list.co.uk/theatre
■ TRAMWAY 25 Albert Drive, 0845 330 3501. Innocence Wed 30 Apr–Sun 4 May (not Sat & Sun). See Kids listings. Grandad and Me Tue 13 May. See Kids listings.
■ TRON THEATRE 63 Trongate, 552 4267. Tips Fri 25 & Sat 26 Apr, 7pm. £17. Interactive comedy on the life of a waitress: strange customers, barking bosses, incompetent chefs. Ticket includes a two-course meal. a small story: eine kleine geschichte Wed 30 Apr–Sat 3 May. See Kids listings. Mayfesto Tue 6–Sat 31 May, times vary. Prices vary. Mayfesto celebrates theatre with an edge, theatre that focuses on what’s going on in the world and that is in response to recent events. See interview, right.
✽ The Tempest Wed 7–Fri 16 May (Wed, Fri & Sat only), 7.45pm (Sat 2.30pm). £10. Shakespeare’s shipwreck fantasy. Presented by Tron Theatre Company with the RCS. Part of Mayfesto. Our Country’s Good Thu 8–Sat 17 May (Tue, Thu & Sat only), 7.45pm. £10. The shocking true story of a performance by convicts in New South Wales. Presented by Tron Theatre Company in association with the RCS. Mayfesto. New Playwriting: The Progressive Playwright Thu 8 May, 8.30pm. £5. An evening of play readings for new and developing playwrights, where they can hear short extracts of their work directed and performed by professional actors. Mayfesto. A Tempest Sat 10 May, 6pm. £3. Aimé Césaire’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s classic shipwreck tale. Mayfesto. Jock: Scotland on Trial Thu 15–Sat 17 May, 8pm. £10. New play from Alan Bissett asking if Scotland is the colonised or the coloniser. Mayfesto.
EDINBURGH
■ ARTSPACE 11 Harewood Road, 659 4759. If Only Rosa Could Do Magic Wed 7–Sat 10 May. See Kids listings. ■ ASSEMBLY ROXY 2 Roxburgh Place, 623 3030. Auld Reekie Magic Cabaret Thu 17 Apr, 8pm. £8.50–£10. An evening of illusion and entertainment showcasing five magicians from across Scotland and the rest of the UK. Doors open at 7.30pm. The Taking of Zena Charbonne Sat 26 Apr, 8pm. £8–£12. The Occasional Cabaret present a blistering mix of performance, video and live music.
■ THE BONGO CLUB 66 Cowgate, 558 8844. Naked Women Sun 27 Apr, 7.30pm. £7 (£5). Three one-act plays written, produced and directed by Julian Wickham. FREE Wonder Sat 3 & Sun 4 May, 2pm. £7.50 (£5). Piece based on the real stories of people who ask and answer the question ‘What do you see when you look at me?’ Part of Bongo Lives!
■ BROUGHTON HIGH SCHOOL 29 East Fettes Avenue The Phantom of the Opera Thu 17–Sun 20 Apr, 7pm (Sat & Sun 2pm also). £15 (£10). Captivate Drama presents Andrew Lloyd Webber’s masterpiece. ■ CHURCH HILL THEATRE 33a Morningside Road, 447 7597. Cocoon Tue 6–Thu 8 May. See Kids listings. a small story: eine kleine geschichte Tue 6–Sat 10 May. See Kids listings. Too Many Penguins? Fri 9–Mon 12 May. See Kids listings.
CURTAIN UP
MAYFESTO
The Tron’s annual festival promises a month of politically engaged performance and more. Artistic director Andy Arnold explains what keeps it going.
What inspired Mayfesto? It came out of the desire to re-establish a celebration of theatre in Glasgow, from the ashes of Mayfest. The currency of Mayfesto is text-driven work: it is the essence of theatre. How did you decide on this year’s theme of colonialism?
We decided with the run-up to the Commonwealth Games, it would be appropriate to have an examination of the darker side of the commonwealth.
What are this year’s main house productions? I am directing a deconstructed production of The Tempest (pictured): I have got a female Prospero and Caliban. Gerry Mulgrew is directing Our Country’s Good. We are going to have a composite set, using it on alternate nights. They are classic texts, but they both symbolise the theme.
Is it all about the big productions? In the last few years, Mayfesto has also focused on ancillary events: works in progress, readings and discussions. Return to My Native Land is a powerful poem by Aimé Césaire, and I always thought that would make a wonderful piece of theatre. And Césaire had written his take on The Tempest, with Ariel as a freedom fighter. So I thought – let’s do a reading of that!
What else do you have lined up? There’s My Name Is . . ., based on a true Scottish story, and also Saltbush, an Aborigine piece in the main space in the round on a magic floor. We also have a love story in post-colonial Iran, and a debate about art and politics. Apart from directing The Tempest, are you personally doing anything else at Mayfesto this year? I do hanker to be back on the stage, and I am performing in a debate: Alan Bissett is the Scot and I am the Englishman. I can’t keep my public waiting any longer! (Gareth K Vile) ■ Tron Theatre, Glasgow, Tue 6–Sat 31 May.
THEATRE 17 Apr–15 May 2014 THE LIST 93