IN ASSOCIATION WITH Bedlam Theatre
THEATRE
IN GOOD COMPANY Theatre critic Lorna Irvine puts student drama in the spotlight
U niversity drama groups have always been a great springboard for aspiring actors and writers looking to cut their performance teeth. Bedlam Theatre, a neo-Gothic church in the heart of Edinburgh, is one of Scoltand’s best-loved venues, with esteemed alumni including Rev star and stand-up Miles Jupp, plus hit playwrights Lucy Kirkwood and Ella Hickson.
‘Edinburgh University doesn’t have a drama course,’ says Edinburgh
‘It’s a student-run organisation dedicated to putting on plays and theatre productions and providing ample opportunity in almost any theatrical i eld,’ says STaG president Jack Cameron. ‘We put on over 20 shows a year of various sizes and genres and we look for any new or old experience in acting, writing, directing, tech and design. We don’t set a programme of events but rather welcome proposals from potential directors or actors. And although we’re based in Glasgow University
University Theatre Company president Ailish George, ‘so EUTC is largely made up of university students who are keen to pursue theatre alongside their degrees. Our members choose to dedicate their own time to work on productions and keep the building open. People are welcome to join up at any time of the year, but our greatest intake is always during Freshers’ Week.’
Unusually, for the i rst eight weeks this year, all of the EUTC shows will be performed in the round. ‘While shows in the round are not out of the norm in Bedlam, this is the i rst time we will have an entire season,’ George adds. ‘The next big thing is the Redevelopment Project which we are all incredibly excited about and are currently working towards implementing it along with our alumni group, Friends of Bedlam, and the university.’
Meanwhile, over in Glasgow, STaG (Student Theatre at Glasgow) has discovered and nurtured talent including playwrights Rob Jones and Ann Marie Di Mambro, following in the grand tradition of celebrated dramatists like Alasdair Gray and Liz Lochhead. 128 THE LIST 18 Sep–16 Oct 2014
For more information on shows and auditions, see STUDENTTHEATRE ATGLASGOW.COM & BEDLAMTHEATRE. CO.UK
we are open to any student body in Glasgow.’ He actively encourages freshers to take up playwriting through new showcases. ‘New Talent Nights is our i rst production of the season, and it’s aimed mainly at freshers. Anyone who auditions is guaranteed a part, and so is anyone who applies for tech, backstage or design. This year, we are putting on two productions of JM Barrie’s Peter Pan. Because of the popularity of New Talent Nights, we always put on two productions over two nights of the same piece but
with different scripts.’
Each semester, the group also stages a festival and a main- stage production. This year, the main-stage piece is Jez Butterworth’s Jerusalem, and the festival for the i rst semester is the ever-popular STaG Nights, which run during November. STaG Nights is a celebration of theatre in its many shapes and forms, taking place over three nights with three 20-minute pieces performed each night. The work speaks for itself and the future of Scottish drama is, it seems, in very safe hands.