National Theatre Of Scotland Announces New Digital And Streamed Theatre Projects

The National Theatre of Scotland is set to continue its new work over the coming months, with an innovative mix of streamed theatre and digital projects, including two new productions from leading Scottish creatives Hannah Lavery and Adura Onashile, both addressing urgent contemporary and historical issues around race in Scotland today.

While theatres remain closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Company will continue to produce dynamic creative projects, offering entertainment and participation for audiences and ongoing employment for artists over the next six months.

Highlights from the digital strand will include a new dramatic podcast, a musical celebration of Oliver Emanuel and Gareth Williams' powerful The 306 Trilogy, the return of Theatre in Schools Scotland, the announcement of three new Associate roles within the Company, and more.

The National Theatre of Scotland is re-opening its rehearsal and technical centre, Rockvilla on the Forth and Clyde Canal in North Glasgow for limited access including socially distanced rehearsals of the Company's work from October 2020.

The National Theatre of Scotland will also offer a special festive programme in December, as part of its digital strand, with full details to be announced shortly. The Company is planning on returning to Scotland's theatre buildings with major tours of work across Scotland from Spring 2021.

Jackie Wylie, National Theatre of Scotland Artistic Director:

"The National Theatre of Scotland, as a theatre without walls, continues to adapt its model and innovate to ensure we can continue to connect with audiences across Scotland and beyond over the coming months, whilst theatre auditoriums remain closed.

What theatre as a medium can do best is react to the issues facing us a nation. I am pleased to announce that we will be bringing two important pieces of work to theatrical life; both speak urgently to the times we are living in by exploring current and historical issues of race, identity, and social justice, as well as blending the live experience through digital platforms. Lament for Sheku Bayoh, led by Hannah Lavery, will be streamed with partners the Lyceum Theatre and Edinburgh International Festival from the Lyceum's stage, while Adura Onashile's Ghosts will be experienced by audiences via their smartphones on a live walk through Glasgow's Merchant City.

We are also offering online dance clubs for elders, digital theatre with live interaction for school children, podcasts, a profound new music album for Remembrance Day, and other exciting digital and educational partnerships.

It gives me great pleasure to announce the appointment of three new creative associates with the Company: Hannah Lavery, Johnny McKnight and Wezi Mhura. Creating work for freelancers and artists remains a priority in these challenging times for the theatre industry in Scotland.

Partnership now, more than ever, is of vital importance to us and we continue to work side by side with theatres and other like-minded organisations in Scotland to offer unity and strength in our joint creative endeavours."

STREAMED THEATRE

Hannah Lavery's theatrical exploration of race, identity and the death of Sheku Bayoh in police custody in 2015 will be performed live on stage at Edinburgh's Lyceum Theatre and streamed to audiences at home on 20 and 21 November 2020. A National Theatre of Scotland, Edinburgh International Festival and Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh co-production,

Written and Directed by acclaimed spoken word artist and theatre-maker Hannah Lavery, Lament for Sheku Bayoh was originally commissioned and presented as a rehearsed reading by the Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh, supported by the Edinburgh International Festival as part of the 2019 International Festival's You Are Here strand.

Soon after 7am, on a Sunday morning - May 3rd, 2015, Sheku Bayoh, a 31-year-old gas engineer, husband and father of two died in Police custody on the streets of his home town of Kircaldy, Fife.

Lament for Sheku Bayoh is a personal response to this tragedy, an expression of grief for the loss of the human behind the headlines and a non-apologetic reflection on identity and racism in Scotland today.

A LIVE IMMERSIVE AUDIO-VISUAL EXPERIENCE

Ghosts, a brand-new multimedia project written and directed by leading Scottish theatre-maker Adura Onashile, takes the form of an emotional guided tour through a bespoke augmented reality app.

Featuring work from immersive media artists Brightside Studios, audience phones will become a portal into the story of a boy who ran from captivity in 18th Century Glasgow, as he leads them on a powerful journey of over 500 years of resistance through the streets of the Merchant City down to the River Clyde.

