Greek tragedy, war drama and the return of The James Plays
Established in 2006 the National Theatre of Scotland are set to celebrate ten dramatic years on the stage. Their birthday year will see the company tour extensively through Scotland showcasing established works and new collaborations.
In February The James Plays sets off a five month tour. Written by Rona Munro and directed by Laurie Sansom the trilogy explores the lives of three generations of Stewart kings, all named James, James I: The Key Will Keep The Lock, James II: Day of the Innocents and James III: The True Mirror. The three kings are played by different actors Steven Miller (James I), Andrew Rothney (James II) and Matthew Pidgeon (James III). The play will visit eleven venues across the UK and you can opt to see one play or indulge in a triple bill.
The world premiere of I Am Thomas, a brutal comedy with songs, takes place in Liverpool in February before visiting Salford, Salisbury, Edinburgh and Inverness. I Am Thomas is based on a short story by James Robertson and uses Told by an Idiot’s trademark anarchic physicality to find the black humor in the true story of Scottish student Thomas Aikenhead, the last person executed for blasphemy in Edinburgh. The show features original lyrics by poet Simon Armitage and is a first-time collaboration between The Lyceum, the National Theatre of Scotland and Told by an Idiot.
Both a world premiere and a trilogy This Restless House is based on Aeschylus’ The Oresteia. Written by Zinnie Harris it is directed by Dominic Hill and arrives at the Citizens Theatre, Glasgow in April. The Oresteia is a greek tragedy so expect plenty of betrayal, murder and revenge as a family is torn apart. The series consists of Part 1 Agamemnon’s Return, Part 2 The Bough Breaks and Part 3 Electra and her Shadow. Audiences can see all three plays over the course of two evenings or attend special trilogy days.
The National Theatre of Scotland then head to Dalcrue Farm barn in the Perthshire countryside in May for new musical theatre work The 306: Dawn. Directed by Laurie Sansom, written by Oliver Emanuel and composed by Gareth Williams it charts the journey of three of the 306 British soldiers who were executed for cowardice, desertion and mutiny during World War I. The 306: Dawn will open with a special dawn performance during the Perth Festival of Arts.
Musical play Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour, which premiered at the 2015 Edinburgh Fringe has runs in Dundee, Newcastle and Ireland before getting it's London premiere in August. Adapted by Lee Hall from Alan Warner's novel The Sopranos, it's directed by Vicky Featherstone and features a stellar cast, so good they bagged a spot on our Hot 100. Our Ladies follows six catholic school girls dealing with love, lust, pregnancy and death on a school trip to the capital.