My novelist friend, Gwen Kirkwood, has blogged about her visit to the Theatre Royal, Dumfries with others from the writing world in that area. They came to see our production of Peter Pan Man, but Gwen talks about the theatre’s history a little and some of you may be interested to follow the link below.
Seems a long time since the opening night in Stirling on 10th May, however, the final performance of Peter Pan Man is just hours away.
Hope to see some of you at Howden Park Centre, Livingston tonight.
7.30 Tickets: 01506 777 666
EH54 6AE
There was an undoubted frisson to bringing M’Connachie & JMB to The Theatre Royal in Dumfries. Did our line about schoolboy dramatics in Dumfries cause a stir in the other place JMB was so fond of? It certainly caused a nervous laugh among the audience.
The theatre is small and intimate with a very good acoustic. The audience welcomed us and the evening went well.
I made a tiny pilgrimage to Moat Brae House on Saturday morning where an Arts Festival bus obscured the frontage a bit. Sadly, it was still possible to see the depredations time has brought to a magnificent building. Dumfries has many lovely buildings – but doesn’t anyone know a gutter clearing operator? I can’t remember seeing so many unplanned roof gardens.
Enjoyed the local museums and found the grave of my husband’s paternal great grandparents. Ate good food and, Fanfare here, stayed in the Glenalder House B&B which is next door to Barrie’s brother’s house in Victoria Terrace. Scotland’s small world syndrome in overdrive.
One final performance of this tour in Livingston on Tuesday 5th June at 7.30
Howden Park Centre tickets 01506 777 666
Come again to learn about the two hander that’s going out for consideration. And if you want to hear Vicky Featherstone in conversation before she leaves the National theatre of Scotland find an event here:
http://www.nms.ac.uk/our_museums/national_museum/whats_on/adults/talks.aspx
A big thank you to the Edinburgh audience who made last night in The Pleasance Theatre quite, quite special.
Next venue is the Theatre Royal Dumfries on Friday 1st June at 7.30
Tickets 01387 253 383
Followed by Howden Park Centre, Livingston on Tuesday 5th June
Tickets for there 01506 777 666 Treat yourself to something a little different to round off the Jubilee celebrations’ weekend.
Easily accessible from Edinburgh and the Lothians. Find a map for EH54 6AE
It’s really exciting to have the Theatre Broad production in Edinburgh tonight. Not that I don’t enjoy heading off to visit other theatres and performance spaces, because I certainly do. All the same, it’s a thrill to know one of my plays is on at a theatre near me.
And that is The Pleasance Theatre on the Pleasance (think Edinburgh University Gym folks) 0131- 650 4673, if you get lost. At 7.30 pm
I learned a lot about writing plays there from Colin Mortimer during his Febfest classes. This has left me with a love of the Jungle Book – how hard is studying for next week when watching that film is the homework? So I would say, if asked, that Edinburgh University’s dedication to drama has played a big part in my playwriting career. Once you’ve experienced the thrill of sitting around in unheated spaces, auditioning student actors and attending rehearsals in other unheated spaces, once the key-holder can be found, why would you opt for any other medium?
Equally the flame has been kept burning by the WEA classes of Liz Hare and the competitions run by Edinburgh Writers’ Club. Liz’s classes in the wonderful surroundings of Riddle’s Court led on to several performances there, when it became for several years a fringe venue. Edinburgh Writers’ Club is one of, if not the, oldest Writers’ groups in Scotland. It’s a gem of its kind and if you want to know more about it go here:
http://www.lothianlife.co.uk/2012/05/a-nursery-of-the-talents-%e2%80%93-edinburgh-writers-club/
Look forward to meeting any readers of this blog tonight. Come up and say hullo.
The company are off to East Kilbride Arts Centre today for the fourth performance of their 2012 tour. Hope some of you are planning to catch them there. Come back and let me know how you found it.
East Kilbride Arts Centre 7.30 today Friday 25th May
Tickets 01355 261000
Puccini wrote sublime music for unsavoury stories.
As last night’s performance of Tosca progressed in Edinburgh’s Festival Theatre, I began to be uncomfortable with the dramatic rendition of Scarpia. He is an evil, manipulative, sexually predatory individual of the kind that absolute power creates all too easily. It did no one any favours to have the acting lean towards pantomime.
At the curtain calls, which deservedly for everyone’s singing went on for ages, the performer was booed as the villain is at the end of popular panto.
The storyline of Tosca is stripped back to make it one of the clearest opera plots; a drama of the purest kind. This audience member doesn’t need gimmicky renditions to keep her buying the ticket.
East Kilbride Arts Centre is the next venue for Theatre Broad with Peter Pan Man and – of course – my JMB & M’Connachie.
Friday 25th May at 7.30pm
Tickets from: 01355 261000
I was on welcoming duty at my church yesterday and very struck, as I often am, by the theatre of worship. There are never-changing scenes with familiar words and music. Yet, when a christening, wedding or funeral is taking place, there can be truly heart stopping ‘and then’ moments.
The tale of a lost python, the young mum so pre-occupied by the christening lunch, she began to leave and had to be called back by the Minister’s gentle, “I haven’t finished yet” or the baby yelling, while a shy bride tells her vows.
The Passion Plays and the Morality plays brought religious thought to the non educated masses for centuries, but it’s difficult to know whether the church’s sense of the theatrical led or follows.
The Church of Scotland congregation doesn’t use colourful robes, but colour floods into many of its buildings through their stained glass. A stage dressed for sober hued Ministers to engage their followers by the quality of their sermons is a challenging proposition.
Lovely reactions from writing friends and other audience members who’ve caught the play. Particularly pleasing to introduce folk to M’Connachie who has been a passion of Carol Metcalf’s for some time. (Hope you don’t mind me revealing that, Carol)
An alter ego as the catch-all escape from responsibility isn’t a new thing – think of Jekyll and Hyde – but it is an interesting one. There was so much going on in Barrie’s head, maybe he would have enjoyed the luxury I did when I separated them.
Arbroath next Friday at The Webster Memorial Theatre, 01241 435 800. Really not too far from Barrie’s home at Kirriemuir.
Despite having written the words, Robert and Alan were able to bring a tear to my eye at some moments during last night’s opening of JMB & M’Connachie in Stirling. Wonderfully assured and accomplished performances from all the cast held the audience.
JM Barrie was a giant of Scottish literature, but how did his genius operate?
Your chance to delve into the secrets of how the writer’s mind works is tonight – if you’re within travelling distance of Cottiers Theatre, Glasgow.
The programme is called PETER PAN MAN
7.30 pm Tickets 0141 357 4000