Acclaimed drama heading to Strath
And Then Come the Nightjars tour finishes in Crieff
A major dramatic production is coming to the Strath.
Perth Theatre and Theatre by the Lake, Keswick are teaming up to bring Theatre503 and Bristol Old Vic’s production of And Then Come the Nightjars to venues from Cumbria to Crieff.
The critically acclaimed play by Bea Roberts will open at Keswick’s Theatre by the Lake, from April 3- 6 before touring throughout April culminating with its final night in the Strath capital at Strathearn Artspace.
Strathearn Artspace project leader David Campbell told the Herald: “We are delighted to have the opportunity to bring such an important play to Crief and take pride in giving people the opportunity to see such high quality work without having to travel to a major metropolitan area.
“We have previously hosted the National Theatre of Scotland and Eden Court Rep at Strathearn Artspace and are beginning to establish a good reputation with touring theatre companies as a venue.
“Our plan is to continue to develop our reputation so that we can attract an increasing number and range of first class performers and entertainers through our doors.”
Set in South Devon in 2001, And Then Come the Nightjars follows Jeff, a dairy vet with a problem and Michael, a cattle farmer, who is a problem. The two men have a begrudging respect for each other and a blossoming friendship based on sharing a fag, a nip of whisky and boisterous banter. But when foot and mouth sweeps through the British countryside, communities are thrown into chaos. Michael watches in grief stricken disbelief the shooting of his beloved cows. He also watches his friend brandish the gun.
By turns heart-breaking and hilarious, And Then Come the Nightjars is described as “a tender portrait of male friendship and a requiem to rural life”.
Directed by Paul Robinson and starring Finlay Welsh and Nigel Hastings, the poignant and uncompromising play was a winner of Theatre503’s inaugural international Playwriting Award in 2014.
Staged at Theatre503 in 2015, And Then Come the Nightjars was nominated for six Off West End Theatre Awards including Most Promising Playwright. Bea Roberts was also nominated for the Susan Blackburn Smith prize.
Bea, who grew up in Devon during the foot and mouth crisis, said: “I started writing Nightjars during the ten-year anniversary of FMD in 2011 because I felt attention needed to be paid to this devastating period in our countryside’s history.
“I hope people whose lives were affected by foot and mouth disease feel that their stories are being acknowledged and commemorated in some way even if their exact experience differs from our characters. It’s also a play about recovery and resilience and there’s some hope in that even if things don’t turn out as you might have wanted.”
And Then Come the Nightjars is part of Perth Theatre’s off-site programme, taking theatre out to audiences across the area while the historic venue is restored and redeveloped. The transformed Perth Theatre will open later in 2017.
Lu Kemp, artistic director for Perth Theatre said: “In the run up to Perth Theatre reopening later this year, we are taking theatre across Perthshire into village halls, in tents and school halls, on teacher’s desks. We want to meet our audience where they live and work. And Then Come The Nightjars is a brilliant, heart-breakingly funny play by a young writer with huge talent. ”
Strathearn Artspace in Crieff presents And Then Come the Nightjars on April 29 at 8pm.