When the Covid-19 pandemic struck in March 2020, many theatre companies could only shut up shop. Not so Citadel Arts Group. The Leith company, which is dedicated to staging the work of older playwrights, was in no mood to wait around. “Oh no, we didn’t consider stopping,” says co-founder Liz Hare. “Most of us are quite old; a year is precious.”
Turning to Zoom, Hare continued to work with her team of playwrights, simply switching their focus from stage to audio. The first fruits of that policy are already there to hear on the company website. They include a three-part version of Susan Chaney’s Beyond The Ash Tide, which had been scheduled for the cancelled Leith Festival, as well as plays embracing everything from maritime research to neurotic crows.
“There was never any question of being silenced,” says Hare. “As older people, we are the ones who have been worst hit by Covid and we were determined we were going to be up and running as quickly as we could by going online. We’ve never been busier.” [CONTINUE READING]
