Booking Tickets
In person
10 Cambridge Street,
Edinburgh EH1 2ED
By phone
0131 228 1404
Online
www.traverse.co.uk
Opening Times
Monday to Saturday: 10am-6pm (or until performance start time)
Group Bookings
To arrange a group booking, please email groups@traverse.co.uk
Groups receive one complimentary ticket for every 10 tickets bought
(i.e. 11th ticket free). Valid on concessions, subject to availability.
School Bookings
To arrange a school booking or for more information, please email
schools@traverse.co.uk
Refunds
Tickets can only be refunded in the event of a show cancellation or
change to performance date and time.
Latecomers
Latecomers may not be admitted. Please arrive in plenty of time for
the start of the performance.
Ticket Prices & Fees
The Traverse Theatre does not charge a booking or transaction fee.
Tickets can be collected free of charge from the box office, or can be
posted at a cost of £1 per booking transaction.
Concession Tickets
Exclusions or conditions may apply to all discounts. Please check
with the Box Office when booking.
Standard Concessions are available for:
 Students
 Under 18s
 Over 60s
 People with disabilities
 YoungScot Cardholders
 Members of Entertainment Unions
Other Concessions:
 Unemployed (Proof of current Job Seekers Allowance or
Employment Support Allowance must be shown)
 Schools (See School Bookings)
@traversetheatre
0131 228 1404
www.traverse.co.uk
Welcome to the Traverse Spring programme 2015
The Traverse is committed to supporting writing talent and to
producing world-class new plays on both national and international
stages.
Now in our 52nd year, we continue to provide a place in which
writers and theatre practitioners can experiment, collaborate and
create new work. This Spring you’ll see this reflected in our
programme of thrilling performances.
Always a platform for new talent, our annual Class Act production
kicks off our season, as we challenge senior students from across
Edinburgh to create brand new stories for our Traverse stage.
We also look forward to another season of our A Play, A Pie and A
Pint series in March, encompassing the best of Ukrainian, Welsh,
English and Scottish writing talent. We are especially delighted that
three of these plays are Traverse commissions from former Traverse
Fifty writers.
Our flagship Spring production, Right Now, is a timely example of the
Traverse’s international reach and outlook. Written by Québécois
writer Catherine-Anne Toupin, it had its English language premiere
with us here in November 2014, as part of our ongoing cultural
exchange with our sister venue, Théâtre La Licorne in Montréal.
Buoyed by a hugely popular audience response, we now bring a full
production to the stage. Join us for a strange and surprising new
comedy that will hold you spellbound from beginning to end.
As ever, our visiting companies bring a vibrant selection of work, and
we welcome both returning Fringe Festival favourites and those new
to the Traverse stages. In keeping with our year-long festival ethos,
manipulate Festival will brighten our days in February, while younger
fans will burst through the doors for the Imaginate Festival in May.
These are just a few of the events you can look forward to this season.
Please dip into the brochure to discover the many worlds to be found
on our stages. We hope you’ll discover a story that will resonate with
you long after you’ve left the building. And, of course, don’t miss out
on the many opportunities to participate in one of our writing groups,
if you fancy trying your hand at writing your own play.
The Traverse continues to be an incomparable national asset – one to
be cherished and enjoyed. It belongs to us all. Come and be a part of
our continuing journey.
Executive Producer Linda Crooks and Artistic Director Orla
O'Loughlin.
GET INVOLVED
We want to hear from you!
Share your thoughts on our work; tweet us your reviews or like us on
Facebook. Watch our trailers on YouTube or listen to our exclusive
TravCasts on Soundcloud. Keep up-to-date with the latest Traverse
news and announcements by signing up to our enewsletter. Our
website also offers full show information, booking details, photo
galleries, reviews and videos.
Workshops and Post-Show Discussions Our series of workshops
and post-show discussions provide an ideal opportunity to dig a little
deeper into the productions on stage and enhance your experience.
Workshops
Jekyll & Hyde Fri 20 Mar Matinée
12.30 – 1.30pm (Ticket for workshop & show £6)
Before the show explore the story and the sounds created by Lung
Ha’s performers and Drake Music Scotland’s musicians; perform a
short scene and play music using accessible music technologies. The
workshop is targeted toward people with a learning disability.
For more information contact admin@lunghas.co.uk
Mermaid
Check our website for confirmed date
Shared Experience are looking for young women aged 14-20 years
old to create a mythic chorus for Mermaid. To get involved, contact
gemma.rowan@sharedexpereince.org.uk
Post-Show Discussions
Sanitise Fri 20 Feb
Beating McEnroe Thu 12 Mar
Pioneer Thu 2 Apr
Blood Wedding Wed 8 Apr
Cuckooed Thu 16 Apr
The Straw Chair Thu 23 Apr
Mermaid Wed 6 May
Right Now Thu 7 May
Rites Women's Only Event
Wed 27 May
Rites Thu 28 May
TRAVERSE THEATRE COMPANY
Class Act
21 – 22 January
This season, Traverse 1 hosts two evenings of exciting new work
from the next generation of Traverse playwrights – the Class Act 2015
graduates.
Class Act is the Traverse Theatre’s flagship schools project,
challenging senior pupils from schools across Edinburgh to become
playwrights; creating brand new scripts to be premiered on the
Traverse stage.
