Theatre

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JOHN STALKER

As part of our series in which theatre people speak of their thoughts and passions in the industry. JOHN STALKER, director of the KING’S AND FESTIVAL THEATRES reminds us of the power of medium.

I’m often quizzed as to how I choose the programme for the King’s Theatre. What we’re always aiming to deliver are memorable experiences by unique individuals. Easier said than done, you may say. We ‘present’ theatre, not ‘produce’ it like the Traverse or the Royal Lyceum and, for that, I’m dependent upon the willingness of artists to ‘get on their bikes’, as Norman Tebbit so memorably but miserably put it, and come to Edinburgh.

The trials and tribulations of touring are evident. Artists are away from home. from family and familiar surroundings for weeks and months on end - living out of a suitcase, a different bed every week. It’s neither glamorous nor, very often, lucrative but, fortunately for audiences, a passion for performing in front of audiences keeps those talented artists on the road.

Back to memorable experiences. Theatre has the power to create jaw-dropping magical moments the likes of which cannot be replicated in two- dimensional film or television. When it works, by god does it work. Twenty-five years ago I was stunned by

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the sheer power and the passion of the performance Warren Mitchell gave as Willy Loman in Death ofa Salesman, on tour with the National Theatre in Glasgow. I remember that performance as though it were yesterday. It was his performance that finally and irrevocably got me hooked on theatre.

Back to the trials and tribulations of touring. In a few weeks, Warren Mitchell will arrive in Edinburgh to seek out his different bed for the week, far from family and friends and (forgive me Warren) 78 years old. He will stun his audience with a superlative performance in The Price (again) by Arthur Miller and somewhere in the audience will be an 18-year—old who will never, ever, forget seeing a memorable performance by a unique individual.

With so much of our lives pre-packaged, disposable or repeatable at the touch of a button, we should take a little time to consider what it must be like for a company of actors creating a performance especially for those sitting in that auditorium for that particular performance. When it’s gone it’s gone and you may never know what you have missed.

For me it happened again this Festival with Anthony Neilson’s The Wonderful World of Dissocia, a fantastic performance that will live long in the memory. Reality television is all very well. Why not step inside the real world of theatre this autumn?

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Citizens’ Theatre. Glasgow, in repertory until 23 Oct. 0000

Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, Fri 8—Sat 9 Oct.