THEATRE | Previews 108 THE LIST 10 Jul–21 Aug 2014
STREET THEATRE SURGE Various locations, Glasgow, Sat 19 Jul–Sun 3 Aug
The Surge Festival has become an essential part of Glasgow’s cultural calendar – it introduced Scotland to Red Bastard and Cantabile 2 as well as supporting local artists such as Ali Maloney and Alex Rigg – and is an internationally respected carnival of street performance. Curated by Conflux, who are committed to developing powerful Scottish street art, physical theatre and circus scenes, it is expanding from its usual slot in the Merchant City Festival into the Commonwealth Games jamboree.
‘This is the biggest year we have done,’ says director Alan Richardson. From recreations of old children’s games with Scotch Hoppers, and a meditation on Rilke’s beautiful poem of yearning The Panther, to an invasion by Cavemen, 2014 promises to be the most eclectic programnme yet.
The influx of tourists this July did influence the curation. ‘The basis behind it all is non-verbal work,’ says Richardson. ‘It’s more of a practical decision than an aesthetic one – well, an audience decision.’ In line with the desire to ensure that street theatre is accessible, many of the selections bypass the need for an understanding of English language.
Richardson remains committed to finding the most exciting work. ‘Street art is very varied and we are always trying to find where physical theatre meets other things. In the case of Osadia 2, it meets with visual art and hairdressing, while the work from Motionhouse is what you call dance-theatre.’ Ending with a weekend of cabaret – including the first
appearance in Glasgow of Edinburgh’s alternative vaudeville Anatomy – Surge collides with the Merchant City Festival’s atmosphere and offers surprises, including the epic Perch which features 200 performers and a link-up with a parallel show in Brazil. Surprising, provocative and fun, Surge is the antidote to dour ideas of performance art. (Gareth K Vile)
MULTI-GENERATIONAL SHOW THE RIVER The Briggait, Glasgow, Sun 20 & Mon 21 Jul
Never let it be said that Natasha Gilmore is afraid of hard work. In recent years, the choreographer has stepped outside the conventions of dance creation on more than one occasion, but The River could be her biggest challenge yet.
Set along the Clyde, the site-specific show will feature 75 dancers, only eight of whom are
professionally trained. The rest, like the 75 singers accompanying them, are drawn from all walks of life. Working with a community cast has served Gilmore well in the past, so for The River, which explores the joys and heartaches of emigration and immigration, it was the perfect choice. ‘A lot of the time, professional dancers are of a certain age and look, but we wanted to show
that these stories are everybody’s stories,’ says Gilmore. ‘And by having a cast of people who are able to express that, it brings an honesty to the performance and a richness to the work that you wouldn’t be able to achieve otherwise.’
Starting at the Briggait, the cast will lead audiences along the river, performing as they go. In the interest of authenticity, Gilmore has recruited everyone from schoolchildren to pensioners.
‘We interviewed people about their experiences of emigrating to, or coming from, a Commonwealth country,’ she explains. ‘And embedded in those stories were relationships with their families and the heartbreak of leaving or returning, which translates brilliantly into having an inter-generational cast, to represent the idea of being part of a family.’ (Kelly Apter)
SITE-SPECIFIC SHOW MARC BREW COMPANY: (I)LAND South Brunswick Street, Glasgow, Thu 24 & Fri 25 Jul
When you happen upon a pile of sand in the middle of the street, it usually pertains to a building endeavour. But when the Commonwealth Games are in town, you learn to expect the unexpected – in this case, choreographer Marc Brew and his new dance work, (i)land.
Set on a desert island (six tons of sand in the Merchant City), the work features three characters
all looking for an escape route. When they discover a potential way out – a ‘contraption’ they build to take them across the water – a new problem arises when only one of them can fit into it. ‘It creates an interesting tension between the characters,’ says Brew, ‘and their relationships
evolve during the piece. Who should go? Who should stay? Or do they all even want to go? I was interested in exploring identity, isolation, independence and the fight for land and ownership.’
As a wheelchair user, Brew has found a myriad of dynamic ways to choreograph his own
body – with this new venture opening up even more possibilities. And by performing in the public domain, he’s free to work without the constriction of labels.
‘I absolutely love creating outdoor work for the general public,’ he says, ‘as there are no preconceptions about contemporary dance or disability. Some see the publicity and are enticed to watch the performance, whereas others just stroll by and discover us. But once they arrive, they’re hooked to the end. (i)land is performed in the round, and can be viewed differently from where you are around the island – so some people even come back again .’ (Kelly Apter)