Blanche and Butch Dramaturgy: Robert Softley Gale @ BOP

Award-winning theatre company Birds of Paradise team up with Tron Theatre to present dazzling new drag show, Blanche & Butch.

Birds of Paradise and Tron Theatre present brand new co-production, Blanche & Butch; a dazzling new drag show that tells the witty and poignant story of three disabled drag queens.

As a trio, they used to be part of the sensational Heelz n Wheelz. Now there's not much sensation left. The glitz, glamour and sparkles have faded and, instead, they find themselves backstage at a down at heel production of Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?

Inspired by Noel Greig's original production Heelz n Wheelz, Blanche & Butch pulls back the curtain and tells the deeply touching story of three men and their lives, loves and losses.

Written by Robert Softley Gale, who will star alongside Garry Robson and Kinny Gardner, Blanche & Butch is an outrageous new show that challenges the boundaries of PC, through high quality camp and original storytelling.

What was the inspiration for this performance?
There was a show that Garry - my fellow AD at BOP - and I were in around twelve years ago called Heels and Wheels. It was about disabled drag queens and written by Noel Greig, who was part of Gay Sweatshop in the 1970s. 

Heels was a dark and macabre piece - Blanche & Butch takes some of the same

characters and shows them now, as they're touring a production of the iconic film/play 'Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?'. This play is more in the style of Torch Song Trilogy or Priscilla, Queen of the Dessert.


Is performance still a good space for

the public discussion of ideas?
I really hope so - otherwise I'm in the wrong field! Theatre allows us to put ideas out in to the world without necessarily giving answers or conclusions, which makes it unlike a lot of other forms. I still hold on to the idea that theatre allows us to present a version of the world that we want to live in.



How did you become interested in making performance?
In my childhood and teens I'd been involved in amateur theatre, but only ever backstage - designing lights or directing. The idea of a physically disabled person in stage in that context would've been very strange. 

When I was at university - business management - I was approached by a company in Edinburgh that had a troupe of resident disabled actors. I thought my chances of getting the job were very slim but I did - and now 15 years on I'm still going!



Is there any particular approach to the making of the show?
The main job so far has been pulling together the best possible team - director/designer Kenny Miller is renowned in the UK for his 'camp aesthetic', dramaturg Philip Osment was a friend of Noel's and brings a wealth of knowledge. 

We've got the best possible performers for the show (but I would say that as I'm in it!) and every other member of the team are the perfect people to be making the show that I've been imagining for many years.



Does the show fit with your usual productions?
It probably does, in that we're again pushing at boundaries while making a show that will be very entertaining. This is the first play with music that I've helped create for BOP, so in that we're going in new directions. But we're still embedding access - audio description, BSL and captions - in interesting ways and telling new and engaging stories.



What do you hope that the audience will experience?
They're going to laugh - a lot. We're pushing things with Blanche & Butch in terms of what we're allowed to say on stage so I imagine some people will be pretty shocked by the way these characters talk to one another but the audience are also going to be touched by the glimpse they get in to their lives.



What strategies did you consider towards shaping this audience experience?
We're using some familiar forms in this show - it's a backstage show with three actors bitching to one another and telling their stories. Some of the songs will be very familiar. So it making a show that'll really challenge the audience we also want to give them an experience that feels friendly and welcoming.

Directed and designed by Kenny Miller, Blanche & Butch will include original songs by Akintayo Akinbode, with live music played by Amelia Cavallo.

Talking about Blanche & Butch, Writer Robert Softley Gale said:

'As a disabled, queer man I look to different camps to work out where I fit in to the world. Drag queens have always intrigued me.

Blanche & Butch is a personal and political production that surrounds three disabled drag queens. It has taken over a decade to write and looks to explore gender, identity, equality and disability through cabaret, camp songs and frocks.'

Commenting on the co-production Andy Arnold, Artistic Director of Tron Theatre, said:

‘We’re delighted to be co-producing Blanche & Butch with Birds of Paradise this autumn and to be associated with a team whose track record in producing original, challenging and hilarious new work is second to none’.

Blanche & Butch Company

Written by:        Robert Softley Gale
Directed & Designed by:  Kenny Miller
Dramaturgy by:        Philip Osmond
Lighting Design by:   Grant Anderson
Live Music by:        Amelia Cavallo
Music Directed by:    Akintayo Akinbode
Starring:        Robert Softley Gale, Garry Robson and Kinny Gardner

Writer Robert Softley Gale is an

established figure in the Scottish arts scenes with over sixteen years of experience as a writer, director, actor, performer and advocate. 

He is Artistic Director of Birds of Paradise Theatre Company and alongside writing, has directed smash-hit sex comedy ‘Wendy Hoose’ and ‘Purposeless Movements’, for which he was nominated for Best Director at the CATS awards. 

Director and Designer Kenny Miller works as a freelance director and designer, after undertaking the roles of Associate Director and Head of Design at the Citizens’ Theatre, Glasgow. 

He has worked in Theatre and Opera both nationally and internationally, in designing and directing, and has won three Critics' Awards for Theatre in Scotland (CATS) for his work.