Originally set to be part of the Company's COVID-19 affected 2020 season, Ghosts has been reimagined and will be available for download and to experience in the streets of Glasgow from 26 February to 12 March 2021.

DIGITAL STRAND

The National Theatre of Scotland has adapted to the new COVID-19 landscape with the creation of an inventive, ongoing digital programme. Over the lockdown period (from May to September) this programme achieved more than 16 million audience views online. Over the next six months this online programme will take many forms and engage diverse audience groups, offering entertainment, inspiration and education.

Two music albums, a dramatic podcast, and a special partnership with British Council and Scenes for Survival will be served up to online audiences from October 2020 to March 2021.

The Portal, a new dramatic podcast collaboration between Martin Green, Wils Wilson, and David Greig, has seen the first of 12 episodes released from 25 September. An album of original music from the project, including Martin Green's score and contributions from a host of leading music artists, was also released on 25 September. Commissioned and presented with National Theatre of Scotland, Edinburgh International Festival, Southbank Centre, Oxford Contemporary Music, Bristol Music Trust, Shetland Arts, The North Wall, MacArts Galashiels and funded by Creative Scotland.

Lost Light, an album of music from Gareth Williams and Olly Emanuel's powerful The 306 trilogy of musical plays, commemorating the men executed for cowardice and treason during the First World War, will be released to mark Remembrance Day on 11 November. A National Theatre of Scotland recording co-commissioned by 14-18 NOW, WW1 Centenary Art Commissions.

National Theatre of Scotland's innovative Scenes for Survival project will also be celebrated as part of the British Council's 2020 UK/Italy season 'Being Present'. In partnership with the renowned arts theatre Triennale Milano Teatro, a selection of highlights from the series will be shared online, exploring lockdown life in Scotland over the past six months. Scenes for Survival was created in association with BBC Scotland, Screen Scotland, BBC Arts' Culture in Quarantine project and Scotland's leading theatre venues and companies, with support from Hopscotch Films.

CREATIVE ENGAGEMENT

Theatre in Schools Scotland will return for the 2020/21 school term, finding imaginative new ways to bring the magic of live performance into Scotland's primary schools this year. The Company will also contribute to two new projects aimed at school pupils over the coming months, Arts Alive, for the Scottish Book Trust, Digital Direction in partnership with the Edinburgh International Festival as well the ongoing Social Dance Clubs for the LGBTI+ community, in partnership with All the Queens Men.

NEW ASSOCIATES

Johnny McKnight (writer, director and performer) and Hannah Lavery (spoken word artist and playwright) have been appointed Associate Artists with the Company, and Wezi Mhura has recently joined the Company in the role of Creative Associate.

Wezi Mhura is working on a research and development project with the Company, commissioning artists to exploring the creation of socially distanced theatre.

They join artists and theatre-makers Cora Bissett and Stewart Laing as Associate Artists with the Company. Cora Bissett's productions for The National Theatre of Scotland include Adam, Interference, Glasgow Girls and Rites and most recently Stewart Laing created the multimedia performance, art and installation project Them! at Tramway, Glasgow.

FULL PROGRAMME INFORMATION

The National Theatre of Scotland presents

GHOSTS

Written and directed by Adura Onashile

With Niroshini Thambar (Sound Design), Adebusola Ramsay (Researcher), Bright Side Studios (Immersive Media Artists), Zoë Charlery (Creative Researcher), Claricia Parinussa (Creative Producer).

Available for download from 26 February 2021 to 12 March 2021

A young boy in 18th Century Glasgow, leads us on a powerful journey of over 500 years of resistance through the streets of the Merchant City down to the River Clyde.

Audiences are invited to download a bespoke app, to plug in their headphones, and immerse themselves in this AR experience exploring the myth of the collective amnesia of slavery and racialised wealth, of empire and identity, and of being lost and found in space and time.

Using extraordinary visuals and music, Ghosts will take audiences on a physical and emotional journey, walking through the heart of modern Glasgow. A lament to lives lost and an impassioned call to action in the present day.

Lead artist Adura Onashile has worked with researcher Adebusola Ramsay, composer Niroshini Thambar, historian Dr Peggy Brunache and developers at immersive design outfit Brightside Studios to explore the legacies of Glasgow's past through augmented reality combined with stunning projection mapping to tell an urgent and essential digital story about the city.

