SpectreTown
Trailer by Yutsil Martinez and Aron Cairns
For promoters
If you are interested in booking this show, please contact Stoirm Òg at stoirm.og@gmail.com for show specs and fees.
The making of...
Production
August / September 2015,
Assembly Hall,
Edinburgh International Fringe Festival
and Scottish Tour
A co-production with Cumbernauld Theatre
Directed by Matthew Lenton
The cast was as follows:
Meg / Nan - Elspeth Turner
Doddie / Stanley - Mark Wood
Izzy - Bridget McCann
Music composed, arranged
and performed by Matt Regan
Design by Richard Evans
Lighting by Kai Fischer
Production Manager - Susan Martin
Stage Manager - Simon Cottrell
Producer - Aiyana D'Arcangelo
It was a privilege to build this production - to have the chance to work with and learn from Matthew Lenton, who is, I feel, one of the greatest directors around today. As a company of young and emerging artists, we all grew a lot throughout, and it was so exciting to feel the play develop and change through my talks with Matthew and through the rehearsal process, which was collaborative and rigorous. We felt that when we did our first public preview for audiences in Cumbernauld, we had created something moving and provoking, and it was a joy to share the story with an international audience at the Fringe, and local audiences around Scotland.
Below is some more info about how the piece was developed in its earlier stages. It's really thanks to the guidance and support we got from Cumbernauld Theatre, our co-producer and host theatre, that I had the opportunity to grow in this way as a writer. Huge thanks to Ed Robson, Tony Cownie, and all at Cumbernauld for their belief and encouragement.
Development
In March of 2014 Stoirm Òg became the Company in Residence at Cumbernauld Theatre. This was a wonderful opportunity to grow as a company, and to work together to bring a project to the stage in a way which would further establish the company in the Scottish theatre landscape. From the start of the year, I had been developing a new script along with director Emily Reutlinger, who is also a wizard at dramaturgy :-) In October of that year, the Emily led a massively useful and exciting week of development on the play, with actors, musician/composer Matt Regan, and other guest such as bothy ballad singer Scott Gardiner. At the end of the week we presented a work in progress at the Traverse Theatre, followed by a trip up to Alford to show it to some real Doric speakers! We were also joined on stage by wonderful North East poet and singer Sheena Blackhall It was a privilege to be able to do this, and I was grateful that we were supported in this development by Creative Scotland and Cumbernauld Theatre. Check out the clips opposite for a taster of what we got up to in development with the play...
Sharing at Traverse Hothouse. Featuring Lucy Goldie, Bridget McCann and Mark Wood. With music by Matt Regan and Elspeth Turner. Directed by Emily Reutlinger.
Bridget McCann talks about using Doric on stage, during sharing at Tullynessle and Forbes Hall, Alford, 2014.
This whole development period was crucial to my work on the play, and I am thankful to Emily, Matt, the actors, and all the others who helped, for all the focus and generosity they brought to the process. It was the rigour of all this which helped me to go on to write the next 12 drafts or so.... :-)