Blanche & Butch Tour Dates

14 – 16 Sept, 7.45pm: Tron Theatre, Glasgow    

19 Sept, 7.30pm: Beacon Arts Centre, Greenock 

21 Sept, 7.30pm: Lochgelly Centre, Lochgelly  

23 Sept, 7.30pm: Macrobert, Stirling 

27 Sept, 7.30pm: The Byre, St Andrews     

28 Sept, 7.30pm: Woodend Barn, Banchory 

2 Oct, 7.30pm:  Eden Court, Inverness

4 Oct, 7.30pm:  Dundee Rep, Dundee

5 Oct, 7.00pm:  Platform, Glasgow

7 Oct, 7.30pm:  Eastwood Park Theatre

10 Oct, 8.00pm: The Gaiety, Ayr 

11 Oct, 7.30pm: Cat Strand, Castle Douglas
13 – 14 Oct: Summerhall, Edinburgh
Closing as part of Luminate with International Cabaret to end tour.

About Birds of Paradise Theatre Company

Birds of Paradise Theatre is a Scottish-based touring theatre company. It employs disabled and non-disabled actors and theatre professionals, commissions new work, and works in partnership with other organisations to create positive images of inclusion, and encourage participation in the arts.

About Tron Theatre Company

The Tron Theatre Company is currently under the artistic leadership of Andy Arnold, who took up the position of Artistic Director and Chief Executive in 2008. The Tron Theatre presents the people of Glasgow and the West of Scotland with outstanding professional productions of the finest new writing, with an emphasis on world, UK and Scottish premieres. 

Further Information

Birds of Paradise Theatre Company is a Regularly Funded Organisation (RFO), is awarded Projects and Programmes funding from Creative Scotland, and is supported by Glasgow City Council.

All The Dramaturgy I've Lied About: Kate Bonna @ Tron 2017

All the Things I Lied About (22 & 23 Sept, 7.45pm) is Katie Bonna's fearlessly honest show that unpicks how everyday lies can lead to a world of Trump and Brexit.

Fringe First winner Katie Bonna is giving a TED talk on the science of lying. Well, that’s not quite true. TED haven’t actually asked her to do one – yet. 

In a comic exploration of her past mistakes and inevitable future disasters, Katie unpicks how everyday lies can lead to a world of Trump and Brexit. A fearlessly honest show for the post-truth era.

What was the inspiration for this performance?I wanted to write about my relationship with my estranged father - I ended up writing about Donald Trump and Alan Partridge. I'm pretty sure I've joined the dishonesty dots joining the two.



Is performance still a good space for the public discussion of ideas?Absolutely. I'd be naive to pretend that it isn't limited by who chooses to come to the theatre, but as long as artists are mindful of who they're in conversation with, it will always be a rich space for discussion.



How did you become interested in making performance?I trained as an actor because I loved the craft of it. I started making work because I wasn't getting enough opportunities to practice the craft. Then I discovered a whole new craft - and now I'm in love with it.



Is there any particular approach to the making of the show?I am very strict about changing my process for every show I make. I have just spent a week in Newcastle doing research and development on a new show with no script and no script writing time - just discussion, which I've never done before. The most important part of my process is to keep challenging my process.


Does the show fit with your usual productions?All The Things I Lied About is very different

to my last show, Dirty Great Love Story. It's different in tone and style. Dirty Great Love Story was a romcom in verse and All The Things I Lied About is a personal, political TED talk/confession - pretty different! I think that you have to respond to what the story you are telling needs, rather than trying to recreate anything you've made before.



What do you hope that the audience will experience?I hope that they'll reflect on their own experiences and actions. I hope they'll laugh and have fun (there are water pistols). I hope they won't fall asleep (it's happened twice so far but also, hey, theatres are sometimes very warm....).



What strategies did you consider towards shaping this audience experience?Most of the rehearsal work on this show was built around audience experience. The whole show is a reflection of my process in making the show - the bits where I got sad, frustrated, angry and where we had loads of fun dancing to inappropriate 90s tunes. This show relies on the audience, so my aim every time I step on stage is to give them the best night I can.


Dirty Great Love Story, co-written and performed with Richard Marsh, won a Fringe First in 2012, and Katie was also nominated for Best Actress by The Stage.

The Lying Dramaturgy: Andy Arnold @ The Tron

Tron Theatre Company presents

THE LYING KIND

by ANTHONY NEILSON

6-22 JULY 2017

Tron Theatre Company's summer productions have become synonymous with farcical pitch-black humour and Anthony Neilson's The Lying Kind is certainly no different - with multiple misunderstandings, a stray Chihuahua and an apparently transvestite vicar contributing to the escalating mayhem.

Constables Blunt and Gobbel have one last duty to fulfill before they clock off on Christmas Eve: to tell the old couple at number 58 some terrible, terrible news.  But what if the shock is too much for the frail pair to bear?  

Maybe they'd be better off not knowing. And maybe the hapless constables would be better off if they hadn't got themselves stuck in the middle of a lynching organized by a group of anti-paedophile vigilantes.