This year acclaimed professional playwrights – John McCann, Nicola
McCartney, Morna Pearson, Gerda Stevenson and AJ Taudevin - have
been working with pupils from Firrhill High School, Gracemount
High School, Holyrood R.C High School, Portobello High School and
St Thomas of Aquin’s High School.
Begin the spring season with an array of fresh new talent.
www.traverse.co.uk
@traversetheatre
Dates & Times
Wed 21 – Thu 22 Jan, 7.30pm
Tickets
Full Price £6
Standard Concessions £4
T1 14+
SCOTTISH DANCE THEATRE
YAMA
18 February
Choreographer Damien Jalet
Set Design Jim Hodges
Music Winter Family (Rosenthal/Klaine)
Following its debut last year as one half of a double-bill, Damien
Jalet’s critically acclaimed YAMA returns to the Traverse in its new,
exciting full length form.
Inspired by the pagan and animist rituals practised among the
mountains of Tohoku in Japan, YAMA explores the mythology of
these summits in an awe-inspiring piece that gathers energy as it
grows. Jalet’s hypnotic choreography has earned him numerous
accolades, including the Laurence Olivier Award for Babel.
www.scottishdancetheatre.com / @SDTDance
Dates & Times
Wed 18 Feb, 8pm
Tickets
Full Price £16
Standard Concessions £13
Other Concessions £8
Ticket Offer
Buy your tickets for both shows and enjoy great savings. Both shows
for £25 / £15 Concessions.
Note: Contains instances of semi-nudity
T1 12+
“Mesmerising brilliance." ***** The List
SCOTTISH DANCE THEATRE
Double Bill:
Winter, Again / Dreamers
19 February
Scottish Dance Theatre presents two contrasting and bold new works
by internationally acclaimed choreographers Jo Strømgren and Anton
Lachky.
Winter, Again
Choreographer Jo Strømgren
Radical Norwegian choreographer Jo Strømgren’s beautifully poised
dance tells the story of a community struggling to hide its dark
misdemeanours beneath winter’s snowy blanket. Punctuated with the
devastatingly fragile songs of Schubert’s Winterreise, let Scottish
Dance Theatre take you on a journey through the cycle of the coldest,
darkest season.
Dreamers
Choreographer Anton Lachky
Dreamers are people who dare to dream while not being asleep.
Anton Lachky enjoys making sense from nonsense and exploring
links between reality and surrealism. His work is developed around
the unique physicality of the performers, highlighting the beauty and
power of the moving body and intertwining it with his quirky and
humorous style.
www.scottishdancetheatre.com
@SDTDance
Dates & Times
Thu 19 Feb, 8pm
Tickets
Full Price £16
Standard Concessions £13
Other Concessions £8
Ticket Offer
Buy your tickets for both shows and enjoy great savings.
Both shows for £25 / £15 Concessions.
T1 12+
On Winter, Again
**** The Herald **** The Scotsman **** The Sunday Times
MELANIE JORDAN & CAITLIN SKINNER
Sanitise
20 – 21 February
Director Caitlin Skinner
Performer Melanie Jordan
One woman alone in her bathroom; a private sanctuary and a
somewhat unusual venue for self-expression. But there is something
dark living beneath the bath and, as her inner and outer lives are
revealed, we discover a woman torn between fantasy and fear.
Fringe First Award winner, Sanitise is a playful and original
production without words combining physical theatre, dance, music
and multimedia to explore our most intimate insecurities and
fantasies. What is clean and what is dirty?
Winner of a 2014 Scotsman Fringe First Award and an Arches Brick
Award nominee.
Post-show Discussion Fri 20 February
www.sanitise.weebly.com / @Sanitiseplay
Dates & Times
Fri 20 – Sat 21 Feb, 8pm
Tickets
Full Price £16
Standard Concessions £13
Other Concessions £8
T2 14+
"Sharp, witty and vivid.” **** The Scotsman
"Smart, accomplished physical theatre." ***** All Edinburgh Theatre
DRYWRITE AND SOHO THEATRE
Fleabag
By Phoebe Waller-Bridge
26 – 28 February
Director Vicky Jones
Cast Maddie Rice
“Today I am going to be a new person. No more slutty pizzas.
No more porny wanks. Lots more lovely threesomes. Go!”
Welcome to the world of Fleabag where the rules have gone out the
window. She’s angry, pervy, cruel but undeniably honest. And you
can’t help but love an honest person. Let her show you the world
through her eyes as we follow her quest for rediscovery over a
frenzied 48 hours.
It may not be pretty but it's funny as hell. The Fleabag bites back. A
rip-roaring account of some sort of a female living her sort of life.
www.sohotheatre.com / @DryWrite / @sohotheatre / #fleabag
Dates & Times
Thu 26 – Sat 28 Feb, 8pm
Tickets
Full Price £16
Standard Concessions £13
Other Concessions £8
Note : Contains adult themes, strong language and sexual content (no
nudity)
T2 18+
“Sucker punch funny… I’ve never seen a play quite like it.”
***** The Scotsman
“Devastatingly good.” **** The Times
KAM-RI DANCE THEATRE
The Typist
By Kerieva McCormick
27 – 28 February
Co-Directors Kerieva McCormick & Ben Harrison
Choreographer Javier Latorre
Video Design Tim Reid
Lighting Design Colin Grenfell
Cast & Musicians Raúl Prieto, Kerieva McCormick, Pablo Suárez,
Andrew Robinson, Mario Caribe, Olayo Jiménez
Narrator Alexei Sayle
A flamenco dance theatre production with film and live music.
