Traverse Theatre

TravCast is the Writer's Podcast from the Traverse, Scotland’s New Writing Theatre. Literary Associate, Rosie Kellagher, interviews well known playwrights whose work features in the year round programme at the Traverse.

In this episode, Rosie Speaks to Marc Brew. Marc Brew is an award-winning Australian performer, director and choreographer. Now based in Glasgow, Marc’s work has been toured to critical acclaim across the world, his outdoor work (i)land was commissioned for the Glasgow 2014 Cultural programme and Without Walls. Brew’s Unlimited Commission Fusional Fragments was part of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad and a collaboration with world-renowned percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie which toured the UK and Internationally.

His new work For Now, I am... had its World Premiere at Dance International Glasgow Festival in May 2015. Marc has also produced work for a number of high profile companies such as Scottish Ballet, Indepen-dance 4, Ballet Cymru, AXIS Dance Company (USA), Candoco Dance Company, Scottish Dance Theatre, Touch Compass (NZ), Amy Seiwert’s Imagery (USA), The London Contemporary Dance School, YDance, National Theatre Scotland and Dundee Rep Theatre. Marc has been presented with a Centenary Medal for Outstanding Contribution as a dancer and choreographer and in 2014 Marc was nominated for Outstanding Achievement in Performance (Individual) at the prestigious Isadora Duncan Awards for his solo piece Remember When. Marc is Associate Artist at Tramway and Associate Artistic Director at Ballet Cymru.

Original music by James Iremonger

www.jamesiremonger.co.uk

Devised, produced and engineered by Cian O Siochain

TravCast is the Writer's Podcast from the Traverse, Scotland’s New Writing Theatre. Literary Associate, Rosie Kellagher, interviews well known playwrights whose work features in the year round programme at the Traverse.

In this episode, Rosie Speaks to Matthew Zajac. Matthew is from Inverness. He studied Drama at Bristol University and has worked as an actor for 33 years. Theatre includes work at the Citizens Theatre Glasgow, Manchester Royal Exchange, Bristol Old Vic, Liverpool Everyman, Royal Lyceum Edinburgh, the Lyric Hammersmith, Bush Theatre and the Young Vic. Most recently, he played Bishop Gornik in the feature film The Crucifixion, directed by Xavier Gens and due for release in 2016. He directed Seven Ages (2001), The Seer (2006), ‘e Polish Quine (2007), Jacobite Country (2010), Sweetness (2011) and The Baroness (2013) for Dogstar and wrote and performed The Tailor of Inverness for the company, winning the 2009 Best Actor Award at the Critics' Awards for Theatre in Scotland, a Scotsman Fringe First, the Holden Street Theatres Award and the Stage Award for Best Solo Performer at the 2008 Edinburgh Fringe. The Tailor of Inverness went on to run for a month at the 2009 Adelaide Fringe Festival, winning nominations for Best Production and Best Performance.

Original music by James Iremonger www.jamesiremonger.co.uk

Conceived, produced and engineered by Cian O Siochain.

TravCast is the Writer's Podcast from the Traverse, Scotland’s New Writing Theatre. Literary Associate, Rosie Kellagher, interviews well known playwrights whose work features in the year round programme at the Traverse.

In this episode, Rosie Speaks to Stephen Greenhorn. Stephen has been a professional dramatist for theatre, radio and television since 1989. His plays have been produced by a wide variety of theatre companies across the UK and around the world. Notable successes include The Salt Wound (1994) for 7:84, Passing Places (1997) for the Traverse (produced at Pitlochry in 2014), King Matt (2001) for TAG, and award-winning The Proclaimers musical Sunshine on Leith for Dundee Rep which toured the UK and Scotland 2007-10.

His feature adaptation of Sunshine on Leith for Black Camel Pictures/DNA premiered September 2013 at the Toronto International Film Festival to rave reviews and has enjoyed a UK-wide release.

Stephen's TV work includes the six-part drama series Glasgow Kiss (BBC1, 2000), the feature–length adaptation of Jean Rhys’ Wide Sargasso Sea (BBC1, 2006), two episodes of Doctor Who and critically-acclaimed five-part series Marchlands (ITV, 2011). He also created the popular soap opera River City for BBC Scotland.

