Category Archives: Secondary

Mother Courage and her Children

By Bertolt Brecht
Directed by Morven Gregor
Presented by Birds of Paradise in Association with Paisley Arts Centre
From Wednesday 30th March – Saturday 2nd April 7.45pm at the Tron Theatre

‘Trouble with peace is, it’s got no system to it. No methodology. What’s the point of your arguments if they’re lying

Alison Peebles (Mother Courage). Photo by Eamonn McGoldrick

 around not doing any good? I’ve been in places they hadn’t had a decent war for seventy years. Seventy years. You’ll never guess.
People didn’t have IDs. They weren’t even on a national filing system!’

Mother Courage is one of the twentieth century’s classic plays. Although it is clearly political, it also reverberates with humour and humanity. The character Mother Courage is one of the great modern female roles, a woman defined by and surviving through constant conflict.

Performed by an inclusive cast, Mother Courage will feature sign language and projected text. Birds of Paradise’s Mother Courage will be a contemporary, visually engaging, humorous and sympathetic production which will leave audiences considering the central character’s every word and deed.

Birds of Paradise have a strong track record of delivering outreach activities alongside their national touring productions. Pupils will enjoy seeing a production, which as well as being a classic, also reflects the world around them today. Workshops will introduce them to some Brechtian techniques and examine the methods for creating performances around topical issues.

This production also provides students with the opportunity to explore a disabled character (Kattrin) in an established text. On one hand the play seems to portray the disabled Kattrin as a victim, helpless without her mother’s protection, but beyond that we see a young woman, marginalised by others, but able to act with volition and determination; the instigator of the final tragic action of the play. Casting a disabled performer in this role will embody these questions, allowing students to find their own answers.

Workshops available for Standard Grade, Higher and Advanced Higher.
All performances are subtitles and audio description support will be provided.

For further information or to book workshops please contact Emma Macleod on 0141 339 1155 or email all@birdsofparadisetheatre.co.uk

Tickets (£7-£15) available from the Tron Box Office on 0141 552 4267

Gagarin Way

By Gegory Burke
Directed By Michael Emans
Tuesday 22nd – Saturday 26th March at the Tron Theatre

Gagarin Way was the breakthrough play from the writer of the acclaimed Black Watch and has been produced all over the world. A pair of Fife factory workers kidnap their visiting boss to make a point … but what exactly is their point? And do they all have the same agenda?

Rapture Theatre will offer a full pre-show workshop (running approx 2 hours) followed by tickets to the evening performance of Gagarin Way at the Tron.

Written in strong Scottish dialect with a fast-paced, filmic storyline, Gagarin Way is a funny, exciting way of engaging older students (aged 14+) in political and ethical themes. The show resonates clearly with current news stories and debates, particularly those of ethics in big business, globalisation, corporate responsibility and unemployment. By putting these major global issues in a local, recognisable context the show will provide a perfect catalyst for discussions covering many aspects of the Cirriculum for Excellence, especially ‘developing knowledge and understanding of the world and Scotland’s place in it’ and ‘applying critical thinking in new context’.

The workshop will be lead by Rapture Theatre Artistic Director Michel Emans and will be suitable for ages 14+.

For further information on Gagarin Way or to book workshops please contact Ruth Marsh on 07824 468 396 or email ruth_marsh@yahoo.co.uk

Tickets (£7-£9) are available from the Tron Box Office on 0141 552 4267

http://www.tron.co.uk/event/gagarin_way/

Age of Arousal

By Linda Griffiths
Directed By Murial Romanes

Tuesday 15th – Saturday 26th March at the Tron Theatre

Type damn you. Type! It’s the only way to liberty!

1885 – a time of great passions, great confusion. Virtue is barely holding down it’s petticoats. Determined to make women rich ex militant suffragette Mary Barfoot and her devoted protege and lover Rhonda enlist female students to master the new invention that will gain them freedom – the typewriter. Three spinster sisters are invited into the school to rescue them from poverty, setting in motion an odyssey of alcoholism, cross dressing and sexual revolution.

Lyceum drama artist Christine O’Carroll will be leading workshops exploring the issues in the play: gender politics, patriarchy, relationships, historical context and contemporary relevance.

Workshops are free to groups making a booking for the performance.
Please Note: Production is suitable for S6 only.

For more information please contact Lisa Keenan, Education and Outreach Manager, on 0141 559 5318 or email lisa.keenan@tron.co.uk

Tickets priced £7 -£15 are available from The Tron Box Office on 0141 552 4267

http://www.tron.co.uk/event/age_of_arousal/

Smalltown : Playwriting Workshop

By D. C. Jackson, Johnny McKnight and Douglas Maxwell. Directed by Johnny McKnight.
Tuesday the 15th to Saturday the 19th of February at The Tron Theatre.

Things are about to get a whole lot crazy!