In 1937, during the Spanish Civil War, 4,000 children – known as
'Los Niños de la Guerra' - were evacuated to the UK. This story
follows one of their number. Twenty years later, Esperanza is a typist
in post-war Britain, embarking upon a dangerous journey back to her
past and Franco’s Spain.
Inspired by interviews with several of the ‘Niños’, now in their
nineties, The Typist is an exhilarating story of courage, passion and
identity. Co-directed by Kerieva McCormick and Ben Harrison (Grid
Iron) and narrated by Alexei Sayle, it features choreography by
flamenco Gran Maestro Javier Latorre, breathtaking special effects,
and a specially commissioned score. The latter will be performed by a
live band including legendary jazz pianist Pablo Suarez and Scottish
virtuoso flamenco guitarist Andrew Robinson.
www.kam-ri.com
Dates & Times
Fri 27 – Sat 28 Feb, 7.30pm
Tickets
Full Price £16
Standard Concessions £13
Other Concessions £8
T1 U
“Kerieva McCormick is a talent to be reckoned with. Her new dance
theatre work The Typist soars." **** The Scotsman
LAKIN MCCARTHY PRESENTS
Susan Calman – Lady Like
4 March
Award-winning comedian Susan Calman is currently on her first UK
tour.
If you’ve seen her before, Lady Like will be a reassuring couple of
hours spent with the woman her neighbours call ‘the mad cat lady’. If
you don’t know who she is, Lady Like will, at the very least, make
you feel better about your own life. This is a show about being older,
wiser and liking yourself whatever anyone else might say.
You might have seen or heard Susan on The News Quiz, Calman is
Convicted (Best Radio Comedy 2013 – Writers Guild Award), QI,
HIGNFY, Fresh Meat and Would I Lie To You.
www.susancalman.com
@SusanCalman
Dates & Times
Wed 4 Mar, 7.30pm
Tickets
Full Price £16
Standard Concessions £13
T1 16+
“Confident, compact… cracking.” **** Evening Standard
“Feisty Scot Calman is one of the best female comics to ever come out
of the land of bagpipes and haggis. She’ll make you chuckle your
pants off.” Time Out
LYCEUM YOUTH THEATRE
Hacktivists
By Ben Ockrent
5 – 7 March
Director Christie O’Carroll
Designer Paul Rodger
New girl Beth is introduced to the Hackerspace, a place of freedom
and integrity (which also happens to be a disused portacabin,
transformed into an IT suite manned by a group of nerdy hacker
friends). Although the group call themselves hackers their activities
are entirely harmless... until, that is, their self-proclaimed leader is
humiliated by the school bully, and Beth inspires the group to use
technology to avenge him!
Hacktivists is a dark comedy that explores the delicate balance
between freedom of information and invasion of privacy.
www.lyceum.org.uk
@lyceumtheatre
Curtain Raisers: Scribble
Before each performance of Hacktivists, members of the Lyceum
Youth Theatre will be showcasing rehearsed readings of brand new
work by the Traverse Theatre Scribble group.
LYT returns to the Traverse for the 5th year with its contribution to
National Theatre Connections 2015.
Dates & Times
Thu 5 – Sat 7 Mar, 7pm
Sat 7 Mar, 2.30pm
Tickets
Full Price £12 for the Double Bill (with Scribble)
T2 PG
Note: Contains some strong language
LYT Bursary places supported by The Morton Charitable Trust, The
Stevenston Charitable Trust and The Turtleton Charitable Trust
T2 PG
FIRE EXIT
Long Live The Little Knife
By David Leddy
7 March
Writer and Director David Leddy
Cast Neil McCormack, Wendy Seager
Stage Manager G McDermott
Designer Ali Maclaurin
Lighting Designer Nich Smith
Written and directed by a ‘theatrical maverick’ (Sunday Times),
David Leddy's Long Live The Little Knife is a dynamic, absurd and
uplifting theatre piece about forgery, castration and blind
drunkenness.
Liz and Jim are small-time con artists who need £250,000 to buy their
way out of a turf war. Their mission is to be the greatest art forgers in
the world. There’s only one problem. They can’t paint...
www.DavidLeddy.com / @FireExitCo
Dates & Times
Sat 7 Mar, 7.30pm
Tickets
Full Price £16
Standard Concessions £13
Other Concessions £8
Note: Contains strong language. Originally developed with support
from Royal Shakespeare Company and British Museum.
T1 16+
“Dazzling… wild… hugely enjoyable.” **** The Guardian
“Fantastic … brilliant … coup de théâtre." **** The Scotsman
JAMIE WOOD
Beating McEnroe
By Jamie Wood
12 – 14 March
Co-Directors Wendy Hubbard, Ellie Griffiths & Jamie Wood
Sound Designer Dominic Kennedy
Cast Jamie Wood
1980. Wimbledon. Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe face each other
across the net: the self-controlled champion and the impassioned
upstart. An epic rivalry comes to a head. A six-year-old boy watches
and learns.
Bjorn Borg epitomised tennis cool. He was everything Jamie and his
brother wanted to be. Then John McEnroe came along and Jamie was
beaten, along with his boyhood hero. Thirty years of torment and selfquestioning later, Jamie is ready to face his greatest opponent in this
hilarious solo show.
