Outwith It Theatre to Present Reading Of Alasdair Gray Plays
A concert reading of four short plays by Alasdair Gray will be presented at 7.30pm on 4th May 2025.
New Scottish theatre company, Outwith It will make its debut this spring with a concert reading of Alasdair Gray's short plays. The Gray Plays will be presented under the Celestial Heaven's mural painted by Gray himself in Òran Mór's auditorium on Sunday 4th May 2025.
Presented in association with Alasdair Gray's Estate and directed by Outwith It founder Fraser Scott, The Gray Plays will present four of Alsadair Gray's rarely performed short plays; Goodbye Jimmy; Loss of the Golden Silence; Quiet People; and The Man Who Knew About Electricity. Director, writer and performer Cora Bissett (What Girls are Made Of, Raw Material) will compere the evening, along with readings and commentary from the Gray Play Book.
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Goodbye Jimmy (2006) The most recent play from the collection. The world is at a crisis point, and our creator meets with his son for a philosophical and comedic conversation on how to fix everything.
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Loss of Golden Silence (1973) Domestic tensions come to a head as a warring couple find a surprising way to sustain their relationship, despite their differences. Performed as a radio play broadcast by the BBC in 1974.
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Quiet People (1968) His first broadcast play, from 1968, Alasdair's Quiet People is a comedy about a couple who take in some noisy lodgers that overstay their welcome.
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The Man Who Knew About Electricity (1973) Conceived as a screenplay, this short drama follows a young student making a connection with a struggling mum and her bullying partner as he tries to fix their lightbulbs.
The Gray Plays will be performed by a talented cast of Scottish talent including Still Game's Isa Drennan Jane McCarry, Scottish actor and game show host James McKenzie (Raven), actor and singer Naomi Stirrat (The Snow Queen, Royal Lyceum Theatre) and Sam Stopford, recently seen in Vanishing Point's Confessions of a Shinagawa Monkey. Music for the evening will be performed by international composer and multi-media artist Sonia Killman.
Alasdair Gray (1934–2019) was a Scottish writer, artist, and playwright, best known for his distinctive blend of literary and visual creativity. Born in Glasgow, Gray became a prominent figure in contemporary Scottish literature with his debut novel, Lanark (1981), becoming a landmark work of modern fiction. His works often explored themes of identity, social justice, and Scotland's cultural and political landscape.
A skilled painter and illustrator, Gray was commissioned by Colin Beattie for Òran Mór to create the stunning ceiling mural under which The Gray Plays will be performed. Affectionately coined the ‘Sistine Chapel of the 21st century', Gray's mural is the largest public artwork in Scotland.
Andrew Gray of Alasdair Gray's Estate said: “The Estate of Alasdair Gray is excited that Director Fraser Scott, a master at weaving social and political narratives into his productions, has assembled an experienced cast of well kent actors to perform a selection of Alasdair Grays plays in the Òran Mór.
“Play writing was one of Alasdair's early forms of artistic expression and what turned out to be a forlorn hope for income in his early years. Interest in Alasdair's plays has waned or at least been obscured by the success of his novels. This production with an all Scottish cast performed at the Òran Mór, where a number of his later plays were performed in the A Play, A Pie and A Pint series, would have been a return to a familiar setting for him.” The Gray Plays will take place 7pm on Sunday 4th May in the auditorium of Òran Mór, Glasgow.
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