T
HEATRE
Nederlands Dans
Theater 2
Edinburgh: Festival Theatre, Fri 28 & Sat 29 May.
Dancing in the late 705 wasn’t restricted to aping Travolta at the disco, or pogoing along to punk: in Holland, something wonderful was happening, in the shapely form of the fourteen dancers who made up Nederlands Dans Theater 2. Formed in 1978 as an offshoot of the main NDT, the company has established a reputation for acquiring outstanding works of choreography performed by dancers with a physicality and professionalism well beyond their tender years. For the third time in four years, Scottish audiences have the chance to see for themselves what makes NDT2 less a breath of fresh air, more a blast of sizzling dance energy.
English-born Paul Lightfoot, who began as a dancer in NDT2 and now dances in the main company, contributes his whimsical piece Skew-whiff to the programme. There's also a chance to see another work by Hans van Manen, finally a
Dutch treat: NOT 2
deservedly well-known name on these shores after the Festival retrospective of his vast and varied choreographic output last year. Deja Va is a more than worthy successor to van Manen’s earlier celebrated duets, once again compressing powerful messages into a compact intensity between two finely honed bodies. Also on show are two works new to Scotland, both premiered late last year in the Netherlands. Swedish choreographer Johan Inger describes his piece Round Corners as 'a journey that makes a stop somewhere in- between a past and a future; a place of confronting and searching with a clear sense of gravity; a state impossible to avoid.’ Contrast this with Jiri Kylian’s Indigo Rose. This explosive and shamelessly exuberant
show-off piece boasts a range of music from Bach to Les Paul and Mary Ford, all forming a backdrop to the kaleidoscopic whirl of fresh talent on display. Describing working with the young company again, Kylian is clearly aware of the awesome reputation NDT2 has built over the years. 'This future-bearing company has never failed to inspire choreographers and audiences around the world and there is no doubt in my mind that this group of young people looking for ideals and inSpiration will still be there after all the readers of these lines are long gone.’ Grab the chance to feel that dedication and youthful zeal — but add a few extra superlatives to your vocabulary before you go, unless you want to be left speechless when the curtain falls. (Don Morris)
POETIC DRAMA
Sweeping Out The Dark Ci vices Tue ‘—Sat 12 jurf.
Poetic justice: Edwin Morgan
The werds of celebrated Scottish poet Edwm Morgan are made flesh when Sweeping Out The Dark premiers at The Arches The show is a Company Theatre production and represents an ambition realised for artistic directors Kate Wooldridge and Stephen McCreadie. 'When Stephen and I formed the company it was one of the very first things we wanted to do,‘ Wooldridge reveals. ’We just felt we needed to establish ourselves before taking on a prOject based on Edwm's work. We needed a bit of success under our belt before we could approach him' Thankfully, the Glasgow Outfit's reputatiOn proceeded them, and the poet was supportive from the off. 'He basically said to us — "it's a good idea, yoo're the. theatre company, you know what y0u're doing, get on with it",' recalls Wooldridge, clearly delighted at being given a blessing and a free hand. ’So although we’ve run everything past him and sought his approval, he's let us get on With it. At the initial meeting, we asked him if there were particular poems of his that he felt may suit being
placed in a theatricai context, but other than that he's left i.s to it
The approach ‘f'.C~’)!lll'!-’lfjt‘ (Lfld lvlcCreadm Oil-{£21} i'fill as relatively stiaitjhtforvxarri Rattler than lookirir; for a structure first, Eco-get." at the work first, St?<ii"cil!-",t_; tr-r (iraitzatic
A lot (it his poeitis
."lh l‘. a person
poteiitial,’ on. Wis
are like short stories ii‘
communicates a ,i;ai‘titt.iii intideiit or feelng oi tiii‘ie ll‘i then late Once we’d f0und the text wanted to use, the
links and the whole shape ot the thete fell into place
The show covers .1 broad St‘(ilt)lt of Morgan's work, from the early likes of In The Snack Bar to his most recent
poetiy 'Vv’e'.e included some poems f'oiii his new collection Benita/i (published iii August)
because that gave us the thance to three-dirneiisioiialise these demons and let them speak tor thernselves,’ the director reveals "The deiimiis tell it like it is, and there’s a let of i‘itlll‘.()llf in the different e between what peop'e believe and what their deiiioiis know to be true ' (Rob Fraseii
previews THEATRE
Stage whispers Re: treading the boards
UNFOUNDED SCANDAL MONGERING is not this column’s bag, however when the wishing-to- remain anonymous sources are trustworthy and the gossip hot, we publish and be damned. The story in question concerns a violent altercation between two leading lights of the Scottish theatrical community at a Dundee performance of Forbes Masson’s Stiff. The guilty parties, who came to blows over the artistic worth of subscription theatre, shall remain nameless, but Masson himself deserves credit for risking life and limb to leap between the pugilists and yell ’Make love not warl’
FREAKS OF NATURE; BORN BAD? is the title of an ambitious new project from Scottish Youth Theatre. Beginning with a three day workshop at the end of May, the play will be written by Sarah Argent in close collaboration with members of the SYT over a two year period. It will be performed to celebrate the organisation’s 25th anniversary in 2001. The piece explores the increasingly distressing common phenomenon of children who kill, and draws on real life cases such as those involving Mary Bell and the killers of James Bulger. Challenging material this may be, but director Mary McCluskey feels that it's an issue young people have every right to address.
EQUALLY CHALLENGING WORK is being done on the East Coast, where Edinburgh Youth Theatre will shortly stage Simon Donald's The Life Of Stuff. It runs from 8-12 Jun, at Springwell House, Ardmillan Terrace. Call 0131 346 1405 for more details.
DIRECTOR STEWART LAING and producer Donna Rutherford head up the creative team behind Myths Of The Near Future. The LG. Ballard inspired work will be produced in association with Tramway, and staged in developmental form at several site specific locations across Glasgow throughout 1999. The finished piece will then be presented at the newly refurbished Tramway HQ in spring of next year.
'Freak‘ power: Scottish Youth Theatre
A May «iii ltiii 1999 THE LIST 53