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Paisley Arts Centre is one of Scotland’s most vibrant and exciting venues, programmed all year round with a diverse range of drama, dance, physical theatre, comedy, jazz, popular music and family events.
This small scale studio theatre is superbly equipped and provides one of the most intimate theatre spaces in Scotland.
A 158 seater theatre with cafe and bar, situated in Paisley. Eclectic range of performances and workshops.
PACE Youth Theatre was established in 1988. It is based at Spires Drama Studios and also presents work at other venues in Paisley, for young people aged 3-21.
Workshops take place at various times every week during school term time (approximately 33-34 workshops per year) and are run by our full team of drama, technical and musical staff. Workshops follow our unique new youth theatre syllabus programme, devised to increase confidence, communication, self-expression and performance skills, as well as being a great way to meet new friends and have lots of fun!
H-Arts provide high quality theatre, storytelling and creative writing experiences to inspire confidence and encourage creative expression.
Offering: Drama Workshops, Community Projects, Creative Writing Workshops, Bespoke Productions and Performance Pieces, Storytelling Sessions, Corporate Training Sessions, Script Writing and Theatre Direction.
H-Arts has worked with a wide range of participants, from tiny tots to older adults, in unique projects that aim to be as inclusive as possible. By gathering and sharing stories and bringing them to life, H-Arts encourages positive thinking, collaberation and personal progression. We design and facilitate creative arts projects.
Led by playwright, actor, director and facilitator, Karen Herbison who specialises in enabling and encouraging creativity & expression.
We were lucky to have Writer Raymond Burke chat to us about his play Cardinal Sinne, which is Glasgay! Festival 2014’s main commission. Read on, if you dare…
Tell us a little about your new show Cardinal Sinne?
Cardinal Sinne is a fictional character, the highest ranking Catholic clergyman in the country, respected and revered by all, but who has been abusing his position for many years. The play is set in his offices and chambers as he prepares to leave for the Rome conclave to help elect the next Pope. As allegations regarding his sexual conduct are revealed, he tries to lie, bully and coerce his way out of trouble but simply makes the situation worse.
What sparked the idea behind Cardinal Sinne?
Recently, when one of the most outspoken homophobes in the country was outed as a hypocrite who had been abusing younger men, we discussed the possibility of creating a biographical account. However because of the veil of secrecy that has been cast over events and ongoing investigations, it was more appropriate to create a fictional character, Cardinal Sinne, who is placed in a similar situation. This allowed us to compress the full story into less than two hours and present it as a twisted kind of farce.
Religion is far too easy a target for comedy and has just about been given its last rites as far as Scotland is concerned. Therefore it is the hypocrisy of senior members of the clergy rather than the belief system that is the main focus of the show. Although, the church, like many institutions and corporations, is undoubtedly guilty of protecting itself regardless of the pain and suffering it may cause to individuals.
How does the piece relate to sexual and religious taboos?
Organised religion is perhaps the main perpetrator of taboos concerning sexuality and, as western civilisation progresses, the inherent bigotry and homophobia are evermore obvious in contrast to the egalitarian attitudes of modernity. Paradoxically, the perpetration of homophobia may actually serve the church in a number of unexpected ways. As laity is inculcated with ideas of marriage and procreation in order to produce the next generation of believers, anyone with any unorthodox sexual preferences may find themselves drawn to a life of celibacy as a means of hiding their guilt.
The piece is a mix of ‘comic farce, serious soliloquy and ludicrous litany’; how do these elements work together?
Farce and soliloquy are uncomfortable bedfellows but we have chosen to adopt elements of these genres to represent the inherent duality of the main character. The show will thus on occasion cut sharply from comedy into prayer or litany. The external narrative will consequently portray the internal struggle of the Cardinal in the show as he tries to balance his beliefs with his own natural urges.
What other Glasgay! Festival events are you looking forward to?
Craig Hill. Since he’s always a good laugh. (And he’s from East Kilbride – which has a street named Craig Hill.)
Cardinal Sinne is showing at Tron Theatre Wed 22 Oct- Sat 1 Nov, as part of Glasgay! Festival 2014. Get your tickets now!
We are thrilled to welcome Stewart Laing, Artistic Director of Untitled Projects, as our first Glasgay! Festival 2014 Q&A blog. Stewart chats about revisiting Slope – Untitled Project’s first ever commission, originally produced in 2006 – and what to expect from this new production.
Tell us a little about your show Slope?
It is a play that Untitled Projects commissioned – the first play we ever commissioned – it is Pamela Carter’s first play; and when we originally produced it in 2006 it was the first time Pamela and I worked with each other. It is a really special play for me – I’ve wanted to come back to it for years now – to have another go – to spend some more time with these characters and these words.
Can you give us some background about the poets Paul Verlaine and Arthur Rimbaud and their love affair?
In 1871, Paul Verlaine was living with his young wife Mathilde and their small child in a bourgeois apartment in Paris. Arthur Rimbaud, a 19 year old poet, came into their lives and blew their marriage apart. Arthur and Paul ran away together and set up home as a couple in a flat in Camden Town, but that relationship in turn fell apart. The play explores the beginning, the middle and the end of this experimental relationship.
