REVEAL 2012 – A season of promising new work – At the Citizens Theatre, Glasgow from 1st to 12th May 2012
The London Riots, performed by puppets; a story spun by a Spider; a Gaelic Divorce; post-apocalyptical drama and Mexican Reality TV are all part of REVEAL 2012.
FOLLOWING on from last year’s successful inaugural Reveal Season, The National Theatre of Scotland, in association with the Citizens Theatre, present Reveal 2012, a season of new work by up and coming and diversifying artists, many of whom have been supported by the National Theatre of Scotland through their Bank of Scotland Pioneering Partnership.
The artists who were connected to the 2011 New Directors Programme and Artists on Attachment schemes’, benefited from the Bank of Scotland Emerge Fund, a new investment created to support the next stage of their creative development.
This funding from Bank of Scotland allowed the National Theatre of Scotland to work with this selected group of artists to develop their ideas and to showcase them to both the wider theatre industry and the public.
Each artist will show work at a different stage of the creative process, from small-scale productions to work in progresses and rehearsed readings.
Reveal 2012 will also offer a group of young artists the opportunity to share the seed of a new idea at one of two scratch performances.
The season includes works by Martin Travers, Amanda Gaughan, Alan Bissett, Amanda Monfrooe, Ross MacKay, Catriona Lexy Campbell, Alan McKendrick.
Amanda Gaughan, Alan Bissett, Amanda Monfrooe, Ross MacKay and Stef Smith were all participants in the Bank of Scotland’s Emerge Programme.
Lady Susan Rice, managing director of Lloyds Banking Group Scotland, says:
“As an organisation, we are committed to supporting emerging talent and the National Theatre of Scotland provides us with a number of platforms to engage and assist the next generation of theatrical practitioners. We very much look forward to seeing what the future holds for these bright young stars and are glad we can be part of that journey.”
Roman Bridge by Martin Travers
Directed by Amanda Gaughan
Preview Wed 2 May, Performances 3 – 12 May (excluding Mondays and Sundays): Circle Studio (90mins)
Following a rehearsed reading of Roman Bridge as part of Reveal 2011, Roman Bridge marks the first professional production of a new play by Martin Travers.
Martin has been teamed with talented young director, Amanda Gaughan, who recently completed a Bank of Scotland New Directors placement with the National Theatre of Scotland assistant director on The Missing. Roman Bridge will be performed by Myra McFadyen, John Kielty, Helen Mallon and Ryan Fletcher.
Somewhere in rural Lanarkshire Craw leads Catherine to an ancient stone bridge and the promise of a new life with the son she abandoned at the same spot many years before.
Both women have nothing to lose. Forced to flee her home with her young baby, following the death of her husband, vulnerable Catherine reluctantly follows Craw, whose haunting past drives a desperate quest for forgiveness, bringing them ever closer to danger
When danger finds them, Craw flees, leaving Catherine to survive alone, no matter what the cost.
Set in another Scotland, Roman Bridge is a play about survival, sacrifice, murder, and love and asks if we can ever truly leave the past behind to make a new life.
Feral by Ross MacKay and Tortoise in a Nutshell
Work in progress
Tues 1 – Thurs 3 May: 8.30pm: Stalls Studio (30mins)
Together with members of his company Tortoise in a Nutshell (The Last Miner), Ross MacKay, presents a work in progress performance of Feral, a recreation of the London riots, using puppets in miniature. Ross MacKay was previously supported as a Bank of Scotland New Director.
The Red Hourglass by Alan Bissett
Rehearsed reading
Wed 2-Thu 3 May: 7.30pm; Stalls Studio (running time one hour)
Following his time as a Bank of Scotland Writer on attachment with the company, award-winning novelist, Alan Bissett, presents a rehearsed reading of a new play, a witty, dark, political allegory that will make you think twice before you flush a certain house-guest down the plughole.
Scratch Performances
Fr 4 and Thu 10 May: Stalls Studio
A platform for artists to test a 10-20min extract of a new work.
Gaelic for Beginners by Catriona Lexy Campbell
Rehearsed reading
Fri 4 – Sat 5 May: 7pm: Stalls Studio (running time 45mins)
Following a year as the National Theatre of Scotland’s first associate artist (Gaelic), and following the success of bi-lingual play Somersaults by Iain Finlay MacLeod at Reveal 2011, Catriona will present a rehearsed reading of her first professional play.
When her parents’ marriage breaks down, Emily scours their past relationship to try to find the reason. The only problem is she can’t understand a word they’re saying.
