Traverse Theatre
Manifesto: Festival 2008 Brochure - Text Only Version
Traverse Theatre, Cambridge Street, Edinburgh, Scotland, EH1 2ED
Tickets & Information 0131 228 1404 / www.traverse.co.uk
Brochure Introduction
by Dominic Hill, Artistic Director
Call to Arms
Welcome to the Traverse Theatre’s 2008 Festival programme, and my first as Artistic Director. Over 200 companies applied to perform at the Traverse this year and after a rigorous selection process involving many of the theatre staff, we have pared down the programme to 12 fantastic shows spread across our two theatres. I am delighted by the quality and variety we have to offer you.
This year sees us working extensively with a range of partners including some of the most exciting companies from the UK and abroad - the Royal Shakespeare Company, Birmingham Rep, NTS, the Royal Court, the Almeida, Druid, Abbey Theatre and Ontroerend Goed to name a few.
Mission
In Traverse One, we present work by leading playwrights from the UK and Ireland, including two of our own productions - Fall by Zinnie Harris and Pornography by Simon Stephens. Fall is the most exciting and important new play I have read for a long time. Written especially for this festival, it is an epic, political thriller by one of the finest writers in Scotland. It will also be my first production for the Traverse.
Simon Stephens’ first play was presented by the Traverse in 1994 and he has gone on to become one of the most significant writers of our time. Pornography is an important, explosive and provocative piece of writing which will receive its UK premiere. Along with Fall, it is exactly the kind of work we should be putting on at the Traverse.
In addition, we have two celebrated Irish writers and companies. The Abbey Theatre in Dublin are bringing their award-winning production of Terminus by Mark O’Rowe. And I am particularly looking forward to the premiere of The New Electric Ballroom by Enda Walsh. If you enjoyed Enda’s The Walworth Farce last year, I am sure you will love his latest piece.
And the wonderful Daniel Kitson will be bringing his new show to Traverse One this year. 66a Church Road - A Lament, Made of Memories and Kept in Suitcases promises to be highly original, charming and very funny.
From Around The World
Whilst Traverse One brings you a wealth of great new writing, in Traverse Two we are presenting an eclectic programme of work from a variety of companies and artists from all over the world. The Royal Court and Almeida Theatres in London are bringing plays from India and America and the National Theatre of Scotland are collaborating with the experimental company TEAM from New York. I am also delighted that we are presenting the work of the Belgian company Ontroerend Goed. Once and for all we’re gonna tell you who we are so shut up and listen promises to be as raucous as its title suggests.
And we have companies from closer to home too. As the Deepcut barracks are about to be turned into a block of flats, the story of the soldiers who died there in mysterious circumstances will be told by Sherman Cymru from Cardiff. And from Glasgow, Vox Motus guarantee to make you laugh out loud with their wonderful and moving puppets in Slick. And finally the Arches Theatre Company make a welcome return with an unusual and funny satire - Finished with Engines.
Upwards
When I first started coming to the Festival as a student, the Traverse was synonymous with the best of new writing and cutting-edge drama. I am thrilled that 20 years later, this reputation is greater still. I hope that our programme at the Festival this year, and all year round, will enhance it further. I look forward to seeing you here.
Dominic Hill, Artistic Director
Traverse Theatre Company & Birmingham Repertory Theatre Company present the UK premiere of
Pornography by Simon Stephens
Director Sean Holmes
Designer Paul Wills
Lighting Designer Chris Davey
Sound Designer Emma Laxton
Previews Mon 28 July (7pm), Sat 2 Aug (6pm)
Preview Ticket £11 (£5)
Dates & Times Sun 3 Aug (8.45pm), Tue 5 Aug (10am), Wed 6 Aug (1.45pm), Thu 7 Aug (4.45pm), Fri 8 Aug (7.30pm), Sat 9 Aug (10am), Sun 10 Aug (1.45pm), Tue 12 Aug (4.45pm), Wed 13 Aug (7.30pm), Thu 14 Aug (10am), Fri 15 Aug (1.45pm), Sat 16 Aug (4.45pm), Sun 17 Aug (7.30pm), Tue 19 Aug (10am), Wed 20 Aug (1.45pm), Thu 21 Aug (4.45pm), Fri 22 Aug (7.30pm), Sat 23 Aug (10am), Sun 24 Aug (1.45pm)
Tickets Sun - Thu £16 (concessions £11/unemployed £5), Fri & Sat £18 (concessions £12)
Early Bird Ticket Offer £12 (£8/unemployed £5) on Sun 3 Aug when bought before Sun 20 July (subject to availability)
Audio Described Performance Sun 10 Aug (1.45pm)
Sign Language Interpreted Performance Sun 10 Aug (1.45pm)
One week in July 2005.
Live 8.
G8.
London 2012 Olympics.
7/7.
Images of hell.
They are silent.
In July 2005, Britain feels like the centre of the world. Big events are happening and everyone is talking about them. In schools, offices, streets, shops, parks, homes - there’s a buzz in the air. You can feel the sense of anticipation. The world’s eyes are focused on us and you can feel the energy and possibilities.
In less than an hour in Central London, everything will change...
Pornography is the startling new play by Simon Stephens that captures Britain as it crashes from the euphoria and promise of the 2012 Olympics announcement into the devastation of 7/7.
