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Scotland's answer to the Royal National Theatre launches later this month. Inevitably being largely ignored by the London-based media, this is the formation of a major cultural institution, the endpoint of over a century of campaigning for the land that brings us not only Harry Potter, Sir Sean and Ewan McG, but the world's largest and most famous theatre festival, and its best new years party to boot. Yes The National Theatre of Scotland, after all the new fangled and exciting typography and dramaticallly lit launch receptions, is finally about to put itself out on display for all good cynics to laugh at and criticise. Perhaps pre-empting the attacks, the first prodution Home has done a few audience friendly things: firstly it's free, so no-one really can complain. Next it's actually 10 productions performed simultaneously, so even if the one you see isn't great you can rest assured that you missed the real masterpiece on the other side of Scotland. And finally the pieces are devised, so no matter what you think, you can't help but be grateful that someone is giving 10 talented directors the chance to create a new piece of theatre along the theme of Home somewhere in Scotland, including Alison Peebles, star of such magazines as Netribution :).
And some of the different projets - which range from a giant dolls house and 1950s dancehall, to the artisti hijacking of Shetland's ferry link (sorry Les!) and fairy tales in secret locations - sound really rather fun. More please! A free theatrical event for all of Scotland NATIONAL THEATRE OF SCOTLAND OPENING NIGHT 25th FEBRUARY 2006 A completely unique, never-to-be-repeated event: ten inspiring directors, ten surprising locations, ten brand new pieces of simultaneous site-responsive theatre created across the country to mark the launch of the National Theatre of Scotland. in Aberdeen, Caithness, Dumfries, Dundee, East Lothian, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness Shetland and Stornoway With 10 directors – Graham Eatough, Scott Graham, Stewart Laing, Matthew Lenton, Kenny Miller, Anthony Neilson, Alison Peebles, Gill Robertson, John Tiffany and Wils Wilson. The National Theatre of Scotland has commissioned ten of the best theatre directors working in Scotland today to each explore the theme of ‘Home’, one of the most evocative words in the English language. Each director will offer their own unique vision and interpretation, working together with artists and local communities and drawing inspiration and relevance from their surroundings. The 10 projects include physical spectacle, intimate story telling, multimedia installations, verbatim theatre, children’s theatre, live music, documentary film and sound-scapes. From shop fronts to tenements, museums to ferries, huts to factories, the range of spaces will reflect many different facets of Scottish life and demonstrate that theatre can happen just about anywhere. 10 unique theatrical encounters involving a hundred fiddlers on a ferry, a tower-block siege, a meditation on memory and death, a secret journey through the woods, asylum seekers in a derelict tenement, a dance in a 1950’s ballroom, a Doll’s House, First Minister’s Question Time through the eyes of children, an octogenarian odyssey and a living photograph album. Many of the projects are being created with the help of their local communities – involving young people, residents of care homes and tower blocks, craft practitioners, youth theatres and amateur performers. 10 locations, 55 performances and unforgettable theatre for 10,000 people. HOME is a chance for people all over Scotland to join in celebrating the launch of the National Theatre of Scotland: a firework display of theatrical work set off across the country. HOME Performances HOME ABERDEEN - 48 Logie Place Created and directed by Alison Peebles 48 Logie Place has been abandoned and boarded-up for a number of years - home only to the local pigeon population. An exciting creative team of Alison Peebles, Rona Munro and Ursula Clearly will transform this tenement and create a ground-breaking experience involving a guided tour throughout the rooms and series of theatrical encounters. HOME ABERDEEN will involve local community performers as well as experienced professional actors to perform the scenarios that will be built around the life and atmosphere of the distinctive area of Aberdeen. Venue: 48 Logie Place, Aberdeen Dates & Times: 21 – 26 Feb. Bus leaves Aberdeen Arts Centre at 6.30pm, 7.30pm and 8.30pm. 25 Feb. Bus leaves Aberdeen Arts Centre at 2pm, 3pm, 6.30pm, 7.30pm and 8.30pm Box Office: 01224 641122 Access info: Please call the box office for access information Partner in Aberdeen: Aberdeen International Youth Festival and Culture & Leisure Services Team, Aberdeen City Council HOME CAITHNESS - Caithness Glass Factory & Visitor Centre Created and directed by Mathew Lenton Living in an old people’s home, Elsie entertains herself by interacting with the characters who appear to come out of her television. One night, she is visited by film characters from Sergio Leone's ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST, inspired, she decides to make a break for HOME. Incorporating live and recorded music, film and physical performance, HOME CAITHNESS will be a highly visual, entertaining show about a spiritual odyssey home, performed in a vast and stunning location. HOME CAITHNESS will feature leading Scottish actors Myra McFadyen and Sandy Grierson, as well as performers and musicians from Caithness. Venue: Caithness Glass Factory & Visitors Centre, Wick Dates & Times: 23 – 26 Feb at 7pm and 9pm Box Office: 01955 641270 Access info: Full access Partner in Caithness: Grey Coast