Smalltown tells the unexpected tale of what happens when a polluted water supply turns its residents crazy: from zombies in the frozen food aisle, to oversexed teenagers releasing the animal within, to a dangerous game of Russian roulette on Girvin beach. Find yourself trapped in three seperate stories of Smalltown life befor you decide how the story ends!

Random Accomplice Presents Smalltown

Random Accomplice is delivering an outreach project in association with Smalltown. The playwrights will be working with Ayrshire secondary schools using the same starting point as the writers of Smalltown. The pupils will work to create their own Smalltown stories that will then be published as a collection of short plays.

For more information on Glasgow-based outreach activities contact Lisa Keenan on 0141 559 5318 or email lisa.keenan@tron.co.uk
To book tickets call our Box Office on 0141 552 4267 or see http://www.tron.co.uk/event/smalltown/ 

Panto 2010: FLO WHITE

Schools’ Daytime performances in December on Tuesday the 7th, 14th and 21st;  Thursday the 9th and 16th; Friday the 10th and 17th all at 10am and on Wednesday the 8th and 15th at 1pm.

The Tron Theatre Company Present Flo White by By Gordon Dougall and Fletcher Mathers

 Captain’s Log.Stardate 2110. 
A century ago the SS Pantoprise left its home planet. Led by former-bingo-caller-turned-astrophysicist, Commander Flo White, and her daughter Snow, a hardy troupe of panto characters have been sent on a mission to save the Pantosphere from total destruction.

But the evil and once-beautiful Hingeroan (boo! hiss!) plans to beam aboard to seek revenge on the lovely Snow for being the ‘fairest in the galaxy’.  Will her evil plan succeed? And who are those seven little men stowed away in the ship’s hold…?
 
Beware of Glasgow panto invaders! From the trusted creators of Ya Beauty and the Beast and Mother Bruce comes an interstellar escapade that boldly goes where no Dame has gone before. Join the loopy Prince Space Cadette and the robot PC Three-O, in a show for all the family that’s got a galaxy of gags, a solar system of songs and is light years ahead of the competition.

 

Free Workshops on Offer to Early Bird Bookers. 

Goodies, baddies, fairy godmothers, a sprinkling of magic and lots of fun! Join us in this fun drama workshop as we explore traditional pantomime stories using props and costume and give them a modern Tron twist. Be prepared for booing, cheering and he’s behind you! 

The workshop will deliver both Health andwellbeing and Expressive Arts outcomes from the curriculum of excellence. It is suitable for S1 and for a maximum group number of 30. For more info on the workshops email lisa.keenan@tron.co.uk or call 0141 552 3748

 Pantotastic Packs Sponsered by the Royal Mail

Once again the Tron will be producing a pantotastic activity pack for all school pupils booking to come and see this year’s panto Flo White. The pack will have a combination of fun and educational space and astronomy elements to keep both teachers and pupils entertained.

Tickets are only £7 plus group discounts are available. For tickets see http://www.tron.co.uk/event/flo_white/ or contact Box Office on 0141 552 4267

Midsummer (A Play with Songs): Resource Pack

Tuesday the 26th of October to Saturday the 6th of November The Tron Theatre

It’s Midsummer’s weekend in Edinburgh. It’s raining

Midsummer ( A Play with Songs) Cora Bisset and Mathew Pidgeon - Photo by Euan Myles

Two thirtysomethings are sittying in a New Town bar waiting for something to turn up. He’s a failing car salesman on the fringes of the city’s underworld and she’s a high powered divorce lawyer with a taste for other people’s husbands. She’s out of his league and he’s not her type at all. They absolutley should not sleep together. Ever. Ever.
Which is why they do……

The Traverse Theatre has produced a free learning resource pack for Midsummer (A Play with Songs) to support students’ and teachers’ experience of the performance. 

If you would like a copy of the pack please contact Lisa Keenan on 0141 559 5318 or email lisa.keenan@tron.co.uk.

http://www.tron.co.uk/event/midsummer_a_play_with_songs/

Sea and Land and Sky Post-Show Creative Writing Workshop

Sea and Land and Sky
Lilly and Millicent

Sea and Land and Sky previews from Thursday the 7th to the 9th of October and then runs from Tuesday the 12th to Saturday the 23rd of October.

1916. Three Young Women from the Scottish Women’s Hospital are sent to the front line to support the war effort. Ailsa is working class and determined to make an impression on her superiors, Millicent is a self confessed hedonist and Lily is earching for her lost husband. Unprepared for what they witness each must find a way of coping as they fight to survive an experience that will change them forever…

The inspiration for Sea and Land and Sky came from actual diary entries of young Scottish nurses working for the Scottish Women’s Hospital. Through our post-show workshop, participants will create their own characters and diary extracts, exploring writing from place and image in response to a variety of stimulus. Participants will then use the diary extracts as a starting point point for creating performance.

The Workshop and performance are suitable for S5 pupils plus with a maximum group number of 20.

For more information please contact Lisa Keenan on 0141 559 5318 or email lisa.keenan@tron.co.uk