing individuals to discuss what independence means to them and not purely in a political sense.

Five Minute Theatre makers include poets, primary school pupils, film-makers, families, community groups, teenagers,visual artists, professional theatre-makers and expectant mothers, with ages ranging from three months to 80 years old. Their five minute dramas will be broadcast from across the globe, all streamed on the virtual stage www.fiveminutetheatre.com for a global audience.


There will also be a BBC Radio Scotland documentary presented by Edi Stark, following The Show from early preparations right up to production day. Edi speaks with David Greig and David MacLennan about their vision for the project and she also speaks with participants and explores their creative response to ‘independence’. The Great Referendum Show will broadcast on BBC Radio Scotland on July 9th at 1.30pm..

The National Theatre in 2006: from the Skinny, back in the day

FEATURE BY GARETH K VILE.

PUBLISHED 13 SEPTEMBER 2006

The National Theatre of Scotland has managed, in the six short months since the start of its inaugural season, to become a dynamic and celebrated force. A success on the Fringe with Gregory Burke's 'Black Watch' and Anthony Neilson's 'Realism', a series of collaborations and events held across the country have established it in the forefront of the cultural life of Scotland, from the Shetlands to the Borders.

By refusing to tie itself down to a single base, the NTS has avoided the financial problems associated with new companies and has been able to reach out into the broader community. Launched in February through an event, 'Home', that took place simultaneously in ten different locations, it has presented a wide range of dramas in areas that would not usually have the opportunity to see such impressive work.

The strength of the NTS lies in the clear vision of artistic director Vicky Featherstone. In her manifesto for the company, she states that her intention is to bring theatre to the people and cooperate with international companies, individual artists and local authorities. To this end, she has created a touring ensemble and the Young Company, bringing live theatre into schools and smaller communities, as well as supporting the training of young actors.

Rather than attempting to create a programme from nothing, she has also entered into successful collaborations with existing companies: 'Wolves in the Walls', an adaptation of Neil Gaiman's successful children's book, was made in association with Improbable, while November's tour of 'Snuff' is jointly produced by the Arches Theatre Company. Furthermore, the decision to use the existing infrastructure means that the NTS will be performing in the country's finest venues, from His Majesty's Theatre in Aberdeen to Edinburgh's Royal Lyceum and Glasgow's Citizens.

In this way, regional rivalries have been bypassed and the company is inclusive of many sorts of theatre, from the experimental - as in the site-specific 'Home'- to the populist, via pieces for children. A strong commitment to outreach and education suggests that the NTS is willing to develop long term links to shape the next generation of theatre-goers and cultivate artists within Scotland.

The first half of this season has seen the NTS express its intentions through a diverse portfolio of works. Both 'Home' and 'Roam' represented site-specific, suggestive drama: the latter performed at Edinburgh International Airport and using a variety of texts to explore national identity and the experience of global travel. More conventionally, scripted plays have included Arthur Miller's 'The Crucible' and Chris Hannan's 'Elizabeth Gordon Quinn'. Both of these works revealed the NTS' concern for theatre as a vehicle for social commentary, without descending into fashionable polemic. Overall, the season embraces the many aspects of modern Scottish theatre and operates as a summary of the state of modern performance art.

The remainder of the year promises to continue in the same manner: both the Touring Ensemble and the Young Company are hitting the road with three works apiece, while two further plays are coming from the main company.

The Touring Ensemble is taking 'Gobbo', 'Mancub' and 'Julie' across Scotland during September and October. Aiming for the younger audience as well as adults, they combine a hectic performance schedule with a community workshop programme. 'Gobbo' is intended for children aged five and over and describes the adventures of a 'goblin who doesn't like adventures'. 'Julie', on the other hand, is an updating of Strinberg's most famous play, relocating the battle of sexual and social politics to Scotland between the wars.

