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Festival Theatre
365. directed by Vicky Featherstone (far left). explores the difficult transition to independence of children who grew up in care
on a daily basis.‘ chimes in Smith. ‘A lot ol the research we‘ve done is about statistics. you know. how many kids are actually in care in Scotland alone. and what they have to lace. And it should be a topical issue and it's not. You hear bits and pieces — maybe in the newspaper — about kids in care. but it‘s just not something that people want to give attention to. These kids. just battling to get through from one day to the next.‘
‘We can't deny the fact that mainly middle- class. white people go to the theatre.’ says James. ‘and these are the people who have the power to change things. If they‘ve seen a piece of theatre that moves them. that might inspire them to go and make these children‘s lives better. to give
'IT IS SHOCKING, THE WAY THESE CHILDREN HAVE BEEN FORCED TO LIVE THEIR LIVES'
them a voice. It seems to me that there‘s a big gap between the kids and the people who can make the changes. Social workers don‘t have the power to do the things they want to do. because the people in the offices. the paper pushers. don‘t have that direct connection with the children. llopel‘ully. we can bridge that gap so that the message they‘re sending out isn‘t diluted by people in the middle.’
The l4 stories played out on stage happen in what the play describes as a 'practice llat‘. the supposedly ‘sal‘e space‘ where care leavers are sent to learn how to ‘live‘ in the real world.
They‘re all taught. at least. how to make cups ol‘
tea. ‘That was one of the images I started with. when l was thinking about how to turn the subject matter into a piece of theatre.‘ says l‘eatherstone. who freely admits that over the last couple of years. she‘s become ‘obsesscrk with bringing these stories to wider notice. ‘A huge group of young people. standing on stage. looking up. each of them holding a cup of tea. because they’ve come through this system where we teach them how to make a cup of tea. but can they really live in the world'.’ It is shocking. what you discover about the way
these children have been forced to live their
lives. And we expect them to become adults: we
writ/mm them il' they don‘t turn into the kind of
adults that we think they should be.‘
The challenge for l’eatherstone and llarrower. once theyd uncovered these stories. was how to create art from them. ‘I think at one point the
enormity of the research was in danger of
paralysing us creatively.’ says l’eatherstone. ‘This is bigger than you can know and imagine. It‘s not Boy A. It‘s Boy A-ZY (letting the scale of it right was really important for me.‘
llarrower shakes his head. ‘I thought. how do we imaginatively respond to this. and not make it a piece of didactic theatre'.’ Your first impulse is. ‘Right. why the hell does no one know about this'.” As soon as you’ve got the information. you want to tell people. But actually. theatre‘s got to be more than that. It’s got to burn. longer and slower. That‘s what I hope this will do.‘
Movement director Steven lloggett. the man responsible for the slow. lyrical. wordless sequences that helped elevate l’ormer NTS l-‘ringe hit Blur/\- Him-Ii from docu-theatre to an imaginatively—conceived piece ol’ art. shares a co—creator credit with lieatherstone and llarrower on 3’65. Like Black ll'uit'li before it. there's a real sense that this is a production deeply rooted in local issues. and. perhaps most strikingly. will play them otit on the huge. grand. proscenium-arch stage of the Playhouse. This isn‘t community theatre: this is the National Theatre ol' Scotland at the lidinburgh International l‘estival. And rather than importing in grandiose themes and texts by great. dead writers. this is national theatre that finds its art from within its own people.
‘That's absolutely right.~ I‘eatherstone says. ‘That is the national theatre that I wanted to run. when I took thisjob. It‘s what keeps us dynamic and alive: telling the stories that need to be told. now. in this country.~
Playhouse, 473 2000, 22-25 Aug, 7.30pm, 210-225.
‘7’. //\trsI ':
FIRST PERSON PECULIAR
Edinburgh favourite Heiner Goebbels returns to the Festival with the world premier of his collaboration with the Hilliard Ensemble, I Went to the House but Did Not Enter. Mark Fisher catches up with him
The scene is Lausanne. S\.'~.iit/ei'laii<l where a fellow Journalist and l have come to watch Heiner Goebbels' [it'irit/(irit/gMa lll advance of the 2004 Edinburgh International Festiva‘. The show, a collaboration with Amsterdam's Mondriaan Quartet. is fantastic. but it leaves the two of us in a quandary: how to describe it ‘.'.’|lll()tll iiiwng the game away"? Because. in the middle of the performance. thanks to some llltlll"ll(‘:(ll{l trickenx. actor Andre Wilms appears to leave the theatre. take a taXI and set off into the night-Line city. continuing; to talk ll‘. perfect synchrr)nisation ‘.'.’llll the music before magically (Ell(lll‘:(_l tip back in the theatre. It is such a splendid theatrical surprise. it would be a shame to spoil it. yet it is almost impossible to talk about the shots: ‘.'."tbout alluding to it.
This year. I‘m spared the dilemma because Goebbels is treating [<(Illliltll'tll‘ audiences to a world premiere. lhere are probany similar tricks up his sleeve. but he's keeping; quiet about them. promising nothing more concrete tna'i ‘.’|f$tl£ll surprises in a staged concert'.
l-lis title comes from the writings of l\/at.i‘.ce Blancliol. an enigmatic French champion of 20th century literature. In novels such as The l‘.,4'.'1d'!iess of the [)av. “slanchot nzade .t de'iperatel, unclear who was speaking. a cnara::fe".st.c shared vxith TS l liot ill The / oz/e Song; of _/ x'vf'e.i' Part/(>(2A and Samuel Beckett in ‘.'/o/s.".'.a'<; / lo. (Eoenpeis. a celebrated composer as well as a director, has set these pieces to music for the l liiiiaid insemb'e. the Brzlash classzca. nocal quartet.
‘Maui‘ice Blt'illt hot (lIES(Z()‘.'(}l(}(l Kafka for Trance and that's a duas you? probaiir, 71nd .1: texts.' he says. 'l".e read this text over and over again. and I'm not sure I reallfi. know .‘xT'iat it's about. thcudi‘. alu'xays exokes strong; images and seducing narratives. It's a iiiai“.'eiious text l'l irritating; our ideas of linearity."
I / l'./e/it to the / louse but Did :‘v'o.’ / .".'e/, Roi/a/ [iced/n l/ie.'1tre. .173 200i). Z28 .’)‘()/t./§;'- 55/2/77. .l‘lt‘i 5‘95).
()rt .‘tz‘t-«i THE LIST FESTIVAL MAGAZINE 95