Scottish theatre on Isle of Mull launches digital platform
Two short plays examining themes of love, imagination and connection will launch an exciting new digital season, ‘ Emergence’ for An Tobar & Mull Theatre.
An entirely online experience, ‘ Emergence’ will introduce a selection of newly filmed works of theatre, music and visual arts, direct from An Tobar & Mull Theatre in To berm ory. The introduction to this new digital season is two pieces of new writing, ‘ Strange Rocks,’ by Oliver Emanuel, and ‘ Undocumented’ by Anita Vettesse.
‘Strange Rocks’ tells the story of two strangers recounting their past to one another over one night, as they struggle to imagine what the future might hold. ‘ Undocumented’ is a story of hope and love as two people try to let go of the past.
“The plays will reflect issues and broader themes of what everyone has been going through this half a year, but also, they are hopeful stories about our need to connect. Hopefully, the output of the work will also feel like we’ve captured something of its time,” explained Beth Morton, Mu ll Theatre Director, who is directing both plays.
Beth said :“We were fortunate–our cast members area couple (acclaimed actors, Ashley Smith and Simon Donald son ), so they live together. At the st art of t he process we moved next door to the theatre, and the four of us( cinematographer and lighting designer Jamie Wardrop) formed a bubble. From a safety perspective, it was only ever the four of us at one time rehearsing and filming the plays together,” said Beth.
While ,“safety was always at the forefront of our mind,” Beth observed the experience has been richly rewarding for all involved. “I was brought on as the theatre director in April, when the world looked completely different. Our plans had to change rapidly . . . now, we’re just all so delighted to be back in the rehearsal room. We’re so grateful to be making work.”
While filming at Mull Theatre is by Jamie War drop working in the space, at An To bar the method of filming is ingenious, again ensuring the safety of those involved and optimising social distancing.
“We are using a remote filming production facility, which means people can come here and work, be filmed, but not have to meet with other people,” explained Gordon Maclean, CEO of An Tobar and Mull Theatre.
“We have five cameras that are manned remotely by a production team in Perth. They can move, pull focus, and the team can then do a live cut from Perth of the performance.”
Audience members are able to purchase tickets to the two-week run of‘ Strange Rocks’ and ‘ Undocumented’ through An Tobar & Mull Theatre’s website(www.c omar. co. uk). The show will be running from Tuesday, October13–Tuesday, October 27. Once a ticket is purchased, audience members will be able to watch a link to the show online for 24 hours.
The ‘ Emergence’ season will exhibit new Scottish art, theatre, and music. For updates and new details on future shows, keep an eye on their