The story at the heart of Ghosts was inspired by adverts placed in newspapers for the capture of escaped enslaved people in Glasgow and the rest of Scotland in the 17th and 18th centuries. These adverts have been collated in the "Runaway" Slavery project, which has seen the creation of a searchable archive of hundreds of real newspaper advertisements that were published by the city's slave-owners seeking, and often rewarding, the capture and return of the enslaved people who had escaped their service.

Glasgow has begun to acknowledge its former ties to the slave trade. Last year the University of Glasgow became one of the first educational institutions in the United Kingdom to attempt to openly atone for its historical links to the slave trade, announcing that it would pay £20 million as part of a restorative justice scheme.

Adura Onashile has been developing the idea for Ghosts for about seven years. She had always envisioned it as an intimate project that would involve walking through Glasgow's built heritage.

More recently the use of phones in Ghosts, through which audiences will experience the work, has become more prescient, with smartphones having become instrumental both as tools of protest and in galvanising of social justice movements across the world.

Lead Artist Adura Onashile:

"The boy that audiences will follow is our attempt to make real, over 500 years of history, rebellion, resistance and protest. When he ran away from his master on that day in the 17th century, he started a process that continues today.

We don't know what happened to him, whether he was captured, and history hasn't afforded him a name or presence. But this is our attempt at saying that he existed, and though we can't be sure whether he ever found the refuge he was seeking, this is my way of putting his ghost to rest."

Adura is an award-winning Glasgow based writer, actor and director whose work is known to Scottish audiences, and has toured to India, Brazil, Trinidad, Jamaica, South Africa, Zimbabwe and New Zealand. Her debut as a film maker, Expensive Shit will premiere as part of the BFI London Film Festival from 07 to 18 October 2020.

Ghosts is also creatively supported by Alberta Whittle as Research Artist Consultant, Zoë Charlery as Creative Researcher and Claricia Parinussa as Creative Producer.

WORLD PREMIERE

A National Theatre of Scotland, Edinburgh International Festival and Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh co-production

Lament for Sheku Bayoh

Written and Directed by Hannah Lavery

Associate Director Caitlin Skinner and Designer Kirsty Currie

A young black man lost his life. In Scotland. Five years ago. Soon after 7am, on a Sunday morning - May 3rd, 2015, Sheku Bayoh, a 31 year-old gas engineer, husband and father of two died in Police custody on the streets of his hometown, Kircaldy in Fife.

Lament for Sheku Bayoh is a personal response to this tragedy, an expression of grief for the loss of the human behind the headlines and a non-apologetic reflection on identity and racism in Scotland today.

Performed on the Lyceum theatre's stage and streamed to audiences at home, Lament for Sheku Bayoh urgently questions, is Scotland really a safe place?

Three performances of Lament for Sheku Bayoh will be streamed on 20 and 21 November 2020 and made available to a paying audience. Viewers will be able to buy tickets to watch performances from either The National Theatre of Scotland or the Lyceum Theatre's website.

After Sheku Bayoh lost his life in 2015, his family launched a campaign seeking justice and answers about the manner of his death. In 2019 it was announced that a judge-led inquiry into the case would be held, with a view to establishing the circumstances behind the case. Earlier this year it was announced that the remit for the inquiry would include examining whether Mr Bayoh's "actual or perceived race" had played any part in his death.

Written and Directed by acclaimed spoken word artist and theatre-maker Hannah Lavery, Lament for Sheku Bayoh was originally commissioned and presented as a rehearsed reading by the Lyceum Theatre, supported by the Edinburgh International Festival as part of the 2019 International Festival's You Are Here strand.

Writer & Director Hannah Lavery

"I hope that Lament for Sheku Bayoh will be the beginning of a journey for audiences; that it will leave them with questions that they want answered and that it will give them an energy to pursue a better Scotland. And for some of us it will be an opportunity to be seen and heard and to have an experience and a knowledge of this country shared.

