THEATRE | Previews
ADAPTATION FOUND AT SEA Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, Tue 19–Sat 23 Feb NEW PLAY IN AN ALIEN LANDSCAPE On tour throughout Scotland from Fri 1–Fri 22 Feb
ADAPTATION RUNNING ON THE CRACKS Tron Theatre, Glasgow, Wed 6–Sat 16 Feb
David Greig is on an island, but his vista of the Manhattan skyline is a mile away from the deserted setting of his latest production, Found at Sea. ‘In the midst of life there’s a point where you
have to cast off,’ he says, ‘and this is about what happens when we do; what processes we go through and what reflections we make.’ This series of poems written by Andrew Greig (no relation) follows two fiftysomething men as they set out on a sailing adventure to an uninhabited island near Orkney. Based on Greig’s own experience, the result is something akin to The Odyssey or The Tempest, as the men uncover the lives of two women who lived on the island before them.
David Greig has emphasised the musicality of Andrew Greig’s work by adding live music from folk singer Rachel Newton. ‘It’s quite a reflective show,’ he says, ‘but it also has that comedy that comes out of truthfulness.’ It’s an age-old tale, but David Greig’s reading
has given it a new direction. ‘Think of it like a road movie, but on the sea,’ he muses. (Jen Bowden)
What makes a person create artworks? For Albie, hero of Danny Start’s new play In an Alien Landscape, from Birds of Paradise, it’s an urgent problem. Awoken from a coma, he finds himself compulsively unable to stop painting.
It’s an appropriate premise for what has become the opening production at the Beacon, Greenock’s glittering new £9.5m theatre, following ‘slippage’ in the building schedule. In a second serendipitous coincidence, direction
is by Julie Ellen. Now artistic director of the Beacon, she provided dramaturgy during the play’s naissance while in her previous job at the Playwrights’ Studio.
It’s not all good – ‘If I knew I would be directing it I would have urged Danny to be more modest in his ambition,’ she laughs – but it is a play which chimes with her ideas. ‘I am fascinated about that notion of how we construct an idea of ourselves and live our lives accordingly,’ she says. ‘Taking that childhood message of who we are and negotiating with oneself in adulthood to really have a sense of being authentic in our daily lives.’ (Thom Dibdin)
Although best known for The Gruffalo, Julia Donaldson has also written fiction for teenagers. In her 2009 teen novel, Running on the Cracks, Leo, an orphaned half-English half-Chinese girl, flees her suspicious uncle’s home in Bristol for Glasgow, where she hopes to find her Chinese grandparents. Andy Arnold, artistic director at Glasgow’s Tron
theatre, saw the potential for a theatrical adaptation as soon as he read the book. ‘I like the potential darkness of it,’ he explains. ‘It has a great energy and the fact that it’s set in Glasgow appealed to me too. The characters are great – not only Leo but particularly her friend Mary, who takes on Leo when she gets to Glasgow but who is very unstable herself.’
A co-production with York-based Pilot Theatre, Arnold’s adaptation has received Donaldson’s seal of approval and is aimed at audiences aged 14 and up.
‘There are a lot of teen issues here, like potential sexual abuse and runaways. But nonetheless it’s a play which I think has got a strong narrative to it, which will appeal to adults as well.’ (Yasmin Sulaiman)
VISUAL THEATRE FESTIVAL MANIPULATE Traverse, Edinburgh, Sat 2–Sat 16 Feb; Summerhall, Edinburgh, Sun 3–Sat 9 Feb
Now in its sixth year, the Manipulate Festival has evolved into a highlight of Scotland’s cultural calendar. In 2013, the puppetry and animation festival returns to the Traverse but adds Summerhall to its list of Edinburgh venues and boasts its largest ever animation programme. ‘We have a very strong puppetry sector for children in Scotland,’ says artistic director Simon Hart, ‘but it’s perhaps less well developed for adult audiences. I try to create a balance within each festival, so there’s a crossover between physical theatre and dance, as well as works where we see the interaction between technology and live performance. It’s about finding work that excites audiences as well as me.’ Highlights from this year’s programme include TIP Connection’s
The End of Love (pictured), a worldless story inspired by the tale of Bluebeard, and Schiklgruber . . . Alias Adolf Hitler, a dark satire with Spitting Image-style puppets from the acclaimed Neville Tranter. In its animation strand, The Paper Cinema, who appeared at the first ever Manipulate in 2008, return with their take on Homer’s epic The Odyssey. And Iain Gardner will present Snapshots, a free series in which four recent animation graduates from Edinburgh College of Art – including 2013 BAFTA nominees Will Anderson and Ainslie Henderson – introduce their short films before they are screened. The future looks bright, too. ‘We’re already planning next year’s festival,’ Hart says. ‘I think there’s a really good niche for the sort of work that we show. Theatre in the UK is so rich and there’s so much variety. But often, I suppose because of our literary heritage, it’s very word orientated. The work that we present is much more focused on our visual senses, so I think the festival gives this type of work a real showcase.’ (Yasmin Sulaiman)
100 THE LIST 24 Jan–21 Feb 2013