Post-show Discussion Thu 12 March
www.jamiewood.org.uk
@Jamieofthewood
Dates & Times
Thu 12 – Sat 14 Mar, 8pm
Tickets
Full Price £16
Standard Concessions £13
Other Concessions £8
Note: Involves audience interaction
Supported by Arts Council England, Pilot and Camden Peoples
Theatre
T2 12+
“Beating McEnroe is as funny as the best comedy, supertheatrical,
and entirely unlike anything else.” The Guardian
“Spending an hour in the company of his imagination is dizzying…
always unpredictable, utterly hilarious and often giddily uplifting…”
Exeunt Magazine
LUNG HA’S THEATRE COMPANY AND DRAKE MUSIC
SCOTLAND
The Strange Case of Jekyll & Hyde
By Morna Pearson
Inspired by RL Stevenson
19 – 21 March
Director Caitlin Skinner
Composer / Drake Associate Musician Greg Sinclair
Designer Becky Minton Lighting Designer Simon Hayes
Edinburgh, 1886; a time of murky, narrow streets, scientific
innovation and seemingly endless haars - and where the city’s Old
and New Towns are separated by more than just the North Bridge. In
the New Town we meet the Jekyll family. Dr Jekyll longs for just one
of his experiments to go right. Daughter Miriam longs to attend
University. Son William is never far from his needlework, and wife
Jane never far from the bottle. While seemingly a world away in the
Old Town, a murky figure known as Hyde roams the moonlit streets.
Featuring a cast of actors and musicians of over twenty, Lung Ha's
Theatre Company and Drake Music Scotland bring to life Morna
Pearson’s dramatic re-working of the classic story, by Robert Louis
Stevenson.
Drake Music Scotland continues to support and nurture young
children and adults with disabilities; showing disability is no barrier
to making music. Lung Ha’s Theatre Company aims to be a leading
theatre company for people with learning disabilities, in Scotland and
internationally.
Preview
Thu 19 Mar, 7.30pm
Preview Tickets
Full Price £12
Concessions £7
Dates & Times
Fri 20 – Sat 21 Mar, 7.30pm
Matinée on Fri 20 Mar, 2.30pm
Tickets
Full Price £16
Standard Concessions £13
Other Concessions £8
T1 12+
ACCESS: CAP Performance 20 Mar Matinée
Workshop
Join the Lung Ha's team for a workshop before the Friday 20 March
matinée. Full details on our Get Involved page.
Ticket Offer: Workshop and performance £6.
A PLAY, A PIE AND A PINT PRESENTED BY TRAVERSE
THEATRE
“The best value cultural event in the country.” The Sunday Times
A Play, A Pie and A Pint £12 Tickets
17 March – 18 April
Now a firm fixture on the Traverse stage, A Play, A Pie and A Pint
returns with a new batch of freshly-prepared plays for your
delectation this season.
Leviathan
By Matthew Trevannion
Tue 17 – Sat 21 Mar, 1pm
Fri 20 Mar, 1pm & 7pm
Three generations of the same family soak up the last of the sun’s rays
in their back garden, beers in hand. Underlying tensions are soon
brought to boiling point in this rich poetic drama. Presented in
collaboration with Sherman Cymru.
The Day the Pope Emptied Croy
By Martin McCormick
Tue 24 – Sat 28 Mar, 1pm
Fri 27 Mar, 1pm & 7pm
It’s 1982 and Croy is deserted. Everyone has gone to see the Pope in
Bellahouston Park, apart from two local lads who are out to cause
some trouble. But their adventure doesn’t turn out quite as they
expected.
Take the Rubbish Out, Sasha
By Natalia Vorozhbyt
Translated by Sasha Dugdale
Tue 31 Mar – Sat 4 Apr, 1pm
Fri 3 Apr, 1pm & 7pm
In a modest home on the outskirts of Kiev, Katya and Oksana are
busy preparing a funeral meal for their beloved Sasha – a husband, a
stepfather, an Army colonel. But Sasha isn’t going without a fight.
His women need him. His country needs him. Now more than ever.
Presented in collaboration with the National Theatre of Scotland.
Fat Alice
By Alison Carr
Tue 7 Apr – Sat 11 Apr, 1pm
Fri 10 Apr, 1pm & 7pm
Moira and Peter have been having an affair for a decade. He’d
promised to finally tell his wife today, but then Peter promises a lot of
things. Something’s got to give. And it does, when a crack in Moira’s
ceiling gives way to something they could never have expected.
Presented in collaboration with Aberdeen Performing Arts
Broth
By Tim Primrose
Tue 14 – Sat 18 Apr, 1pm
Fri 17 Apr, 1pm & 7pm
Mary is making stock again. Daughter Sheena is no help, as usual.
Granddaughter Ally was always much more use around the kitchen,
but today she seems more concerned about her Gran's state of mind.
And nobody's talking about what's happened to Grampa Jimmy. A
wild comedy set round an Edinburgh kitchen table.
With each ticket you can enjoy:
 A play, a pie and a pint of beer/125ml glass of house
wine/regular glass of Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, lemonade, orange juice,
tea or filter coffee
 An eclectic mix of themes, characters and stories
 Lunchtime and evening performances
 Easily digestible 45-minute play packages
Note: We kindly request that pies are consumed in the café bar area
and are not taken into the Theatre.