The Young Company are bringing two new works and one classic to the stage. 'Oedipus the King' by Sophocles is retold using Scottish and West African traditions and Raman Mundair's 'Side Effects' explores the consequences of a rowdy night out in Glasgow. Finally, 'Self Contained' is their entry for the Arches Live! Festival in September: a dark work that promises comedy and archaic technology.

However, the centrepiece of the NTS' year will be a production of John Byrne's acclaimed TV series 'Tutti Frutti'. Based on the music of the 1960s, it tells the story of a washed-up pop band, trying to rediscover their glory in the aftermath of their singer's tragic death. Byrne's sharp dialogue and wit made this one of the most beloved television dramas of the 1980s and its mixture of poignancy and laughter ensures that this will be a show to remember.

Finally, Schiller's 'Mary Stuart' affirms NTS' commitment to re-examining Scotland's past: set around a meeting between the Queen of Scots and her cousin Elizabeth I, it is a modern masterpiece of characterisation and intrigue.

In its first season, the National Theatre of Scotland has proven its vibrancy: the range of plays is impressive and its willingness to tackle serious subjects suggests that it is able to examine Scottish identity without resorting to shallow patriotism. Not only does it return drama to the people, it creates a model of stagecraft and engagement that will resonate around the world.

Dear Scotland: Five Suggestions

Further to my post on Dear Scotland, the NTS have challenged me to guess which writer has picked which portrait. I am going to have a crack at it. Five at a time...

Cunningham Graham

Johnny McKnight is going to go for James Boswell. The monologue concerns that time he had a few too many cheeky Vimtos on the Grassmarket and woke up with a right howler in bed next to him.

Zinnie Harris choose Robert Louis Stephenson. A sequel to his famous novel, Stephenson relates the time that he was stuck in a post-apocalyptic wasteland and had to kill and eat a horse. In darkness.

Louise Welsh brings Robert Burns to life, through a story of how he took a bunch of dirty pictures of Mary Campbell and was the subject of a police investigation.

Rob Drummond has a crack at James I: a mild-mannered English king by day, he switched his crown at night to become James VI of Scotland, the Bonny Ruffian of the square-circle.

Hardeep Singh Kohli fancies Cunningham Graham: while cooking up a three course meal, Graham explains why he helped to found the SNP.

Dear Scotland

Dear Scotland could be seen as the National Theatre of Scotland's contribution to the Independence Debate. Since the performance's communities offerings so far have been relatively low key (Alan Bissett did a shouty poem, Union at the Lyceum was a mess), it will be interesting to see whether the artists can add to the discussion without appearing partisan.

The format is simple enough: twenty writers (some usual suspects) 'have penned short, sharp monologues, inspired – or provoked – by 20 of the collection’s celebrated artworks for a series of pit-stop performances around the gallery.' It's like a guided tour of the portrait gallery, except some of the pictures come to life and tell you how it is.

Unfortunately, the press release doesn't say who is writing about which character from Scottish history. Luckily, the Vile Arts is having a competition. Can you match up the writers with their subjects?

THE WRITERS

Peter Arnott

Veteran playwright with a eye for the telling detail and serious intent.

Jo Clifford

Caused a big load of trouble with Jesus, Queen of Heaven, Clifford's work is often sensitive and elegiac with a clear spiritual purpose.

Rob Drummond

Known for liking a fight (Wrestling), he's not frightened of taking on big issues and adores a spot of science

Janice Galloway

Big on dialogue, sharp satirical short stories.

David Greig

Usually called Scotland's most successful playwright, he has done plays about everything from Palestine to Border Ballads. Even did a sequel to Macbeth.

Zinnie Harris

Recently, her remix of Miss Julie impressed at the Citizens, but she is better known for an apocalyptic intensity, and seeing the personalities in the political.

Iain Heggie

Another playwright who has been a fixture since Scottish scripts began to boom.

Stuart Hepburn

Jackie Kay

Poet

A L Kennedy

Sometime stand-up comedian who fears no taboo.

Hardeep Singh Kohli

Controversial political thinker and sometime comedian and excellent cook.