Simon Stephens is one of Britain’s most acclaimed playwrights. His debut - Sleep Of The Just - was produced at the Traverse in 1994 and subsequent work includes Harper Regan (National Theatre), One Minute (ATC), Motortown ( Royal Court) and On The Shore Of The Wide World (Royal Exchange Manchester) which won an Olivier Award for Best New Play.
Sean Holmes’ recent work as director has included The Man Who Had All The Luck (Donmar), The Entertainer (Old Vic), The Caucasian Chalk Circle (National Theatre) and Serjeant Musgrave’s Dance (Oxford Stage Company).
Following the Festival performances at the Traverse, Pornography transfers to Birmingham Repertory Theatre on Wed 3 - Sat 20 Sep (www.birmingham-rep.co.uk). Pornography was commissioned and originally produced by Deutsches Schauspielhaus, Hamburg. The full script is published by Methuen and will be on sale at the Traverse.
“London rises. It takes you by surprise. Cut out of the edges of bomb blasts. And a thousand years of fire. This is a city that is always on fire. This is a city that is forever under attack.”
Traverse Theatre Company in association with the Royal Shakespeare Company present the world premiere of
Fall by Zinnie Harris
Director Dominic Hill
Designer Tom Piper
Lighting Designer Chahine Yavroyan
Sound Designer Dan Jones
Cast includes Geraldine Alexander, Cliff Burnett, Darrell D’Silva, Brian Ferguson, Meg Fraser, Kevin McMonagle, Samantha Young
Previews Thu 24 - Sat 26 July (7pm), Sat 2 Aug (2pm),
Preview Tickets £11 (£5)
Dates & Times Sun 3 Aug (4.45pm), Tue 5 Aug (6.30pm), Wed 6 Aug (10am), Thu 7 Aug (1pm), Fri 8 Aug (3.45pm), Sat 9 Aug (6.30pm), Sun 10 Aug (10am), Tue 12 Aug (1pm), Wed 13 Aug (3.45pm), Thu 14 Aug (6.30pm), Fri 15 Aug (10am), Sat 16 Aug (1pm), Sun 17 Aug (3.45pm), Tue 19 Aug (6.30pm), Wed 20 Aug (10am), Thu 21 Aug (1pm), Fri 22 Aug (3.45pm), Sat 23 Aug (6.30pm), Sun 24 Aug (10am)
Tickets Sun - Thu £16 (concessions £11/unemployed £5), Fri & Sat £18 (concessions £12)
Early Bird Ticket Offer £12 (£8/unemployed £5) on Sun 3 Aug when bought before Sun 20 July (subject to availability)
Audio Described Performance Thu 14 Aug (6.30pm)
Sign Language Interpreted Performance Tue 19 Aug (6.30pm)
To make your future, do you have to murder the past?
In the aftermath of a horrific civil conflict, a new country is preparing for the mass execution of its war criminals. Kate knows nothing and everything about it. She knew one of the guilty men for 15 years and never suspected a thing.
As the city burns and the new government struggles to look credible to the rest of the world, Kate gets tragically caught up in their conspiracy.
Politics, justice and revenge collide in a tense new thriller by Zinnie Harris and directed by the Traverse’s Artistic Director Dominic Hill. Fall is the last play in a group of three individual plays that examine the transforming effects of war. Midwinter and Solstice were commissioned and performed by the Royal Shakespeare Company in 2004 - 05.
Zinnie Harris is a playwright and theatre director. Her stage plays include the award winning Further Than the Furthest Thing (Tron/National Theatre), Solstice & Midwinter (RSC), Julie (NTS) and Nightingale and Chase ( Royal Court). As a director she has worked for the NTS, Tron Theatre and the RSC. Most recently she has been writing for screen including Spooks (BBC1) and Richard is my Boyfriend & Born with Two Mothers (Channel 4).
Dominic Hill was appointed Artistic Director of the Traverse in July 2007. His recent work has included Falstaff (Scottish Opera), A Prayer for my Daughter (Young Vic) and Peer Gynt & Scenes from an Execution (Dundee Rep where he was Artistic Director 2003 - 07).
“Are you ready for some responsibility. Some consequence? Some dirty fucking complex stuff with no right outcome? Maybe I’m going mad here but there are precedents for it, after all, didn’t Pilate let someone from the crowd make a decision?”
Abbey Theatre, Dublin
Terminus by Mark O’Rowe
Director Mark O’Rowe
Designer Jon Bausor
Lighting Designer Philip Gladwell
Sound Designer Philip Stewart
Cast Andrea Irvine, Karl Shiels, Eileen Walsh
Previews Fri 1 Aug (7pm), Sat 2 Aug (11am)
Preview Tickets £11 (£5)
Dates & Times Sun 3 Aug (1.45pm), Tue 5 Aug (3.30pm), Wed 6 Aug (7.15pm), Thu 7 Aug (10am), Fri 8 Aug (12.45pm), Sat 9 Aug (3.30pm), Sun 10 Aug (7.15pm), Tue 12 Aug (10am), Wed 13 Aug (12.45pm), Thu 14 Aug (3.30pm), Fri 15 Aug (7.15pm), Sat 16 Aug (10am), Sun 17 Aug (12.45pm), Tue 19 Aug (3.30pm), Wed 20 Aug (7.15pm), Thu 21 Aug (10am), Fri 22 Aug (12.45pm), Sat 23 Aug (3.30pm), Sun 24 Aug (7.15pm)
Tickets Sun - Thu £16 (concessions £11/unemployed £5), Fri & Sat £18 (concessions £12)
Early Bird Ticket Offer £12 (£8/unemployed £5) on Sun 3 Aug when bought before Sun 20 July (subject to availability)
“...we go, see the slo-mo ebb and flow; the mill, the babble, the rabble of wobbling waywards, exiled and aimless, unlike us as, purposeful and double-file, like kids on a dare, we head who the hell knows where?”