T2 14+
Traverse Engage
The Traverse Engage programme exists to excite and involve
audiences. With a mixture of projects, workshops, events and
resources led by professional theatre makers, we aim to enhance the
artistic programme for all of our audiences.
Scribble
Ages 15 – 18
Starts Mon 12 January, 4.30 – 6.30pm
Learn how to make your words jump off the page and burst into life
on the stage by joining Scribble - the Traverse Theatre's writing
programme for young people aged 15-18. Scribble is a fantastic
playwriting and theatre skills programme which will give you the
chance to work with members of the Traverse Artistic Team to
discover the skills you need to turn your ideas into great scripts.
Members of the Scribble group will:
 Be mentored by a professional Scottish playwright and
supported in a process of creating their own play scripts
 Have the opportunity to work with professional actors, directors
and theatre professionals
 Have their work showcased on the Traverse stage
Fees: The cost of a 10-week course of Scribble is £75. The Traverse is
able to offer a limited number of bursaries covering the majority of
the course fees for those unable to pay.
Traverse Young Writers
Ages 18 – 25
Starts Mon 23 February, 7 – 9pm
The Traverse Theatre is passionate about supporting the NEW. New
ideas, new conversations, new writers. Traverse Young Writers is
aimed at 18-25 year olds who wish to develop their playwriting skills.
It offers the opportunity to work with five leading Scottish
playwrights and the Traverse Artistic Team, offering a creative
network, where aspiring playwrights can discuss, debate and create
great new work.
There will be a scratch performance of the group's scripts-in-progress
on Tuesday 21 April.
Fees: The cost of a 10-week course of Traverse Young Writers is £80.
The Traverse is able to offer a limited number of bursaries covering
the majority of the course fees for those unable to pay.
Words, Words, Words
Friday 29 May, 8pm
Words, Words, Words is a no-holds-barred, work in progress, scratch
extravaganza. We’re offering selected writers slots of up to ten
minutes each. The work can be brand new, a bit rough, rather
unpolished – but the emphasis is on developing work in progress…
with bigger things in mind for the future. Scripts will be brought to
life by a company of actors after a day’s rehearsals. Anyone who
wants to touch the beating
heart of new writing – come along and witness these new creations
coming to life for the very first time. As ever, please join us
afterwards to feed back to the writers and be part of the discussion.
Tickets Full Price £6 / Concessions £4
To learn more about engagement activities please contact Sunniva
Ramsay, Engagement Coordinator, at sunniva.ramsay@traverse.co.uk
T2 14+
CURIOUS DIRECTIVE IN CO-PRODUCTION WITH NORFOLK
AND NORWICH FESTIVAL AND WATFORD PALACE
THEATRE
Pioneer
By curious directive
2 – 4 April
Director Jack Lowe
Designer Cecilia Carey
Video Jasmine Robinson
Sound Jo Walker
It’s 2029. The first human mission to Mars has disappeared without a
trace. A reclusive Indian billionaire has funded Ghara I, a new attempt
to achieve this dream. In Siberia, two Russian brothers reconnect by
driving a Lada Sputnik 1.3 in search of the birth of space travel. At
the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, Maartje holds onto a secret about her
sister. On Mars, Imke and Oskar, a young Dutch couple, are
mysteriously separated.
Winner of a Scotsman Fringe First Award in 2014, curious directive
makes its Traverse debut with this multimedia sci-fi thriller - a
poignant tale of the first humans on Mars. Pioneer will shuttle you
from the Garden of Eden to mission control, and on to the surface of
Mars.
Post-show Discussion Thu 2 April
www.curiousdirective.com
@c_directive
Dates & Times
Thu 2 – Sat 4 Apr, 7.30pm
Tickets
Full Price £16
Standard Concessions £13
T1 12+
“Thrilling… exhilarating… intricate and epic.” **** The Scotsman
“Restlessly intelligent theatre.” **** The Daily Telegraph
Note: Contains scenes of an adult and sexual nature and strong
language.
DUNDEE REP ENSEMBLE, DERBY THEATRE AND GRAEAE
Blood Wedding
By Federico García Lorca
A new version by David Ireland
8 – 11 April
Director Jenny Sealey
Designer Lisa Sangster
Lighting Ian Scott
Composer Phillip Pinsky
In this day and age, anybody can love anybody. Or are there still
taboos?
Writer David Ireland’s radical new take on Lorca’s classic play refuels this story with a contemporary twist. This is a tale of searing
lust, love and rebellion, pushed to its limits. When young lovers are
overrun with passion, infatuation and defiance, the consequences are
explosive.
Winner of the TMA’s Promotion of Diversity Award, Graeae is a
force of change in world-class theatre.
Post-show Discussion Wed 8 April
www.dundeerep.co.uk / @DundeeRep
www.graeae.org / @Graeae
www.derbytheatre.co.uk / @DerbyTheatre
Dates & Times
Wed 8 – Sat 11 Apr, 7.30pm
Thu 9 & Sat 11 Apr, 2.30pm & 7.30pm
Tickets
Full Price £16
Standard Concessions £13
Other Concessions £8
T1 14+
ACCESS
All performances include a creative combination of BSL
interpretation, captioning and audio description.