Original music by James Iremonger www.jamesiremonger.co.uk

Produced and engineered by Cian O Siochain

TravCast is the Writer's Podcast from the Traverse, Scotland’s New Writing Theatre. Literary Associate, Rosie Kellagher, interviews well known playwrights whose work features in the year round programme at the Traverse.

In this episode, Rosie Speaks to Linda McLean. Linda comes from Glasgow, Scotland. Her plays have won many awards. They include Every Five Minutes, Sex & God, Any Given Day, Strangers, Babies, Shimmer, Riddance and One Good Beating.

Since her first production in 1997, she has been known as a playwright who experiments with form.

Her plays have been translated into many languages. An anthology of her work was published in France in 2015 by Actes Sud.

Linda is on the artistic board of Magic Theatre, San Francisco.

She is currently writing a comedy for Magic Theatre and a new play called Thingummy Bob, for Lung Ha theatre Company will premiere at the Traverse in October 2015. She has also written a Breakfast Play for the Traverse Theatre’s Festival 2015 programme.

Original music by James Iremonger www.jamesiremonger.co.uk

Produced and engineered by Cian O Siochain

TravCast is the Writer's Podcast from the Traverse, Scotland’s New Writing Theatre. Associate Director, Emma Callander, interviews well known playwrights whose work features in the year round programme at the Traverse.

In this episode, Emma Speaks to Zinnie Harris. Zinnie’s celebrated early play Further Than The Furthest Thing (Royal National Theatre / Tron co-production) won her the Peggy Ramsay Playwriting and John Whiting Award in 2001. Her most recent play, How To Hold Your Breath, premiered at the Royal Court Jerwood downstairs in 2015. Her other plays include The Wheel (2011, National Theatre of Scotland), which won a Fringe First and was joint winner of the 2011 Amnesty International Freedom of Expression Award; an adaptation of A Doll’s House (2009, Donmar Warehouse); Fall (2008, Traverse Theatre), Midwinter (2004, RSC), which won an Arts Foundation Fellowship Prize for Playwriting; and Nightingale And Chase (2001, Royal Court Theatre).

Zinnie’s television work includes two 90 minute dramas for Channel 4, Born With Two Mothers and Richard Is My Boyfriend; episodes for the BBC One Drama Series SPOOKS; and she is currently lead writer on the series Partners In Crime (based on the Agatha Christie novels Tommy And Tuppence), for Endor / BBC 1 (to be broadcast in 2015), starring David Walliams.

Her theatre direction includes The Garden (2009) and While You Lie (2010) for the Traverse Theatre, Midwinter (2004) and Solstice (2005) for the Royal Shakespeare Company, her own adaptation of Strindberg’s Miss Julie (2006) for the National Theatre of Scotland, Dealers Choice (2003) for the Tron Theatre and Gilt (2003) for 7:84.

Zinnie has also worked extensively as a dramaturg, particularly with Edinburgh-based theatre company, Grid Iron where she was co-ordinating director on the award winning co-production with Edinburgh International Book Festival Letters Home (2014).

Original music by James Iremonger www.jamesiremonger.co.uk

Produced and engineered by Cian O Siochain

TravCast is the Writer's Podcast from the Traverse, Scotland’s New Writing Theatre. Associate Director, Emma Callander, interviews well known playwrights and theatremakers whose work features in the year round programme at the Traverse.

In this episode, Emma speaks to Chris Campbell and Sasha Dugdale about the art of translation.

A translator and poet, Sasha Dugdale has translated many plays from Russian for theatres around the world, including the Royal Court Theatre, the Traverse Theatre, the Royal Shakespeare Company and BBC Radio Drama. She also translates poetry and short stories, and her translation of the poet Elena Shvarts’ Birdsong on the Seabed (Bloodaxe) was a Poetry Book Society Recommended Translation and shortlisted for the Popescu and Rossica Prizes. Sasha translated 'Take the Rubbish Out, Sasha' by Ukrainian playwright Natalia Vorozhbyt as part of Traverse Theatre A Play, A Pie and A Pint Spring Season 2015.