I think it's important for us to be able to talk about Scotland in an honest way, and to not turn our head away from the things that might feel uncomfortable or challenge the idea we have of ourselves. It's important for us all to see Sheku Bayou as a human being-hugely loved, full of promise and with dreams for his future- to take a moment to really mourn his loss."

Hannah Lavery is an acclaimed spoken word artist and playwright. Most recently she created Disco with Mum for the Company's Scenes for Survival series and her acclaimed autobiographical solo show, The Drift about identity, belonging and grief produced by The National Theatre of Scotland toured Scotland in 2019 and was featured as part of Ghost Light, for the Edinburgh International Festivals' My Light Shines On programme in 2020.

This is lovely, resonating writing, performed with an enthralling, warm confidence. Moving, charming, chastening, it is precisely the kind of work for which our National Theatre of Scotland was created." Sunday Herald on The Drift

Available to view on 20 November (8pm) and 21 November (1pm & 8pm) nationaltheatrescotland.com and lyceum.org.uk

Tickets are available on a Pay What You Can scale from £5 to £25 -Booking: nationaltheatrescotland.com/lamentforshekubayoh

Commissioned and presented with National Theatre of Scotland, Edinburgh International Festival, Southbank Centre, Oxford Contemporary Music, Bristol Music Trust, Shetland Arts, The North Wall, MacArts Galashiels and funded by Creative Scotland.

The Portal

A 12-episode fictional podcast - available on Apple Music/Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts and all good podcast platforms free of charge from 25 September.

With original score and story by Martin Green; Directed by Wils Wilson, Sound Design by Eloise Whitmore and Dramaturgy by David Greig

Cast includes Dylan Read, Anna Russell Martin & Alison Peebles

With contributions from James Holden, Radie Peat, Brìghde Chaimbeul and Kate Young

Lose yourself in a story of obsession, 40 years of nightlife and 4,000 years of human connection. In The Portal, Martin Green, Wils Wilson, and David Greig have woven together a tale of love, music, drugs and deceit over 12 episodes, being released on Apple Music/Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts and all good podcast platforms free of charge from 25 September 2020, with two episodes be released every Friday until 30th October.

A story where two obsessive sound-recordists, and lovers torn apart by circumstance; Etteridge and Angela left us the most incredible collection of 20th century documentation ever made.

From 1947 to 1988 they never met. They recorded any and every aspect of London nightlife, from war-time dance-halls to the legendary M25 raves. But these recordings never saw the light of day until they were discovered in 2016.

Why did they keep these tapes secret? Because for 40 years these parted lovers had been leaving messages for each other in these recordings, a dark, dark story left for us to piece together.

The Portal has been created by Martin Green, winner of the Ivor Novello Award for composing in 2019 for Aeons, a sound installation that was part of the Great Exhibition of the North, in collaboration with Opera North. Martin is best known as one third of the folk trio, Lau. This dark tale is not a true story, but a fictional podcast inspired by moments in Martin's childhood.

The cast includes Dylan Read as Etteridge, Anna Russell Martin & Alison Peebles as Angela.

The Portal has been created by Martin Green working in collaboration with a fantastic creative team. The podcast is directed by Wils Wilson, who has created performances for The National Theatre, National Theatre of Scotland, The National Theatre of Wales, Bristol Old Vic and the Royal Lyceum in Edinburgh amongst many other critically acclaimed productions. Dramaturgy is by David Greig, the multi award winning writer and Artistic Director of The Royal Lyceum in Edinburgh who has written work for Royal Shakespeare Company, Paines Plough, Edinburgh International Festival, National Theatre of Scotland, The Barbican and adapted Charlie and the Chocolate Factory for Drury Lane Theatre, London. Sound design is by Eloise Whitmore, Radio Sound Designer and Producer of Year, who has won numerous awards and worked on productions including BBC's Tunnel 29, Maxine Peake's Beryl: A Love Story on Two Wheels and created work with the Royal Shakespeare Company.