Kasimir and Karoline by Ödön von Horvàth, translated and directed by Alan McKendrick
Rehearsed reading
Sat 5 May: 3pm: Circle Rehearsal Room (running time approx 2 hours)
An unruly comedy with a dark and savage streak. Set over the course of one increasingly unhinged night at the Oktoberfest fair in Munich, Ödön von Horváth’s love story about impoverished youth and their affluent, predatory elders is an absolute stage fixture in German-speaking countries, while having received scarcely any exposure whatsoever in the English-language theatre in the eight decades since it was originally penned. This reading will seek to take an overdue first step in rendering this major European classic to a fresh audience, presenting a brand-new Scots translation of the piece by Alan McKendrick, who also directs.
The Great Disappointment of Santa Muerta by Pony Pie
A new one woman show by Amanda Monfrooe.
Work in progress
Thu 10 – Sat 12 May: 7.30pm: Stalls Studio (60mins)
Just when she was about to throw in the towel Amanda was handed the role of a lifetime. She was hired to play the patron saint of death, live on Mexican Public Television for Dia De Los Muertos, the Latin American celebration death and the dead. Amanda was more surprised than anybody as she wasn’t aware she even spoke Spanish till someone asked. She also didn’t know that she was, actually, Santa Muerta.
Amanda was previously a Bank of Scotland Artist on attachment.
Colour Me Read by Stef Smith
Rehearsed reading
Fri 11 – Sat 12 May: 8.45pm: Stalls Studio (running time 90mins)
Emily discovers a stolen book in a Glasgow second-hand bookshop. Intrigued by its inscription she decides to track down its owner. Colour Me Read explores six interweaving stories and uncovers a world where language cannot be taken for granted and books can be dangerous.
Stef Smith was also previously a Bank of Scotland Writer on attachment.
Love Letters to the Public Transport System and Count Me In, which premiered at last year’s Reveal, will be touring Scotland this year.
FOR FURTHER PRESS INFO/IMAGES/INTERVIEWS/FOOTAGE, CONTACT:
Jane Hamilton
Tel: +44 (0)7967742491 E: info@janehamiltonpr.com
Press images
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For further updates throughout the year visit www.nationaltheatrescotland.com
NOTES TO EDITORS:
1. The National Theatre of Scotland is supported by the Scottish Government. Since its launch in February 2006, the National Theatre of Scotland has been involved in creating over 160 productions in 125 different locations. With no building of its own, the company takes theatre all over Scotland and beyond, working with existing and new venues and companies to create and tour theatre of the highest quality. It takes place in the great buildings of Scotland, but also in site-specific locations, airports and tower blocks, community halls and drill halls, ferries and forests. The company has performed to over 710,000 people, across three continents.
2. Bank of Scotland is a long-standing supporter of sports and the arts in Scotland. Through their sponsorships they aim to support emerging talent across Scotland. Bank of Scotland currently has partnerships with a wide range of Scottish sporting and cultural bodies including Imaginate, the Edinburgh International Festival, the Scottish Football Association and the Great Scottish Run. As part of the Lloyds Banking Group, Bank of Scotland is a Proud Partner for Scotland for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Their mission is to inspire and support young people, colleagues, communities and businesses across Scotland all the way to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and beyond, through cultural and sporting activities.
Biographies
Alan Bissett
Alan Bissett is a novelist, playwright and performer from Falkirk who now lives in Glasgow. In 2011 he was named Glenfiddich Spirit of Scotland Writer of the Year. His play Turbo Folk was shortlisted for Best New Play at the Critics’ Awards for Theatre in Scotland 2010. He wrote and performed his own ‘one-woman show’, The Moira Monologues, which toured Scotland to great acclaim and is now in development with the BBC. His novels include Boyracers (2001), The Incredible Adam Spark (2005), and Death of a Ladies’ Man (2009), which was shortlisted for a Scottish Arts Council Fiction of the Year prize. His most recent book, Pack Men (2011) was called a ‘landmark in Scottish fiction’ by Irvine Welsh. The short film which he wrote and narrated, ‘The Shutdown’, has won awards at several major international film festivals and was shortlisted for a Scottish BAFTA. Alan was a Bank of Scotland Writer on Attachment with the National Theatre of Scotland
Catriona Lexy Campbell
Catriona Lexy Campbell is from the Isle of Lewis and has worked extensively in Gaelic as a writer, poet, actor and theatre artist. She has four published books and her book of short stories for children, Sgeulachdan Eagalach Feagalach, won the award for the Best New Children’s book at the National Mod in 2009. She is currently working on new plays for Oran Mor, the BBC and Rural Nations. Catriona lives in Glasgow and is the Gaelic associate artist for the National Theatre of Scotland.
Amanda Gaughan
Amanda graduated with a MA in Directing from the RCS in 2009 and has since directed: After the End (Citizens Theatre); Medea (associate director/RCS); Fit for a King (New Works New Worlds); Blackout (RCS Dramaworks). She has worked as an assistant director on: The Missing (NTS); Hansel & Gretal; Monster in the Hall; Marilyn; Beauty and the Beast; Clockwork Orange (Citizens Theatre). Amanda has received the Bank of Scotland New Directors Award with National Theatre Scotland 2011; and the Esmee Fairbairn Trainee Director Bursary 2010/11 at the Citizens Theatre. She is fully appreciative of all the support she has received and the inspiring creative teams she has worked with and hopes that she will make them proud with her future work.
