‘IT'S LIKE TRYING TO CATCH BUTTERFLIES WITH A FISHING ROD'
Site unseen
_;. i-
Steve Cramer talks to director Sandy Thomson, about POORBOY, a company
which made a sensational debut last year.
here‘s nothing quite so exciting as site-specific
promenade theatre done well. The power of a
form where we shift from space to space. up
close to the actors. the audience’s own creative
energy and imagination feeding in to the process. is undeniable.
Perhaps the best example of this kind of work over
the last couple of years was Learning the Rules of
Chinese Whispers. which arrived in St Andrews last summer. the product of a Scottish company that even the most experienced critics had. to put it bluntly. never heard of. Forgivable. really. given that it was the debut of Poorboy. the company concerned. But what is astonishing. as we all raved about a bright and very youthful company. was that its core members had been around a lot longer than any of us thought. ‘We‘re a new company with old people.‘ laughs Sandy Thomson. whose first outing with the company earned her a nomination for best director at the CATS awards. one of three picked up by this talented outfit — an astonishing achievement. given the competition. It might well say something for our central belt bias in the Scottish industry that this group had quietly workshopped Chinese Whispers without attracting the least attention. partially. no doubt. because we tend to think of major theatre as coming from Iidinburgh. (ilasgow or Dundee. Thomson explains how the company came about: ‘Geographically I'm from Angus. but I trained in London. at RADA. and I‘ve been in the business for about IS years. After a while I wanted to move back to the country. Myself. Jacqui Skelton. our producer. and Sarah Crabb. our education officer. found ourselves back home. There
weren‘t really the right kind of spaces to do the kind of work we were interested in. so we set up the company to do this kind of work.‘
Part of the secret of this company is the improvised feel of its presentation. The coming piece. Bridgebuilder. is scripted by Thomson and Anna Stewart. but there's a freedom for actors involved in the process. ‘We work on the principal that real life plays a part in it. If you‘re going to promenade people down a public street. it’s going to be different every night. With Chinese Whispers there were nights when the streets were empty. and other evenings when there
were a lot of girls in ball dresses going to their
graduation night. who people thought were extras that I‘d payed for.’ she giggles. ‘lt very much uses the accidents of geography night by night. The performers know that they don't have to light a train going past; they can work with it.’
The new piece examines a life less ordinary. and more nautical. taking in the docklands of Dundee in examining three lives led around the ocean. ‘The idea of travelling is part of the actual show. since we ask the audience to move around. There are parts that occur on bridges over water. alleyways at the waterside. and warehouses on the docks —- there‘s a lot
in the show about orientation and navigation. And '
these are very visceral and universal stories: the temperature and smell of a place are part of the story.~
It sounds enough like Poorboy‘s first effort to make it
a must see for theatregoers. even us central belt stop at homes.
City Quay, Dundee Fri 17 Jun—Sun 3 Jul
Theatre Hit
THE BEST THEATRE & DANCE
a: Crossings Teenage angst, sexuality and self harm are the subject of Scottish writer Claire i Duffy’s new play. Dealing frankly but sensitively with its subject I matter, this piece promises an | adult discussion of taboo ! territories. Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, Wed 15—Sat 18 Jun. See preview.
* Bridgebullden The , second production by Poorboy. i an unknown company only a year ago, will be keenly anticipated after last summer’s : splendid Learning the Rules of ‘ Chinese Whispers. This new site—specific promenade piece, performed on Dundee’s waterfront, promises a feast of sensuality and emotion in its examination of three lives lived ; by and on the sea. City Quay, i Dundee Fri 17 Jun—Sun 3 Jul. See preview.
9% Globaleyes This powerful
and already much acclaimed ; piece of physical theatre makes ; its first trip to Scotland to f coincide with the G8 summit. a An epic examination of the effects of poverty at home and abroad. this looks like thought- provoking entertainment. Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh. Wed 22 Jun-Sat 2 Jul.
=5: Romeo and Juliet The ; summer Shakespeare season is upon us again. This time the ' Bard in the Botanics season
kicks off with this ever popular I tale of pimply adolescent love. ' Lurk among the undergrowth
with a young cast. Botanic
Gardens, Glasgow, Wed 22 Jun—Sat 23 Jul. See preview.
* Tipping Point This
potentially fascinating piece of documentary theatre examines issues of globalisation from the perspective of two individuals
inside and outside the establishment. Another
fascinating contribution to the
Ya basta! Festival. STUC
Centre, Wood/ands Rd,
Glasgow, Fri 10 June, then l touring. See preview. !
9-23 Jun 200:) THE LIST 95