What was the inspiration for this performance? 
It’s a very funny and brilliantly crafted play which needs to be seen in Scotland.  I am also keen to stage an Anthony Neilson play at the Tron after a long absence.
Is performance still a good space for the public discussion of ideas?   
It depends on the performance – if it is an issue based or theatrically provocative piece then yes, certainly.  This piece is more in the realm of entertainment – a good night out – albeit in an irreverent and hopefully inventive format.

How did you become interested in making performance?  
No one factor –  The first person who inspired me about the possibilities of performance was Tony Gray, one half of a very absurdist troupe called The Alberts.  I shared a house with Tony – well, lived in a barn next to his house in my first year out of college.  
I  saw a performance of theirs, The Electric Element, at Theatre Royal, Stratford East and was mesmerised – by the totally anarchic production and by the theatre itself (still then under Joan Littlewood’s charge).  

I also recall sitting in a rehearsal before I became a director and instinctively feeling how exciting that would be earning a living doing….working in the rehearsal room.  I immediately felt that this would be my calling.  I’ve never lost that feeling of excitement in being involved in the rehearsal room process.

Is there any particular approach to the making of the show?   
With this show it will involve very tight staging and stage craft – with seven actors in a tight space and a number of set pieces.  Much of the work has been done by having a script that works and a cast who can deliver the lines to great effect.

Does the show fit with your usual productions? 
It fits in with our summer production schedule which has for several years focused on accessible but dark and edgy comedies – from the first one Cooking with Elvis to last year’s The Lonesome West.

What do you hope that the audience will experience?  
Great joy, laughter, surprise, shock
What strategies did you consider towards shaping this audience experience?  Nothing more than ensuring that we provide a brilliant production which audiences of all persuasions, taste, age and postcode will thoroughly enjoy.


Martin McCormick and Michael Dylan who worked with Tron Theatre Company on the 2016 Russian tour of The Loneseome West, play the hapless constables, bungling their way through every encounter with hilarious consequences; with Peter Kelly and Anne Lacey playing the elderly couple whose Christmas is about to be ruined.  

Gayle Telfer Stevens (The Dolls, River City) plays Gronya, the vigilante neighbour and Claire Gordon her chihuahua-less daughter.  

Andy Arnold will direct an updated version of Neilson's 2002 play, with design by Neil Haynes, lighting design by Stuart Jenkins and sound design by Jamie Wardrop.

Dramaturgy of Carnage: Gareth Nicholls @ The Tron

TRON THEATRE COMPANY PRESENTS 

GOD OF CARNAGE

THU 9 MAR – SAT 25 MAR 

This March Tron Theatre Company is delighted to present Yasmina Reza’s modern classic God Of Carnage, translated by Christopher Hampton.

Michel (Colin McCredie) and Véronique (Anita Vettesse) Vallon’s little boy has been hit in the park by Alain (Richard Conlon) and Annette (Lorraine McIntosh) Reille’s son. With the best of intentions, the grown-ups meet to discuss the matter in a calm and rational manner in Michel and Véronique’s comfortable bourgeois apartment.

It isn’t long, however, before the couples begin to get on each other’s nerves. As the evening progresses (and the rum is drunk), diplomatic civility makes way for all out conflict, leaving liberal principles, expensive flowers and half-digested food in tatters on the floor.

What was the inspiration for this performance?

I’d not read the play before Andy Arnold (Artistic Director of the Tron Theatre) gave it to me, but as soon as I did read it I thought it was special. It mixes of humour, personal politics and four fascinatingly flawed characters together into a show that has real bite and passion.

It holds a satirical mirror up to four middle-class bourgeois people and unveils the hypocrisy that lies at the heart of the way they view the world. You love to laugh at them by the end of the show - but at the same time - I think most people will recognize the tendency towards self-destruction that they all share – and as a director that’s a gift to work with theatrically.

How did you go about gathering the team for it?

Micheal-John McCarthy is a sound designer I’ve collaborated with a number of times. Most recently we’ve worked together on Into That Darkness, A Gamblers Guide To Dying and Tennentamongst others – so he was an obvious choice, he’s great, one of the best. Karen Tennent is designing set and Simon Wilkinson is on lights. I’ve not worked with either of them before but I’ve admired their work for a long time – so I’m excited to be working with them. And my cast are all top notch – their experience and quality speak for themselves. Its a great team.

How did you become interested in making performance in the first place - does it hold any particular qualities that other media don't have?

I’ve always been interested in live events – whether that was a sporting event, a music gig or a dance piece – and watching theatre in my late teens I was struck by how it could encapsulate so many art forms at once. That’s pretty thrilling – a medium that can fluidly use dance, film, music, animation and a whole host of other art forms to tell a story or explore an idea.

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

I tend to adapt my process depending on the play and people I’m working with. In saying that a key feature of my process is working from character outwards. It’s important we understand the characters – their drives, motivations, obstacles, attitudes – before building the rest of the production or working technically in any way.

God of Carnage is about two couples who are supremely confident in their views of the world. But slowly – as the evening progresses – their true feelings, drives and desires come to light in a hysterical and often unflattering way. Its about what’s not said as much as what is – and a lot of the work in the room will be about understanding what’s bubbling away underneath what’s presented on the surface.

