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Anthony Nelleon’c The Wonderful World of Dissocla Is to be revived
National Theatre is go!
Impressive balance of classic and contemporary in 2006 programme. Words: Allan Radcliffe
t‘s been a long time in the offing but. at last. the
inaugural season of productions from the National
Theatre of Scotland has been announced. There had been concerns the liastcrhouse-based organisation would become a pet project for the great and good of the Scottish theatre establishment. Yet. the first programme more than lives up to director Vicky Featherstone‘s commitment to commissioning work by new as well as established writers and directors and promises to fulfil the general remit to ‘inspire and delight‘.
Familiar works to be revived include the Traverse classic Elizabeth (ion/on Quinn. directed by John Tiffany. Strindberg’s Miss Julie. adapted and directed by '/.innie Harris. and a mouthwatering stage version of John Byrne‘s 1980s classic 'Iirtti I'i'lrtti. directed by Tony (‘ownie There are also eagerly anticipated new plays by hot young talents (iregory Burke. Anthony Neilson and Ben Harrison. Another intriguing prospect is The Wolves In The Walls. based on the book by graphic novelist Neil (iaiman.
directed by lieatherstone and Julian Crouch.
Steve (‘ramer. 'l'lre List‘s in-house theatre guru is impressed with the sheer range of the programme. ‘They do seem to have covered all their bases and nothing feels like its been neglected.‘ he says. ‘l‘m particularly interested in the production of 'Iirtti l’rrrtti. which gives Tony (‘ownie. one of the best and most underrated directors in Scotland a decent project. It‘s exciting to have two prtxluctions written and directed by Anthony Neilson and Zinnie Harris is exactly the right person to direct this revival of Miss Julie.‘
(‘ramer is also particularly struck by NTS‘ learning and outreach programme. which includes NTS Learn. the new work department NTS Workshop and the NTS Young Company.
‘lt's great that they‘re creating work aimed specifically at young people. who are often interested in theatre but start to drift away because of lack of opportunities. And. hopefully. a project of this size and stature will go some way in bringing Scottish talent back home.‘
FESTIVAL AND ON A CLEAR DAY BATTLE FOR BAFTA SCOTLAND AWARDS
I The nominations for this year's BAFTA Scotland Awards have just been unleashed on an eager screen-loving audience. In the film section, Annie Griffin’s caustic satire Festival has received the most nominations (including Acting and Screenplay as well as Best Film and Director nods) closely followed by Gaby Dellal's On A Clear Day and Richard Jobson’s A Woman In Winter. While Shirley Henderson makes the Best Actress shorlist for her haunting performance in Frozen, odds on Festival winning the best- actor award have been significantly shortened by the fact that only Stephen Mangan and Chris O’Dowd from the film have been nominated in that category. If the Best Film nominees don't tickle your fancy, there‘s still time to contribute to the Cineworld Audience Award, which involves texting the word film followed by the film of your choice to 81800. The awards ceremony takes place on November 13. (AR)
a ~~ gt" ' r I Plans have been unveiled for a new 12,500 capacity venue in the car park of the SECC in Glasgow. The building, designed by Foster and Partners, has a dome shaped arena which will face onto the riverside and will play host to major music, theatre and sporting events.
I The Scottish Publishers Association is launching a new online bookshop at the end of November. Booksfrom Scotlandcom will feature 15,000 titles. covering works from Scottish writers and publishers as well as books about Scotland. The site is expected to attract more than half its visitors and sales from the wider Scottish diaspora.
Alex Reedin has been appointed General Director of Scottish Opera. Currently General Director of New Zealand Opera and a one-time director of the New Zealand International Festival of the Arts, Reedin begins his new duties in February 2006.
The Newhaven Agency has swept the board at this year's Scottish Advertising Awards. The Edinburgh-based agency. which was established a mere two and a half years ago and boasts Tennent's and the Scottish Executive among its clients. won 13 awards. including Scottish Agency of the Year.
The European Parliament has greenlighted the European Commission’s Media 2007 programme, which seeks to support the film industry. A budget of 1 billion Euros has been allocated for distribution and encouraging cross- border co-operation among filmmakers.
3 l /' Nov 20055 THE LIST 7