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THE TEMPEST Gilmorehill G12, Glasgow, Thu 10-Sat 19 Feb
What intrigues most of all about Shakespeare's final play before his retirement from writing is its endless arnbrvalence. It might be said that his entire oeuvre contains this quality. yet this late romance. more than most. has provrded theatre people and scholars With endless debate about its meaning.
Is Prospero a thinly veiled cipher for the author himself. givurg a final speech which bids a fond goodbye to his audience. and making his magic books a metaphor for the process of artistic production itself? ls Caliban an appaling monster, or the product Of a systematic regime of abuse? Is he indeed a discontented adolescent. or a symbol of the process of colonisation, a slave destined forever to be dominated by another race’? Does the play explore a nascent form of democracy. or reaffirm the absolute rule of kings and nobility by diVine right? There are no er sy answers.
But this co—pr'oductiori \vith Glasgow University 's drama department might provrde some answers. Or at least more questions. Go back to the magical island and find out. lSteve Cramerl
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LIVE ART FESTIVAL NATIONAL REVIEW OF LIVE ART Arches Theatre, Glasgow, Wed 9— Sun 13 Feb
Marching in under the artistic banner of the New Territories festival, the National Review of Live Art (NRLA) is about to stage its annual artistic occupation of Glasgow. Nikki Milican’s showcase of performance artists from around the world looks set to once again inject the Scottish art scene with a hefty dose of controversial creativity. Work includes the simple choreography of dancer Jerome Bel and video performance art from Donna Rutherford, while Alia Sayed's film Eating Grass promises to be a beautiful yet political look at the nuclear race between India and Pakistan.
Taking up a residency at the Arches for the week is Italian-born artist Franko B, famed for his blood-letting performances. It comes as no surprise that he returns to the NRLA with yet another challenging show. Inviting
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nude audience members to attend private ten minute one-to-ones with him, Franko B sees this as a real opportunity for audiences to engage with an artist beyond the usual boundaries of theatrical expression. Yet, in demanding such levels of intimacy from the audience, is there not a danger of the show alienating more timid members of the public? ‘That is a question of choice,’ he says. ‘We are always choosing how far we want to be intimate. In public spaces, in a train station, when we talk to strangers or look someone in the eye. I don’t think it is a moral issue, it is a personal thing. And I don’t think taking your clothes off is a big deal these days.’
Whether you choose to leave your clothing at the door or not, this is a week-long opportunity to brush avant garde shoulders with the current and future stars of performance art. Disarming, challenging and never less than thought provoking, if there's one thing you can expect at NRLA - it’s anything. (Corrie Mills)
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