Liz Lochhead

The Makar did a life of her predecessor and friend Edwin Morgan, and seems to have reserved slots at Oran Mor's Play, Pie and Pint programme. Enjoys remaking classics.

Iain Finlay Macleod

Nicola McCartney

Versatile writer and dramaturg.

Johnny McKnight

Currently the clown prince of Scottish drama, no McKnight script would be complete without saucy gags.

Linda McLean

Rona Munro

Did this one about a witch in the International Festival.

James Robertson

Ali Smith

Louise Welsh

Although she is utterly charming, Welsh delves into the dark side of Glasgow in a series of gripping, sinister novels.

THE PICTURES

James Boswell

Friend of Johnson, butt of many jokes and man-slut about town when men wore those fancy wigs.

Robert Burns

Didn't go to the Caribbean to be a slave master, but stayed home and wrote poetry instead.

Michael Clark

If this is the dancer, let's hope he is off the drugs for his monologue.

The Cromartie Fool

Robert Bontine

Cunningham Grahame

James VI (of Scotland) and I (of England and Ireland)

Unified the two crowns in one person, and started all the United Kingdom business.

Prince James receiving his son Prince Henry

Jackie Kay

Poet

Michael McGahey

Chic Murray

Music hall legend and spiritual predecessor of Jim 'Nick Nick' Davidson.

All of the portraits in Gallery 9

Anonymous woman in "Poets' Pub"

Spends eternity hoping the writers will get a round in.

The Oncologists

Cheerful surgeons fighting the darkness.

The Queen

Muse to John Lydon before he went commercial and sold butter

Jimmy Reid

He liked unions, although not necessarily between nations.

Sir Walter Scott

Invented shortbread and tartan tourism.

Mary Queen of Scots

Got her head chopped off.

Muriel Spark

Always in her prime.

Robert Louis Stevenson

PR man for the pirate industries, disguising their rapacious nature behind child friendly parrots-on-shoulders and treasure chests

Clementina Graham Stirling

This is a mystifying choice.

Scottish Theatre (thinking out loud)

No doubt the world is waiting for the Vile opinion on Scottish Independence. Sadly, I am a Wessex Regionalist, and my opinion is firmly in the awkward shuffle category. I'm not sure whether my opinion matters, or has any force. I just like watching theatre and catching people, like the ancient mariner, and talking about myself until they wander off.

That said, I read a book. Scottish Theatre Since the Seventies, although published before devolution, deals with the nature of national identity in the medium I can understand. There are chapters on the Citizens' Theatre (in the days of Giles Havergal), explaining how the venue spent the 1970s swinging the lead with 'divinely decadent stage compositions' (Michael Coveney called them that in his history), 7:84's glorious history (this is pre-2000) and an interview with John McGrath. I'd taken to complaining that McGrath had been written out of Scottish theatre history of late, but Kieran Hurley explicitly references 7:84 when he talks about his latest, Rantin, and the description McGrath gives to Olga Taxidou of a putative National Theatre of Scotland makes him sound like a prophet. He practically calls it a 'theatre without wall.'

While I know that the line is blurred, I am more intrigued by cultural nationalism than political nationalism (and make a particular point of castigating racial nationalism). In his survey of the Citz, David Hutchinson mentions that Glasow still has 'gaps in its provision' for theatre: not enough musicals, Scottish dramatists and scripts from the English mainstream. Elsewhere, the Mighty Mark Fisher discusses the rise of Tramway, and the overwhelming impression is that Scotland, in the late 1990s, was getting plenty of international action, and was rich with what I'd now call 'visual theatre.' Havergal's style is described as being all about the image over text, and while I am not sure contemporary Scottish playwrights would have the same complaint today, the emphasis seemed to be on programming work that came from Europe and was less tied into the idea of the 'script.'

