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Philip l’ur reports on the latest in a line of large—scale community productionslsee below). while overleaf Mark l’isher finds out about story—telling and puppets for adults. Plus: a new season ol'coinedy at The (iilded Balloon and new plaVs at the RSAMI) and 'l'he ’l‘raverse.
LISTINGS47 CABARETSO DANCE 52
mummi-
What’s It Oafled?
('uinbernaultl isn‘t up there with l’.ii‘is. l’lmrenee and (f/iixemu .isone ml the cultural eentiesml l’urmpe, .-\s mne ml the ( ireat lit itisli urban experiments ml the \l\llL'\. lll;lll\ wmuld see a eelebr'atimn ml the delightsol the new tmwn .is beingmnh slightly less ludiermus than the penning ml an mpera in praise ml .1 high rise blmck But apparenili. nmt sm 1ch pemple ml t 'uinbernauld.
l he pl.i_\ Milli/rte ( iii based mn the history ml the tow n lrmni its cmneeplimi‘i mn Ll buteaucl iil‘s planning sheet in the late l ilties tm the present da\ . has w‘mmetl the pmpulatimn intm the local theatre Hut llte\ .ire lat the inminent at least) priniai il\ mn the stage rather than in the stalls. Director ( lit is Smith has asselllltled Ll cast ml «lllll inenibersml the emnnnunitt w hm will imstle lmr spaceduringtlietwmlimui'prmiluetimn.
'\\ e had a bit ml trouble in that we prminised a speaking part tm merymie whi i wanted one. ( )ne
day we had twenty six sehmmlgii ls between the :igesml twelxeanil louiteencmniingalmngand we had to w rile a new scene espeei;ill_\ lmr thern.‘ Smith. though. pmsiti\el_\ enthuses about the tact that as many people are cmining along and giving him more ml .i lmgistical headache than that mlan lzast ( ier‘nian liziin liinetableii
‘Neither I nor Robert l’attersmn (the play "s author) are from (’uinbernauld so we had to rel_\ to a large extent on input from the local people
. and the response has been lantastie. l'he families involved in the play are lietitious but the cast has given us stories olchnts in the low n‘s history which we have written into the script. We use the development ml the families tm rnirrmr the development ml('uinbernauld.~
I wondered whether. like (‘unibernauld itsell. Sure/lite ( iii was an oil shoot lrmni ( ilasgmw a similar communin theatre project (in having been performed by 'l'r\(i in ( ilasgow earlier this
. ‘Nmt at all.. says Smith. "l‘he inspiratimn tor Sure/hie ( ill comes from (mine litre/e which was a community play troin two _\‘c‘;ll\ ago charting the history ol' the site on which ( 'uinbernauld is based from Roman times. lhis is the conclusion of that on a bigger scale.‘
With the play being written largely by and lor the inhabitants of('urnbernauld. Stile/hie ( in will be otlimited interest to the rest ml us. l’iut the enthusiasm with which the east hax e approached the project should be rewarded with a \ isit lroin at least a few ol those ( ilaswcgians who are still speculating about where their neighbours disappeared to thirty years ago. ll’hilip l’arrl
Sure/lire ( iii will be u! The ( 'imz/ieniuir/u’ Him/re
from iii/llll'fitlfll‘ 13 ()t'Im/u’r 511(3/ ()t'Im/u'r.
-' .CABARET
Like it or Lovett
Fora nationthatisfamousforits sense of humour. Scotland has surprisingly few comedy venues. And so whenthe Festival brings its suddenteastof cabaretto Edinburgh. people are only too keentogluttheirhungerforlaughs —regardless otthe prices charged.
The situation should change withthe onset otthe new season at the Gilded Balloon Theatre. now established as theforemostcomedyvenue inthe east olScotland. The shows willtake place everythree weeks on Friday and Saturday nights inthe intimate Studio Theatre. which was used recentlyfor the BBC's Edinburgh Nights Pick of the Fringe.
Headliningthe opening shows on 20 and 21 October is Norman Lovett. Norman‘stelevision credits include Red Dwarf and a series with Ruby Wax. He is currentlywritingforsix shows of his own on BBC2. The Gilded Balloon‘s Lstrength is its showcasing of local
talent and this year is no exception with
compere Stu Who?. Lisa Gornick. and
So You Think You're Funny competition
winner.PhilKay.onthetirstnight alone.
Artistic Director Karen Koren. whose agency Comic Roots is currently setting up a Scottish tour of comic acts. hopes that the shows will be broadcast on Radio Forth in the new year. using the Norman Lovett night as the pilot. The season as a whole. on radio and stage. will be a welcome step away from London‘s selfish hold on the comedy circuit. (Alan Morrison).
The new season at the Gilded Balloon,
233 Cowgate. Edinburgh begins on 20
Oct at 9.30pm.
Yz-EW FLY. Coming up da'sies
One of the interesting features of the Annexe Theatre Companyisthat. rather than holding on to the usual full complement of staff. it exists solely as a plaiformforthetalents ofupand comirigyoungwriters. Whenthetime comes. members pool their resources and. witha little ofwhateverhelp can be found. a production is put on the stage. The results. as back editions of this publication willtestify. can be spectacular.
What then of Vodka and Daisies. the latest offering from Glasgow playwright Lara-Jane Bunting? ‘lt‘s actuallyaveryordinarylittletale.‘ says director Mary McCluskey. ‘A group of friends passthroughschool togetherin a small Ayrshire town. come to the end oftheirchildhood. and find themselves confronted by the quetion— 'what will I be when l grow up?‘
So whatattracted hertothe role of director? “I'd come across Lara‘s work
before. at a couple of the more recent Young Playwrights festivals. Eventhen
she struck me as someone who had a quite unique ability to breath life into everyday situations. This is her first full length play. and it's exactly what I'd hoped to see— not heavily stylized. not contrived. but a slice of domestic life that converts into a quite extraordinary piece oftheatre.‘ (Philip Kingsley) Vodka and Daisies. Tue 17—Sat 21 Oct. 7.30pm. at the Chandler Studio Theatre
l(RSAMD)Glasgow.
the list 1} 3m )eiulm ilisw45