1967. Alex and Mary are homers, sent from care homes in Glasgow to the islands - to live with a new family. Not a word of where they were going or why. A kind of holiday, they were told.

Wherever they go they feel as out of place as a herring in a pail, thrown into the kaleidoscope of island life: the teacher who barks at random in a strange language and looks straight through them; the Minister and his inexplicable penchant for Elvis; Andrena with her fetish for Hebridean delicacies. And the stranger living near the cliffs, who they are warned to stay away from.

When the Film Guild comes to their village they see a glimpse of a new world, but it doesn’t last: Alex, noisy as a tractor, pushes his new dad too far and is sent back to Glasgow into the care of - Mr Pig. The butcher. The Daddy of daddies. Stinking of disinfectant, rubber gloves and blood, Alex chops and chops and chops. But Mary, back on the island, has her own troubles, and once again Alex finds himself on the ferry, slicing through the black mirror of the sea.

Where is home now?

Poignant, fantastical, and unflaggingly hilarious, HOMERS is the first full-length play for the Traverse by Lewis writer Iain F MacLeod who wrote Alexander Salamander (the story of a Teenage Pyromaniac), as part of the Traverse's Highland Shorts show in 1999.

The Traverse is Scotland's New Writing Theatre and Homers marks the 10th anniversary of its annual Highland tour which has seen plays like Among Broken Hearts, Heritage, Lazybed and Knives in Hens performed throughout the whole of the country.


Gaelic version

Buidheann-Amharclainn an Traverse
Homers
le Iain F MacLeòid
première an t-saoghail

Roi-sheallaidhean Dhun-Éideann 5 - 8 Dàmhair
Taisbeanaidhean Dhun-Éideann 9 - 19 Dàmhair
Air chuairt 21 Dàmhair - 9 Samhainn

Oifis an Traverse 0131 228 1404
www.traverse.co.uk


Buidheann-Amharclainn an Traverse
HOMERS le Iain F MacLeòid

première an t-saoghail

air a stiùireadh le Philip Howard
air a dhealbhadh le Mary Robson,
solais le Renny Robertson
ceòl le Anna Mhoireach
cleasaichean: Alastair G Bruce, Stephen Docherty, Mary Gapinski, Annie Grace, Alasdair MacRath, Iain MacRath

Bha dhà no thrì homers eile anns a’ chlas, ‘s iad a’ cumail sàmhach. Bha iad air a bhith ann na b’fhaide na sinne. Bha gach rud m’an deidhinn a’ tarraing t’aire. Am blas a bh’aca. Cho cnàmhach ‘s a bha iad. Am fiamh ‘nan sùilean.

1967. ‘S iad “homers” a th’ann an Alex agus Mary, ‘s iad air an cur bho thaighean-cùraim ann an Glaschu suas chon nan eilean - a dh’fhuireachd le teaghlach ùr. Gun fhios aca càite no carson. Nàdar de shaor-làithean, chaidh ìnnse dhaibh.

Théid an tilgeil ann am breislich beatha nan eileanach: an tidsear a bhios a’ comhartaich air thuaiream ann an cànan coimheach, a bhios a’ coimhead dìreach trompa; am ministear ‘s e cho déidheil (ach carson?) air Elvis; Andrena ‘s i air a dalladh mu annlan nan eilean. Agus an strainnsear a dh’fhuiricheas faisg air na creagan, fear mu’n tugadh iomadach rabhadh dhaibh gun a dhol ‘na àrainn.

‘Nuair a thig am Film Guild do’n bhaile, chì iad sealladh air saoghal ùr, ach cha mhair e: tha Alex, cho faramach ri tractair, a’ sàrachadh ‘athair ùir cus, agus théid a chur air ais a Ghlaschu, far a bheil e a-nis fo chùram - Mr Pig. Am buidsear. Dadaidh nan dadaidhean. Le fàileadh bhuaithe de dhisinfectant, de mhiotagan rubair agus de dh’fhuil, tha Alex a’ gearradh ‘s a’ gearradh ‘s a’ gearradh...

Ach air ais air an eilean, tha a trioblaidean fhéin aig Mary, agus aon uair eile chithear Alex air an aiseag, a’ gearradh troimh sgàthan dubh na mara.

Càite bheil dachaidh a-nis?

Làn de dh’fhaireachdainn, de gheasagan agus de spòrs gun sguir, ‘s e HOMERS a’ cheud dealbh-chluich slàn do’n Traverse leis an sgrìobhaiche Leòdhasach Iain F MacLeòid, a rinn Alexander Salamander (sgeulachd mu Òganach air Bhoil mu Theinntean) mar phàirt de thaisbeanadh an Traverse Highland Shorts ann an 1999. A-measg obair eile Iain tha SALVAGE le Buidheann-Amharclainn TOSG (2000) agus Dannsa nan (reag le Dràma Nàisenta na h-Oigridh.

Chan eil mi airson gun toir iad air ais mi no sìon mar sin. Tha mi dìreach airson gum bi fios agam g’eil iad ... ann ... agus g’eil mise ann agus gur e am pearsa a th’annam am pearsa bu chòir dhomh a bhith agus nach i dìreach mearachd a th’annam. Nach i mearachd mhór uabhasach a th’anns a h-uile sìon de’n seo.


Mu’n Traverse

Tha Buidheann-Amharclainn an Traverse air a bhith a’ dol air chuairtean air feadh na Gàidhealtachd bho 1993, le deilbh-chluich ùra, agus proiseactan-sgrìobhaidh dlùth-cheangailte riutha. ‘S e ar miann cuairtean cho farsaing ‘s as urrainn dhuinn a ghabhail os làimh, agus am bliadhna-sa bithidh sinn a’ tadhal air grunn àiteannan a tha ùr dhuinn. Mar-thà ann an 2002 tha an Traverse air thadhal air Inbhirnis, Obar-Dheathain, Fìobha, Glaschu, Poll a’ Ghriuthain, Leeds agus Lunnainn, agus an ath mhìos nitear cuairt gu Stockholm agus Oslo.

‘S e an t-amharclann Albannach airson sgrìobhaidh ùir a th’anns an Traverse. Stéidhichte ann an 1963, bha e airson spiorad dàna deuchainneach Fhéis Dhun-Éideann a chumail a’ dol fad na bliadhna. Chaidh an t-amas seo a leasachadh ‘s a lìomhadh troimh bhith a’ daingneachadh a’ bharantais a bh’aca deilbh-chluich ùra le sgrìobhaichean-dràma Albannach agus eadar-nàiseanta a riochdachadh, agus troimh bhith a’ toirt làn-taic dhaibh, a’ leasachadh an cuid obrach fhad’s a bhiodh iad ri sgrìobhadh. Bho thòisich e, tha e air barrachd air 600 dealbh-chluich ùr a riochdachadh, agus tha e air a’ cheud chothrom a thoirt do dh’iomadach sgrìobhaiche as àirde cliù anns an dùthaich: Stanley Eveling, John Byrne, Liz Lochead, David Greig agus David Harrower. Ann an 2003 bithidh an Traverse a’ comharrachadh a 40mh bliadhna.

I don’t want them to take me back or anything like that, I just want to know that they… exist… and that I exist and the person I am is the person I should be and that I’m not just a mistake. That this isn’t all a huge mistake.