Hold tight as the ordinary turns extraordinary in this vivid and exhilarating play by Mark O‘Rowe, writer of Howie the Rookie and Intermission.
Catapult from the bustling streets to the skies above Dublin, then plummet deep to the bowels of the earth as three people are ripped from their daily lives and thrown into a fantastical world of singing serial killers, avenging angels and love-sick demons.
Terminus was a roaring hit in Dublin when first produced last year. But be warned - it’s not for the faint of heart!
Supported by the Arts Council/An Chomhairle Ealaíon and Culture Ireland/Cultúr Éireann.
Website www.abbeytheatre.ie
Hilarious, stunning, surprisingly touching and enormously satisfying... Terminus is a fantastic piece of writing, O’Rowe’s best so far. (Irish Times)
Gripping, grotesque and deliriously good… (Terminus) makes O’Rowe pretty much the most exciting contemporary Irish playwright. (Sunday Tribune)
Wildly funny... a matchlessly engaging evening’s theatre. (Sunday Independent)
Druid
The New Electric Ballroom by Enda Walsh
Director Enda Walsh
Designer Sabine Dargent
Lighting Designer Sinead Mckenna
Sound Designer Gregory Clarke
Cast Val Lilley, Rosaleen Linehan, Mikel Murfi, Catherine Walsh
Previews Wed 30 July (7pm), Sat 2 Aug (8.45pm)
Preview Tickets £11 (£5)
Dates & Times Sun 3 Aug (11am), Tue 5 Aug (12.45pm), Wed 6 Aug (4.30pm), Thu 7 Aug (7.30pm), Fri 8 Aug (10am), Sat 9 Aug (12.45pm), Sun 10 Aug (4.30pm), Tue 12 Aug (7.30pm), Wed 13 Aug (10am), Thu 14 Aug (12.45pm), Fri 15 Aug (4.30pm), Sat 16 Aug (7.30pm), Sun 17 Aug (10am), Tue 19 Aug (12.45pm), Wed 20 Aug (4.30pm), Thu 21 Aug (7.30pm), Fri 22 Aug (10am), Sat 23 Aug (12.45pm), Sun 24 Aug (4.30pm)
Tickets Sun - Thu £16 (concessions £11/unemployed £5), Fri & Sat £18 (concessions £12)
Early Bird Ticket Offer £12 (£8/unemployed £5) on Sun 3 Aug when bought before Sun 20 July (subject to availability)
“Staring back behind the blusher and the eye shadow a girl who’s yet to be kissed. Properly kissed.”
In this new play, written and directed by Enda Walsh, (creator of Fringe First winning Disco Pigs, Bedbound & Druid’s The Walworth Farce), three sisters in a remote fishing village, trapped in the years that have passed since their halcyon days at The New Electric Ballroom, are still obsessed by darker memories of something resembling romance.
This is a coiled, dark, glitter-dusted fable of the emotionally stultifying effects of small-town life.
Enda Walsh is internationally celebrated for his radical wordplay and the sheer visceral power his stories release in performance. Multi award-winning Druid return to Traverse following their 2007 hit with Enda Walsh’s The Walworth Farce. This latest work promises to be one of the most explosive and compelling yet from one of the leading playwrights of our time.
The New Electric Ballroom is presented with the support of Arts Council/An Chomhairle Ealaíon and Culture Ireland/Cultúr Éireann.
Website www.druid.ie
It is exhilarating to hang on for dear life on a ride through Mr. Walsh’s bold, original imagination. ( New York Sun on The Walworth Farce )
A most original talent. (The Guardian on The Walworth Farce )
A theatrical experience that claws at the imagination for days afterwards. (Variety on The Walworth Farce )
Daniel Kitson
66a Church Road - A Lament, Made of Memories and Kept in Suitcases
Preview Tue 5 Aug (10pm)
Preview Tickets £10 (£5)
Dates & Times Wed 6 – Sun 10 Aug (10pm), Tue 12 – Sun 17 Aug (10pm), Tue 19 – Sun 24 Aug (10pm)
Tickets Sun - Thu £14 (concessions £10/unemployed £5), Fri & Sat £16 (concessions £11)
Early Bird Ticket Offer £11 (concessions £7/unemployed £5) on Wed 6 Aug when bought before Wed 23 July (subject to availability)
“Last September I had to move out of my flat after living there for almost six years. I didn’t want to. I lived alone. I am single. 66a Church Road was the longest relationship of my life. This is a break up show. For my flat.”
(Daniel Kitson, London May 2008)
Astonishing images of crumbling beauty and battered grandeur will emerge from time beaten suitcases, telling a funny, sad and truly nostalgic story of a forsaken flat, a broken heart and the ache for home.
Website www.danielkitson.com
He represents and inhabits that place where no one is cool, sussed, glamorous and sorted and everyone is struggling somewhere between absurdity and pathos, to put together a life less barren and more fulfilled.