LAKIN MCCARTHY PRESENTS
Cuckooed
By Mark Thomas
15 – 18 April
Director Emma Callander, Traverse Associate Director
Cast Mark Thomas
A comedy of betrayal. Following his sell-out Festival 2014 run, Mark
Thomas returns to the Traverse stage with his award-winning* oneman show. Join him as he weaves the true story of how he discovered
a close friend was spying on him for Britain's biggest arms dealer.
This is a touching true tale of hubris, friendship, loss and undercover
deceit told with humour, honesty and Thomas’ characteristic charm.
Post-show Discussion Thu 16 April
www.markthomasinfo.co.uk / @markthomasinfo
*Amnesty International Freedom of Expression Award 2014
Scotsman Fringe First Award 2014
Dates & Times
Wed 15 – Sat 18 Apr, 7.30pm
Tickets
Full Price £16
Standard Concessions £13
Other Concessions £8
T1 14+
“The trademark Thomas style - part entertaining prank, part
exhaustive investigation.” ***** Sunday Herald
"This is political theatre at its very best." ***** British Theatre Guide
THE ARCHES PRESENTS PLATFORM 18 AWARD WINNER
ISHBEL MCFARLANE
O is for Hoolet
By Ishbel McFarlane
23 – 25 April
Director/Writer/Performer Ishbel McFarlane
Dramaturgy Vanessa Coffey
Language is personal. Nothing gets closer to our hearts. And yet, by
its own nature, it's always social. Who owns it? Who appoints it?
Who governs it? And why?
In this one-woman show about the Scots language, Ishbel McFarlane
presents collected fragments - stories, interviews, memories,
characters and attitudes – to challenge and disrupt our expectations
and prejudices about language.
By interrogating the history of Scots, and the ways in which it is
taught and subdued, the audience is invited to question the way
forward for minority languages.
Winner of The Arches Platform 18: New Directions Award 2014.
www.thearches.co.uk
@thearchesarts
Dates & Times
Thu 23 – Sat 25 Apr, 8pm
Tickets
Full Price £16
Standard Concessions £13
Other Concessions £8
T2 12+
“Funny, affable and warmly laced with her love for the two cities.”
**** Three Weeks (on Even in Edinburgh / Glasgow)
“Superbly played by Ishbel McFarlane.” The Sunday Times (on Ella
Hickson’s Eight)
Platform 18
Platform 18 aims to support Scotland’s most exciting theatre makers
and offers them the unique opportunity to stage a fully funded
production at the Traverse Theatre and The Arches (Glasgow).
BORDERLINE THEATRE COMPANY AND HIRTLE
The Straw Chair
By Sue Glover
23 – 25 April
Director Liz Carruthers
Originally premiered at the Traverse Theatre in 1988, Borderline and
Hirtle revive Sue Glover’s captivating play about liberty and love –
both lost and found in the most unlikely of settings. It’s a stormy start
to an 18th-century marriage for 17-year old Isabel and her minister
husband Aneas, arriving from Edinburgh on the remote island of Hirta
(St. Kilda). Amongst the inhabitants lives Lady Grange, a historical
figure named Rachel Chiesley, tortured by a life of abduction.
Isabel begins to uncover alarming similarities as she battles between
youthful exhilaration and the danger of being too troublesome a wife.
When their short stay becomes indefinite, will they ever return to
civilisation?
Post-show Discussion Thu 23 April
www.borderlinetheatre.co.uk
@BorderlineCo
Dates & Times
Thu 23 – Sat 25 Apr, 7.30pm
Tickets
Full Price £16
Standard Concessions £13
Other Concessions £8
Note: Contains adult themes (sexual language and discussion)
Supported by Creative Scotland
T1 14+
“Her wonderful ear for Scottish cadence allows us to enter fully into
the world she creates." Time Out
"The dialogue is crisp and telling and has no truck with the whimsy
and feyness which so often bedevils Scots writing about the past.”
The Times
SHARED EXPERIENCE AND NOTTINGHAM PLAYHOUSE
PRESENT
Mermaid
By Polly Teale
6 – 9 May
Director Polly Teale
Below the ocean there is no death or pain or separation. Waiting
above there is a modern world beset by war, poverty and need. On her
sixteenth birthday, a mermaid falls in love with a mortal prince and
rises to the surface, leaving her childhood behind forever. She knows
that she can no longer live beneath the waves, but must she destroy
herself in order to be loved?
Shared Experience is renowned for its thrilling adaptations of literary
classics. Plundering Hans Christian Andersen’s haunting tale for its
dark, erotic, mythic power, writer and director Polly Teale (Brontë,
Jane Eyre, Mary Shelley) transports this classic story to a
contemporary setting in this spell-binding new production.
Post-show Discussion Wed 6 May
www.sharedexperience.org.uk
@setheatre
Dates & Times
Wed 6 – Sat 9 May, 7.30pm
Sat 9 May, 2.30pm & 7.30pm
Tickets
Full Price £16
Standard Concessions £13
Other Concessions £8
T1 12+
“Theatre doesn’t come more exciting than this.” The Daily
Telegraph (on Shared Experience)
“Theatre this engrossing is so rare; I can only urge you not to miss
it.” Time Out (on Shared Experience)
Get Involved
If you're female, aged 14 to 20, and would like to know more about
joining the Mermaid community chorus, please email
gemma.rowan@sharedexperience.org.uk
TRAVERSE THEATRE COMPANY
Right Now
By Catherine-Anne Toupin
Translated by Chris Campbell
5 – 9 May
Director Emma Callander, Traverse Associate Director
You can’t choose your neighbours…
As Alice and Ben settle into their beautiful new flat they realise that
the family across the hall hope to be more than just friends.