A soundtrack album was also released on 25 September made up of the music which makes The Portal. Composed by Martin Green, it also features the contributions of James Holden, the electronic artist signed to Warp Records who would have been on tour with Thom Yorke. Radie Peat, RTE Folk Singer of the Year, Brìghde Chaimbeul, Radio 2 Young Folk Musician award winner 2016 and Horizon Award 2019 winner, and Kate Young winner of the Paul Hamlyn Award for Composers 2018 and album of the year at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards in 2017.

The Portal is co-commissioned by Edinburgh International Festival, Southbank Centre, Bristol Music Trust, Oxford Contemporary Music, National Theatre of Scotland, Shetland Arts, The North Wall, MacArts Galashiels and funded by Creative Scotland.

LOST LIGHT: THE 306

A National Theatre of Scotland recording, co-commissioned by 14-18 NOW, the UK's arts programme for the First World War centenary

Composed by Gareth Williams with lyrics by Oliver Emanuel

Performed by Emma Connell Smith, Stewart Webster, Sonia Cromarty, Steve Cooper, Aisling O'Dea, Elias Rooney, Wendy Somerville, Kirsty Findlay, Paige Peddie, Connie MacFarlane, Bethany Tennick, Amanda Wilkin and Peter Hannah, Louis Maskell, Josh Manning, Nigel Brown and Fraser Hume.

To be released as download and CD on 11 November 2020

Lost Light is a new album of music from The 306 Trilogy, with music by Gareth Williams and lyrics by Oliver Emanuel, commemorating the heart-breaking true story of the 306 men executed for cowardice, desertion and mutiny during the First World War. Co-commissioned by 14-18 NOW, the UK's arts programme for the First World War centenary, the album will be released on 11 November 2020

Capturing the anguish of trench life, the pain of loss back home in the streets of Glasgow and London, the anger of being forgotten by future generations, the music expresses the highs and lows of ordinary people in extraordinary times. A selection of music from the highly acclaimed score is being made available on CD and download, releasing on 11 November 2020, marking Armistice Day.

The album will also be shared as a free resource with schools and libraries across the country, as well as being made available to former soldiers and veteran organisations.

The 306 Trilogy was co-produced with Perth Theatre and co-commissioned by 14-18 NOW the UK's arts programme for the First World War centenary.

The first part, The 306: Dawn, premiered in the summer of 2016 and was performed in a cavernous barn in rural Perthshire, was set around the events of the Battle of the Somme, marking the centenary of the Somme Offensive, and followed the story of three of the condemned soldiers.

The second part, The 306: Day, premiered in Perth's historic Station Hotel in 2017, and charted the struggles of the women and families left behind on the home front, as well as their fight to be heard over the clamour of conflict. The 306: Dawn and Day were in association with Red Note Ensemble and The 306: Day was co-produced with Stellar Quines.

The final part of the trilogy, The 306: Dusk, premiered in Perth Theatre in October 2018 and brings the trilogy into the modern day, exploring the depth of feeling around the First World War a century on from its conclusion, and how the trauma continues to haunt soldiers in the modern day.

"An indelibly powerful work of music theatre that will have that impact wherever it is performed for many years to come"- The Scotsman, The 306: Dawn

"The score by Gareth Williams is a rich, modernist expression of the soldier's mental states. Played live on piano, violin and cello, it varies from the fractures to the urgent. "I have no name" is the close-harmony refrain that begins and ends the piece- a touching tribute to all those wasted lives. The production is at its spine-tingling best when the nine-strong company is in full voice"- The Guardian, The 306: Dawn

"Here the sung passages, accompanied by cello and piano, have a heady emotional power and features a near-perfect blend of voices from the six-strong ensemble"- The Times, The 306: Day

The 306 Trilogy is written by Oliver Emanuel and composed by Gareth Williams.

The 306 Trilogy was co-produced with Perth Theatre and co-commissioned by 14-18 NOW the UK's arts programme for the First World War centenary.

The 306: Dawn and Day were produced in association with Red Note Ensemble.

SCENES FOR SURVIVAL AND THE BRITISH COUNCIL 2020 UK/ITALY SEASON

Online from 10 to 15 November 2020

The National Theatre of Scotland's Scenes for Survival project will be celebrated as part of the British Council's 2020 UK/Italy season 'Being Present'. A collaborative series of events between UK and Italian cultural organisations, the digitally-led programme will connect prominent arts and education professionals from both countries to support cultural resilience, share creative innovation and establish new international networks.

