Theatre
POLITICAL DRAMA DETAINEE A The Arches, Glasgow, Tue 26—Thu 28 Jun
Cora Bissett has, for over a decade, been one of Scotland’s most reSpected performers, but when it was announced that she was directing a show, Amada, at the Arches, there might have been a slight twinge of fear among her many admirers - not all great actors make good directors. The fear was misplaced as it turned out, with Amada receiving a CATS nomination, and a good deal of fulsome praise.
As she enters into her next directorial project, Ankur’s Detainee A, involving 21 performers from many ethnicities, she reflects upon the recent past with a laugh. ‘I didn’t have a scooby that it was going to happen. Just last year, I thought, “I need a new challenge; I need to be using my head in a different way.” But I had no idea all this would happen so quickly. I’m a bit stunned with it, to be honest, but I'm lovin’ it.’
This new project, involving a concept by Sarmed Mirza, which was turned into a film script by Shahid Nadeem is a stage version of a very relevant story. ‘lt’s basically about a Scottish Pakistani family living in Glasgow, whose son is arrested as a terror suspect. The thing about the folks in this situation is that they’re a really well established Asian family, respected in the community, who’ve been here all their lives.’ The tensions that unfold from this might just make a strong night of theatre, conveyed not by liberal leaning folk with their own political agenda, but by members of the community affected. (Steve Cramer)
REHEARSFD READING ASYLUM MONOLOGUES Gilmorehill G12, Glasgow, Thu 21 Jun
Did you know that fish and chips were first introduced into the UK by Jewish immigrants in the 19th century? Or that the UK receives less than 0.5% of the world's refugee population? Probably not, thinks Christine Bacon. Director of Actors for Refugees. thanks to the government and tabloid press ‘feeding us daily myths that the UK is over-run by refugees and asylum-seekers who steal Our jobs and houses.‘ as she puts it — untruths that the company's latest production aims to quash.
‘This is a first-hand account of the UK asylum system by people who've experienced it — a rehearsed reading of moving and shocking testimonies of human experience.’ says Bacon. ‘Hearing people's personal stories puts the audience in a different place. which engages the listener and allows them to see the asylum seekers as human beings. people just like them‘.
To coincide with Refugee Week. the show will be performed on a single night in 12 UK cities. ‘It's not theatre in a traditional sense.’ says Bacon. ‘lt's a truthful account which attracts a diverse audience. It's not trying to be confroiitational; it centres around the fact that we never get to hear these people's voices.
‘We've now reached the stage where peeple think their Portuguese neighbours are aSylum seekers. However. after seeing the show they should have a better understanding of what an asylum seeker is, and the positive contribution they've made to our society.‘ (Nicola Husband)
82 THE LIST 21 .Jun 5') Jul 200/
NI W WORK MUSIC AT THE BREWHOUSE: HELTER SKELTER Tramway, Glasgow, Tue 3—Sat 7 Jul
If there's something about the circus that thrills us when we're children. there's also a darker undercurrent within the spectacle of it all. This is perhaps why clowns have so often been lifted from their traditional locale and into horror movres by filmmakers. This new piece at Tramway. which combines the live music of the band Music at the Brewhouse with a variety of performers wrth circus and other skills. looks like capturing both sides of this traditional image.
And some of the talents involved look impressive. The text. by novelist Dilys Rose. looks to have the kind of imagistic quality that a kind of magic realist narrative such as this might require. But. as composer Stephen Dea/Iey will attest. part of the joy is its international cast. "there's a great range: one Scottish and one English performer, as well as Spanish. Italian, Russian. Chilean -‘ people from all over the world. and also people whose ages range from 21 to mid :30s. So, for example, our Russian performer brings this amazing aesthetic to the exotic world of the circus. But when we asked him what kind of nails he needed for his bed of nails. he said. "just six inch" and that was it. So it's a kind of glamorous world. but also a very ordinary one.‘
And a scary one. The story. involvrng an abandoned ballerina who joins a travelling circus will use both the Tramway's interior space and its celebrated gardens: you'll see knife throwing and trape/e among the skills on display. Dea/Iey tells me the band will be housed in a circus animal cage. And they're hardly idle: ‘There are 44 minutes of music in the piece. which is a lot of notes to write. but we want to highlight the band. because this is a collection of great musicrans. that people will want to see for themselves, beyond the theatre.' (Steve Cramer)