The National Theatre of Scotland and The Scottish Learning Festival

My Fulbright is in full force and the first week at the National Theatre of Scotland has been inspiring. The project I’m working on is in the early stages and hasn’t even been announced yet… so I can’t really talk about the specifics, even though I want to! But the preliminary meetings have been incredibly exciting! I’ve gotten the chance to tour the city as we’ve scoured different public locations for the new piece, learned all about their community based performance work, met with a ton of artists and administrators to understand the process for creating new projects here, and even got to observe/participate in development on a new show being directed by Artistic Director, Laurie Sansom. This company places its focus on truly serving the people of Scotland; collecting their stories, honoring their history, and engaging communities in conversations around the future of Scotland. They often refer to themselves as a “theatre without walls” because they are purposefully itinerant so that they are truly bringing theatre to the people. Pretty heroic if you ask me!

 

Yesterday I attended the Scottish Learning Festival with the company as well and was delighted by how much focus is placed on creative learning and the arts. Many Scottish organizations are providing opportunities for young people to further their skills not just in academics, but in citizenship, leadership, and art making. NTS plays a present role in the education system as well. Their production of Jump, directed by Simon Sharkey, took young men in Glasgow and Fife and worked with them to create a show that utilized the values in parkour (critical thinking, self-discipline, determination, and teamwork) to tackle their own stories about transitioning from boys into men. The experience resulted in these young men developing ways to express themselves physically and vocally, building bonds between the boys in the ensembles, and instilling a strong sense of pride over creating this valued performance. These young men went from sliding under the radar at school to having a drive to gain more for/from themselves. You can read more about the project and watch the documentary here. Having watched the actual production, it’s moving, honest, and smart. The success of this project has put into motion the creation of a comparable show for girls transitioning into women. Cool, right? I’m looking forward to that project being put into motion and the kinds of effects it will have on the young women involved!