Theatre HITLIST THE BEST THEATRE & DANCE
list.co.uk/theatre
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Whatever Gets You Through the Night Curators Cora Bissett, David Greig and experimental music collective Swimmer One have fashioned a theatrical tour of pre-dawn Scotland, as imagined by some of the country’s best-known writers, performers and musicians. See feature, page 18. Arches, Glasgow, Tue 26–Fri 29 Jun.
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The Tempest A curtailed run of Dundee Rep’s radical production of the Bard’s swansong due to the sad death of ensemble member, Robert Paterson. See obituary, page 11. Dundee Rep, Thu 21–Sat 23 Jun. Bard in the Botanics The outdoor Shakespeare festival continues its Brave New World season, with performances of The Tempest, As You Like It and Romeo and Juliet. Glasgow Botanic Gardens, until Sat 28 Jul.
Macbeth Perthshire’s most famous son, Alan Cumming, takes on all the roles in this radical reworking of the Scottish play, directed by John Tiffany. See review, page 113. Tramway, Glasgow, until Sat 30 Jun.
Ornithology Contemporary circus company Strange Bird Zirkus tell a surreal story through a mix of Chinese pole and floor acrobatics and with a pair of alternative soundtracks. See preview, page 116. Brunton Theatre, Musselburgh, Fri 29 Jun. The Big Dance Edinburgh hosts the biggest ever celebration of dance seen in Scotland, featuring every conceivable style and a couple of world record-breaking attempts. See feature, page 113. Various venues, Edinburgh, Sat 30 Jun & Sun 1 Jul.
Oliver! Impressively staged production of Lionel Bart’s Summer Season of Classic Cuts/Alice in
Edinburgh International Magic Festival A
Exchange 2012 National Theatre of Scotland’s
cockernee musical, featuring a thoughtful performance from Brian Conley as Fagin and stunning choreography. See review, page 113. Edinburgh Playhouse, until Sat 23 Jun.
Poundland Plays by Jarry, Shakespeare and Coward are on the summer menu at Oran Mor, as well as the annual summer panto. Oran Mor, Glasgow, until Sat 28 Jul. week-long treat for magic- lovers of all tastes, including close-hand, mind-reading and cabaret. See preview in Around Town, page 48. Various venues, Edinburgh, Fri 29 Jun–Fri 6 Jul.
week-long festival of work by youth theatres from across Scotland as well as visiting groups from Kildare, Ireland, and from Brooklyn, New York City. Macrobert, Stirling, Tue 3–Sat 7 Jul.
Stage WHISPERS
VICKIE BEESLEY talks about Artikulate’s Homeward Bound, inspired by a Dutch TV show in which failed asylum seekers competed to win money towards a new start in their country of origin
At first I found the idea of pitting refused asylum seekers against each other quite awful but the more I watched and read about the show the more I thought it was a great way of raising awareness of the problems these people were facing. Having arrived in the Netherlands as children, they considered themselves Dutch and were now being returned to another country they had very little experience of or connection with. It seemed to make sense to use the form of a game show for a piece of theatre. What is particularly fun is that they use a level of kitsch and hyperbole that a more conventional drama couldn’t get away with.
I wrote a 15-minute Scratch of Homeward Bound that was performed in January this year. The audience had the power to choose who won the show and it went down well but I wanted the audience to have more control. So, we reworked the piece and it is now largely improvised. The audience votes throughout the show; they are in direct competition with the contestants and in complete control of the outcome. I have also been working with
women from refugee backgrounds who will be leading tours of Glasgow during Refugee Week. The tour leaders will share facts about Glasgow as well as personal experiences of the city and memories of home. The tours are about bringing people from different cultures together to walk, talk and share. ■ Homeward Bound, Tron Theatre, Glasgow, Fri 22 & Sat 23 Jun. My Glasgow: Walking Tours, Sun 17–Sat 23 Jun. scottishrefugeecouncil.org.uk/ walkingtours
21 Jun–19 Jul 2012 THE LIST 111