Tron Theatre Announces Autumn-Winter 2022 Programme

After an extremely encouraging Spring-Summer 2022 season, with a strong programme of work, including four productions made in house, Moorcroft, Me and My Sister Tell Each Other Everything, hang and Underwood Lane, and many sold-out and critically acclaimed performances, Tron Theatre launches a season of work for the autumn from leading Scottish theatre companies with new writing at its heart, as well as two brand-new Tron Theatre Company shows - an extraordinary piece of devised visual theatre and the now legendary pantomime, which will finally grace our stage after two postponements.

In a British Council-funded international collaboration, Andy Arnold will devise and direct La Performance (12 - 22 October, Press Performance: Thursday 13 October, 7.45pm), with Ramesh Meyyappan and celebrated deaf performer and director of the International Visual Theatre, Emmanuelle Laborit. Inspired by the poetic realism of classic French cinema, La Performance will be a piece of entirely visual theatre. Says Andy of the show: 'IVT-International Visual Theatre, Paris first came onto my radar after working with Tron Associate, Ramesh Meyyappan on his show Off Kilter and to now be able to devise a piece of entirely visual work with him and Emmanuelle has been a very exciting experience. Taking our inspiration from classic French cinema of the 1940s, with its emotional intensity and combination of comedy and tragedy, we hope that La Performance will draw audiences deeply into the story of a complicated and doomed relationship. Expressive, extraordinarily beautiful and painfully real at the same time, it will be our homage to that French cinematic genre as well as a rare insight backstage, both before and after a theatre performance, where the atmosphere is heavy with nervous tension.'

Tron Theatre Company's other production this season will be the return of our much-loved panto, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (23 November 2022 - 8 January 2023, Press Performance: Friday 25 November, 7.30pm), in all its glittery, full-scale glory. Postponed in both 2020 and 2021, the show will be written, directed by and featuring Johnny McKnight in the role of Dorothy Blawna-Gale. He told us 'this panto has been a long time coming. For the first time in three years to be able to look out at our wonderful Tron Christmas audiences and finally say.'there's no place like home', I think will prove to be a wonderful touchstone moment.'

The programme of visiting work will open with a brand new piece of writing from Uma Nada-Rajah for National Theatre of Scotland, Exodus (14-17 Sept): a bold, satirical and uncomfortably funny political drama about systematic deception and human indifference directed by Debbie Hannan; this will be followed by two of Andy McGregor's recent hit musicals, Crocodile Rock (28 & 30 Sep, 1 Oct), a story about finding yourself, understanding others and being true to those you love; and A New Life (29 Sep & 1 Oct), a heart-felt, surreal and truthful show that may or may not feature a tap-dancing baby. We then welcome acclaimed company Wonder Fools with 549: Scots of the Spanish Civil War (6-8 Oct), a play with songs and storytelling and a timely insight into one of Scotland's almost forgotten conflicts; Sara Shaarawi's new work for Stellar Quines and Pitlochry Festival Theatre, Sister Radio (21 & 22 Oct), a vibrant yet nostalgic play reflecting on migration and family. We close the season with The Time Machine: A Radical Feminist Retelling (26-28 Oct), a fiery and furious tale of time travel, survival and human evolution in Jordan & Skinner's bold and irreverent reimagining of the H.G. Wells science fiction classic.

Tron CREATIVE, our year round Artist Development programme aimed at providing opportunities to encourage and develop the talented community of creative practitioners making theatre in Scotland, has a busy season of work ahead. Alongside a brand new BUILD programme of workshops, talks and social activities, with guest facilitators from across the UK including Rhea Mehmet, Eve Nicol, Katharine Skene, Harry Mould and Sara Shaarawi, a number of opportunities will be announced, including the new Writer Lab in partnership with Playwrights' Studio, Scotland and LabWeek Spring as well as an invitation to apply for the 2023 Resident Writer position.

Tron Participation will see a return to in-person workshops in the newly refurbished Vic Bar space within the Tron - which will now operate as a flexible workshop and event space. Junior and Senior Youth Theatre, Tron Young Company and Tron Studio will all return to the building, with ambitions to devise work for performance in the new year after such a lengthy hiatus. Skillshop sessions will venture out into the community - with visits to local schools and community groups and early years work will continue through our successful programme of outdoor storytelling workshops, Walking Tall Tales, where we'll engage with existing and new partners. Write Tron will open up places for another batch of budding scribes and Tron Community Choir will be working towards their next gig - SONG PARTY 2022 (25 Oct).

Finally, our café bar, now renamed Set! has re-opened under new management - a collective involving The Drink Cabinet (https://www.thedrinkcabinet.co.uk/), The Gantry (http://www.gantrypaisley.co.uk) and catering provider Canteen (https://www.canteen.work/). Serving food and drink daily, it's an exciting development for the Tron and our audiences, who will now be able to grab something to eat and drink during the day as well as pre and post-show. More details will be announced in August.

Andy Arnold, Artistic Director says of the Tron Theatre's programme for Autumn-Winter 2022: 'It's a brilliant line-up of visiting work alongside our own Tron Theatre Company productions. We very much hope that audiences will continue to support live theatre in the way they did across the Spring, when we had packed houses for so many of the shows, by delving into our programme and seeing as much of this excellent new work as they can.'

Sam Gough, Executive Director adds: 'We are very much looking forward to showcasing a fabulously strong programme of work for the Autumn-Winter 2022 season, before the triumphant return of our iconic panto. Not only that, the exciting development on the café-bar front means audiences are all Set! for a superb theatre-going experience. So click those heels together and join us as we head down that yellow brick road for a magical season of theatre.'

The Autumn-Winter 2022 season will go on-sale on Tuesday 26th July at 11am with all performances available to book online at tron.co.uk, by telephone on 0141 552 4267 or in person at our Box Office.