John Tiffany

Young and l’rincc lidnard. I didn‘t knon \\hat to \a}. hut it didn‘t mattcr. ll \\;1\ an c\cnt. a ritual. \o it \xax \nrprixingl} c:1\_\.:1nd rcall_\ intct‘cxting.‘ llttt it‘x hcr \ixion ol :1 ‘dit‘cctor'x thcalt'c‘ that laxcinatcx. l-or )1‘:11\ dircctorx. _lll\ll_\ or not. ha\ c lk‘L‘ll MT” 11\ SL‘ttllitltth \\ Cilk \tlll ll] it lltL‘dll'L‘ l'lL‘lt \\lllt \\I‘llt‘l'\. _\ct :1t hcr lirst pt‘c\,\ conlcrcncc t‘l)id I look likc :1 rahhit in thc hcadlighhl" \hc grinx impixhhl hcr poxiting ol' llti\ idca \ccmcd \triking. What did \hc mcan‘.’ ‘ll‘ _\ott can ll\L‘ that pttrc rcxpcct l‘ot' thc pla} \\ right. ax thc \oicc. thc hcart. thc Ittoxl important pcrxon in thc room. and tltcn thro\\ :1 hit ol atttcttr dircctor at that. thcn \\‘ll;ll do _\ott cotnc 11p \\ ith'.’ I think tl1:1t\tlic\\:1} Scotland can lcad thc \\:1_\ to :1 nc\\ acxthctic.‘ 'l‘hc \\ot'1l ‘atttcttr' might \ct 1”th mind running along lincx ol' hair lilicking. crockcr}- throuing cgomaniacx. )1‘t onc knoxu thix ixn‘t l-cathcrxtoncK \ l\iolt \xhcn onc mcctx hcr. 'l lch conlidcnt ahottt thi\ idca ol' thc dircctor‘x thcatrc.

.\l_\ rclationxhip \\ ith ;\hh} Morgan :1\ :1 dircctor

\\a\ \llL‘lt that month\ altcr \\ c linixhcd thc laxt \hon I did \\itlt lth' l rcalixcd l \\:1\ totall} inadctluatc and that \hc “ax \o l'ar hcyind mc'. l'tl lliltl to go \0 lat l‘L‘l'ot‘L‘ l.Ll llllLlL‘l\IUtKl lllC \tarting point. 'l‘hat'x :1 grcat l'ccling l'or mc it‘x lcarning to hccomc :1 hcttcr dircctor. Dircctor training for tnc ix ahotit not gixing _\oung. 11nkno\\n dircctorx :1 lirxt chancc. though thcrc ma} hc \otnc of that. httt gi\ing mid—carccr dit'cctorx thc chancc. h_\ crcating thc right cnx'ironmcnt to hccomc thc dircctor thc} “ant to hc. l \\ ant to tnakc dircctorx rcxponxihlc to nothing clxc than thc art. (ircat dircctotx arc

Neil Murray

ol‘tcn grcat collahot‘:1lot‘\. It _\on look at hon pcoplc likc Rohcrt l.cl’agc docx llllltgx hc hringx lk‘t’l‘lc logcthcr. llc docxn't do it on lti\ on n ' .-\nd \\ hat ahont thc kind ol National 'l‘hcatrc to L'\PCL‘l..) \Vlll \\ c lk‘ liot'cctl [H \il through an cndlcxx paradc ol \tork h} grcat. httt not ncccxxaril} rclc\ant. \\l‘lIL‘l'\ ol' \omc incipicnt hcritagc llttll|\ll'_\ 1’ John 'l‘il'l‘an} takcx up thc \tor): ‘l \\:1\ juxt axkcd it n c MI :1 rcxponxihilit} to rc\i\it Scottixh claxxicx. \Vc don't. not in that acadcmic \\:1_\. hut \\ c do. I think. l'ccl :1 rcxponxihilit} to c\plorc thctn and \cc il' thc_\ arc

‘I WANT TO

MAKE DIRECTORS RESPONSIBLE TO NOTHING ELSE THAN THE ART'

dctnanding to hc put on a Scottixh \tagc. httt not to put thctn on out ol \omc ohligation. 'l'hcrc \\a\ a lccling lrom \omc mcmhcrs ol thc attdicncc that that “ax \xhaI \xc ucrc ntcant to do. hut that’x anothcr national thcatrc. not thc onc \\ c \\crc gi\cn rcxponxihilit} lot'.‘

In (ilaxgon. in tltc morc conxidcrcd and \cdatc. hut \till httxincxxlikc. atmoxphcrc ol' thc 'l‘ron nc'rc kll\L'U\\lll:_‘ :1 tinal \camn h} l-‘cathcrxtonc at l’aincx l’lottgh \xhich in\ol\c\ thc talcntx ol‘ all tour of thc ncn National 'l‘hcatrc ligttrcx' talcntx.

l)a\ id (ircig‘x /)_\’I‘('II(’('\ poxih :1 man lound lo\I

in \aid lllllx. \xith no mcmor} ol' \\llt) lic l\ oi \xhcrc ltc camc l’rom. ‘lch \xith :1 scallop \hcll in hix pockct. \tltich ix :1 \ign that hc’x on a pilgrimagc. and thc part ol' thc l’_\rcncc\ |\ thc toughcxt p:11'tol:1pilgritnagc. ll _\o11 \tokc up 111 that \llllillltm. and l'ottnd that \ign. \\hat \\ot|l1l _\ott itxk _\o11r\cll".’ .»\m l d_\ing'.’ .»\m l ('hrixttan,’ I’d hcttcr lind ottt.‘ ( ircig c\plain\.

.\lttrra_\ intcncncx on thc idca ol' clam and languagc hcing intcrlinkcd \ignilicrx ol idcntit}. "l'hix idca ol' langttagc and claxx . 1 thc othcr night I lotind Kcn l.oach'\ 51111131111171 \\;t\1ilt. I‘m \tatching it in Scotland. and it \\;t\ \tllillllt‘tl. 'l‘hcyd \tthtitlcd it l‘or l'.ltgll\lt \ic\\ct‘\. and hadn't rcmmcd thctn in Scotland. 'l‘hat \taxn't ahottt langttagc. it \\;I\ ahottt claw. ’l'|1c_\‘d thought that thcxc pcoplc talk in \uch an carth} \xorking-claxx languagc cxcn thc Scotx nonldn‘t 11ndcr\tand thctn. l lound that incrcdihl} Hllt‘ltxhC. 'l‘hc} \tcrc going to \hou it in (il'L‘L‘ltHCk “liCt‘L‘ lllL' lllllt \kttx \L'l. llt)\\ \ktlllltl that ntakc pcoplc thcrc l'ccl'." (ircig tttltl\ lllx indignation: "l‘hat'x titlll'itgctith. ll )ott'rc on thc L‘tlg’c. HUI ttl lllL‘ c‘L‘ItII'L‘. llix :1 [itmct’ l\\tlc. ll _\ott'rc not l'rom thc ccntt'c. it‘x \nm‘ langttagc that Inn to hc \uhtitlcd. But it\ hixtoricall} lantaxtic l'or \triting play. grappling with thc languagc. It’s an lxxltc ol idcntit}. which I‘m \cr} intcrcxtcd inf

'l'hc litllll' \HiL‘LN and ltlL‘ttllltcx itt\1)l\ctl itt lltc National \ccm to add to thc cllcct ol :1 pla} ahout idcntit}. It might alw hint at thc littttn'c national.

Tron, Glasgow from Wed 9—Sat 26 Mar. THE LIST 25