Theatre
Graham Eatough in Suspect Culture’s Lament
Director Scott Coyne, one of the most promising graduates of recent years from The Gateway's director’s program, looks at the industry from the side of youthful theatre practitioners, impatient to move the industry on.
l-stalrlrsnrrrrrj yourself in any jrr‘(,)tr:3;i;r()ri r; itzlfrrtrlt. rietrlrl', so "i an arena as :nr;esturitrs; at, theatre. studied directing; at rlrarr‘a strlrnni. I've discovered the theatre at present Will not tolerate intermrrgues, It seerrrs to rrre that there are tee rnarry individuals; who would rather keep their en'rn heirsr, in order. rather than the theatre earrirrrtrrrrty at large. Sell- preservation is r‘rrr/erl at,>ove any sentrus r;:)rr‘-rrrrtrr‘ient to r‘le\el\.':ng ()jijrnr’turtrtrt-Bt; tn errremrng practitioners.
What are we (lorng to suppert our new ("lirectors writer's. designer's etc? This should he Vicky lit-ratherstene's first priority — that's what the National Theatre of Scotland's real challenge is expanz‘lrng and (levelernng the superstructures that allow us to
McDonald’s was first created in the US in the 503, it guaranteed quality by assuring people of absolutely the same food wherever you were. This had benefits
s’rmuce BEHAVIOUR
Tramway. Glasgow. Fri 12 Nov
OlJUtZth- Wh'Ch étrl'Sl'C (“FOCWS it“? The great quality of Suspect Culture as a company is in small localities, but the problems arise when it
(la-“"19 OllOUQ'l 30 '01 US “>030 0’" its ability to provoke thought. It‘s produced some becomes multinational. Every production of Les
the” $189103? WHO“) '8 “‘0 great theatre over the last decade, but even its less Miserables has an identical lighting scheme, so every
Sttlllfth‘hllffli l’(KlU'lle ‘0 mitt“? US 818 successful shows leave one with much to think actor has to stand at exactly the right spot to be lit,
lJrOUFCSS'VG a meal“? CUHUFO 418 we about. So Scotland’s brain food company has been wherever they are in the world. You can see the
Cit” DO? BC'lCVO "‘0 W? lJOlOltllitl '8 best placed to produce this annual day of theatre- problems arising from that for an actor.‘
“WC- W0 m“? “WW ftp-0 “‘08th related events over the past few years. But it’s not just a day of lectures, Suspect Culture
l‘rl'élCl'l'OHers '” 3001'“th “(1"0853 8 Its latest day of discussions, workshops and films is co-founder Graham Eatough assures us. ‘We don‘t
“We 0‘ (“SC'D‘IHBSI ‘13 lUSt ét Shil'lle called ‘Theatre and the World of Money‘, a timely want people to think that it’s a dry, academic sort of
"W “‘0 Chum“ '8 “Ol 08 WOW 85 subject, given the visits of such famous commercial affair; everyone is included in discussions, and
some would “8V0 YOU “Otto/VO- Tth money-spinners as Miss Saigon and Mamma Mia to there’s lots of other events running through the day.
"llittl'nétllVe “llltomlltlf? Ol 830115” Scottish theatres in the same week. Dan Rebellato, a There‘s even a film tracing the life of a nut, from the
“‘86th at Diesel“ '3 (l'SlUm'llU keynote speaker of the day, will be discussing the time it’s grown, all the way to its being stored behind our "matte CU'lUVO lDUlS relatively new concept of ‘McTheatre‘, the idea of a bar in a packet somewhere in the world.‘ If you
(70”l'l'10lt7litl COHSIUCR’N'OHS ahead Ol massive franchise musicals, played identically think that intelligence and entertainment don’t go
itl'l'Sl'C “HDMUS. THIS ‘8 CONCGFOUS- throughout the world. He‘s fascinating on the subject, together, get yourself along to this, and think again.
all“ one 0' the tltr'll‘vafi,‘ “3850'15 for explaining the McDonald's metaphor: ‘When (Steve Cramer)
us being held back. It is the job cf the artist. whatever their genre. to (:orrrrrrrt fervently to work they t’relreve Muriel Romanes
in. not what they think they can sell. REHEARSAL ROOM 8
A project I am concerned mm Traverse Theatre. Edinburgh. Wed 3—Sat 6 Nov
finding a home for is the latest play by Edward Bond. Bern. A leading director recently told me that he t COLrld not possmly 'prograrrrrrre' it. Never mind the dramatur'grcal value of the play! Where are the risk- takers? Born is stark and hrutai m 4 certainly. but at the sarrre time llS - ' visceral and vrsronary power is
undeniable. It is a play which _ k3 eschews the corrupting escaprsrrr of ~ much contemporary theatre. It's a work our theatre needs at present. We need to rediscover the Subversive Side of theatre practice. Let‘s stor) going through the motions. This will only change with real nerve.
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