 Bright sparks
TWO of the seven winners of the Creative Scotland Vital Spark awards for cross-disciplinary collaborations, come from the world of theatre. Rob Drummond, currently picking up glowing reviews for Mr Write with the National Theatre of Scotland, is planning to train with the Scottish Wrestling Alliance before staging a theatre-wrestling hybrid with the help of filmmaker Lindsay Goodall and wrestler James Tyler. (Incidentally, those who saw Wall of Death will be pleased to know that artist Stephen Skrynka did complete a circuit on his motorbike at the final performances of the NTS show, as reported by Thom Dibdin.) On a less bruising note, Magnetic North director Nicholas Bone will be collaborating with artist David Shrigley (see illustration) and composer David Fennessy on a show provisionally entitled It Is Only Your Smiling Face that Keeps Me From Going Mad. Making his theatre debut, Shrigley will write and design the show, which will feature live music by the Red Note Ensemble and projected animation. This week the Public Services Reform Bill passed its stage three debate in the Scottish parliament, which means Creative Scotland will launch this summer. The new funding body's chief executive, Andrew Dixon, starts work on 3 May.  Fit like?
THE search is on for Scotland's fittest playwright. David Greig has raised the bar after undertaking to do the Highland Fling Ultra trail race – a 53-mile run along the West Highland Way to be completed in 13 hours on 24 April. The Milngavie-Tyndrum route is the equivalent of two marathons. He's doing it in aid of Fife Young Carers, a charity for teenagers who have caring responsibilities for parents or siblings, and you can sponsor him online here. So what other playwright can match him? Iain Heggie trained as a PT instructor in a Glasgow health club, we seem to remember Chris Hannan limping after a five-a-side football injury and we wouldn't fancy our chances in many sports against Gregory Burke, but are any of them up to a double marathon and 4000ft ascent? Send your suggestions here.  Audience participation
IT'S been a week when there was as much drama in the audience as there was on the stage. With only seconds to go before the end of The Garden by Zinnie Harris at Glasgow's Oran Mor on Tuesday, actors Sean Scanlan and Anne Lacey came to a halt when not one but two men in the audience collapsed at the same time. An ambulance was called and the audience asked to leave. Meanwhile at the preview performance of Jo Clifford's Every One at Edinburgh's Royal Lyceum, actor Kath Howden (pictured, pic: Tim Morozzo) had to deal with a heckler. According to Clifford's blog, "at the beginning, when she has to introduce herself, Kath's character asks: 'What would you say?' This was intended to be a rhetorical question; but at the preview a voice came down from the balcony: 'I'm from Dundee.' Kath, bless her, said: 'Well, that's not a bad idea. But you're out there and I'm up here and I think I'll just stick to the facts . . .' and there she was. Back in the script."  Festival round-up
IF you're reading this on Friday, you should still have a chance to watch the front cover of the Edinburgh Fringe programme being designed live by Johanna Basford. Giving an early peek at what will be inside that cover, Aberdeen Performing Arts has announced that it is reviving two shows for the Assembly Rooms. Kenny Ireland's productions of Sunset Song and The Silver Darlings (pictured) will play as part of Assembly's 30th anniversary season. The box office for the Edinburgh International Festival opens tomorrow. Before all that, there is the Bank of Scotland Imaginate Festival, launched today and running 10–16 May. Full programme here. Group therapySOME people who are subscribed to this newsletter have not signed up to the separate email discussion group. In the past week those people have missed a conversation about the National Theatre of Scotland repertoire between playwright Peter Arnott.and theatre blogger A View from the Stalls. To join the discussion follow this link and look for the option to "apply for membership". OPENING SOONPuppet Animation Festival, on tour, Mar 27–Apr 10 The Elves and the Shoemakers, Dundee Rep, Mar 29–Apr 10 Raspberry, Sounds of Progress, Tron, Glasgow, Mar 31-Apr 3 and on tour Huxley's Lab, Grid Iron/Lung Ha's, Informatics Forum, Edinburgh University, April 1–8 LAST CHANCE TO SEEMaria of My Soul, Clyde Unity Theatre, on tour, Mar 19–26 One Night Stand, Nick Underwood, Tron, Glasgow, Mar 23–27 Shakespeare vs Shakespeare, Charioteer, on tour, Mar 25–27 |  | |
| 24 March 2010 The Guardian Every OneBy Jo Clifford. A Royal Lyceum Theatre review  18 March 2010 The Guardian
Battery FarmBy Gregory Burke. A Traverse/A Play, a Pie and a Pint review 17 March 2010 The Guardian By Cathy Forde/Rob Drummond. A National Theatre of Scotland review. 15 March 2010 The Guardian By Douglas Maxwell. A National Theatre of Scotland review |