Juliette, Giles, and their son Francis are wearing out the welcome mat
and they’re soon suggesting drinks, hors d’oeuvres and dancing. The
cork pops and mayhem ensues.
Things soon heat up as innocent invitations lead to passionate
encounters and unsettling revelations, but who can hear the baby
crying in the back bedroom?
A thrilling modern comedy, Right Now walks a delicate line between
playful laughs and horrified gasps. Written by Québécois writer
Catherine-Anne Toupin these preview performances mark its world
premiere as a full English-language production.
Right Now is one of the funniest, and most terrifying, things you’ll see
this season.
Post-show Discussion Thu 7 May
www.traverse.co.uk
@traversetheatre
T2 16+
Dates & Times
Tue 5 – Sat 9 May, 8pm
Tickets
Full Price £10
Standard Concessions £7
ACCESS
AD and BSL - Sat 9 May
TT - Sat 9 May, 6.45pm
PERFORMING ARTS STUDIO SCOTLAND (PASS) AND
EDINBURGH COLLEGE
PASS Out
22 – 23 May
PASS Out is a new kind of showcase for final year HND acting
students at Performing Arts Studio Scotland.
Instead of short scenes from existing texts, the group of thirty will
devise three new twenty-minute pieces. To guide and shape the work
they will be led and directed by some of Scotland’s leading
professional practitioners in the field of creating new work.
Confirmed practitioners at time of printing include Gerry Mulgrew of
Communicado and Fiona Miller of Tricky Hat.
Visit the Traverse website for up-to-date information on these
burgeoning new plays.
www.pass.ed-coll.ac.uk
@PASS_Edcoll
Dates & Times
Fri 22 – Sat 23 May, 8pm
Tickets
Full Price £12
Concessions £8
T2 PG
NATIONAL THEATRE OF SCOTLAND IN CO-PRODUCTION
WITH
CONTACT, SUPPORTED BY THE SCOTTISH REFUGEE
COUNCIL AND DIGNITY ALERT RESEARCH FORUM
RITES
Created by Cora Bissett and Yusra Warsama
26 – 30 May
Director Cora Bissett
Sound Design/Composer Patricia Panther
Video Designer Kim Beveridge
Rites is a powerful and provocative new production exploring the
deep-rooted cultural practice of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).
This ritual of enforced cutting has been performed for centuries and
millions of girls worldwide, often as young as five years old, are still
subjected to it. The reasons are complicated and myriad. It depends
who you are, and it depends what you've been taught. Some things are
simple though: FGM is still happening across the world. FGM is
happening in the UK, here and now.
Based on recent interviews and true stories from girls affected in
Scotland and the rest of the UK, Rites weaves different perspectives
into a powerful drama exploring the pressures, complexities and
misconceptions existing within this deeply entrenched cultural
initiation.
Post-show Discussion
Wed 27 May - Women's only PSD
Thu 28 May - Open access PSD
www.nationaltheatrescotland.com / @NTSonline
Dates & Times
Tue 26 - Sat 30 May, 7.30pm
Wed 27 May, 2.30pm
(Women's Only Matinée)
Tickets
Full Price £16
Standard Concessions £13
Other Concessions £8
Note: Contains adult themes (sexual language and discussion)
T1 14+
CHRIS GOODE & COMPANY AND OXFORD PLAYHOUSE
STAND
By Chris Goode
4 – 6 June
Director Chris Goode
Designer Naomi Dawson
Lighting Designer Anna Watson
What makes a person take a stand? Is it the sudden impulse of a single
moment, or one small part of a lifelong commitment? What makes a
person elect to stand up and be counted? And would you do the same?
Chris Goode & Company and Oxford Playhouse present STAND: real
life stories of courage and conscience from ordinary people who stood
up for something, or someone, they believed in. Six people chose to
act. And now six actors recreate their stories, in their own words.
Stories about justice and sustainability, about friendship and risk,
about bravery and kindness - extraordinary moments from everyday
life.
Following on from Chris Goode’s previous award-winning
productions Monkey Bars and Men in the Cities, STAND is a moving,
inspiring celebration of the power of people to change their corner of
the world.
www.chrisgoodeandcompany.co.uk / @chrisgoodeandco
www.oxfordplayhouse.com / @oxfordplayhouse / @beescope
Dates & Times
Thu 4 – Sat 6 Jun, 7.30pm
Tickets
Full Price £16
Standard Concessions £13
Other Concessions £8
T1 14+
“A theatre-maker of infinite talent and infinite compassion...
up there with the very best.” The Guardian
Supported by Arts Council England
Traverse Bar Café
Reservations 0131 228 5383
A Unique Hangout
Opening Hours
Mon to Wed 11am–12AM
THU to SAT 11am–1AM
Perfect for events + functions
Food served 11am 'till 8pm Mon-Fri / 11am-9pm on Sat
New Menu
New Wines
Local Beers
Traverse Coffee
Reservations 0131 228 5383
Opening Hours
8am–3pM
Fine Artisan Roast Coffee
Skilled baristas
Cakes & bakes & sandwiches
Morning coffees + breakfast rolls
EVENTS AT THE TRAVERSE BAR
VALENTINE'S LOVEBOAT SUPPER CLUB BAND
14 FEBRUARY 2015
TICKETS £55 PER HEAD FROM BOX OFFICE
Join us for a Valentine’s night with a difference... Partake of a
cocktail on the house whilst being serenaded by the delectable Bevvy
Sisters. Then enjoy a three course romantic feast with a
complimentary glass of bubbly. Afterwards, let your hair down with
The Loveboat Supper
Club Band, and dance like nobody’s watching.
