Theatre
was“: * Nl ‘.'.r()lll< THE BAD DRIVE WELL/TONGUE LIE TIGHT The Arches, Glasgow, Thu 17-Sat 19 May.
Interesting idea: take two half-hour plays by young writer-directors who happily admit that they’re accustomed to ‘an above-average level of control’ over their own work. Give them a rehearsal room and a shared cast of two, and have them direct each other’s writing.
Alan McKendrick and Megan Barker are two of the most interesting recent beneficiaries of the Arches‘ arms-open approach to emergent talent. Barker’s audacious, lyrical play Pit has now filled the venue twice and been selected for the Traverse’s 2007 Fringe programme. McKendrick is shortly to benefit from NTS Workshop funding, which will bring Stephanie Viola and Drew Friedman, sometime of New York company the Riot Group, over to develop a second project with him (after last year’s slick, brainy Finished With Engines). Both are arguably on the cusp of similar success, but their writing styles — Barker’s itchy and sensual, McKendrick’s sharp and witty — are polar opposites. Asking them about their own projects provokes similar responses: McKendrick’s The Bad Drive Well is ‘a romantic comedy - a date movie for the stage, played as straight as we can,’ while Barker describes 3‘Tongue Lie Tight, adapted from a JD Salinger story, as ‘a look at the moment just before everything cracks and the banks burst and everything explodes within two characters.’ However crazy a collaboration between them sounds, they
treat each other’s writing with such obvious respect that it might just work.
‘l’d been saying for a while that I wanted to direct someone else’s work, and that of all the people I know who write, I’d be most terrified of tackling Alan’s,’ Barker says, with a grin. ‘I tend to rely on very personal experience — not that I’m just endlessly writing my own autobiography — but Alan’s work has a robustness and this continual relevance to a larger picture about it. It’s a challenge, to work in those ways.’ ‘Once we’d come up with the project, we stayed up all night talking, kicking ideas off the walls,’ says McKendrick. ‘I like what Megan does because it’s funny, it’s sensual and it’s totally fucked.’ (Kirsten lnnes)
I 'l'lre/trches. (Elristliri.‘.a fit; if Sat if) :"A’ry:
82 THE LIST ' s 3-1 l.‘.:
Reviews
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ONCE UPON A DRAGON Cammo Estate, Edinburgh (buses depart from the Traverse), Tue 22—Mon 28 May
For met a decade no\.'.«'. Grid Iron has produced some of the highest quality site specific theatre in Scotland. Yet. therr new piece. an adaptation of Pauline Mel and lvloniek Merkx's Dutch play. represents the exploration of new territory. for. in collaboration ‘.=.'ith the Children's International lheatre FtéSlhléll. it's their first piece for kids.
‘Lflectiyelyz the play is four children playing at make believe in a forest. so it seemed simple to lllSl take it to a real forestf explains producer and co- ai'tistic director .ludith Docherly. ‘In its orrgrnal version it was played in a theatre. and although this play is a legend all over Europe. this is the first site specific piooiiction.' The story itself sounds like an amalgam of many sources. ' t takes in a lot of the (Eii'irrris' tales. some of ‘.'.’lll(2ll you'll all knoa. Etl‘tl some l'=.e absolutely never heard ol.' she says.
Anxong other treats aincrrg the trees of the play 's real life forest locale. we meet a dragon that tracks the action throughout. though [)ocnei‘ty is reluctant to tell us how this is represented. \"y’hat we do know is that
director Ben l-laiiison's young daughter rs £l(llll‘(l as a special consulfant in the process. Docherty comments: “r."'."e'i‘e takiitg ‘.'.=hal she says about rt xery seriously. After all. she‘s the expert." iSte‘xe Crainei‘i
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WHAT I HEARD ABOUT IRAQ
NEW WORK KINDERTOTENLIEDER Tramway, Glasgow, Thu 24 - Sat 26 May
Literally translated as Songs on the Death of Children. the title of French performance artist Gisele Vienne's latest piece has a long artistic history. It first appeared as a collection of 42:") poems by German poet Frerdrich Ruckert in 1834 after the separate deaths of two of his children. 70 years later. five of those poems were set to an orchestral song cycle by Gustav Mahler.
Bringing to Scotland her latest coilaboration wrth American novelist Dennis Cooper. Kindertotenlie(ler is an exploration of inorbid fantasies and their relations to reality. owing much inspiration to the bleak yet passionate x'xorks of Ruckert and Mahler. "Mahler's Kinrlertotenlieder is of strong influence to the piece ‘.'.’llll its sorrowful and funereal character." Vienne explains. "Both Mahler's piece and our y'xork are aesthetical experiences. bringing together sorrow and pleasure in a traditional. romantic y'ray."
In her sinister trademark style. Vienne's troupe of dancers and musicians Will take to the Trainsxay's stage '.'.’llll life-si/ed dolls in a performance inspired by traditional European demonic traditions. set to a menacing score by Stephen O'Malley and Peter Rehberg. "Kiiidertotenlieder is the result of a long dialogue l)(3i‘.‘.’(}(}ll different artists." says Vienne. "It examines relations bety'reen contemporary culture and their connections to roinantiCisin. ‘.'.'anted to make that relation obyious in the title." iSain Butleri
Tron Theatre, Glasgow, Thu 17—Fri 18 May
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(7()lll1if;(3(l. ‘lt realty astounded me.' he said. 'rr'e ‘.'.'as talkng of the phenomenal succe
I f his essay til/la? / I‘lear'dAoouf flag.
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llti-(Zéi'WtE the men success o‘ the year. ‘.'.’llll a record llt;l“.l)(}l' of hits and oexxn. oaos.
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actors 'eciting, o:rectly. the (Notations from the essay. and in so (loiifg. building
.minense p::.'.rer. lhe (tirest'en and ans\.'.'er sess.c' s after the show often men: on for hours l ex". lord me about his fa‘.':>Lri"‘.-::- giliest-or‘. ‘.'~.*hich '\.'.'as asked by an
A'irerican lad. at the shots-J's fringe success at the Pleasance in 7006: 'You should he grafetu you're an American. froih a derriociac,. so you hay e the right to ask
these il.ll?f;'.i(>!l:$. What if you carne front 5;
t"‘.-;}livl£t(:(} like France?" (Steye Crainer;