(The Scotsman on C-90 )
The TEAM & National Theatre Of Scotland Workshop
Architecting
Director Rachel Chavkin
Associate Director Davey Anderson
Scenic & Costume Designer Nick Vaughan
Lighting Designer Jake Heinrichs
Sound Designer Matt Hubbs
Video Designer Brian Scott
Preview Thu 31 July (11am)
Preview Tickets £10 (£5)
Dates & Times Fri 1 Aug (1.30pm), Sat 2 Aug (4.15pm), Sun 3 Aug (7pm), Tue 5 Aug (8.45pm), Wed 6 Aug (11am), Thu 7 Aug (1.30pm), Fri 8 Aug (4pm), Sat 9 Aug (6.45pm), Sun 10 Aug (8.30pm), Tue 12 Aug (1.15pm), Wed 13 Aug (3.30pm), Thu 14 Aug (6pm), Fri 15 Aug (8.30pm), Sat 16 Aug (11am), Sun 17 Aug (1pm), Tue 19 Aug (3.45pm), Wed 20 Aug (6pm), Thu 21 Aug (8.30pm), Fri 22 Aug (11am), Sat 23 Aug (1pm), Sun 24 Aug (3.30pm)
Tickets Sun - Thu £14 (concessions £10/Unemployed £5), Fri & Sat £16 (Concessions £11)
Early Bird Ticket Offer £11 (concessions £7/unemployed £5) on Fri 1 Aug when bought before Fri 18 July (subject to availability)
The TEAM returns to the Fringe with Architecting, an exhilarating American saga that weaves through the USA’s past and future to create a requiem for modern America. Architecting uses the American Civil War and the subsequent Reconstruction to create a multi-media, time-bending epic where Scarlett O’Hara pageant contestants crash into anarchist architects and presidential grandchildren.
The TEAM is a New York City-based theatre company dedicated to dissecting and celebrating living in America today. In 2006 The TEAM took the festival by storm with Particularly in the Heartland, winner of a Fringe First Award.
This is the first co-production between The TEAM and the National Theatre of Scotland Workshop. Previous Workshop productions includes last year’s Fringe hit and Herald Angel winner, Venus as a Boy.
Architecting is written by The TEAM in collaboration with Davey Anderson, Lucy Kendrick Smith and Nathan Wright. The cast features Jessica Almasy, Frank Boyd, Jill Frutkin, Libby King, Jake Margolin and Kristen Sieh.
Websites www.nationaltheatrescotland.com
www.theteamplays.org
The piece’s surreal storyline fizzes with vivid imagery, intellect, and mischief...This is life affirming stuff, and theatre to cherish. (Metro on Particularly In The Heartland )
Simultaneously intelligent, rueful, celebratory, delightful and devastatingly sad, the show actually lives up to its ambitions. (Time Out New York on Particularly In The Heartland )
Perfectly performed, aesthetically and politically complex, this the most profound and complete night at the theatre of the festival so far. (The List on Particularly In The Heartland )
Arches Theatre Company
Finished with Engines by Alan McKendrick
Director Alan Mckendrick
Sound Design Alan Cesarano
Lighting Design Davey Thomson
Cast Stephanie Viola & Drew Friedman
Preview Thu 31 July (2pm)
Preview Tickets £10 (£5)
Dates & Times Fri 1 Aug (4.30pm), Sat 2 Aug (7.15pm), Sun 3 Aug (10pm), Tue 5 Aug (11am), Wed 6 Aug (2pm). Thu 7 Aug (4.30pm), Fri 8 Aug (7pm), Sat 9 Aug (9.45pm), Sun 10 Aug (11am)
Tickets Sun – Thu £14 (Concessions £10/Unemployed £5), Fri & Sat £16 (Concessions £11)
Early Bird Ticket Offer £11 (concessions £7/unemployed £5) on Fri 1 Aug when bought before Fri 18 July (subject to availability)
“You talk about first deployments of a new benchmark weapon, you gotta drop it somewhere people are gonna have fun pronouncing the name of, f’you wanna make it stick. Nagasaki. Bikini Island. That’s just fucking aesthetics, cheese.”
Aboard a floating nuclear testing observation platform, two crew members attempt to navigate the capricious rungs of escalation as a bizarre civil insurgency plays out in the bay at their backs. Verbal-and-physical assault theatre, Finished With Engines is a blackly satirical hatchet job on weapons technology, fresh-minted in an international collaboration.
Young Scottish talent Alan McKendrick won the Arches Award For Stage Directors in 2006, and his script for Finished With Engines was final-shortlisted for the 2007 Meyer-Whitworth Award for Best UK play by a New Writer. The cast comprises Stephanie Viola and Drew Friedman, founding members and co-artistic directors of four-time Fringe First-winning New York ensemble the Riot Group (Switch Triptych, Pugilist Specialist). This is their first collaboration.
