THEATRE | Previews
YOUTH FESTIVAL CHRYSALIS FESTIVAL Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, Fri 17–Sun 19 Nov
The Traverse Theatre has always had a reputation for championing new and vital voices, and this is certainly true of the three-day Chrysalis Festival, which returns in November. Curated and created by Youth Theatre Arts Scotland, Chrysalis is an annual festival of youth performance. It showcases emerging youthful companies who present uncompromising, thought-provoking work which aims to challenge preconceptions of what young companies can do.
Inverclyde’s Beacon Young Company present How To Save The
World . . . Ish, which puts complacency and responsibility under the spotlight, examining when and why it’s time to step up and grow up. Contact Young Company, from Manchester, tackle living with a cancer diagnosis in teen years in their tender and honest There is a Light: BRIGHTLIGHT. Based in West Lothian, Firefly Arts have a reputation for making
intelligent physical theatre which pushes boundaries. This is certainly the case with Dark Mechanics which scrutinises the vagaries of capitalism and plays with gender roles. Written by Kirsty Byers, Eleanor Morrison and the cast, this promises to cut to the heart of human motivation, asking what impels people to behave as they do. Reading Rep, whose work is tough and unflinchingly
immersive and very much influenced by the grit of Trainspotting, present Queer Fish. It’s a dystopian piece that’s not for the easily offended, focusing on three young misfits called Sweets, Skinny and Baby, who play dangerous games involving chem-sex and their own morality. The aim of Chrysalis is to demonstrate how youth theatre need
not lack the excitement and experimental panache of professional companies, and a series of accompanying events will highlight the range of YTAS support available for the talent that will shape the next generation of theatre. (Lorna Irvine)
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FESTIVE SHOW ARABIAN NIGHTS Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh, Sun 26 Nov– Sat 6 Jan
Like the Citizens’ Christmas show in Glasgow, Edinburgh’s Lyceum swerves panto for a play that combines festive adventure with a theatricality that fits in with its year-round products. But, as actor Natalie Arle-Toyne (pictured) explains, ‘They have festive spirit and are riotous family fun, with the villain and the good guys and everyone in between. The audience will still get involved but there is no traditional dame and the stories aren't ones you hear every Christmas.’ This year, the classic collection of tales, Arabian Nights, has space for plenty of great stories. ‘I'm playing so many characters,’ Arle-Toyne
continues. 'I'm part of telling stories like The Girl Whose Mouth Ran Away with Her and The Genie, the Girl and the Chess Playing Monkey Boy. You can tell from those titles it's going to be fun and a little crazy!’ With Joe Douglas – who recently revived The
Cheviot, The Stag and The Black Black Oil – directing, Arabian Nights promises excitement and a serious sensibility. It also fits elegantly with the Lyceum’s vision of an international, inclusive theatre. Yet Arle-Toyne knows that it’s no dour enterprise: ‘It's going to be fast and fun and surprising. It'll be a feast for the eyes with lots of rich colour and fast-paced action.’ (Gareth K Vile)
116 THE LIST 1 Nov 2017–31 Jan 2018
STREET THEATRE NURSERY CRYMES Near Trongate, Glasgow, Fri 24 & Sat 25 November WAR DRAMA THE WIPERS TIMES Theatre Royal, Glasgow, Tue 7–Sat 11 Nov
Inspired by the moral and malicious subtext of classic children’s tales, Nursery Crymes recalls Mischief La-Bas’ epic street theatre events that, as the company’s vision statement promises, gently warp the underlay of the fabric of society. ‘It’s a perfect invitation to play with dark themes and question innocence and guilt in both historic and contemporary society,’ says artistic director Angie Dight. With Liz Aggiss and Dav Bernard (of 85A Collective) involved alongside Tramway’s innovative young company Junction 25, the promenade show will take over the area surrounding Glasgow’s Britannia Panopticon music hall for a ‘mixing up of different art forms, breaking down the fourth wall and the blurring of realities which is at the root of all Mischief La-Bas’ work, as well as humorous irreverence and audience interaction.’
By converting the streets into a home for installations, performances and surprises, Nursery Crymes challenges both the accepted understanding of the stories and the environment. Far more than a dry presentation of routines, Dight recognises the potential of art for changes of perception. ‘Performance might be an alternative reality,’ she says, ‘but the experiences are still real.’ (Gareth K Vile)
Ian Hislop and Nick Newman, the impressive creative team behind the WWI-set play The Wipers Times, are perhaps best known as editor and cartoonist respectively of the legendary satirical magazine Private Eye, but they have been collaborating since meeting in sixth form college. ‘I’ve spent a big chunk of my life writing in a room with Ian,’ admits Newman. ‘And we are keen to tell each other when something’s not funny,’ Hislop retorts. The Wipers Times, based on the title of a
magazine produced by a group of soldiers in the trenches of Ypres, was first commissioned for BBC2. ‘All throughout the writing process it was pretty clear that it’s about small spaces,’ Hislop explains. ‘Dugouts, trenches, their HQ beneath the ramparts. Everything is about men in small rooms trying to be funny – and isn’t that the stage?
‘The sound of 600 people laughing at jokes written 100 years ago is pretty hard to beat,’ adds Hislop. However, the pair have been mindful not to lose sight of the poignancy of the soldiers’ publication by getting caught up in punchlines. As Hislop observes, ‘you can’t laugh with them if you aren’t prepared to understand why it is they are laughing.’ (Irina Glinski)