What do you hope that the audience will experience?

This show is unashamedly entertaining. It’s fun, over the top and brash. Yet at the same time its an incredibly nuanced and intelligent piece that has a lot to say about the times we live in. I think audiences will recognize these characters and perhaps enjoying seeing their downfalls but I hope it will also make people think about their own politics and the way we all, to some degree, present a version of ourselves that might not necessarily be the entire truth.

What strategies did you consider towards shaping this audience experience?

I try to make work that’s exciting first and foremost. Audiences want to be entertained, provoked in heart and mind and to leave feeling or thinking a little differently to the way they entered. I try to keep this at the front of my mind when directing. I use my own instincts, surround myself with brilliant collaborators and constantly ask questions of the work. Hopefully this all adds to the quality of the productions and the audience experience.

Do you see your work within any particular tradition?

I think my work stretches across a number of traditions depending of who and what I'm working with. My work with Gary McNair for example sits within a very different tradition or context to my work at the Citizens theatre. I’m sure there are some over-arching aesthetics or themes that tie all my work together -  but i try to leave it to others to say what they are.  

Dramaturging the Adult: Split Milk @ Tron

Spilt Milk presents

Adulting

16-18 JUNE 2016, 8PM

Adulting (verb): To adult. To do something one would expect an adult to do. To behave in the way one would expect you to when you are an adult.

Twenty-five. Quarter of a century years old. I am happily engaged, have a down payment on a two-bed and a glamorous job that takes me from country to country. 

Oh and I have one pet. Aged ten, this is how I say my future. In reality, I live at home and have yet to find my soulmate. I attempt to bake. I often date. And I sometimes frequent DIY stores. 

All before another glass of wine. These are the little ways I try to feel like an adult. I know there are pros and cons to being this age, I just haven’t found out what the pros are yet.

What was the inspiration for this performance?

We are all at the age now where as a concept “adulting” is summed up by where we and our friends are at in life. These big milestones that we are all supposed to be hitting are forced down our throats from society and our success rate determines how we well we are succeeding as an adult. For us, this is an issue and as we discuss in the piece, we feel these boxes are not what determine your worth or how well this generation is going to do in life.

“Adulting” as a term in itself has only really come to the forefront of pop culture in the last year or so, which is why we thought it would be interesting to explore such a subject whilst it is still in its infancy – pun intended.

How did you go about gathering the team for it?

Spilt Milk formed in 2014 off the back of the Tron Theatre’s Commonwealth Home nations event. We all performed in  Under Milk Wood which led to a small group of us realizing we work well together and have an interest in making the same kind of work. Since our first performance in march last year, the company has reduced in size and is now made up of four members, all of whom have worked together for years.

It was the natural decision for us to devise and perform in our next project, as our chemistry and history lend themselves to the devising process. In addition to this we all have performance backgrounds.

How did you become interested in making performance in the first place - does it hold any particular qualities that other media don't have?

All of us have been through the Youth Theatre process as a participant in some shape or form. We all enjoy performing and over the last decade have honed our skills. Many of us work within the industry and so feel we have a good critical eye that can be put towards making our own work.

We think seeing live performance is necessary in life as it gives you a completely different experience to other forms of entertainment. It’s a much more intimate setting and allows people to connect to each other at new levels. Other forms of entertainment can offer a degree of this however I think from our experience, it’s vital that people experience theatre as nothing else quite offers this level of emersion.

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

In short, yes. We all come from a devising background and despite this only being Spilt Milk’s second production under this guise, the four of us have made and devised shows together in other contexts. For us, our formula is tried and tested. For others it may be viewed as too relaxed or they may think we spend too long on researching aspects of what we want to make – these are real comments I have heard.

But for us, it works. There is many reasons for this. First off our relationship with each other. Our level of familiarity has allowed us to develop a great shorthand with each other. Equally there is little to no conflict as each member of the group feels entirely comfortable both praising and criticizing each other. We have a very natural process with each other and making this performance was no different.

What do you hope that the audience will experience?

Our aim for this performance is to let the audience into our heads at the age of 25. Many of them will have experienced what we are going through and many of them won't yet have reached this transitional stage. Much of what we are exploring is specific to this day and age and we want to let the audience in on what that feels like. This piece of work has been designed to encourage the audience to ask and answer the questions we raise within it.

What strategies did you consider towards shaping this audience experience?

To quote our show, “We made a questionnaire, we spoke to people, we tweeted, we social media’d a lot. Sometimes, it was just someone saying something really smart to us in a bar. Wise random strangers at bars are modern day Oracles of Delphi, except drunk and sometimes leaving abruptly when it is their turn for karaoke.”

From the off, we knew we wanted to put as much research into this show as possible. This is why at the beginning of the process we devised a questionnaire and our Adulting List. This gave us a great starting point and sparked some really interesting conversations.

Do you see your work within any particular tradition?

In basic terms, this is very much a coming of age piece. It shows how generation Y, no longer have the same strict milestones that our parents and their parents alike so easily achieved on their route to adulthood.