Amanda Monfrooe
Amanda studied acting and writing at Boston University (2005) before completing her Masters in dramaturgy at Glasgow University (2009.) Since graduating, Amanda has created several small scale performance projects including appearances at the Manipulate visual theatre festival (2009), the Glasgow cabaret night ‘Love Club’ (2011/2012), and most recently at Arika12: Episode 2 (2012, in collaboration with Iain Campbell F-W). Amanda completed her first large scale project How Keanu Reeves Saved the World at Arches Live 2010. In 2011 Amanda was a Bank of Scotland Artist on Attachment with the National Theatre of Scotland.
Ross McKay
Ross is an emerging director and puppeteer. He trained at Bread and Puppet Theatre in Vermont and was previously a Bank of Scotland Artist on Attachment with the National Theatre of Scotland. As assistant director, credits include National Theatre of Scotlands A Christmas Carol and Perth Theatre’s Moonlight and Magnolias. He is also artistic director of Tortoise in a Nutshell whose production, The Last Miner is the first UK production to ever be shortlisted for the Grunshnabel Award, a European award for visual theatre. Their latest piece, Grit, was presented as a snapshot at Traverse’s Manipulate Festival and is in development to debut later this year.
Alan McKendrick
Alan McKendrick was born in 1979 in Paisley. His projects as writer/director include The James Dean Death Scene (Tron, Traverse. Winner Arches Award For Stage Directors), Finished With Engines (Arches, Traverse), The Bad Drive Well (Arches), plus the film Violence Was Offered (Playwrights’ Studio Scotland/Arches). Opera work includes Hope Dies Hard In His House and Ringside Seat At The Sobriety Olympics (both Aldeburgh Music). Recent translations include Kevin Rittberger’s Peeping Ends (National Theatre Studio London). Alan has also made work with other organisations including Hebbel Theater Am Ufer Berlin, Volksbühne Berlin, GoMA, GI, Tramway, Riot Group, Theater Der Welt Stuttgart, Bayerische Staatsoper Munich and Malmö Opera Sweden, and is about to commence as Writer-In-Residence with Untitled Projects. His plays have been performed in the UK, Germany and Canada.
Stef Smith
Stef Smith has been working professionally as a writer and director since she graduated in 2009 from Queen Margaret’s University in Edinburgh. Smith is currently best known for supplying the text for critically acclaimed show RoadKill. RoadKill has won numerous awards including the Amnesty International Freedom of Expression Award most recently was nominated for a 2012 Laurence Olivier Award. In 2011 Smith was awarded the New Playwrights’ Award by the Playwrights’ Studio Scotland to develop her next show Jamais Vu. Stef also wrote and produced sell-out show Falling/Flying (The Tron, Glasgow) and has been commissioned by BBC Radio Drama. Most recently, she was a Bank of Scotland Writer on Attachment with the National Theatre of Scotland and opened her show The Silence of Bees (The Arches Glasgow).
Opening performances
Thursday 3 May: Roman Bridge
If would like tickets for any other performances in the season please contact Jane Hamilton.
Listings information
Roman Bridge : Circle Studio: Wed 2 – Sat 12 May (2 May preview) (excluding Mondays and Sundays)
2, 3, 4, 8, 9, 10 and 11 May 7.30pm; 4 May 7pm; 5 May 5pm and 8.15pm; 12 May 5pm and 8.15pm
£12.50 , Seniors £9.50, Disabled £9.50 + carer/companion free, Union Card-holders £9.50, Students £8, Children £8, Unemployed £2, Gorbals Card £2. Preview price: £6
Feral : Stalls Studio: Tues 1 – Thurs 3 May: 8.30pm: £2.50
The Red Hourglass : Stalls Studio: Wed 2-Thu 3 May: 7.30pm: £2.50
Scratch : Stalls Studio: Fri 4 8.30pm and Thu 10 May 8.45pm: Free
Gaelic for Beginners : Stalls Studio: Fri 4 – Sat 5 May: 7pm: £2.50
Kasimir and Karoline : Circle Rehearsal Room: Sat 5 May: 2.30pm: £2.50
The Great Disappointment of Santa Muerta : Stalls Studio: Thu 10 – Sat 12 May: 7.30pm: £2.50
Colour Me Read : Stalls Studio: Fri 11-Sat 12 May: 8.45pm: £2.50
Booking Information – ON SALE DATE – FRIDAY 30 MARCH
Go online to www.nationaltheatrescotland.com for all performance dates, times and prices
Citizens Theatre Box Office : 0141 429 0022 or www.citz.co.uk.
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