The water boys
Award-winning company Earthfall bring AT SWIM TWO BOYS, set during Ireland’s 1916 Easter Rising, to Glasgay! 2005. Kelly Apter finds out how to dance on water.
taging a show itl\‘ol\'L‘s man} practical considcrations. but plumbing isn't usually onc ot‘ thctn. .-\s thc attdicncc pours otit ol‘ ’l‘ratnway. following liarthl‘all‘s latcst production. gallons of watcr will be pttmpcd onto thc strch bcsidc thcm thc rcmnants ol‘ a sct crcatcd bct'orc thcir cycs minutcs carlicr. liarthing wircs. pipcs. .sat'cty walls scparating clcctronic instrumcnts t‘rom thc soaking stagc: just a icw of thc lcss L‘I‘CtlIin.‘ clcmcnts that haVc to bc factored into thcir pow'crt'tll show. l’ormcd in Nb"). thc (‘ardil'llbascd column) has a rcputation l'or crcating issuc-bascd dancc thcatrc. utilising lix‘c music and strong \isual imagcr). And this latcst \cnturc. an adaptation of Irish writcr Jamic ()‘Ncill's award-winning notcl :1! Swim. 'Iim Brit's. is no cxccption. Thc action takcs placc during thc run-up to thc l‘)lo liastcr Rising. and tclls thc talc of two tccnagc boys who cscapc thc incrcasingl)‘ tcnsc atmosphcrc ot' thcir nativc Dublin by swimming in thc sca. A landmark cycnt in lrcland's history. thc Rising saw insurgcnts clash with thc British army during a wcck ot' bloodshcd. l)cspitc such a dramatic sctting. tlic nox'cl‘s main focus is .litn and |)o_\‘lct'. two l(i-_\'car-old boys trying to makc scnsc of thc world and thcir c\'cr- incrcasing l‘cclings l'or cach othcr. ‘\\'c‘\c cxtractcd [how two charactcrs from a cast of thousands.’ cxplains liarthl'all‘s artistic dircctor. Jim linnis. 'It‘s a \ct') long ttchl. but csscntiall} it comcs down to thc chclopiltg rclationship bctwccn thcsc two tccnagcrs. against thc backdrop of thc Iiastcr Rising and World War l.’ Prcvious liarthl‘all shows ha\c had pcrl‘ormcrs dancing on a varict)‘ of unusual surl'accs. including coal
56 THE LIST I? ()‘i'. .«T N. .
‘THE BOYS EXPRESS THEIR
FREEDOM WHEN THEY GO TO THE SEA AND SWIM TOGETHER'
and grass. So whcn it camc to bringing ()Ncill‘s slot} to lil‘c. it was itchr going to bc a dr} al'l'air. '\\‘ithin tltc IIUVL‘l. thc boys cxprcss thcir ti'ccdom whcn thc) go to thc sca to swim togcthcr. so wc wantcd to usc watcr as part ol' thc cm’ironmcnt.’ s;i_\\ linnis. 'lt cascadcs down a wall and slowly tills thc spacc throughout thc piccc. which makcs it \lstltlll} \cr) strong. cspcciall} whcn thc light hits thc w atcr.‘ l.i\c music and archi\ c lilm lootagc. as wcll as a roving camcra which proiccts onto thc wall of watcr bchind. all combinc to makc a \‘istlztll) and aurall} striking piccc ol~ dancc tltcatrc.
:\s do thc two pct'l'ormcrs. who populatc thc piccc with dynamic movcmcnt. dcspitc thcir rathcr pcrilous platt‘orm. "I‘hc watcr actuall} aids and abcts thc inchmcnt rathcr than rcstricting it.‘ sa}s linnis. ‘\\'c startcd working with it \'ct'_\' call} on during rchcarsals.
and tliscchrcd what watcr could do l‘or its in tcrms of
motion and slidittgf t'nlikc othcr liarthlall productions. thcrc is a limitcd amount oi tcxt. a mcrc tlircc lincs l‘rom thc book. rcad b} ()'.\'cill himscll‘. But linnis is coiwinccd that although ()'.\'cill’s book is a w cight_\' tomc. thc burgconing lo\ c at'l‘air of thc two protagonists is thc hcart oi thc mattcr. rcndcring spccch tlllllL‘L‘L‘ssttl'}'.
‘It docsn‘t nccd it.’ sa_\s linnis. ‘It's not a historic piccc cducating pcoplc about tlic liastcr Rising. btit thc sctting docs gi\'c thc work a strong atmosphcrc. 'l‘lic bo_\s grow tip \cr_\ tltiickl} as a rcsult ol‘ thcir surroundings and thcir dcxcloping rclationship. btit it’s all \'ci"\' clcar without words.‘
Tramway, Fri 28 & Sat 29 Oct.
At Swim TWO Boys Powerful, intimate dance piece charting two Irish boys‘ deveIOping relationship during the 1916 Easter Rising. They express their freedom by swimming together. here represented by an ever- deepening pool of water which is the base for their dance. Tramway, Glasgow. Fri 28 & Sat 29 Oct.
Kiss of the Spiderwoman Manuel Puig‘s story of gay window dresser Molina. straight radical Marxist Valentin. and their confining prison cell. Their shared experience brings them closer. as they reconcile each others' lives and find intimacy. Tangerine Productions Grant Smeaton stars and directs. Citizens. Glasgow. Tue I—Sat I2 Nov.
Studio 34 Scottish Carnival Arts turn their sequin— sewing talents to an honouring of the New York club where Andy Warhol. Lou Reed and David BOWIe supped Shandy together —— Studio 54. Pop art. 70s kitsch. Manhattan chic. and (get this) a roller disco. Wow. Carniva/ Arts Centre. Glasgow. Sat 22 Oct.
Utter Gutter 1st Birthday Undoubtedly the best club in the city to take place in a ceilidh hall. Husbpuppy and Madame S smash up the fiddles and pipes with electro. techno. disco. retro and junk rock for homos and we're-not--scared-of-you heteros. Riverside C/ub. Glasgow. Fri 28 Oct.
Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? A chamber musical reworking of the 1962 Hollywood film noir starring Bette Davis as faded child star Baby Jane. and Joan Crawford as her successful but now crippled sister Blanche. Their sibling rivalry takes a dark turn. Citizens, Glasgow, Thu 20 Oct—Sat 72 Nov.