Are there any other questions I ought to ask that might help me to understand the meaning of dramaturgy for you in your work?

Truthfully no. As a company we use dramaturgy in its purest form. We have explained how we work in previous questions and the only way to fully grasp our process would be to be a part of it. The end result shows aspects of this but the process is a performance in itself.

Tony’s quarter life crisis included bleaching his hair then shaving his head circa Britney 2007; Grant rescued all his old toys and gave them refuge in his room to prevent Toy Story 3 from happening for real; Jacqueline wanted to join a band, buy a Vespa and move to New Orleans whilst Catherine watched Clueless every day for a month...

Spilt Milk juxtapose their ten-year old selves viewpoint with the sometimes depressing reality of what being twenty-five actually involves, in a funny and irreverent exploration of ‘adult’ life.
Running time: approx. 70 mins (no interval)


LISTINGS INFORMATION
Venue: Changing House, Tron Theatre, 63 Trongate, Glasgow G1 5HB Dates: 16-18 June 2016, 8pm Tickets: £10 (£7.50) Box Office: 0141 552 4267 or www.tron.co.uk

ABOUT THE COMPANY 

Spilt Milk is a four-piece devising theatre company established in 2014. Their debut production, The Love Sect, was performed in March 2015 as part of the Tron Theatre’s Football Colours Allowed season, a week that focused on the topics surrounding sectarianism and social division.

By gathering stories, anecdotes and experiences, the company weaves them through their work to created fiction from non-fiction with the aim of encouraging non theatre-goers to experience theatre. Pulling on the different backgrounds and experiences of the four members, Spilt Milk explore universal themes and social commentary in an imaginary world.

Hanging @ The Tron

Roger Casement was 'on the right side of history'. As a revolutionary for Irish independence, and a homosexual who, in Peter Arnott's play, refuses to apologise for his orientation, he becomes more a victim of early twentieth century attitudes than the traitor he is called by the British state. The double 'crimes' he committed, a century later, would not be prosecuted today. The incriminating diary of his sexual activity, used by British Intelligence to discredit him, would probably be a best seller.

Arnott is too subtle a writer, however, to make a simple, ironic tragedy about a man out of time. Using a basic structure - two men are locked in verbal battle - his script teases out the complexity of political action, questions of honour and the thin line between idealism and violence.

Given Casement's rehabilitation after his death (he counts among the martyrs who died for an independent Ireland), his characterisation is strikingly ambiguous. His initial honesty and display of moral integrity - refusing to lie or implicate others who may yet be innocent - gives way to duplicity in the second half. Captain Hall, representing the British state, gives reasonable justifications for Casement's arrest, spending the first hour attempting to offer the prisoner escape routes from the gallows. Hall turns vicious after he realises that Casement was involved in the organisation of the Easter Sunday uprising, and reading his explicit diary. The blend of sexual paranoia and disappointment at Casement drives Hall to violence, finally assuming the mantle of colonial oppressor.

Arnott's script is less interested in the hallowed hero and imperial

stereotypes than the complexity of his protagonist's life. Casement's work in Africa (which he regards as a financial deal with the oppressive empire) made him a dashing Victorian hero, the inspiration for Conrad's Heart of Darkness and a dream-like interlude suggests that his experiences on the continent informed his attitude towards the British Empire. Benny Young captures an edgy, nervous energy, as Casement alternates between to desire to act the gentleman and protect his fellow activists. At one moment he is apologising for inconveniencing Hall: the next, he is describing his integrity in refusing to accept money from the German state. While his execution is tragic - and as a coda taen from George Bernard Shaw implies - unnecessary, Young's performance reveals a man ready to take responsibility, and pride, in his actions.

Stephen Clyde, as Hall and a few other characters - including a brutal Irish policeman - is a foil to Young's central role, but is given a presence and intelligence by the script. His initial concern and respect for Hall may disappear in a homophobic disgust, but his sadness at the brutality caused in response to Casement's conspiracy offers a picture of a colonial warden driven by duty rather than sadism. The power is clearly tilted towards him - he regards the Irish revolutionaries as 'children' and their defeat as a necessary punishment - yet he attempts to be just, and identifies the value of Empire within its belief in justice.

The possible relationship to Scotland's own independence is unspoken - and, despite the programme notes, tangential. It's clear that the stakes were higher for Ireland in 1916 (the activists ending up executed then). Although Casement is given dignity, and drawn as both a sexual and political revolutionary, the script is far too nuanced to leave a clear moral, but rather invites continued discussion on the morality of Casement's actions.

Leaf by Niggle @ Tron

So the Satanist and the Jesuit have been saying that they want to

hang out more, and it's a cold yet sunny Saturday afternoon, and what better place for me to play gooseberry on this match-made-in-Glasgow than the Tron bar. The Satanist is rocking a new look, going for the leather guy this week, while the Jesuit opts for man-at-Hugo Boss, black jacket and thin lapels.

"You know, we do share a cosmology rooted in Jung," the Jesuit was whispering when the bell announced that Leaf by Niggle was about to start.