The book abounds in the myths of Scottish Theatre: that there wasn't much going on before the wars (a myth later contested through a look at the music hall); that 'tough guys' have a place in the heart of the theatre-maker (The Hard Man et al), that socialism is the common political belief of the nation. These are myths not in the sense of being untrue - although I would question the last one, since there are plenty of Labour councillors who don't appear to believe in socialism - but being stories with meaning.

Rather nicely, Femi Folorunso points out 'as Raymond Williams once pointed out, the difficulties of criticism is that while there is a general acceptance that some relation must exist between social and material environments on the one hand, and on the other the nature of artistic creativity and the changes taking place within it, this is always very difficult to demonstrate.' In other words, who knows whether theatre represents an idea that is common in society, or can reflect any particular Scottish identity. In fact, RD Laing goes further, suggesting that no-one knows anything of anyone else's experience. Can theatre be 'Scottish'? Still - the book is worth a read.

NTS 2006: originally published in The Skinny

Here are my thoughts on the National Theatre of Scotland in my first year of criticism. I bet this is embarrassing...

The strength of the NTS lies in the clear vision of artistic director Vicky Featherstone. In her manifesto for the company, she states that her intention is to bring theatre to the people and co-operate with international companies, individual artists and local authorities.

FEATURE BY GARETH K VILE.

PUBLISHED 13 SEPTEMBER 2006

The National Theatre of Scotland has managed, in the six short months since the start of its inaugural season, to become a dynamic and celebrated force. A success on the Fringe with Gregory Burke's 'Black Watch' and Anthony Neilson's 'Realism', a series of collaborations and events held across the country have established it in the forefront of the cultural life of Scotland, from the Shetlands to the Borders.

By refusing to tie itself down to a single base, the NTS has avoided the financial problems associated with new companies and has been able to reach out into the broader community. Launched in February through an event, 'Home', that took place simultaneously in ten different locations, it has presented a wide range of dramas in areas that would not usually have the opportunity to see such impressive work.

The strength of the NTS lies in the clear vision of artistic director Vicky Featherstone. In her manifesto for the company, she states that her intention is to bring theatre to the people and co-operate with international companies, individual artists and local authorities. To this end, she has created a touring ensemble and the Young Company, bringing live theatre into schools and smaller communities, as well as supporting the training of young actors.

Rather than attempting to create a programme from nothing, she has also entered into successful collaborations with existing companies: 'Wolves in the Walls', an adaptation of Neil Gaiman's successful children's book, was made in association with Improbable, while November's tour of 'Snuff' is jointly produced by the Arches Theatre Company. Furthermore, the decision to use the existing infrastructure means that the NTS will be performing in the country's finest venues, from His Majesty's Theatre in Aberdeen to Edinburgh's Royal Lyceum and Glasgow's Citizens.

In this way, regional rivalries have been bypassed and the company is inclusive of many sorts of theatre, from the experimental - as in the site-specific 'Home'- to the populist, via pieces for children. A strong commitment to outreach and education suggests that the NTS is willing to develop long term links to shape the next generation of theatre-goers and cultivate artists within Scotland.

The first half of this season has seen the NTS express its intentions through a diverse portfolio of works. Both 'Home' and 'Roam' represented site-specific, suggestive drama: the latter performed at Edinburgh International Airport and using a variety of texts to explore national identity and the experience of global travel. More conventionally, scripted plays have included Arthur Miller's 'The Crucible' and Chris Hannan's 'Elizabeth Gordon Quinn'. Both of these works revealed the NTS' concern for theatre as a vehicle for social commentary, without descending into fashionable polemic. Overall, the season embraces the many aspects of modern Scottish theatre and operates as a summary of the state of modern performance art.

The remainder of the year promises to continue in the same manner: both the Touring Ensemble and the Young Company are hitting the road with three works apiece, while two further plays are coming from the main company.

The Touring Ensemble is taking 'Gobbo', 'Mancub' and 'Julie' across Scotland during September and October. Aiming for the younger audience as well as adults, they combine a hectic performance schedule with a community workshop programme. 'Gobbo' is intended for children aged five and over and describes the adventures of a 'goblin who doesn't like adventures'. 'Julie', on the other hand, is an updating of Strinberg's most famous play, relocating the battle of sexual and social politics to Scotland between the wars.