Website www.thearches.co.uk
Terrific Brechtian wit & coolness... astonishing political complexity... a daring piece of apocalyptic theatre. (The Scotsman)
One of those smart-talking, wisecracking pieces that nudges you into laughing at what is seriously unfunny... hilarious. (The Herald)
Quite beautifully witty... the performances are top drawer. (Sunday Herald)
Royal Court Theatre Presents International Playwrights: A Genesis Project
Free Outgoing by Anupama Chandrasekhar
Director Indhu Rubasingham
Designer Rosa Maggiora
Lighting Mark Jonathan
Sound Christopher Shutt
Cast Ravi Aujla, Lolita Chakrabarti, Raj Ghatak, Shaheen Khan, Shelley King, Amit Shah
Preview Thu 31 July (4pm)
Preview Tickets £10 (£5)
Dates & Times Fri 1 Aug (6.30pm), Sat 2 Aug (9.15pm), Sun 3 Aug (11.15am), Tue 5 Aug (1pm), Wed 6 Aug (4pm), Thu 7 Aug (6.30pm), Fri 8 Aug (9pm), Sat 9 Aug (11am), Sun 10 Aug (1pm), Tue 12 Aug (4.15pm), Wed 13 Aug (6.30pm), Thu 14 Aug (9pm), Fri 15 Aug (11am), Sat 16 Aug (2pm), Sun 17 Aug (4pm), Tue 19 Aug (6.45pm), Wed 20 Aug (9pm), Thu 21 Aug (11am), Fri 22 Aug (2pm), Sat 23 Aug (4pm), Sun 24 Aug (6.30pm)
Tickets Sun – Thu £14 (Concessions £10/Unemployed £5), Fri & Sat £16 (Concessions £11)
Early Bird Ticket Offer £11 (concessions £7/unemployed £5) on Fri 1 Aug when bought before Fri 18 July (subject to availability)
Just one message. That’s all it took for Deepa to be hated by the nation.
When a well-behaved Indian girl is filmed having sex in her classroom, the video clip spreads like a virus. Transmitted from person to person it infects firstly the local community, and then seemingly the entire country with a burning moral outrage.
Free Outgoing sets the rampant technology of the modern world against the conservatism of a traditional society.
Anupama Chandrasekhar is a young Chennai-based playwright who has been working with the Royal Court since 2000. Free Outgoing was developed through a long-term project with Indian playwrights and was first produced last year by the Royal Court as part of its International Playwrights Season, a Genesis Project.
Chandrasekhar writes with both economy and power... Lolita Chakrabarti gives a deeply unsettling performance... Raj Ghatak is outstanding. (Daily Telegraph)
A gripping and insightful story. (Time Out Critics’ Choice)
Pacey and absorbing… Strikingly conveys the opposition at the heart of modern India. (The Times)
Almeida Theatre
Nocturne By Adam Rapp
Director Matt Wilde
Set & Video Designer Lorna Heavey
Lighting Designer Tim Mitchell
Composer Phillip Neil Martin
Cast Peter Mcdonald
Preview Thu 31 July (6.30pm)
Preview Tickets £10 (£5)
Dates & Times Fri 1 Aug (9pm), Sat 2 Aug (11.15am), Sun 3 Aug (2pm), Tue 5 Aug (3.45pm), Wed 6 Aug (6.30pm), Thu 7 Aug (9pm), Fri 8 Aug (11am), Sat 9 Aug (1.30pm), Sun 10 Aug (3.30pm)
Tickets Sun - Thu £14 (concessions £10/unemployed £5), Fri & Sat £16 (concessions £11)
Early Bird Ticket Offer £11 (concessions £7/unemployed £5) on Fri 1 Aug when bought before Fri 18 July (subject to availability)
Captioned Performance Wed 6 Aug (6.30pm)
Audio Described Performance Tue 5 Aug (3.45pm)
A young man reeling from the tragic death of his younger sister flees to New York City. He takes an uneasy refuge in books and reinvents himself as a writer. Across the decade and a half that follows, the former piano prodigy tries to cope with the ramifications of the unimaginable event that tears his family apart and shatters the American dream.
Award-winning Adam Rapp is a novelist, playwright, screenwriter and filmmaker. His previous work include Finer Noble Gases, Blackbird, Stone Cold Dead Serious and Faster.
Nocturne features Peter McDonald whose previous stage credits include Glengarry Glen Ross (Apollo Theatre), Exiles and The Aristocrats (National Theatre), Resurrection Blues (Old Vic), The Lieutenant of Inishmore (Garrick Theatre) and The Wexford Trilogy (Tricycle Theatre). Music for this one man play has been commissioned from award winning composer Phillip Neil Martin, who most recently has been Music Creator in Residence at the Royal College of Fashion.
Website www.almeida.co.uk
A brilliant, terrifying, perceptive, occasionally funny play... Bold, daring and successful. ( New York Post On Nocturne )
Lushly poetic, full of the kind of quirky detail you’ll find in Cormac McCarthy or William Gaddis. (Time Out New York on Nocturne )
One of the world’s great theatres. (The Times On Almeida Theatre)
Sherman Cymru
Deep Cut By Philip Ralph
Director Mick Gordon
Designer Igor Vasiljev
Lighting Designer Andrew Jones
Sound Designer Mike Furness
Preview Thu 31 July (9pm)
Preview Tickets £10 (£5)
Dates & Times Fri 1 Aug (11am), Sat 2 Aug (1.45pm), Sun 3 Aug (4.30pm), Tue 5 Aug (6.15pm), Wed 6 Aug (9pm), Thu 7 Aug (11am), Fri 8 Aug (1.30pm), Sat 9 Aug (4pm), Sun 10 Aug (6pm), Tue 12 Aug (9.15pm), Wed 13 Aug (11am), Thu 14 Aug (1.30pm), Fri 15 Aug (4pm), Sat 16 Aug (7pm), Sun 17 Aug (9pm), Tue 19 Aug (11am), Wed 20 Aug (1.30pm), Thu 21 Aug (4pm), Fri 22 Aug (7pm), Sat 23 Aug (9.15pm), Sun 24 Aug (11am)
Tickets Sun - Thu £14 (concessions £10/unemployed £5), Fri & Sat £16 (concessions £11)
Early Bird Ticket Offer £11 (concessions £7/unemployed £5) on Fri 1 Aug when bought before Fri 18 July (subject to availability)
“Passing Out. Fantastic. Best day. Nothing’s ever come close. All your mates around you and you’re looking forward to your next step and our next step was Deepcut.”
