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SISTER SISTER
Big In Falkirk, Sat 3—Sun 4 May; then touring
Boilerhouse theatre company has never been exactly conventional with its work. Last year’s Running Girl, voted the best play of the year in the 2002 List Readers’ Poll, had its central and eponymous character running on a moving treadmill for the duration of the action. Now it takes to the skies with a show which takes place on a 10m high climbing frame-style structure, and combining live action with live and recorded video images.
But the real strength of this company’s work is down to what director Paul Pinson calls ‘the Boilerhouse sensibility - combining a sense of visual spectacle with dramatic content that really deals with specific aspects of the human condition’. For Sister Sister that aspect is the broad and almost all- encompassing notion of conflict. ‘Conflict is a perennial feature of human society,’ says Pinson, ‘and the victims of conflicts are all around us, all the time.’ Tracing the specific and personal conflict between two sisters, the show is
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‘but we hope the audience will draw exciting, explains Pinson. ‘By the story out from the microcosmic filming the action live and world of the play to their own world projecting it onto 4m high screens. and their own lives. It’s the most we can really explore the personal inclusive production we’ve ever and intimate elements within the done; it’s non-language based, it’s bigger theatrical picture. And here free, and we can handle an the set is as much a part of the audience of several thousand at a narrative as the performers. It’s time. There’s no reason for anyone unlike anything we’ve done before, to not be able to enjoy this show.’ and it’s also a natural evolutionary Sister Sister will then be joining step for us to take, as a company.’ such theatre luminaries as Grid Iron ‘It would be outrageously and the Arches at the Burns An A’
the same production is especially
told almost entirely through image pretentious of us to think we could That festival in Ayrshire, which
and action. The combination of suggest sure-fire ways to resolve all begins May 4th. Sounds well worth different theatrical elements within the conflicts of the world,’ he says, the journey. (Gareth Davies) ADAPTATION
ALICE
Tron Theatre, Glasgow, Thu 1 May, then touring. '
Benchtours' latest tOUrlllg production. in collaboration With Theatre Sans Frontieres. is. truly, a load of complete nonsense. Adapted from Lewis Carroll's classic pieces of extended doggerel. this is a new play combining both of Alice's stories. . . . in Wonder/and and . .
Looking-Glass.
The Victorian children's tales. where caterpillars smoke hookahs. babies turn into pigs and chess pieces play out a true battle royale. have enchanted and engrossed generations of children and adults alike. Catherine Gillard. BenchtOurs' co-artistic director and actual Queen of Hearts. says they've tried to bring a method out of Carroll's madness. 'We wanted to tell the story from Alice's pomt of VICW. giVing her a background and a seeial context. We've tried to make her as modern as possible. The way we see
. through the
Vanishing helmet
it. the stories are about a child growuig up. and coming to
terms With the conventions and rules imposed upon them
by the adult world.‘
Because even adults sometimes have problems accepting the rules that govern their existence. Alice is a show that Will appeal to the child in all of us. So grow up and follow Alice as she makes her way to her own
DENISED th:ATRE. STARS BENEATH THE SEA Tramway, Glasgow, Wed 7—Sat 10 May, then touring
if you're struggling to keep your head above water in these trying times of crisis and international brOuhaha. j()|ll Vanishing POint as it takes you on a Journey to the bottom
coronation as White Queen of Wonderland. (Gareth Dawes) of the sea in its latest show.
'The men and women who invented deep sea diving were extraordinary characters liVing along the fine line between lunatic and genius' says the productions co-director. Matthew Lenton. ‘Their adventures were remarkable. often hilarious. often tragic but always gripping. And in some ways this show is an adventure story.’ So how do yOu effectively convey the idea of being 20.000 leagues down to an audience? ‘We like challenges — theatre these days needs them — and we have found Ourselves using prOJection, puppetry and music as well as actors to tell the story. Our work is abOut uSing daring forms to tell daring stories to a wide audience. We want all sons of peOple to come and see Our work and we want our .vork to entertain themf
After their recent successes with The lows/ole Man. Beneath the Sea promises to continue Vanishing Point's . work to push back the b0undaries of what devised theatre
Carrol singing can do. lGareth DaVIOSl
Theatre
MISTERO BUFFO Cumbernauld
Theatre. Fri 25-Sat 26 Apr; then touring
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.. . ;.1 3‘1,“ ‘7’, .'1T"E LIST 63