The Young Company are bringing two new works and one classic to the stage. 'Oedipus the King' by Sophocles is retold using Scottish and West African traditions and Raman Mundair's 'Side Effects' explores the consequences of a rowdy night out in Glasgow. Finally, 'Self Contained' is their entry for the Arches Live! Festival in September: a dark work that promises comedy and archaic technology.

However, the centrepiece of the NTS' year will be a production of John Byrne's acclaimed TV series 'Tutti Frutti'. Based on the music of the 1960s, it tells the story of a washed-up pop band, trying to rediscover their glory in the aftermath of their singer's tragic death. Byrne's sharp dialogue and wit made this one of the most beloved television dramas of the 1980s and its mixture of poignancy and laughter ensures that this will be a show to remember.

Finally, Schiller's 'Mary Stuart' affirms NTS' commitment to re-examining Scotland's past: set around a meeting between the Queen of Scots and her cousin Elizabeth I, it is a modern masterpiece of characterisation and intrigue.

In its first season, the National Theatre of Scotland has proven its vibrancy: the range of plays is impressive and its willingness to tackle serious subjects suggests that it is able to examine Scottish identity without resorting to shallow patriotism. Not only does it return drama to the people, it creates a model of stagecraft and engagement that will resonate around the world.

Glasgow Girls is back

Theatre must be getting like films these days: look at this selection of companies.

National Theatre of Scotland, Theatre Royal Stratford East, Citizens Theatre, Richard Jordan Productions Ltd and Pachamama Productions, in association with Merrigong Theatre Company (Australia)

It took all of them to make Glasgow Girls - a musical, inspired by a true story and taken to the stage by Cora Bisset, with a little help from David Greig, Sumati Bhardwaj (Soom T), Patricia Panther and the Kielty Brothers. 

And Musical Direction & Arrangements by Hilary Brooks, Associate Musical Direction by Jon Beales, Set Design by Merle Hensel, Lighting Design by Lizzie Powell, Sound Design by Fergus O’Hare, Choreography by Natasha Gilmore.

I guess this isn't the most inspiring way to start off a preview of what is, after all, a rare example of a contemporary musical set and staged in Scotland. It has a tough political edge, and an urban (not my favourite adjective but appropriate here, for once) vibe to the tunes. But there is something in the amount of people involved that says something about the collaborative nature of theatre. Descriptions and opinions are all very well, but sometimes the names and numbers count for more.

Pulling out a few strands - Natasha Gilmore was on fire recently - her Tiger was choreography that acknowledged both the emotive potential of dance and played around with format in a sophisticated, refreshing manner. Cora Bisset deserves to be a big film star - although there isn't really a Scottish industry that supports this. In the meantime, she is applying her talents to intriguing mash-ups like this - a musical that is political that is cheerful. David Greig needs no introduction either. He writes some. 

20 February until 8 March 2014 at the Citizens Theatre, Glasgow

The mainstream press had a few words to say. That the Express and the Telegraph gave respect to a show that, essentially, critiqued the government's policy on immigration is impressive. Then again, I am not sure about the effectiveness of these comments: I can't name any politically engaged British musicals apart from Blood Brothers. As for a milestone... that would suggest there is a theatrical journey going on, and I don't see enough musicals made in Scotland to suggest that Glasgow Girls marks a moment in their evolution.

Tum-de-dum. "Worth seeing because it tells a story about Glasgow's recent history and has a couple of toe-tapping hits" doesn't look so good on the bill-board. How about - "better than most television, and certainly rewards the effort of going out on a cold evening?" These do have the advantage of being 'entirely true'.

“Staged and performed with an integrity that makes it the most politically engaged and enraged British musical since Blood Brothers, but it is even more raw and heartbreaking because it is entirely true.”

