Scenes for Survival

We’ve loved co-producing two contributions to Scenes for Survival, the National Theatre of Scotland’s season of digital artworks created in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, in association with BBC Scotland, Screen Scotland, BBC Arts’ Culture in Quarantine project and Scotland’s leading theatre venues and companies. 

Each artwork was exceptionally created by a quarantine creative team, connecting remotely, made up of a performer(s), writer and director and filmed by the performers, from their personal spaces of isolation. Over 100 leading artists and creatives collaborated to create and release more than forty unique films. Writers include David Grieg, Liz Lochhead, Peter Arnott, Val McDermid, Robert Softley-Gale, Denise Mina, Frances Poet and performers include Maureen Beattie, Brian Cox, Julie Graham, Mark Bonnar, Lorraine McIntosh, Douglas Henshall, Moyo Akandé and many, many more.

Joseph Knight

Patrick Martins and Emma King perform an extract from May Sumbwanyambe‘s play, Enough of Him – directed by Justin Audibert, co-produced with Pitlochry Festival Theatre, where it was due to première in October. A true story, Enough of Him explores the life of Joseph Knight, an African man brought to Scotland as a slave by Perthshire plantation owner John Wedderburn, examining the dynamics of power between slaves and free men, servants and masters, husbands and wives.

Aleister Crowley Summons the Devil

A wickedly funny new short, written by Denise Mina, performed by Gordon Houston and directed by our Associate Director, Amy Liptrott, and co-produced with Pitlochry Festival Theatre. Sick of being scorned, young Aleister Crowley wants the world to know his name, even if he must summon the forces of Hell to do it! From his remote Highland mansion he begins to cast a mighty spell…

Alone

A third short, written and performed by Janey Godley was directed by another of our Associate Directors, Caitlin Skinner. Trapped at home with no company save for an adorable dog and a stubborn husband who just won’t be told what to do, a middle-aged woman offers a sobering and darkly funny glimpse into her lockdown experience.