How will this production differ from the Tramway production of Slope in 2006?
The original production was played in one of the largest performance spaces in the uk – Tramway 2, which is the enormous gallery space at Tramway. This time we are playing the Citz Circle Studio and the Traverse Studio – which are really small spaces – so it will be more focused, more claustrophobic, more intimate. The audience will be very close to the action – and i’m hoping this will be exciting for the spectators and the actors.
Which taboos are explored in this piece?
The play is set in the 1870s – so in terms of taboos I think it is dealing with taboos of a past era – when it was not socially acceptable for men to have sex with each other and live with each other as partners and lovers.
What other Glasgay! Festival events are you looking forward to?
There are lots of artists I admire involved in this year’s festival – Ron Athey, Drew Taylor, John Byrne, Josh Armstrong, Al Pacino and Rosana Cade to name a few. So lots to look forward to.
Catch Slope as part of Glasgay! Festival 2014 at Citizens Theatre, Wed 12 – Sat 22 Nov 2014. Tickets on sale now!
Glasgay, SMHAFF and drew taylor present
HOWL[ing]
By Drew Taylor and Julia Doogan
“I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked, dragging themselves through the streets at dawn looking for an angry fix” – Allen Ginsberg, HOWL, 1955
HOWL[ing] is an epic poem for post referendum Scotland
Using beat poet Allen Ginsberg’s seminal piece “HOWL” as a basis…
We present a concert of words and music,
We present a concert of Yes and No
We present a concert of a changed national financial, mental and social health
We present a celebration of where we find ourselves now, and how,
…We feel about that
Written and directed by performance poet/theatre director Drew Taylor, performed by leading Scottish acting talent and accompanied by acclaimed Glasgow musicians Julia and the Doogans: HOWL[ing] is a performance constructed by old, responding to the new, reflecting the current view.
HOWL[ing] is supported by Glasgay! and the Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival. Following the success of 44 Stories [* * * * – The Scotsman] Drew Taylor’s exploration into performance poetry in contemporary theatre continues in HOWL[ing]: collaborating with rising musical stars Julia and the Doogans [recently featured on the Lip Service soundtrack] creating a new unapologetic epic poem for the stage.
PREVIOUS PRESS:
“a thrilling mix of burlesque, cabaret and agitprop that deserves to be seen again, and soon.” * * * * Joyce Macmillan, The Scotsman, on “44 Stories” July 2014
“the on-stage quartet excel in delivering everything from poetry to polemic by way of disco-swish” Mary Brennan, The Herald on “44 Stories” July 2014
“poetic masterpiece…utterly flamboyant, brutally honest and totally endearing” * * * * *
ThreeWeeks, Edinburgh 15/08/10 on Markus Makavellian’s International Order
“His voice is raw, clever and disturbing, and we will be hearing much more of it in years to come.”
Joyce Macmillan, The Scotsman, 26/10/09 on Markus Makavellian’s International Order
“A Glittering Colossus” * * * * Metro 22/08/10
Listings information:
Traverse Theatre Edinburgh, Thursday 16th October, 7.30pm, £8-£13 www.traverse.co.uk
Arches Theatre Glasgow, Tuesday 21st October, 7.30pm, £8/£10 www.thearches.co.uk
Performance last approximately 50 minutes
Editor’s Notes
DREW TAYLOR – writer/director:
Drew graduated from the RSAMD. A former performance poet Drew primarily works as a director. Drew has created performance for some of Scotland’s leading theatre and dance companies: Conflux, Untitled Projects, Glasgay!, CityMoves Aberdeen and Dance House. Centred in creating cross-art form dance and physical theatre, Drew’s recent credits include: “44 Stories” as part of the Commonwealth Games Culture Festival, “Number By Colours” [ANKUR / CCA], Associate Artist for “The Salon Project” [Untitled Projects / Traverse Theatre / Barbican / Citizens Theatre], “JAMP” at Watch This Space [National Theatre, London] and Theaterszene Europa [Studiobühne, Köln] and “8” by Dustin Lance Black [Glasgay!]. Drew is currently developing “South Cumburgh Green” with choreographer Jack Webb – a dance theatre love-letter to broken Britain.
Julia and the Doogans:
“All timid, lovely folk pop, Julia and the Doogans are as blissful and beautiful as a band can be. Ever evolving, and embracing new sounds and instruments, this collective is united by the voice of Julia Doogan – both hopeful and heartbreaking when the mood calls for it, and always welcome.”
Thomas Meek – The List
Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival:
Now in its eighth year, the Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival is one of Scotland’s most diverse cultural events, covering everything from music, film and visual art to theatre, dance, and literature. The annual festival takes place in venues across Scotland throughout October, aiming to support the arts and challenge preconceived ideas about mental health.
http://www.mhfestival.com/
VPT @ Glasgay!
WED 5 – FRI 7 NOV 2014, 7.30pm (doors open 7pm)
Rose & Grants
27 Trongate, Glasgow G1 5EZ
Tel 0141 552 7575
Tickets £8 inc glass of wine/soft drink
The Village Pub Theatre bring their motley crew of playwrights, actors and directors all the way from a pub in sunny Leith to a pub in sunny Trongate to present three evenings of fresh new writing. VPT @ Glasgay will present informal evenings of script in hand performances including new works by Colin Bell and James Ley and a evening of short works from some of Scotland’s most exciting playwrights.
