Scotland Week Kicks Off at 59E59 Theaters With A SLOW AIR

59E59 Theaters (Elysabeth Kleinhans, Artistic Director; Peter Tear, Executive Producer) will launch the Scotland Week celebrations with the US premiere of A SLOW AIR, written and directed by David Harrower (Blackbird), arriving in NY from Glasgow's Tron Theatre.

A SLOW AIR begins performances on Wednesday, April 4 for a limited engagement through Sunday, April 29.  Press opening is Thursday, April 12 at 7:15 PM.  The performance schedule is Tuesday – Thursday at 7:15 PM; Friday at 8:15 PM; Saturday at 2:15 PM and 8:15 PM; and Sunday at 3:15 PM. Please note: the Saturday, April 7 evening performance is at 7:15 PM. Performances are at 59E59 Theaters (59 East 59th Street, between Park and Madison Avenues). Tickets are $35 ($24.50 for 59E59 Members). To purchase tickets, call Ticket Central at (212) 279-4200 or go to www.59e59.org.

A SLOW AIR, written and directed by acclaimed playwright David Harrower (Blackbird at MTC), examines the impact of the 2007 Glasgow Airport attacks through the eyes of a family who live in the village where the attacks were planned.  Called "sheer perfection" by the Scotsman, A SLOW AIR premiered at Tron Theatre in Glasgow, subsequently selling out the Traverse Theatre at the 2011 Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Morna works as a cleaner for well-off families in Edinburgh. She spends her time drinking mostly, attempting affairs and trying to work out the mind of her 20 year old son with whom she shares her Dalry flat.

Morna's older brother Athol lives near Glasgow airport with his wife Evelyn. The owner of a floor tiling company, with two grown up children, he's proud of his hard-won achievements since moving west years before.

Like any brother and sister they have fond and not-so fond memories of their upbringing, differing views on their parents and definite opinions about each other. Especially Morna and Athol. They haven't spoken to each other in fourteen years…. When Morna's son Joshua travels west to make contact with Athol he sets off, for all of them, a remarkable and life-changing series of events.

Susan Vidler (Mike Leigh's Naked, Trainspotting) and Lewis Howden star as Morna and Athol.

The production designer is Jessica Brettle. The lighting designer is Dave Shea. Original music is composed by Daniel Padden.

David Harrower (writer/director) is an internationally acclaimed playwright. Previous theatre work includes: Knives in Hens (Traverse Theatre & The Bush), Dark Earth, Kill the Old Torture Their Young (Traverse Theatre), The Chrysalids (NT Connections), Presence (Royal Court), Blackbird (Edinburgh International Festival, West End, Manhattan Theatre Club, Sydney Theatre Company), 365 (National Theatre of Scotland). Adaptations include Büchner's Woyzeck (Edinburgh Lyceum), Ödön von Horváth's Tales from the Vienna Woods, Chekhov's Ivanov (National Theatre), Schiller's Mary Stuart (National Theatre of Scotland), Pirandello's Six Characters in Search of an Author, Schnitzler's Liebelei as Sweet Nothings, and Brecht's The Good Soul of Szechuan (Young Vic). His new version of Gogol's The Government Inspector opens in London in June.

 

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