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Theatres
SCOTLAND
ON STAGE
Although
Scotland does not as yet possess a national theatre company, there is a long and
dazzling tradition of drama, innovative stage production and musical entertainment.
Following the legendary Duncan MacRae, Jimmy Logan and Stanley Baxter, many of
today's internationally famous names began their careers on a Scottish stage,
among them Sir Sean Connery, Billy Connolly, Ian Charleson, Hannah Gordon, Tom
Conti, Rupert Everett, Ewan McGregor, Robert Carlyle, Gregor Fisher and Elaine
C. Smith. For
a small country, there is no shortage of opportunity for budding thespians. Not
only are there the well-known city centre venues, but community theatre plays
a significant role in Scottish life. No
matter where you are, be it in the south west or in the far north, there is certain
to be something going on in the neighbourhood , for example: Dervaig,
10 km from Tobermoray on the west coast island of Mull, there is the Mull Little
Theatre (+44 (0) 1688 400 377. Box Office: +44 (0) 168 400 245. www.holidaymull.org/theatre/welcome/html). In
the Scottish Borders, try the Bowhill Little Theatre located at historic
Bowhill House, near Selkirk (+44 (0) 1750 20732), or The Wynd at Melrose
(+44 (0) 1896 823854). At
the heart of rural Perthshire is the Pitlochry Festival Theatre (www.pitlochry.uk.eu.org),
in its fiftieth year, with a season of well-chosen classic plays. You will not
be disappointed.
Centred annually on the Capital, the Edinburgh International Festival (www.eif.co.uk)
launched in 1947 during the month of August attracts audiences from all over the
world with its mix of high culture, music and drama, complemented by the diversity
of the Edinburgh Fringe (www.edfringe.com),
Jazz (www.jazzmusic.co.uk) and
Book (www.edbookfest.co.uk)
festivals, and the Edinburgh Military Tattoo (www.edintattoo.co.uk).
For the remainder
of the year, Edinburgh's six main theatres (www.edinburghtheatres.com)
provide an eclectic mix of programme ranging from stage musical and classic works
at the Royal Lyceum and opera and ballet at the Edinburgh Festival Theatre to
popular musical entertainment at the Playhouse and innovatory drama at the Traverse,
the King's, and Brunton. The Traverse Theatre, it is worth remembering, was the
first avant garde example of the genre in the UK. Glasgow,
Scotland's largest city, also has a great deal on offer, with venues ranging from
the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall and the 1,555 seat auditorium of the Theatre Royal,
home of Scottish Opera and the performing base of Scottish Ballet, to the more
radical Arches, Tron, Tramway, and the extraordinary Citizen's Theatre, founded
over thirty years ago by the Scottish playwright James Bridie. For those who love
the city's music hall tradition, there is the 1,800 seat Pavilion. Aberdeen,
the Granite City in the north east, is well represented, with touring companies
regularly appearing at His Majesty's Theatre, and innovatory work at the Aberdeen
Arts Centre and the Lemon Tree. In Dundee, the Dundee Repertory not only has its
own resident company, but a hugely successful Community Company, and in addition,
it provides a home for the Scottish Dance Theatre. In the Highland Capital of
Inverness, the Eden Court, situated on the banks of the River Ness, provides a
focal point for northern social life.
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