VPT has quietly become a significant force on the theatre scene**** The Herald on Best of Village Pub Theatre
a brand new vortex of powerful theatrical activity in Edinburgh**** The Scotsman on Best of Village Pub Theatre
Wednesday 5th November, 7.30pm
GAY FAWKES NIGHT- An evening of VPT Shorts
VPT do what they do best with an evening of short plays inspired by fireworks, bonfires, political protest and LGBT issues, all supported by home baking, beer and fireworks inspired tomfoolery.
Thursday 6th November, 7.30pm
ALISON AND PAULO, DONALD AND PATRICK, FIONA AND ANYONE
by James Ley
Three hotel rooms in Nice. Retired widow Alison and young Italian stallion Paulo play a risky game of cat and mouse. Rich expat Donald and Alison’s son Patrick confront an inter-generational gulf in opinion on mixed-status partnerships, HIV testing and the joy of sex. Alison’s daughter Fiona spins the wheel and the latest in a long line of holiday strangers steps into her world.
Friday 7th November, 7.30pm
SAMSON
by Colin Bell
Samson has converted the family butchers shop he inherited into a display of phallological specimens. He needs one final piece to complete his collection… A play about masculinity and power from Colin Bell.
CARDBOARD FOX presents a double-bill
WED 29 OCT – SAT 1 NOV, 7.30pm (doors open 7pm)
Tickets £8 inc glass of wine/or soft drink
Limited tickets on sale at door from 7pm. Subject to availability.
ROSE & GRANTS
27 Trongate, Glasgow G1 5EZ
Tel 0141 552 7575
The Madness of Lady Bright by Lanford Wilson
It’s a hot evening in her New York City apartment, as ageing drag queen Leslie Bright peers into her mirror and is faced with her own mortality, while being haunted by the memories of those who she has loved and lost. Cardboard Fox Theatre Co. invites you to an intimate evening of theatre.
Mr & Mrs. Laughton
“Into his books, into his art. Into Himself .That was Charles, Charles Laughton”.
As the famed character actor prepares for his turn as King Lear, his wife Elsa Lanchester invites us into the intimate confines of their marriage. Through her eyes we see his rise as one of the brightest stars of Hollywood’s Golden Age, and the turmoil caused by living in a marriage based on a lie. Yet what these two fractured people found in each other, lasted thirty three years and on all accounts was a marriage of more than just convenience. Mr & Mrs Laughton, delves into the love we choose to accept and cherish when the heart yearns for something else, and the uplifting, and heartbreaking consequences found there in.
COLQUHOUN & MACBRYDE
By JOHN BYRNE
Directed by Andy Arnold
With Andy Clark & Stephen Clyde
Preview: WED 29 OCT, 2014, 8pm, £6
THU 30 OCT – SAT 8 NOV 2014, 8pm
Tickets £10 £7.50 conc)
TRON THEATRE, Changing House
63 Trongate, Glasgow G1 5HB
Tel 0141 552 4267
www.tron.co.uk
Fresh from artistic triumph in Glasgow, two painters swagger down to war-torn London’s Bohemia to take the art world by storm. After forcing galleries and critics to take notice of their brilliant post modernist paintings, they briefly become revered as the Gilbert and George of London’s art establishment. However, these two Roberts, partners and lovers, are also outrageous and flamboyant hedonists who are eventually shunned by the Capital’s chattering classes. And once out of control, there is only one way to go.
John Byrne idolised these two brilliant painters in his own Glasgow art school days and has written a fast-moving play crackling with fine art and foul profanities.
Illustration credit: John Byrne
CARDINAL SINNE
By Raymond Burke
Directed by Grant Smeaton
Designed by Veronica Rennie
Wed 22 Oct, Preview, 7.45pm
Thu 23 Oct – Sat 1 Nov, 7.45pm
TRON THEATRE, MAIN THEATRE
63 Trongate, Glasgow G1 5HB
Tickets
Tue-Thu £14 (Conc £10)
Fri-Sat £16 (Conc £12)
Tel 0141 552 4267
www.tron.co.uk
What dark secrets lurk beneath the scarlet robes?
Cardinal Sinne, is in the process of packing his bags to fly to Rome and help elect the next Pope. However, before he can leave, he is confronted by a journalist with some awkward questions regarding his own past carnal conduct. Things are further complicated when a Vatican representative also arrives to investigate similar allegations and a lapsed priest appears threatening to reveal all and have him defrocked.
With the help of an eager young seminarian and his loyal but sexually frustrated housekeeper, he endeavours to prove that he is a staunch heterosexual celibate.
A religious romp presented in a mix of traditional comic farce, serious soliloquy and ludicrous litany, ‘Cardinal Sinne’ will investigate the root and responsibility of institutions in their perpetuation of sexual inequality and bias.
A Glasgay! Commission
PHOTOCREDIT: NIALL WALKER
All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental!