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Dateline: 1st November, 2005
The National Theatre of Scotland is raising the curtain on a new era in Scottish theatre with an ambitious and wide-reaching programme of work for 2006, Culture Minister Patricia Ferguson said today.
The first night – 25th February – will see nine productions, all created around the theme of Home, open simultaneously up and down the country, from Shetland, Stornoway and Caithness to Inverness, Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow and the Borders. These will be directed by our leading directors. Home is a free event with capacity dependent on the nature of each individual production.
The programme will surprise many insiders by the diversity and volume of works to be staged – from cutting edge new works to musicals, family shows, children’s theatre and the restaging of recent critically acclaimed works for Scottish audiences. Roam from the award-winning critically-acclaimed Grid Iron is a new site-specific production that will take the audience to Edinburgh Airport while the nation’s favourite Tutti Frutti will come to the stage for the first time ever in a new production of the much-loved 1980s TV drama. New versions of classic international drama, including Schiller, Strindberg and Arthur Miller are also on the menu.
Patricia Ferguson said, “The National Theatre of Scotland will be an international beacon for artistic excellence that will enrich Scotland’s cultural landscape.
“It will provide access for everyone in Scotland to experience theatrical work that stands shoulder to shoulder with the world’s best.
“We are a small country but we have big cultural and artistic ambitions, and the National Theatre of Scotland will exemplify that ambition with challenging, thought–provoking and groundbreaking material.”
Vicky Featherstone, Artistic Director of NToS said, “This is a historic occasion, representing a new beginning for theatre in Scotland which places us firmly on the world stage. We are proud to be continuing the tradition of excellence in Scottish drama, which has had such a profound impact on our culture over the past 50 years and more.
“I am delighted to announce this programme uniting what I believe to be the best and most exciting theatre with true accessibility and geographical spread across Scotland. We have world-class writers, actors and directors producing classic and contemporary works that will have wide appeal for different age groups, cultures and backgrounds. The common thread uniting all the productions is excellence, innovation and entertainment. This is an ambitious programme offering the breadth of experience that epitomises what theatre should be about.”
2006 National Theatre of Scotland productions will include:
NTS Unmissable brings outstanding Scottish theatre that NTS believes demands to be seen by a much wider audience, both nationally and internationally.
NTS Ensemble is an ensemble of six actors who will tour extensively to the smaller venues of Scotland, taking residency for a week in a community and performing three high quality plays (one family, one young adult and one adult production).
In addition there will be an extensive programme of projects by the learning and outreach arm, NTS Learn, the new work department, NTS Workshop and the NTS Young Company.
The opening night productions for February 2006 will form part of the NTS Home repertoire, and are yet to be announced.
Richard Findlay, Chairman of NTS, said, “This is a hugely ambitious and wide-ranging repertoire of works which is testament to the brilliance and hard work of the artistic team over the past year. Our raison d’être was to give a national and international platform to outstanding Scottish talent and that is exactly what this programme will deliver. Vicky has created a unique vision – uniting the best Scottish writers, actors and directors in new productions and re-interpretations of classic drama. I am thrilled to be Chairing the Theatre at this historic point in its development.”
Other theatre practitioners welcomed the launch of the inaugural programme, including James Brining, Chair of the Federation of Scottish Theatres, who said, “The launch of NTS is a historic day for Scottish Theatre. Many people have worked towards this moment over a number of years. I'm looking forward to the positive impact that NTS will have, not just by developing fantastic theatre accessible to people throughout the country but also by helping to develop the natural talents we have here in Scotland and raising the public's consciousness of the extraordinary power that truly world class theatre can have for us all.”
David Taylor, Head of Drama, Scottish Arts Council, added, “I congratulate Vicky and her team for pulling together such a rich and varied programme of activity. I am sure that the public, wherever they live, will respond positively to this exciting menu. It is tremendous to see such a strong and diverse team of artists involved: from the established professional through to the young graduate. The wind is set fair for the success of this project.” Please note that all three Archive indices are very long and will therefore take some time to download.
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