Chris Campbell has worked as an actor at theatres including The National, The Royal Court, The Traverse, The West Yorkshire Playhouse, The Birmingham Rep, The Gate and English Touring Theatre. Directors have included Howard Davies, Sir Richard Eyre, Sir Peter Hall, Richard Wilson, William Gaskill, Erica Whyman, Stephen Daldry, Ian Brown and Annie Castledine. He most recently appeared alongside Meryl Streep in 'The Iron Lady'.

He has translated plays by Philippe Minyana, David Lescot, Rémi de Vos, Adeline Picault, Magali Mougel, Launcelot Hamelin, Frédéric Blanchette, Catherine-Anne Toupin and Fabrice Roger-Lacan for The National, The Almeida, The Donmar, The Traverse, The Birmingham Rep and The Young Vic among others.

Chris was Deputy Literary Manager of the National Theatre for six years and is currently Literary Manager of the Royal Court. In 2014, Chris was appointed Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French government.

Chris translated 'Right Now' by Quebecois playwright and actor Catherine-Anne Toupin. Right Now is presented by the Traverse Theatre Company in May 2015.

Original music by James Iremonger www.jamesiremonger.co.uk

Produced by Cian O Siochain and Eleanor Pender

Devised and engineered by Cian O Siochain

*Please note, this month's TravCast was recorded via a remote link meaning there is a lower sound quality than usual at certain points in the episode.*

TravCast is the Writer's Podcast from the Traverse, Scotland’s New Writing Theatre. Associate Director, Emma Callander, interviews well known playwrights and theatremakers whose work features in the year round programme at the Traverse.

In this episode, Emma speaks to playwright and actor, Phoebe Waller-Bridge. Her debut play 'Fleabag' opened at the 2013 Edinburgh Festival Fringe to acclaim and awards. Phoebe has been awarded The Critics Circle Award (Most Promising Playwright), two Off West End Awards (Most Promising Playwright and Best Female Performance), a Fringe First and a Stage Award (Best Solo Performance). She also received a Special Commendation from the Susan Smith Blackburn Award and was shortlisted for the Evening Standard Most Promising Playwright Award. This production of Fleabag was nominated for an Olivier Award 2014 for Outstanding Achievement in an Affiliate Theatre. She is currently adapting Fleabag for television and is working on a number of stage and screen projects.

Original music by James Iremonger www.jamesiremonger.co.uk

Produced by Cian O Siochain and Eleanor Pender

Devised and engineered by Cian O Siochain

TravCast is the Writer's Podcast from the Traverse, Scotland’s New Writing Theatre. Associate Director, Emma Callander, interviews well known playwrights and theatremakers whose work features in the year round programme at the Traverse.

In this episode, Emma speaks to Andy Manley and Ian Cameron, performers in Catherine Wheel's award-winning White. As an actor, deviser and director Andy Manley has been involved with many of the children’s theatre companies in Scotland. He creates performances largely through devising, though has worked on several written projects. He directs or performs depending on what feels right for the project. He started to make his own work in 2006, before that he was an actor. Andy works with a number of artists and collaborators to create his shows and the performances travel extensively to UK and international venues and festivals.

Andy worked with Shona previously on Potato Needs a Bath, which has toured to the New Victory Theatre and he has worked with Catherine Wheels on Martha (Catherine Wheels), the internationally successful White and Kappa and The Ballad of Pondlife McGurk – which most recently toured to the New Victory Theatre in New York.

His recent work includes a small story a co-production between Starcatchers and Theater O.N, Berlin and I Want a Rabbit! for Theater Junges Generation, Dresden. Further directing credits include work for Scottish Opera, Glyndebourne, Macrobert Arts Centre, M6 Theatre Company, Polka Theatre. Andy won the Herald Archangel at the Fringe 2012.

Original music by James Iremonger www.jamesiremonger.co.uk

Produced and engineered by Cian O Siochain

TravCast is the Writer's Podcast from the Traverse, Scotland’s New Writing Theatre. Associate Director, Emma Callander, interviews well known playwrights and theatremakers whose work features in the year round programme at the Traverse.

In this episode, Emma speaks to Iain Finlay Macleod, writer of the current Traverse Theatre Company production 'The Devil Masters'.