The pair of them file in behind a crocodile of pre-teens, out on a jolly. I wonder which of them would be most likely to corrupt their minds...

The Jesuit keeps up his whispering throughout the performance, until I worry that he is going to get us the bum's rush. The Tron might not have forgiven me for the whole headline about the artistic director's genitalia scandal. Afterwards, he claims he was providing footnotes. 

Leaf is a Tolkein story, but not one of his epic Orcs versus Elves numbers. The charming narrator - the show is like being cuddled and bathed by a fatherly but still handsome man - explains that Tolkein didn't like Leaf to be interpreted as an allegory. The Jesuit isn't having that. The Satanist has some problems with the theology (it is pretty obvious that 'The Second Voice' is Jesus and Niggle's journey is into the afterlife) but enjoys the bucolic atmosphere of the telling. Pretty soon, the original fucking odd couple are back in the bar, swapping opinions about how much they liked the Englishness of the tale. It's all trains and gardens and repressed emotion, only it gets a bit obvious when a shepherd turns up to guide Niggle into the great beyond.

"I don't suppose there was enough grandeur in it," snarks the Jesuit. "I guess you're not happy unless someone is getting roasted in the fire, or falling out of the sky shining like shook foil."

"Honestly, that's more your speed. It's a bit pedestrian though, especially from an author who is best known for writing the template for the world's longest film trilogy."

"It was meant to be for kids - at least this performance was. And don't tell me you didn't enjoy the meandering narrative and the actor's asides about how he got all the props when he tidied out his mum's attic. I loved the way he wrote himself into the plot -"

"Aye, very Brechtian. Let's get the critic over so he can tell us about the monologue as an epic medium. And no, I don't mean epic as in big, I mean epic as in not tragic."

Deciding to leave that can of worms unopened, The Jesuit and the Satanist turned conversation towards that topless bloke who plays a big African drum while singing along to popular songs in the High Street.

"He's dreamy," sighed the Satanist.

"Rather like Leaf by Niggle." The Jesuit pounced. "Okay. It's an allegory about the value of all human life, even the ones that don't get way into making an entire mythology. And it's very Christian, but don't expect me to hate on it for that. Here it is: it is refreshing to hear a spiritual story these days that isn't either liberals having to apologise for the antics of their more right wing fellows, or a fundamentalist raving about sodomite fag-houses. It's not just for kids, and the tale is told by a safe pair of hands. Plus, he has this really cool little bicycle."

Dramaturgy's Cock: Andy Arnold Long and Uncut

Looking ahead to the next season at the Tron, it strikes me that there is something new spreading across the programme: is it fair to say that you are taking the disappearance of The Arches seriously and providing opportunities for artists who might previously have been there to come across to the Tron? And what made you decide on this?


A strong part of my ethos when I started working at the Tron was to provide a platform and support for young and emergent artists – much in the same way as I had done at the Arches.  So, a lot of the programme we are now developing is in the context of that commitment - particularly under our new banner of Tron Creatives.  
It’s something I believe in very strongly – a theatre building can be enriched immeasurably by the energy and risk that emergent artists will deliver.  The demise of the Arches – a tragedy which should never have happened – means that there is a whole community of artists – many doing amazing work - who now finding themselves homeless.  

We are trying to accommodate and support as many as we can but we have a relatively small building and a packed programme.  I’d love to find additional space because we could fill it all the year  with new people producing new work and Glasgow needs it.

I know that you have a special enthusiasm for theatre that deals with existential matters - is this something reflected in your programming?


I like to think that we present an eclectic programme that suites a wide range of tastes.  You’ll only be reaching a small part of the Glasgow theatre audience if you don’t.   

However, I personally prefer the surreal and off kilter to the mundane and naturalistic, and the Tron programme does veer towards the existential and absurd whenever possible.  It’s the type of work that suites the medium of live theatre more than anything else in my view.  

Last year included the revival of Ulysses for our trip to China followed by Happy Days at Mayfesto and this year we have a rich programme of such work leading towards a season of the absurd in the autumn. 

What made you decide on Cock for the New Year?


Ever since Cock opened at the Royal Court in London six years ago I have been trying to acquire the rights.  They simply haven’t been available for any theatre company in the UK since that premiere.  

I’m delighted that Mike Bartlett has now given Tron Theatre the go ahead – I finally wore him down.   It’s a brilliant play about relationships, sexual identity and confusion and has an eye-catching title – which always helps. The dialogue is so sharp and witty and the narrative is very clever.  

The best plays are ones where you leave the theatre wondering what might happen next.  Cock is that play. Why the New Year?  It feels right.  It’s a spring play….for now any way.

Was your approach to Bartlett's script typical of your usual approach - or did it present any new challenges?
I’ve never approached a play that doesn’t present new challenges – that’s the beauty and privilege of directing theatre.  With Cock Mike Bartlett stipulates that there should be no set, no furniture or props and no miming.  It should all focus on the words.  

That’s brilliant and I look forward to rehearsing on that basis.  Given the fact that the play contains action – cooking, eating, having sex, and so on, it will indeed present challenges – but ones which we’ll enjoy resolving in the rehearsal room.   

It’s quite similar to Beckett in some ways – except that the characters in Cock won’t be buried up to their necks in mud or have their heads protruding out of Greek urns.  The principle is the same though.

As far as the casting goes - how did you get the team together?
Casting a play like this is key.  You have to get it right.  I’d like to say there is a particular method I employ but that would be lying.  Some parts you have one actor in mind as your first choice, others you may think of three or four actors who would be right for it, and other parts where you have a very open mind and want to audition and meet new people.  

I audition more and more these days as I want to know who’s out there.  The most important thing is being mindful of the chemistry between them all.  I think we’ve got a great cast for Cock!

Does 'dramaturgy' as a concept or word mean much to you in your work?
To be honest, it only developed for me in a meaningful sense about ten years ago.  That’s when an Irish dramaturg, Pamela McQueen, came to work with me at the Arches and started to make really useful contributions to the rehearsal room – a full analysis of the play, it’s context and historical background, the relationships between characters, and much more.  

Pamela would bring plays to me I might otherwise not have come across and when she joined me in my early years at the Tron , she played a pivotal role in working on new scripts with young writers.  
Dramaturgy on a new script is vital in my view and all theatre making companies should have the resources to employ a dramaturg – whether they are presenting new work or classic plays.

Is theatre still a good place for the discussion of public ideas?
Of course – where better?  Theatre is all about ideas and good theatre will always provoke discussion at the end of a performance

Is the script still at the heart of your work as a director and artistic director of the Tron?
I have always said in any mission statement for the Tron that the core of our work is the spoken word.  Text is the essential currency of theatre – whether a naturalistic play, a minimalist visual and movement piece or a multimedia experience.   

There are many brilliant theatre companies who devise work from a blank canvass and that’s a totally legitimate approach.  For me, I have to start with the script – whether a new play, a Chekhov, a poem, or a Heiner Muller two hour visual epic with only one page of dialogue…..it’s still the script.

Blood of Dramaturgy: Paul Brotherston's Golden Arm

Blood of the Young is a Glasgow based theatre company led by Paul Brotherston. Comprised of theatre-makers, sound artists and musicians, we make dynamic, physical work with a strong visual and sonic identity.

What was the inspiration for this performance?
The music of the band primarily. Their lyrics always have striking images and bold narratives that felt theatrical, while the pop energy of a three piece rock band also felt, at a basic level, to have its own theatricality.

Beyond that, I am interested in making theatre that harnesses the energy and directness of a gig. This show was to be loud, direct and pop.

How did you go about gathering the team for

it?
The actors in the performance all play multiple instruments, which is key, but they are regular collaborators of mine through my fledgling company, Blood of the Young. Both David James Kirkwood and Isobel McArthur were part of the cast for our co-production with the Tron Theatre, Daphne Oram's Wonderful World of Sound, which we have been making with the sound artist Anneke Kampman. 

The band, Golden Arm are all old friends of mine and I have known them for many years. They have all been in multiple bands but this is the first one I have felt had this sort of theatrical potential. In fact, point 5 in the band's manifesto is 'never be afraid of a bit of theatre'.

How did you become interested in making performance.
At Edinburgh Uni I got involved in acting and then ultimately directing. My practice has evolved through training at the royal Conservatoire of Scotland and then through my work since graduating with companies like Company of Wolves and on shows such as Lanark.

Was your process typical of the way that you make a performance?
It was typically scattered and messy and energetic. This was new as the band were new to theatre and the actors new to the band, so the whole meeting of pre-existing materials was interesting (songs + plays).

This show began by giving several playwrights, new and established, a song each as stimulus. It was important to me that the play they wrote take its inspiration from the whole song, one line, or even simply the feeling the song gave them. Each writer had no contact with Dylan (lead singer and songwriter) so the responses varied vastly. We then set about finding ways of adding new musicians to the band and adding the band and their music into the plays, trying to make the whole thing as symbiotic as possible without compromising either individual bit of it.

What do you hope that the audience will experience?
our aim is to make this show feel as much like a gig as possible. I have seen shows that aim for this and don't quite achieve it and I think it is a tricky negotiation. 

What strategies did you consider towards shaping this audience experience?
An initial idea was that the audience would stand, as in a gig, but we thought that might be a bit unforgiving so we went with a cabaret style arrangement. An important part of the show is that all of the plays are done as direct address into mics, so there is no blocking or staging in the traditional sense. It is very presentational and involves the band as much as possible.

Do you see your work within any particular tradition?
There is definitely a tradition of this style of work. Brecht for a start I guess, and in Scotland we have seen plenty of companies like 7:84, Wildcat and Communicado have live music as an integral part of the work. 

What is different about Golden Arm Theatre Project is that it works so closely with a pre-existing band to create new theatrical work inspired by them. I also think that the pop-music style of the piece differs from the more folk-inspired work of some of these companies.



GOLDEN ARM THEATRE PROJECT
Featuring Kim Allan, David James Kirkwood and Isobel McArthur (w/Golden Arm)

A gig like no other.