★★★★★ Sunday Express

‘There can be little doubt that Bissett and co have created a significant milestone in Scottish musical theatre.’

★★★★ Daily Telegraph

Dunsinane (version 3)

Like the English soldiers chasing Macbeth’s heir, Dusinane treads on some swampy ground. Although it is easy to claim that David Greig is making a statement about the relationship between Scotland and the rest of the United Kingdom (there are Welsh warriors in the invading army), the occasional introduction of themes from more contemporary battles reframes the conflict in a more sinister context.

In one scene, an attempted seduction of 'the hen girl' by one of the soldiers ends up with the soldier stabbed and the hen girl committing suicide. It isn't clear whether this is an act of resistance or just an unfortunate misunderstanding. Yet, given the various suicide attacks employed by 'terrorists' - and Greig's own interest in the Middle East - it's hard to see this as anything else than an example of how a 'peace-keeping' force will be opposed.

Dusinane  is a bold script: it refuses to give simplistic answers to questions of national identity, and provides King Duncan with a plausible argument for his limited tyranny. The tragic anti-hero, Siward, is 'a good man' and, as his antagonist Queen Gruach points out, this goodness causes much of the bloodshed.

Confusion isn't necessarily a weakness - Dusinane insists on being discussed, thanks to Greig's complex moral scenarios. It is as if Greig has rejected the opportunity to make a grand statement, and replaced it with a series of competing ideas. Variously, the English are seen as victims (stuck in a land unlike their own, in a conflict they cannot understand), obsessed with the rule of law (this is what breaks their leader Siward) and venal: the Scots are thuggish (Duncan is not above killing his own men if they don't defend his honour 'enough'), intelligent tacticians (Macduff comes off as sensible and alert to the shifting loyalties of the clans and the codes of diplomacy), argumentative (their anger at the English is described as being an irritation at not being allowed to fight each other) and subtle (Duncan has a witty speech when he tries to explain the 'meaning' of certain words to the literal Siward).

Unfortunately, confusing the medieval conflict between England and Scotland with the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq isn't helpful: the literal violence of the Middle East is equated with the occupation of Scotland in the twenty-first century. Greig pictures an invading army with sympathy, and makes the reasoning of both sides clear. As a play about international politics and the danger of applying one set of laws in different countries, it is powerful and moving. When it comes to the question of Scottish independence, it is worrying.

None of this is to say that Greig's script is poor: leaving open these questions, and being slightly shocking makes this more than a cheap Shakespeare cash-in. Apart from the scenery chewing of the main actors, it has been directed with an even hand, and the comedy scenes are a vibrant up-dating of the 'groundling' scenes from Shakespeare. Siward manages to get his tragic ending, and Queen Gruach is appropriately regal, cruel and stubborn. 

Greig's skill is in not answering questions, and in doing so, provokes more. Is it an act of cowardice to give so muddied a version of Anglo-Scottish relations? Is the confusion of modern warfare and the past valuable? What is the responsibility of the playwright? 

The unfolding of the play can only happen after it has finished... and so the big question.

The play is meaningless without a strong and engaged critical response... and where is that happening?

Gary McNair is not Joking

The comparisons with stand up comedy in Gary McNair’s previous work were always misleading: he did stand up on stage and make the occasional joke, but his seriousness connected him more closely to the spoken word artists. But by taking these comparisons as inspiration for Donald Robertson is not a Stand Up Comedian, McNair has made peace between his intelligence and amiable persona. He does tell a couple of jokes around the middle of his monologue, but the thrust of his story is a sharp deconstruction of both the need to be funny and the state of contemporary savage stand up.

If McNair hasn’t become a shock comedian, his persona has certainly toughened up. His asides to the audience, explaining each comic strategy, operate as sardonic deconstructions of the comedian’s art and soften his more aggressive moments. After warming up with a series of failed jokes, using Paul Claydon’s stark lighting design to give the impression of a montage, McNair eases into his story. He meets a young boy and tutors him in the way of the comic. Through imbibing McNair’s advice, young Donald becomes a success by stabbing his master in the back.