In partnership with the renowned arts theatre Triennale Milano Teatro, National Theatre of Scotland will present highlights from its Scenes for Survival series, exploring lockdown life in Scotland over the past six months.

The first online screening on 10 November will be accompanied by a Cultural Salon, an online meeting organized by The National Theatre of Scotland and BBC on issues of contemporary culture, and a Q&A session at the end of the screening.

The Scenes for Survival season was a pandemic-responsive online series of 55 theatrical shorts commissioned by The National Theatre of Scotland and broadcast thrice weekly online from May to September 2020.

The Scenes for Survival shorts to be shown include exclusive Ian Rankin short Rebus: The Lockdown Blues, starring Brian Cox as the legendary Edinburgh cop; Alone, comedienne Janey Godley's acclaimed short drama; Greg McHugh's darkly comic post-apocalyptic Naeb'dy; The Present, Stef Smith's tender poetic lament to an absent loved one starring Moyo Akandé; Larchview, written by Rob Drummond and featuring Mark Bonnar as a fictional government adviser coming to terms with his own major breach of the lockdown rules; Courier Culture, a timely short about key workers from writer Kevin P. Gilday and director Graham Eatough starring Jatinder Singh Randhawa; Michael John O'Neill's heart-breaking Sore Afraid, performed by Maureen Beattie; Future Perfect (Tense), Nicola McCartney's witty, metaphysical short; and Black Scots, featuring Thierry Mabonga as a young man recalling his childhood escape from the Congo and asylum in Glasgow

Scenes for Survival is produced by The National Theatre of Scotland in collaboration with BBC Scotland, Screen Scotland, BBC Arts' Culture in Quarantine project and Scotland's leading theatre venues and companies, with the support of Hopscotch Films. With special thanks to British Council.

CREATIVE ENGAGEMENT

The National Theatre of Scotland is committed, now more than ever to a future-facing programme of co-created, community driven projects ensuring that this area of work serves and reflects contemporary Scotland. Paul Fitzpatrick (current CEO of Imaginate) will be joining the Company in November 2020 to drive this work forward.

THE COMING BACK OUT BALL SOCIAL DANCE CLUBS ONLINE

The Coming Back Out Ball social dance clubs continue to bring joy and connection to Scotland's elder LGBTI+ communities and their allies.

Following the outbreak of COVID-19, the regular Social Dance Clubs have been being held online every month since April 2020, allowing potentially at-risk LGBTI+ elders to continue to dance and socialise together while unable to meet in-person. The clubs are presented in partnership with All the Queen's Men, the Australian cultural participatory arts pioneers, alongside Eden Court and Luminate, Scotland's creative ageing organisation, and in association with Glasgow City Council.

The next online dance club will take place on 11 October, in a special event presented in partnership with SQIFF (Scottish Queer International Film Festival). The club will be based on the theme of dancing through the decades, and will feature contributions from special guest Johnny McKnight, Associate Artist with The National Theatre of Scotland. The event will also be fully accessible, with audio description and live captioning, as well as BSL interpretation provided by Yvonne Strain.

The following month's event will take place on 01 November based around the theme of Scottish Greats, celebrating the country's favourite musical icons from past and present. The event will also include an appearance from guest speaker Jackie Kay, Scotland's Makar. There will then be a winter dance club held in December, with full details to be announced.

The clubs will then continue into 2021, with the first monthly event taking place on 10 January, based on the theme of Musicals and featuring guest appearances from actor and comedian Karen Dunbar and deaf artist and producer Jamie Rea. Subsequent dance clubs will be held on 07 February, on the theme of Hi-NRG dance floor-fillers, and 07 March, themed around Desert Island Discos, based on songs picked out by Elders that mean something to them personally. All events are open to everyone regardless of any dancing experience.

Each club is led by a team of fabulous dance practitioners, including The National Theatre of Scotland's Creative Lead on the project Lewis Hetherington, Amy Watt, Lou Brodie, Fraser MacLeod, Emma Jayne Park, and Chris Wilson.

