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CURED Cure camps and coming out from Olivier Award-winning playwright T his brand new Glasgay! commission something exclusively from the religious right wing, but that isn’t the case.’
Smith says there’s no shortage of ‘scary’ information online about both the experiences and the techniques used in the ‘curing’ process. Her research has produced a two-hander in which Julie Hale plays a conflicted woman and Mary Gapinski is her mother, her lover and her contact at the clinic. ‘There’s humour in the piece and also a tenderness between the characters,’ she says, ‘because after all, there’s a mother-daughter relationship and a storyline about two people falling in love. I hope the piece reflects the complexity of the themes – I think there’s both light and dark in this story, and maybe even a few surprises.’ (David Pollock) The Arches, Glasgow, Tue 22– Sat 26 Oct.
from Olivier Award-winning playwright Stef Smith (Roadkill) and Ros Philips, her directorial partner on the 2011 transgender drama Falling/Flying, pulls together two themes . First, the predominantly American phenomenon of ‘cure camps’, where homosexual people are apparently ‘cured’ of their sexual orientation, and second, the experiences of gay people who choose to come out later in life.
‘People enter these places for all sorts of reasons,’ says Smith during the first week of rehearsals. ‘Lots of young people are forced to join these camps by their parents, while some people believe that homosexuality is a sin. But there are also secular people who engage with the camps – it isn’t exclusively those with conservative religious backgrounds. I think we like to believe that homophobia’s 104 THE LIST 17 Oct–14 Nov 2013
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HITLIST THE BEST THEATRE & DANCE
✽ The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Radio Show . . . Live! The classic science fiction comedy returns, this time with Bill Patterson playing the voice of the titular cosmic self-help guide. Theatre Royal, Glasgow, Tue 5 & Wed 6 Nov.
✽ Monkey Bars Adults playing children
reveal uncomfortable truths. See preview, page 105. Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, Thu 31 Oct– Sat 2 Nov; The Arches, Glasgow, Tue 5 & Wed 6 Nov.
✽ Wilful Forgetting New play for Glasgay! by Donna Rutherford and Martin O’Connor
that looks at both sides of the generation gap with compassion and O’Connor’s distinctive ear for the telling phrase. Tron Theatre, Glasgow, Wed 6–Sat 9 Nov.
✽ True West Sam Shepard’s thrilling brotherly battle of wits and lifestyles,
directed by Philip Breen who brought A Day in the Death of Joe Egg to disturbing life at the Citizens. See preview, page 105. Citizens Theatre, Glasgow, Tue 29 Oct–Sat 16 Nov.
✽ Made at Sadler’s Wells Short pieces
from Russell Maliphant, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and Wayne McGregor among others, showcasing the associate artists from London’s dance
powerhouse theatre. See preview, page 106. Festival Theatre, Edinburgh, Tue 29 & Wed 30 Nov.
✽ National Dance Company Wales Another dance triple-bill, climaxing with Christopher Bruce’s celebration of Britain’s Olympic year. See preview, page 106. Theatre Royal, Glasgow, Tue 12 Nov.