Iain Finlay has had over fifty dramatic works produced for radio, theatre, television and film. His work has been shown in a number of countries such as the US, Germany and France. Plays for the Traverse Theatre include The Pearlfisher, I was a Beautiful Day, Homers and Broke (A version of the French play, Un homme en Faillite).

Other plays include Somersaults for the National Theatre of Scotland and St. Kilda - The Opera which was performed in five European countries simultaneously in four languages. Iain Finlay is currently Associate Artist (Gaelic) at the National Theatre of Scotland. He was awarded the Robert Louis Stevenson Fellowship in 2009. He was Associate Playwright for two years (2007-2009) with Playwrights’ Studio Scotland and Writer-in-Residence at Sabhal Mor Ostaig for two years.

The play The Devil Masters was written when he was the IASH Edinburgh University/Traverse Theatre Fellow in 2013, based at the Institute of Advanced Studies for the Humanities at Edinburgh University.

Original music by James Iremonger www.jamesiremonger.co.uk

Produced and engineered by Cian O Siochain

TravCast is the Writer's Podcast from the Traverse, Scotland’s New Writing Theatre. Associate Director, Emma Callander, interviews well known playwrights and theatremakers whose work features in the year round programme at the Traverse.

In this episode, Emma speaks to three Québécois writers Fabien Cloutier, Catherine-Anne Toupin and François Archambault who came to the Traverse Theatre as part of a cultural exchange between Théâtre La Licorne, Montreal and the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh.

La Licorne is the home of La Manufacture Theatre Company in Montreal, founded in 1975. It mirrors some of the key passions of the Traverse Theatre, commissioning and producing some of the best new writing from Québec and beyond, presenting a significant number of Traverse plays in translation. Over the last few years, Traverse Theatre Artistic Director Orla O'Loughlin has worked closely with La Licorne Artistic Director Jean-Denis Leduc and this exchange is part of a long term relationship between these two pioneering theatres.

François Archambault, writer of 'You Will Remember Me', performed at the Traverse as part of New Writing from Quebec, is the author of more than twenty plays, translated into numerous languages and staged all around the world. In 1998, he received the Governor General’s Literary Award for his play '15 seconds', performed by Traverse Theatre Company in 2003. The original production of 'The Leisure Society' by Théâtre de la Manufacture ran for 142 shows and received the "Masque" for the Best Original Play from the "Académie Québécoise", in 2004. His most recent play, You Will Remember Me' was created at Théâtre La Licorne in 2014 and is set to be adapted for the screen and in the running for the Governor General’s Literary Award. François has also written many scripts for television, and is currently working on two screenplays.

A rising star in the Quebec theatre scene, Fabien Cloutier, writer of 'Billy (The Days of Howling)' performed at the performed at the Traverse as part of New Writing from Quebec, is a Québécois actor, playwright and the author of eight plays. His first solo show, Scotstown won the "Coup de coeur" at Zoofest in the 2010 Just For Laughs Festival. Fabien reprised the same character in the sequel, Cranbourne, described as a "tour de force" by critics and was a finalist for the Michel Tremblay Prize, Best Writing for the stage in the 2011-2012 season. Fabien Cloutier's powerful writing with its relentless rhythm has earned him a solid reputation. His more theatrical text 'Billy (The Days of Howling)' won the Gratien Gelinas Prize in 2011 and has been nominated for the Governor General's Literary Award. Talisman's 2014 production will be the English-language premiere of 'Billy (The Days of Howling)'. In autumn 2014, 'Pour Réussir un Poulet' written and directed by Fabien, was produced by La Manufacture Theatre and presented on stage at Théâtre La Licorne in Montreal.

Catherine-Anne Toupin, writer of 'Right Here, Right Now' performed at the performed at the Traverse as part of New Writing from Quebec, graduated from The Conservatory of Dramatic Arts in Montreal in 1999. She has become a well-known actress in Quebec and can be seen each week on two very popular television series. She has also written three full length plays, and many short plays, which have all been produced. She spends most of her time acting, both on stage and on screen while also working as a script editor for a television show she created, called 'Boomerang'.

Original music by James Iremonger www.jamesiremonger.co.uk

Produced and engineered by Cian O Siochain

www.grobylinctonmedia.com