The Social Dance Clubs are part of The Coming Back Out Ball: a multi-event celebration of lesbian, gay bisexual, trans and gender diverse and intersex elders in Scotland. A group who have lived through times when being LGBTI+ could result in imprisonment, loss of employment and rejection by family or friends.

Originating in Australia, where it was created by arts company All The Queens Men, the project has now been brought to Scotland for the very first time. The Coming Back Out Ball is a partnership project with All The Queen's Men, Eden Court, Inverness and Luminate, Scotland's creative ageing organisation, in association with Glasgow City Council. The Coming Back Out Ball due to take place in Glasgow in June 2020, was postponed due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

CREATIVE CARE

The Company will be commissioning two creative practitioners to undertake six-month projects to positively imagine the impact that creative arts can make within a care context across Scotland. The artists working with The National Theatre of Scotland will bring together communities of care givers and those they are caring for to explore how society can care and heal in challenging times.

The project will start in October 2020 and is supported by the ScottishPower Foundation, The Rayne Foundation. and Scottish Children's Lottery Chance to Connect.

Theatre in Schools Scotland

A National Theatre of Scotland and Imaginate partnership

November 2020

Theatre in Schools Scotland is finding new ways to bring the magic of live performance into Scotland's primary schools this year.

In November, an exciting new digital adaptation of Potato Needs a Bath presented by Shona Reppe allows children to connect and interact with the production in their classrooms. Potato Needs a Bath, originally created by Shona Reppe and Andy Manley, is a gentle and lighthearted show for younger children in Nursery and Primary 1 classes. Audiences at school will meet Maris Piper (Shona Reppe) when she is streamed live into their classrooms preparing for Potato's party. But Maris Piper can't find Potato and he needs a bath!

A new filmed version of the story will be integrated with the livestream as Maris Piper, Potato and the children enjoy a party together, complete with party hats and dancing. The production, which is part of this year's Theatre in Schools Scotland's annual programme, will be streamed into a number of schools across digital platforms. Funding partners are Orkney Islands Council and the PLACE Programme, a partnership between the Scottish Government - through Creative Scotland - the City of Edinburgh Council and the Edinburgh Festivals.

Award-winning performance company Curious Seed was scheduled to bring its acclaimed dance theatre show, Chalk About, into schools this autumn as part of Theatre in Schools Scotland's programme. While this is not currently possible, the company is taking this opportunity to workshop ideas for the future of the show.

Working in two Edinburgh communities, Curious Seed will explore new ways of using the many themes and ideas within Chalk About to connect with local schools, children, adults and artists. Chalk About, originally created by Christine Devaney and Leandro Kees (Performing Group, DE) and commissioned by Imaginate, is a playful, funny and sometimes moving look at how we see ourselves and others, for children in Primary 5-7.

Produced by The National Theatre of Scotland and Imaginate, Theatre in Schools Scotland creates opportunities for schools to host live theatre and dance performances in their school halls and classrooms. From 2016 - 2020, Theatre in Schools Scotland toured 20 shows bringing 752 performances to over 66,000 children from Shetland to Stranraer, reaching 24% of Scottish primary schools.

While it is not possible to bring live performances into schools, Theatre in Schools Scotland is engaging with teachers and performing companies, developing and testing new ways of presenting performances for schools. The programme for 2021 will be announced later in the year.

Theatre in Schools Scotland was initially developed by Imaginate and National Theatre of Scotland in partnership with Catherine Wheels Theatre Company, Starcatchers and Visible Fictions.

Further information at theatreinschoolsscotland.co.uk

ARTS ALIVE

January to May 2021

Arts Alive is a new Scotland-wide pilot programme that will connect young people with the arts in 2021.

Scottish Book Trust, in collaboration with The National Theatre of Scotland and the Scotland's other National Performing Companies, will deliver Arts Alive, a new pilot programme for schools in 2021. Applications are now open for schools to be part of the pilot year of this inclusive new programme. Schools across Scotland can apply for part-funded workshops, visits and talks from artists chosen by the National Performing Companies. Schools where cost is a barrier to working with artists can also apply for fully funded artist residencies. The programme will support artists as well them giving them the opportunity to develop their practice and advocate for the value of their work.