An eclectic mixing of live music and theatre featuring new short works by some of Scotland’s leading playwrights - Clare Duffy and Isabel Wright – all inspired by the songs of Edinburgh indie-pop band Golden Arm. Expect dancing.

Last Dream (On Earth)

Fleabag

Mark Thomas is Cuckooed

At the end of the first act, Mark Thomas comments that critics are

always wrong, even when they are nice. Consequently, you may wish to ignore everything I say and conclude that he is a charmless wanker who sees the world through a filter of cynical, leftist joylessness.

Cuckooed is divided into two clear acts: in the first, Thomas performs as his own warm-up man, giving a context to the play that forms the second half. He gives a whistle-stop tour of his activism, picking out highlights from his small acts of dissent - the successes and the failures - and weaves them skilfully around a shaggy dog tale of comedic rivalry. It establishes Thomas' persona - lacking the boorish arrogance of the stereotypical stand-up, he comes across as thoughtful, sometimes self-deprecating and politically astute. His activism, which leans towards the theatrical, aims to keep within the law, even using the law to support his campaigns. 

Despite being labelled a domestic extremist, Thomas makes his political beliefs appear friendly and humorous, and his actions are less an attack on institutions than an attempt to hold them to a higher standard. His targets, including arms dealers BAE, express his clear moral integrity and his generosity to fellow campaigners, and even the targets is admirable. 

And he can still unfurl a comic anecdote with flair and finesse.

Having set the scene, Thomas comes back in the second act with a precise purpose. Directed by Emma Callendar, Cuckooed is a 'proper play' with props, audio-visual trickery, verbatim dialogue, a soundtrack and everything. While the script follows Thomas' discursive style, it is more focussed and passionate. It tells the true story of how a close friend, a fellow activist, betrayed him and the campaign against the arms trade by spying on their group.

The narrative is tied together by Thomas' charisma and healthy doses of commentary on the issues at stake: by the finale, a video montage of people who have suffered from state or business surveillance, a case is made against the ubiquity of spying. Aside from a rigorous analysis of his own emotions, Thomas brings in testimony from other friends, and even tries to talk to his former ally.

The fusion of personal and political is effective, lending force to his attack on surveillance culture and bringing home the personal cost of political manipulation. Thomas clearly has a comprehensive and intelligent understanding of the relationship between different issues, but avoids conflating them. His attitude towards arms trading, for example, does not need the support of a Marxist analysis of capital. 

It is an exemplar of intelligent and passionate political theatre that demands attention and response.

MagicMoments: Skierlik, Symphony, BE Festival

These magic moments were a rare good idea. Not only do they get plenty of critical action up on the internet, they range across a variety of art forms.

I stopped doing the rubbish bits at the end because I managed to insult someone.

The Belgian attitude to choreography (Waiting @ Traverse)
While I am not adverse to some hot pointe action - and not just on the stage, chuckles Mad Cyril - the freedom of Belgian approaches to dance appeals to my sense of ordered anarchism. Mokhallad Rasem's Waiting choreographed three bodies, hidden behind sheets, which became the screen for a series of recorded interviews, on the topic of, well, waiting. What begins as a shallow survey of first world problems gradually gives way to a confrontation with state attitudes towards immigration and the three part screen, tearing and reuniting with the movements of the trio, becomes a vivid canvas for a fractured and distracted world.

Help from the desk (Front of House Staff @ Tron)
Theatre is not just about the stage, and the FOH team at the Tron are always lovely, even when I turn up and forget which show I am going to see. I want to pause and given all of them a moment of respect.

Good conversations at high volume (Party @ Stereo)
IT WAS HARD WORK TO GET MY VOICE ABOVE THE MUSIC...sorry, it was hard not to damage my friends' eardrums by shouting in them, but Stereo's celebration of seven years was an entertaining mish-mash of DJ, band and performance action. The highlight was the banter, but I also enjoyed being greeted by Louise Ahl, who was in her full pagan ritual outfit, and arguing about Dapper Whasisface in the smoking area. Stereo's atmosphere - hot, intense, fun, creative - is a crucial locus for dialectical discourse both physical and linguistic. That is - it's a good spot for a chat or a dance.

The Netball Blues (Symphony @ Traverse)
Although I haven't quite got a handle on Symphony's trilogy of short plays yet - they might not be aimed at me, but a younger demographic - that bit where the weedy schoolboy tore into a moody blues about his failure to be good at sport lifted the gig/play into a more intense and thrilling fusion of sound and theatre.

Motional Poetry (Skierlik @ CCA)
He didn't help me to pronounce the name of his play when I interviewed him, but Philip Dikotla is frightening talented for a 24 year old. His script Skierlik has a political maturity that shames most attempts by theatre-makers to address 'issues,' but his performance became as much about his elegant physical presence as the words. Lithe and supple, Dikotla took the unpromising format of one man telling his story and lent it a vivacity and dynamism through choreography that adapts a naturalistic posture to the rigours of his tale of racial violence and political manipulation. Even pacing around the stage, or shifting his weight from left to right leg became images of rich, symbolic meaning.