Theatre school on stage
Two award-winning stage productions are set to be performed in West Lothian.
Theatre in Schools Scotland is touring two award-winning, internationally recognised productions to primary schools throughout Scotland this autumn.
And ‘Martha’, presented by Catherine Wheels Theatre Company and ‘Shopping for Shoes’ by Visible Fictions will visit Windyknowe Primary School, Bathgate, on August 29 and September 5.
Theatre in Schools Scotland is a new initiative, celebrated earlier this year at a launch event in Edinburgh, established to support and develop the provision of theatre in Scotland’s schools, with the ultimate aim of ensuring that every child in Scotland receives - at their nursery or school - a minimum of one performing arts production, per year, as a core part of their education.
The initiative has been created initially as a pilot project, which will expand over the next three years, exploring different models for touring theatre into schools.
Theatre in Schools Scotland is developed by Imaginate, the national organisation in Scotland, which promotes, develops and celebrates theatre and dance for children and young people and the National Theatre of Scotland, in partnership with leading performing arts companies/ organisations for children and young people; Catherine Wheels Theatre Company, Visible Fictions and Starcatchers.
This year Theatre in Schools Scotland is visiting approximately 25 local authorities and around 15,000 pupils in over 36 primary schools across Scotland will enjoy performances of ‘Martha’, presented by Catherine Wheels Theatre Company and ‘Shopping for Shoes’ by Visible Fictions.
‘Martha’ is directed by Gill Robertson and designed by Karen Tennent.
It stars Hannah Donaldson and Chris Alexander and was originally created by Gill Robertson, Andy Manley and Annie Wood.
It has been performed nearly 300 times since 2001 in Canada, USA (New York), Scotland, England, The Netherlands, China, Singapore and Australia. ‘Martha’ is a warm and funny show about a stubborn and eccentric woman who lives on her own by the sea and doesn’t want any friends. But one day a mischievous goose turns up and Martha’s life is never the same again.
‘Shopping for Shoes’ is written by Tim Crouch, directed by Douglas Irvine, is designed by Mark Leese and stars Sarah McCardie.
The play has toured North America, Canada, Ireland and Germany since 2007 and won the Victor Award at IPAY and the Brian Way Award.
‘Shopping for Shoes’ is a witty, fastpaced performance about Siobhan, who is passionately politically aware and Shaun who is passionate about his vast collection of shoes. A heartwarming tale of new found love, dog poo and shoes.
Theatre in Schools Scotland aims to ensure that all children in Scotland have the opportunity to access this world class children’s theatre in their own school.
The National Theatre of Scotland, currently celebrating its 10th birthday, has developed a unique model for touring high quality work and for creating innovative ways of touring the length and breadth of Scotland including hard to reach communities. Theatre in Schools Scotland will enable Scotland’s leading creators of children’s work to collaborate with the National Theatre of Scotland to share resources and deliver this vision across Scotland.
In addition to the performances, there will be resources available online for teachers. These will include show information; videos for teachers and children; post-show activities for teachers in the classroom and tools to help teachers and pupils evaluate the performances. These resources will be available from the 15 August 2016 at: theatreinschoolsscotland.com
Lawrence Fitzpatrick, executive councillor for education, West Lothian Council said: “This is a great opportunity for schools to have access to high quality theatre experiences from Scottish companies who produce work specifically for children and young people. Not only this, these companies have toured the world to critical acclaim so to have them in West Lothian is a fantastic opportunity for our pupils. Theatre engagements like these also help us to support the delivery of the Curriculum for Excellence.”
Craig Anderson, managing director at The Scottish Salmon Company, said: “We’re proud to be supporting this exciting cultural initiative, which will ensure children up and down the country are given the chance to experience the thrill of live, professional theatre performances.
“Playing an active role in the communities in which we live and work is really important to us and we’re proud to support Theatre in Schools Scotland and its ambition to enhance opportunities for youngsters across Scotland.”