Arts Alive sits alongside the hugely successful Live Literature programme, which has connected authors and audiences in communities across Scotland for almost 50 years. Arts Alive is funded by the Scottish Government and Education Scotland. The pilot programme will be delivered by Scottish Book Trust in collaboration with the National Performing Companies.

DIGITAL DIRECTION - SCENES FOR SURVIVAL AND GHOST LIGHT

The National Theatre of Scotland is partnering with Edinburgh International Festival on a selection of videos in the International Festival's new online educational resource, Digital Direction to support Higher and Advanced Higher Drama students across Scotland.

The project will connect students with leading theatre practitioners to enrich these courses and inspire students during the current COVID -19 outbreak, whilst they are unable to experience live theatre.

The first term of Digital Direction will include The National Theatre of Scotland's successful Scenes for Survival, project, an online season of 50+ digital artworks created in response to the current COVID-19 outbreak and will explore making theatre for online platforms.

The digital resource will feature video interviews with Brenna Hobson, Executive Producer and Deputy CEO at National Theatre of Scotland; Seth Hardwick, Video Producer at National Theatre of Scotland; Cora Bissett, Associate Artist at National Theatre of Scotland and director of John Rebus: The Lockdown Blues ; Hannah Lavery, Associate Artist at National Theatre of Scotland writer of Disco with Mum and Thierry Mabonga, actor in Black Scots.

The videos will be available on both The National Theatre of Scotland and Edinburgh International Festival's websites from mid-October and will be free to all drama teachers and their students in Scotland.

Scenes for Survival is produced in association with BBC Scotland, Screen Scotland, BBC Arts' Culture in Quarantine project and Scotland's leading theatre venues and companies, with support from Hopscotch Films.

The second term of Digital Direction will include Ghost Light, The National Theatre of Scotland's acclaimed film and personal love letter to theatre. Written and directed by Hope Dickson Leach, and co-conceived with Jackie Wylie and Philip Howard, and commissioned by Edinburgh International Festival, Ghost Light features moments from Scottish theatrical performances past, present and future.

Edinburgh International Festival's entire programme of recorded talks come from a range of companies and look at their approach to digital theatre. The programme will be led by emerging Scottish theatre director, Niloo-Far Khan, and will be available to all drama students in Scotland.

Digital Direction has been developed in close consultation with teachers at Leith Academy, as part of Edinburgh International Festival's three-year residency in the school. As well as creating cultural opportunities for the school community, the residency looks beyond the work the International Festival presents on stage, equipping students with personal, social and vocational skills.

Putting it Together with The National Theatre of Scotland

The National Theatre of Scotland is delighted to announce the return of their monthly podcast series, created in partnership with Brian O'Sullivan's hugely popular Putting It Together.

Originally intended to run in parallel with The National Theatre of Scotland's 2020 season, the series would have seen Brian interviewing artists featured in the programme each month, recorded at the Company's Rockvilla HQ.

The planned series was placed on pause following the COVID-19 outbreak in March 2020, but will now return with remotely-recorded monthly interviews and insights from creatives at the heart of some of The National Theatre of Scotland's upcoming projects.

The National Theatre of Scotland's Engine Room programme will relaunch in 2021 with further details being announced later in the year.

ACCESSIBILITY

The National Theatre of Scotland is committed to ensuring its programme of work is accessible to everyone, including blind and partially sighted and D/deaf audiences.

The Company's recent Scenes for Survival series is being regularly updated on the Company website with individual BSL intro videos, to bring this work to a wider audience. BSL introduction videos alongside audio description and captioned versions of filmed content will be made available for all elements of The National Theatre of Scotland on screen programme, which is serving as alternative to a live programme whilst theatres and arts venues are closed. The online Social Dance Club on 11th October will be audio described, captioned and BSL interpreted. Lament for Sheku Bayoh on 13 and 14 November will be audio described, captioned and BSL interpreted.