From the playground to the office block, pecking orders exist in all
walks of life. This is made explicitly clear in the revival of
Multiplex, Christopher William Hill's play written for the Tron
Theatre, Glasgow's Tron Skillshops young people's theatre group that
forms part of the theatre's outreach and community initiative, Tron
Participation.
Hill's play looks at the twilight world of multiplex cinemas where a
coterie of ushers jockey for position in the after-dark food chain
they occupy. From the Plankton at the bottom of the pack, we move up
a peg with the too cool for school Dudes before we meet the Buffs,
for whom what goes on up there on the big-screen is a matter of life
and death.
Whether such a chain of command exists in the assorted groups that
make up Tron Skillshops and Tron Participation isn't on record,
although it's interesting to note that many of the teenage performers
taking part in Multiplex were members of the junior group when the
play was first performed back in 2008.
“It really appeals to the age group who are doing it,” says
Multiplex director and Tron Drama Officer Deborah McArthur, who works
alongside the theatre's Education Officer Lisa Keenan on assorted
Tron Participation and Tron Skillshops initiatives. “Part of that
is because it speaks to them, and part of it is because there's some
pretty strong language which they enjoy. But the play's about how
someone new can come into a situation like the one that exists in
Multiplex, and really shake things up.
“When it was first done it was with a much smaller group, but now
I've got a cast of twenty, some of whom remember it. We've worked
really closely with the group, so everyone's had a chance to
contribute to it, and I think there's a real sense of ownership of
the play now. We've tried to bring it up to date with some of its
references, but it's been really surprising with some of the things
the group didn't want to change. They've all been saying, no, I’ve
seen that film, leave it in.”
McArthur's new production of Multiplex is the latest in a series of
revisitations of some of Tron Participation's greatest hits over the
last ten years since it was founded in 2003. Then as now the aim was
to open up the theatrical experience to all-comers, from Primary 1
age-group upwards.
“They can come along, have fun and meet friends,” McArthur
observes, “but we also try to take things a step up, and teach them
about theatre-making and being part of a group in a theatre building.
That's why we bring in professionals from various different aspects
of theatre-making.”
With this in mind, for Multiplex, the company has brought on board
audio-visual artist Jamie Macdonald, who worked wonders on Random
Accomplice's award-winning show, The Incredible Adventures of
See-Thru Sam. Also working on Multiplex are costume designer Kirsty
McCabe, who worked on Tron productions of Scenes Unseen and Stones in
His Pockets, lighting designer Callum Smith and sound designer RJ
McConnell. Beyond Multiplex, a forthcoming tenth anniversary project
in October will see the groups working with writer/director, Martin
O'Connor.
“With Jamie they're making short films and learning about
story-boarding,” McArthur says, “while RJ McConnell will come in
and play them new some new pieces of music, which they'll have the
chance to contribute to. For some people in the groups it's just a
hobby, and that's absolutely fine, but some others come in when
they're very young, and as they stay with it they end up taking it
quite seriously. One of the group has just been offered a place on at
the Royal Conservatoire Scotland, which is great.”
Although working with young people is a key part of Tron Skillshops,
Tron Participation goes beyond youth theatre to engage adult groups
into the theatrical process.
“There are adult writing classes, set design classes and projects
with Glasgow City Council,” McArthur points out. “When Tron
participation started, it was just Lisa Keenan on her own, but now
there are two of us we're able to do a lot more. We're making better
connections with other companies, and we're trying to raise our
profile, not just in youth theatre, but with adult participation as
well. We've also started storytelling classes for children who are
six months old and their parents. All of the classes are open access
as well, so age and ability don't matter. We're also introducing a
second level of the set design classes. With level one I think we've
taken things as far as we can , and we really want to push people's
skill-sets.”
Tron Participation and Tron Skillshops, then, are as inclusive as
they can be.
“We just want to get people who might not normally come to the
Tron,” says McArthur, “or any theatre for that matter, to come
into the building and participate in what we do here rather than just
be a member of the audience. We want to give them a different
experience of somewhere they can come in and access the facilities we
have here. Whether that's through taking part in writing workshops or
set design, it's important to realise that there's a lot more to
being in the arts than going onstage.
We also try to run projects that run parallel with whatever's going
on on the main-stage. So with [Tron director Andy Arnold's adaptation
of Julia Donaldson's novel for teenagers about a runaway girl]
Running on the Cracks, we did a massive outreach project about the
play's subject. It's things like that which really seem to matter. If
Tron Participation and Tron Skillshops are about anything, they're
about building relationships.”
Multiplex, Tron Theatre, Glasgow, June 27th-29th
ends
2003 – Tron Participation set up as ‘Education & Outreach’,
with ‘Children’s Workshops’ are re-launched as ‘Skillshops’.
2004 - Partnership work with Childline, including a performance at
their annual general conference in Aberdeen.
2005 - The first Skillshops show Samurai forms part of Shell
Connections theatre festival, and selected to represent Scotland at
the National Theatre in London.
2006 - Writers’ workshop with Douglas Maxwell on Melody, while
Skillshop present new adaptation of Jump for Your Life
2007 - Write Tron see their first rehearsed readings and performances
on work on stage. Hosts first Arts in the City programme. Skillshops
present Lords of Creation
2008 - New Adult performance group Tron Studio devise and perform
their first production The Tenement. Skillshop present Theatre of
War. Pre 5 Xmas show - Little Rudi
2009 - First Skillshops performance of Christopher William Hill’s
Multiplex. Younger groups present new devised piece The Woolgathers.
2010 - Tron Young Company for 18-25s launched, with performance of
Remind Me Who I Am Again.
2011 - Tron Young Company work with Artistic Director Andy Arnold to
create From A City Balcony.
2012 - Tron Young Company Andrew McKie is Assistant Director to the
main stage production of Ulysses. Skillshops present Gifted and
Average Jo and Curse of Class 2B. Launch of new costume and set
design course
2013 - Skillshops shows: Project Branded, The Woolgatherers,
Multiplex.
The Herald, June 25th 2013
ends
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