18 year old Private Cheryl James from Llangollen was one of four young soldiers who died from gunshot wounds at Deepcut Barracks between 1995 and 2002.
Cheryl’s parents wanted answers from the people responsible for their daughter’s care. But how do you begin to grieve when no-one seems to have a proper explanation? What would give you the determination to continue asking awkward, demanding questions?
“Don’t embellish. Don’t exaggerate. Tell the truth. Stick to it.”
Taken from original source material and powerful first hand testimonies, Deep Cut is a bold and compelling account of one family’s journey through a time they thought they’d never experience, to places they hoped they’d never be.
Website www.shermancymru.co.uk
Unmissable drama - which promises much for the future of new writing company Sherman Cymru. (The Guardian on The Almond And The Seahorse )
Ontroerend Goed, Kopergietery & Richard Jordan Productions
Once and for all we’re gonna tell you who we are so shut up and listen
Director Alexander Devriendt
Designer Sophie De Somere
Text Joeri Smet & Alexander Devriendt
Preview Tue 12 Aug (11am)
Preview Tickets £10 (£5)
Dates & Times Wed 13 Aug (1.30pm), Thu 14 Aug (4pm), Fri 15 Aug (6.30pm), Sat 16 Aug (9.30pm), Sun 17 Aug (11am), Tue 19 Aug (1.30pm), Wed 20 Aug (4pm), Thu 21 Aug (6.30pm), Fri 22 Aug (9.30pm), Sat 23 Aug (11am), Sun 24 Aug (1.30pm)
Tickets Sun - Thu £14 (Concessions £10/Unemployed £5), Fri & Sat £16 (Concessions £11)
Early Bird Ticket Offer £11 (concessions £7/unemployed £5) on Wed 13 Aug when bought before Wed 30 July (subject to availability)
“We’re gonna do a play about teenagers
but about a lot more than teenagers
who feel like teenagers during their teens:
about the utter chaos in our heads,
the urge to go far too far, pimples
and dozens of other topics that will enrich your lives
We’ll pull down the barriers between the way we are onstage and off
We’ll update the definition of puberty
We get on your nerves, but for once you’ll understand why.
We will make all other art on puberty superfluous
You’ll think we’re super cool.”
From the creators of the 2007 Fringe First Award winner The Smile Off Your Face, comes Once and for all we’re gonna tell you who we are so shut up and listen , a play that can only be performed by teenagers. It shows 13 youngsters who are rebellious, try to grasp themselves, behave aggressively, feel vulnerable, are cool, play like children, but are sometimes surprisingly adult.
Once and for all we’re gonna tell you who we are so shut up and listen is made possible by the support of the Flemish Government, the province of East-Flanders and the City of Ghent.
Websites www.ontroerendgoed.be
www.kopergietery.be
Radical and subtle, cleverly ambiguous and yet spontaneous. These are contradictory emotions that only adolescents are able to unite and they vibrate deep into the hall. Where there are adolescents who don’t consider themselves adolescents and adults long back for the time when they were adolescents but didn’t want to hear about it. An indispensable performance of a rare kind. (De Morgen)
Vox Motus & Tron Theatre
Slick by Jamie Harrison & Candice Edmunds
Directors Jamie Harrison & Candice Edmunds
Lighting Designer Simon Wilkinson
Sound Designer Graeme Sutherland
Costume Anna Scatola
Preview Tue 12 Aug (6.45pm)
Preview Tickets £10 (£5)
Dates & Times Wed 13 Aug (9pm), Thu 14 Aug (11am), Fri 15 Aug (1.30pm),
Sat 16 Aug (4.30pm), Sun 17 Aug (6.30pm), Tue 19 Aug (9.15pm), Wed 20 Aug (11am), Thu 21 Aug (1.30pm), Fri 22 Aug (4.30pm), Sat 23 Aug (6.45pm), Sun 24 Aug (9pm)
Tickets Sun – Thu £14 (concessions £10/unemployed £5), Fri & Sat £16 (concessions £11)
Early Bird Ticket Offer £11 (concessions £7/unemployed £5) on Wed 13 Aug when bought before Wed 30 July (subject to availability)
Lurking in the toilet pipes of a desolate tenement is an oily secret that is about to tear a tiny community apart. Literally.
At the centre of it all is Little Malcolm Biggar, a nine year old with a passion for his skateboard, a harrowing fear of his lunatic neighbours, and a growing suspicion that perhaps his parents do not always have his best interests at heart...
Vox Motus presents a host of outrageous characters in this explosive exposé of greed, materialism and exploitation. The company’s previous work includes the acclaimed productions How to Steal a Diamond, Glamour, Guts and Gravel. For Slick they have collaborated with script advisor Stephen Greenhorn (Sunshine on Leith, Passing Places, River City).
