West Coast Premire of 'Black Watch' at UCLA

By: Aug. 10, 2007
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UCLA Live's Sixth InterNational Theatre Festival kicks off with the U.S. debut of The National Theatre of Scotland in the exclusive West Coast premiere of Black Watch, the company's award-winning production about Scottish soldiers in Iraq beginning September 18, 2007.

Black Watch, written by Gregory Burke and directed by John Tiffany, is based on recent interviews with former soldiers who served in Iraq.  "The epic work goes beyond standard documentary and uses stunning visual imagery, heart-rending movement, tight action sequences and tremendous performances to capture the human stories that lie beneath the politics," state press notes.

"Blending comedy, pathos, politics and song, the production delivers a raw yet lyrical look at Scotland's legendary 300-year-old Black Watch regiment. Ironically, the regiment's disbandment was announced in 2004, the same week its 800-man battalion was deployed to Iraq to replace 4,000 U.S. Marines in the so-called "triangle of death," one of the country's bloodiest areas."

An all-male company of eight actors portrays the soldiers—the crew of a single armored vehicle—who tumble through the rich legacy of the Black Watch's famous red-plumed warriors and in and out of the regiment's changing uniforms. In a single sequence, three centuries of Black Watch history are played out on a red carpet; with associate director Steven Hoggett's seamless choreograpy, one soldier is successively dressed by his mates in the garb of 1739, the uniform of Waterloo, and the kilt apron of the World War I trenches.
 
Informed by real-life experiences, as told by Black Watch soldiers, Burke's script uses verbatim material to capture the gallows humor, camaraderie, machismo and tenderness of the men. The cast underwent punishing training sessions led by a former regimental sergeant-major to ensure the authenticity of every word and visual detail. Sound designer Gareth Fry weaves the Black Watch's traditional pipe tunes and songs throughout the action, which is also punctuated by video images projected on giant screens.
 
Designer Laura Hopkins exercises utilitarian economy, making a pool table, set in the stark, hangar-like space of a disused drill hall, into a desert floor ripped open by buried soldiers and then turning it into an armored truck, telescoping the sense of claustrophobia in the intense Iraqi heat while linking the soldiers to their roots.
 
Since its launch in February 2006, The National Theatre of Scotland has created more than 30 productions and produced more than 50 pieces in over 80 different locations. With no building of its own, the company brings theater to Scotland and beyond, working with existing and new venues, as well as site-specific locations, such as indoor soccer arenas, schools and cathedrals.
 
Black Watch was first performed in August 2006 in Edinburgh and is the first National Theatre of Scotland production to tour internationally. Its second U.S. engagement is in October at St. Ann's Warehouse in New York.

Performances of Black Watch run through October 14, 2007 at UCLA's Freud Playhouse.  Tickets range from $46-$38 and can be purchased online at www.uclalive.org or by calling 310-82502191.  The Freud Playhouse is located in Magowan Hall on the UCLA campus in Westwood.

Photos by Manuel Harlan - (Top) Brian Ferguson and Emun Elliott; (Bottom) Emun Elliot, Ryan Fletcher and Brian Ferguson.



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