McNair’s vision of comedy is bleak: it becomes a survival strategy in a world of bullies and victims. Donald has the dream of escaping his victimhood through bad jokes, but McNair encourages him to take a more aggressive approach. The two strands of the tale – a meditation on getting laughs and an ironically poetic version of The Karate Kid – mesh elegantly, allowing McNair to expose the viciousness of the stand up, undercut sentimentality and temper the humour to his thoughtful conclusions.

McNair is at his best when he reveals the tactics behind his monologue, or describes a specific episode of Donald’s journey. He avoids representing too much vicious comedy, preferring explanations of how its nastiness performs a social function. The joke is inevitably aimed at someone, and is an attempt to order a hierarchy. Anger, muses McNair, connects people.

Against the increasingly unpleasant roughhousing of comedians like Frankie Boyle, McNair considers the role of the joke in building communities. It’s a technique to create insiders and outsiders, to affirm one group’s superiority. Even the self-deprecation, which McNair has used in past pieces and is a feature of Reginald D Hunter’s skill at disguising his nastiness, is exposed as a trick to gain sympathy.

McNair’s analysis is unsparing – without mentioning particular acts, he attacks the fashion for brutal comedy, assimilating it into his own reflective process and draws an unsentimental picture of school-yard brutality. That he takes time to win over his audience, and adds an epilogue that smartly deconstructs his persona’s confidence adds to both the charm and the bite. 

Ignition @NTS

On the whole, my attitude towards cars has always been hypocritical. Not driving myself - I tend to live in big cities, which have overpriced public transport to get me about - I make a great deal of the negative impact of the automobile. It uses up natural resources. It is more dangerous than a gun. It pollutes the air, and the M74 hacked a path through Glasgow's Southside that will inhibit the quality of life of everyone in the area. 

When I was younger, I used to hitch up and down the country. Actually being in the pastoral parts of Scotland is a reminder that cars are probably quite useful, even necessary. Ignition, another fine NTS community engaged project, has nipped up to Shetland to "explore the bittersweet relationship with the automobile - how it shapes us, defines us, supports us, frees us, challenges our attitudes towards our dwindling resources and, sometimes, kills us." It ends this month with a multi-site, mobile performance bonanza.

Credit: Simon Murphy

Although I now have a good reading list of political playwrights - inspired by my usual ignorant ranting about politics, some suggestions have been made as to who might be worth considering before I make smart comments about the 1970s - Ignition  seems closer to the sort of political theatre that comforts my liberal timidity. It gets the entire community involved in the process (not just speaking through the fourth wall, but being fully inclusive). It has a few novelty turns that are almost Live Art (the hitchhiker in residence, dressed up as a folkloric figure). There is a theme tune (a composition by Hugh Nankivell, Da Road). Of course, there is some pakour (in Lerwick).

The approach here is considered, and appropriate for a national company. Wils Wilson (Director) and John Haswell (Associate Director) haven't just turned up in Shetland and decided that there is a single, important message about car use. They've spent time collecting stories about the role of the car in Shetland. Unlike Glaswegians, people in rural areas don't have First Bus to assuage their guilt about using polluting forms of transport (while overcharging for three stop trips).  And it all ends in a finale party.

It sits on that cusp of the personal and the political. It's very contemporary. And I am starting to think that the more direct forms of political theatre represented a bold, abrasive challenge that is being avoided in these modern formats.

If the NTS and Wilson are avoiding the more dogmatic attack of the past, they are responding to the more cautious mood of the times. Inclusion is seen as more important than confrontation, and truth is a matter of multiple perspectives. 

Brae -  20-23 March 2013; 7pm                        Meet at Brae Hall

Bigton - 26 & 27 March 2013; 7pm                   Meet at Bigton Hall

Yell -   29 March 2013; 7pm                               Meet at Cullivoe Hall

Finale - Brae  30 March 2013; 7pm                  Meet at Brae Hall