Dark, dirty and dynamically staged, this is not for those with a sensitive disposition! Compelling... ingenious. (The Scotsman on How To Steal A Diamond )
Inspiring. (The List on Glamour )
Traverse Theatre Company
Encounters
Da tes & Times
Encounter #1 Mon 11 Aug (2pm)
Encounter #2 Mon 18 Aug (12 noon)
Encounter #3 Mon 18 Aug (2pm)
Encounter #4 Mon 18 Aug (4pm)
Tickets £6 (£4) for each Encounter
E#1: The Directors’ Encounter
Mon 11 Aug (2pm)
Leading theatre directors Dominic Hill (the Traverse’s new Artistic Director and director of Fall this festival), Ben Harrison (Co-Artistic Director of Grid Iron and Director of The Tailor of Inverness this festival) and Indhu Rubasingham (director of Free Outgoing this festival) come together in conversation with leading arts journalist Joyce McMillan (of The Scotsman) to talk about their work and inspirations.
E#2 David Greig & Gordon McIntyre • Mon 18 Aug (12 noon)
Back in 2005 the Traverse Encounter event with playwright David Greig & musician Gordon McIntyre led to the development of Midsummer - the lo-fi musical that’ll be produced by the Traverse this Autumn. For 2008’s Encounter David, Gordon and actors will be strumming some songs and giving you a glimpse of the Edinburgh love-story’s scenes.
E#3 Ben Harrison • Mon 18 Aug (2pm)
Ben Harrison, leading director and trailblazer of site-specific theatre, explores his latest ideas. Ben is the award-winning Co-Artistic Director of Grid Iron and Director of Dutch theatre company MUZtheater. His numerous site-specific productions as a director for Grid Iron include Once Upon a Dragon, Decky Does A Bronco and The Devil’s Larder.
E#4 Zinnie Harris • Mon 18 Aug (4pm)
Award-winning writer Zinnie Harris explores the journey of ideas and texts that led her to her play Fall. Zinnie’s previous plays include Further Than The Furthest Thing (Tron/National Theatre), Solstice and Midwinter (RSC) and Nightingale and Chase ( Royal Court). As well as her playwriting she has also directed for theatre and most recently has written for screen (Spooks, Richard is my Boyfriend and Born with Two Mothers).
The importance of the Traverse is difficult to overestimate... without the theatre, it is difficult to imagine Scottish playwriting at all. (Sunday Times)
The festival’s most prestigious home of serious drama. (New York Times)
Director in Residency & Senior Playwriting Fellow Appointments
The Traverse is dedicated to supporting new writing. With the support of the Scottish Arts Council, we have recently made two important additions to our staff to further develop our work in this area.
Director in Residency - Cheryl Martin
This Autumn, Cheryl Martin will be joining the Traverse as Director in Residency. This post is possible with generous support from the Scottish Arts Council. Cheryl has been based at Contact Theatre in Manchester for the last three years as Associate Director responsible for New Writing/New Work. She is also a performance poet and playwright, and ran a diverse and exciting programme of RAW Jams and Artists Labs at Contact as part of their new work development. We’re greatly looking forward to working with her as a director at the Traverse.
Senior Playwriting Fellow - Zinnie Harris
The Traverse Theatre is delighted to welcome leading playwright Zinnie Harris as our Scottish Arts Council Senior Playwriting Fellow for 2008 - 09. Zinnie’s latest production Fall is at the Traverse during this Festival and her previous work includes Further Than The Furthest Thing (Tron/National Theatre), Solstice and Midwinter (RSC) and Nightingale and Chase ( Royal Court).
The Senior Playwriting Fellow post will continue to give the theatre a vital writer’s voice in guiding and supporting the Traverse’s development of playwriting in Scotland, and we’re looking forward to working with Zinnie to provide an exciting programme of events for writers and audiences.
Exhibition
Sally Pring
Title: Petrol
Sun 6 July - Sat 13 Sep 2008
Where & When
The exhibitions at the Traverse are available to view during normal Bar Café opening hours.
Buy Art
Ever wanted to own your own work of art? All the work displayed in the Traverse Bar Café is available for sale. If you’d like to attend any exhibition openings, please contact Kath Lowe on 0131 228 3223/kath@traverse.co.uk.
Want to exhibit?
Traverse Bar Café exhibitions present a range of up and coming artists’ work. If you’d like your work to be considered for exhibition, please contact Kath Lowe on 0131 228 3223/kath@traverse.co.uk. The Traverse Exhibition Programme is supported By Alliance Wines
Dazzle
Fri 1 - Mon 25 Aug 2008 (10am - Midnight)
Dazzle is back again for the Edinburgh Festival, with its usual blend of contemporary jewellery from all over the World. This year 47 designers will show over 2000 pieces and it continues to be the most successful exhibition of its type in Scotland.
Previous buyers at Dazzle include Susan Sarandon, Tim Robbins, Jim Broadbent, Joan Bakewell, Jon Snow, Dame Judi Dench, Dame Diana Rigg, Paul Merton and Dawn French. To find out more about Dazzle and see hundreds of pieces displayed online, visit their website at www.zone-d.com or telephone 0131 200 4858 or 07774 261682.
The most innovative work at incredible prices. ( The Times)
Traverse Bar Café
Have you discovered the Traverse Bar Café? Even when the theatre stops, it continues to perform:
Feed Me!
