The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
The 306: Dusk
Perth Theatre, October 10 – 27
As we approach the end of a year that marked the centenary of the First World War’s finale, it’s also the beginning of a new phase for playwright Oliver Emanuel.
In 2012, alongside opera composer Gareth Williams, he set out to create a trilogy of works entitled The 306 (which represented the number of British soldiers executed by their own army) as part of a four-year programme of events under the 14-18 NOW umbrella.
Now, Oliver can reflect back on the three pieces (Dawn, Day and Dusk).
“It feels amazing in lots of ways to have got to this point. Looking around at the other works commissioned by 14-18 NOW, I was so impressed by the thought and artistry of the work,” he says.
It’s been about people looking not just at the known history, but at the stories that haven’t been featured so prominently in the past, so there have been stories about black soldiers and women and the politics of it all.”
The 306 trilogy has focused on how the country treated its soldiers back then and through to the present day, with Oliver believing that not as much has changed as you would think.
In 2016’s Dawn, the story looked at three condemned soldiers at the Somme Offensive, while last year’s Day charted the struggles of those women left to hold the fort on the home front.
Dusk brings the story bang up to date to tackle war remembrance, and includes the tale of a veteran from the Iraq conflict.
All three have made their debuts in the Perth area: Dawn in a Pitcairngreen barn, Day at the Station Hotel and now Dusk at Perth Theatre.
“Perth is significant in First World War history because of the incredibly long train station which was built that way so the troops could all board as they headed off to war, so we staged our second play at the Station Hotel,” says Oliver.
“I wanted to set the first play in a barn because the first thing that struck me when we visited the Somme was just how agricultural it is – you have a big crater and a cemetery there, but also a farmer on his tractor doing his regular work.”
Dusk, the trilogy’s conclusion, was always going to be performed in a traditional theatre setting, and features three actors (who can all sing), a string quartet, a choir and lots of multimedia. “I hesitate to say it’s unlike anything you’ll have seen before, but it is a bit different,” insists Oliver. “As an audience member I want to see things on stage that I’ve not seen before and to be surprised. We’ve been working on it for a long time and we want people to have a memorable experience. We’ve aimed to make something that’s not disposable but essential.”