Theatre Company HOME DUMFRIES - Loreburn Drill Hall Created and directed by Graham Eatough A powerful, multimedia exploration of home, memory and death bringing together sound, visuals and live performance in a unique installation that will encompass both audiences and performers. Inspired by Richard Strauss’s Four Last Songs and interviews with elderly people from Dumfries. Venue: The Loreburn, Newall Terrace, Dumfries Dates & Times: 23 - 24 Feb at 7.30pm and 25 Feb at 5.30pm and 7.30pm Box Office: 01387 253383 Access info: ` Full access Partner in Dumfries: ` Dumfries & Galloway Arts Association HOME DUNDEE - McManus Galleries Created and directed by Kenny Miller Kenny Miller will be transforming McManus Galleries into a 1950’s dance hall experience with live performance and documentary film footage of interviews with local old people from a Resident Care Home in Dundee. These interviews will cover their memories and experiences of sex, drugs and clubs from their teenage years and HOME DUNDEE will recreate a theatrical youth culture experience from 50/60 years ago. A nostalgic journey through time and an unforgettable night out for the young at heart. Venue: McManus Galleries, Albert Square, Dundee Dates & Times: 24- 25 Feb at 7.30pm Box Office: 01382 223 530 Access info: Full access Partner in Dundee: Dundee Rep Theatre HOME EAST LOTHIAN – a journey beginning at Brunton Theatre Created and directed by Gill Robertson Where do you go, who do you turn to when you’re not welcome at home? In the only production specifically for children, Gill Robertson, Director of award-winning Catherine Wheels Theatre Company, has created an unforgettable theatrical experience – an enchanted winter’s tale for all the family. Audiences of HOME EAST LOTHIAN will meet at Brunton Theatre in Musselburgh to be taken to a secret location in East Lothian where they will become participants in a modern take on a familiar fairytale of fear, hope, strength and love in their search for answers that will lead them HOME. Venue: The performance will begin at Brunton Theatre, Musselburgh Dates & Times: 23 Feb at 5pm, 24 - 25 Feb at 5pm and 8pm Tickets will only be available through a free draw. Telephone the ticket hotline on 0131 665 4960. The draw will take place on Feb 14th Access info: The production is partly accessible for wheelchair users Audience info: Home is for adults and children from 8 - 12. Adults must be accompanied by children. Partner in East Lothian: East Lothian Council Arts Service and Brunton Theatre HOME EDINBURGH - The Queen’s Hall Created and directed by Anthony Neilson Scripted by children from West Lothian Youth Theatre. A mock session of First Minister’s Questions scripted by children between the ages of 10 and 12 years old and performed by a collection of Scotland’s finest actors. An unusual and irreverent theatrical happening – part parliamentary occasion, part Mad Hatter’s tea party, revealing the imagination, naivety and idealism of children and their uncensored insights into what they think government is all about. Venue: The Queens Hall, Clerk Street, Edinburgh Dates & Times: 25 Feb at 4pm and 7.30pm Box Office: 0131 668 2019 Access info: Full access Partner in Edinburgh: The Queen’s Hall HOME GLASGOW - 25, Soutra Place, Cranhill/Easterhouse Created and directed by John Tiffany. 25 Soutra Place is an 18-storey tower block, an iconic landmark on the M8 out of Glasgow. HOME Glasgow will be an outdoor spectacular featuring abseiling, dance and live film creating a fantastical glimpse into secret lives. Venue: 25 Soutra Place, Cranhill, Easterhouse Dates & Times: 25 - 26 Feb at 5.30pm and 8pm Box Office: 0141 781 2034 or e mail ntshome@platform-online.co.uk Access info: Full access. Audiences are recommended to travel on buses provided or public transport (limited parking available). Audience info: As some aspects of this performance are outdoors please wear warm clothing Partner in Glasgow: Greater Easthouse Arts Company (GEAC) HOME INVERNESS – Arts in Motion Creation Centre Created and directed by Scott Graham Home Inverness is a highly energetic performance inspired by a series of photographs of local families in their own homes which will be taken especially for this project. Directed by Scott Graham, Home Inverness presents lives lived on the edge, on the sofa, on the run, on the bed, all under one roof and performed within the walls of a cavernous, exciting new performance space. Venue: Arts in Motion Creation Centre, Evanton Dates & Times: 23 Feb at 7pm, 24 Feb at 7pm & 9pm, 25 Feb at 4pm & 7pm Box Office: 01463 234 234 Access info: Full access Partner in Inverness: Eden Court HOME SHETLAND - The Northlink Ferry Created and directed by Wils Wilson On Shetland you are never more than 3 miles from the sea. For centuries, traveling by boat was the only way to get to or away from home in Shetland. Both an intimate audio journey and a dramatic live performance, HOME SHETLAND takes over the Lerwick-Aberdeen Northlink ferry in Lerwick harbour, from the hold to the cabins to the upper deck. Drawing on the intense feelings about home which are often experienced on a journey over the water, the flight paths of migrating birds, contemporary and archive images and the rich musical tradition of the islands, HOME SHETLAND will be created by a team of artists from both within and without Shetland and will involve local performers alongside a professional company. An evocative multi-sensory experience in a unique setting by a site-specific theatre specialist. Venue: Holmsgarth Ferry Terminal, Northlink Ferry, Lerwick Dates & Times: 23 Feb, 25 Feb at 12pm, 1.15pm and 2.30pm and on 27 Feb at 11.30am, 12.45pm & 2.00pm Box Office: 01595 692 114 Access info: Full access Audience | 