You can’t be expected to watch five shows a day on an empty stomach. The Traverse Bar Café will be offering our successful Festival menu with a mixture of hot and cold meals and snacks from first thing in the morning to last thing at night.
In Vino Veritas
This Festival we will be presenting a new improved wine list with help from our friends at Alliance Wine and Bairds. Slainte!
The Show Must Go On
This year we will be presenting live music in the Bar Café after the final show has finished in the theatres. Full details will be confirmed in mid July on the Traverse website.
Simply one of the best bars in Britain (The Observer)
Whether it’s a quick bite before a show, a late supper or sit-down lunch, the Traverse does it with some flair. A definite crowd pleaser. (The List Eating & Drinking Guide 2008)
Festival Opening Times
Sat 2 - Sun 25 Aug 2008
9.30am - 1am (Food Served Until 11pm)
Bookings & Information 0131 228 5383
Coming this Autumn at the Traverse
It might be tough to think beyond August when you’re in the middle of the Edinburgh Festival, but the Traverse has a packed programme ready for you this Autumn. We have three Traverse Theatre Company productions (featured on this page), plus our usual range of visiting artists presenting the best in new dance, theatre and workshops.
Full information will be available on the Traverse website (www.traverse.co.uk) in early September. You can contact our Box Office on 0131 228 1404 and ask to join our emailing list and then you can hear the good news first.
Traverse Theatre Company/Teatr Polski Bydgoszcz
Cherry Blossom
by Catherine Grosvenor in collaboration with Lorne Campbell, Mark Grimmer & Leo Warner
Previews Wed 24 - Fri 26 Sep
Dates Sat 27 Sep - Sat 11 Oct
A bold new multi-media theatre piece exploring ideas, myths and realities of migration and identity in 21st Century Europe. Following the Edinburgh performances, the production will then transfer to Bydgoszcz and Warsaw.
Traverse Theatre Company/National Theatre Of Scotland
Four Debuts
Directed by Dominic Hill, Vicky Featherstone & John Tiffany
Previews from Thu 23 Oct
Dates Fri 24 Oct - Sat 29 Nov
Four new plays by debut writers featuring Nasty, Brutish and Short by Andy Duffy, Cockroach by Sam Holcroft, Nobody Will Ever Forgive Us by Paul Higgins and The Dogstone by Kenny Lindsay.
Traverse Theatre Company
Midsummer
by David Greig
Previews Fri 24 - Sun 26 Oct
Dates Tue 28 Oct - Sat 15 Nov
A lo fi, indie musical love story by David Greig (Damascus; Outlying Islands) and Gordon McIntyre of Ballboy (The Royal Theatre; The Sash My Father Wore and Other Stories).
How to Book at the Traverse
Box Office Festival Opening Times
Thu 31 July - Sun 3 Aug 10am - 10pm
Tue 5 - Sun 24 Aug 9am - 10pm
(except Mon 4, Mon 11 & Mon 18 Aug 10am - 6pm)
How To Book
Traverse Box Office, Cambridge Street, Edinburgh, Scotland, EH1 2ED
www.traverse.co.uk
0131 228 1404
Remember, however you book your tickets, there are no fees if you use the Traverse Box Office.
Payment - We accept cash, cheques, Mastercard, Visa, Maestro, Delta, Solo and Visa Electron cards.
Ways To Save
Group Bookings – one free ticket for every 10 tickets purchased for the same performance, regardless of concession (ie the 11th ticket is free).
Early Bird tickets are available on selected performances and are subject to availability (see individual show pages for full information).
Concessions are available for students, under 18s, over 60s, members of entertainment unions, StagePass and Young Scot card holders. The Registered Unemployed concession is available for anyone in receipt of Jobseekers Allowance or Disability Living Allowance. Remember to bring proof of your concession status when you pick up your tickets.
Reservations
Unpaid reservations can be held for five days or until 1 hour prior to performance (which ever is the shorter period).
Latecomers
Please ensure that you allow sufficient time for your journey to the Traverse as latecomers will not be admitted.
Sold Out Performances
For performances that sell out in advance, a waiting list will be started one hour prior to the start time. This service is only available to personal callers at the Traverse.
Access at the Traverse
Level access, automatic doors at Cambridge Street entrance, lift with Braille signage and audible announcer, adapted toilets at ground and Traverse Bar Café levels, wheelchair spaces, assistance dogs welcome, infra red (headsets available from the Box Office) and induction loop systems.
To book a wheelchair space or for any further access queries/requirements contact Martin Duffield, Box Office Manager on 0131 228 1404/email boxoffice@traverse.co.uk.
Artlink offers an escort service to help people with disability to enjoy the arts - contact them directly at www.artlinkedinburgh.co.uk/0131 229 3555.
Audio Described Performances
Pornography Sun 10 Aug (1.45pm)
Fall Thu 14 Aug (6.30pm)
Nocturne Tue 5 Aug (3.45pm,)
Sign Language Interpreted Performances
Pornography Sun 10 Aug (1.45pm)
Fall Tue 19 Aug (6.30pm)
Captioned Performance
Nocturne Wed 6 Aug (6.30pm)
Copies of this brochure are available in Braille, large print and audio formats from the Traverse Box Office. Please contact us if you would like to join our mailing list to receive any of these formats in the future.