THE BEVVY SISTERS
***** Broadway Baby
**** The Scotsman
**** Scotland on Sunday
THE LOVEBOAT SUPPER CLUB
***** Scotsman
***** Broadway Baby
**** The List
Soundhouse Residency at the Traverse Bar
A host of home-grown and international talent will grace our very
own Traverse bar stage every Monday from February onwards.
February
9 Tommy Smith & Brian Kellock
16 Macmaster Hay
23 Martin Carthy
March
2 Alasdair Roberts
9 Celter Schmelter
16 Graeme Stephen Trio
23 Martin Simpson
TICKETS
£10 FROM BOX OFFICE
Dates for April onwards are now confirmed too with more big names
being added. Stay up-to-date by visiting www.traverse.co.uk for
further information
ACCESS
The Building
From the Cambridge Street entrance there is level access to the box
office. There is lift access to the bar café and theatres, and adapted
toilets on the box office and bar café levels. Guide and hearing dogs
are welcome. Please mention when booking if you require lift access
to Traverse 1 or Traverse 2, and make yourself known to Front of
House staff on arrival. The Front of House Manager will meet and
accompany you to the theatre.
Artlink
Artlink offers a companion service for people who have difficulty
attending performances on their own. For more information please
phone 0131 229 3555 or visit artlinkedinburgh.co.uk
Wheelchair Users
There are wheelchair spaces available in both theatres – please
reserve when making your booking. Easily accessible seating can be
reserved for audience members who prefer to transfer from a
wheelchair to a seat. There are two wheelchairs available for visitors’
use.
Accessible Performances
If you would like to use any of the following services, please let the
box office know at time of booking on 0131 228 1404 or email
boxoffice@traverse.co.uk, and make yourself known to the Front of
House team on arrival, as they will be expecting you.
Audio Described Performances
Audio description is a way of communicating the visual elements of a
production for visually impaired audience members. Information is
relayed as a live commentary to a personal headset (please collect
from a member of Front of House team from 30 minutes before
performance).
Touch Tours
Touch tours give a guided tour of the stage set to visually impaired
audience members prior to the start of an audio-described
performance.
BSL Interpreted Performances
An interpreter stands at the side of the stage and interprets dialogue,
songs and sound effects for deaf audience members.
Hearing Enhancement
Hearing enhancement supplies amplified sound to a personal
headset (please collect from a member of Front of House team from
30 minutes before performance). This service is suitable for audience
members with low to moderate hearing loss and can be used in
conjunction with existing hearing aids.
Captioned Performances
The actors' words appear on a display unit (or units) placed on the set
or next to the stage at the same time as they are spoken or sung.
Support the Traverse Theatre!
The work of the Traverse Theatre would not be possible without the
kind and generous support of our funders, donors and sponsors. We
would like to thank the following individuals and organisations for
their support:
Public funders: Creative Scotland, City of Edinburgh Council
Sponsors and supporter: Cotterell & Co , Channel 4
Trusts and Foundations:
AmbITion Scotland
The Binks Trust
The Craignish Trust
The James Menzies-Kitchin Memorial Trust
The Traverse also extends grateful thanks to the many individuals
who have supported and contributed to the theatre’s work, and
continue to play such an important part in securing the Traverse’s
future and maintaining its reputation as one of the world’s most
exciting theatres.
Particular thanks to our donors, including:
Graeme Baillie, Penny & Alan Barr, Katie Bradford, Carola BronteStewart, Morven Brown, Stewart Brown, Richard A Buckland,
Richard Burtles, Adrian Clark, Lawrence Clark, Brian Ferguson,
Melvyn Greig, Lynn Hamilton, Dale Idiens, John Knight OBE, Sadie
McKinlay, Angus McLeod, Colin McWhannell, Willa McWhannell,
Iain Millar, Gillian Moulton, Geraldine O’Riordan, Helen Pitkethly,
Nicholas Pryor, Ian Runacres, Bridget Stevens, Kenneth CB Wilkie,
Peng Lee Yap and many others.
Help us to continue to shape the future cultural landscape of Scotland
with new work that resonates across the world. To find out more
about supporting the Traverse, please contact Ann Monfries, Head of
Marketing & Sales on 0131 228 3223 or email
ann.monfries@traverse.co.uk
The Traverse Theatre is a Scottish Charity (No. SC002368)
Registered Office: Traverse Theatre,
10 Cambridge Street, Edinburgh, EH1 2ED.
Getting Here
Buses
Lothian Bus services on Lothian Road.
1, 10, 11, 15, 15A, 16, 22, 24, 25, 30, 34, 36, 47, N8, N16, N22, N30,
N31, N34 & X25.
Trains
Nearest stations are Waverley Train Station and Haymarket Train
Station.
Car Parking
Four blue badge bays on Cambridge Street. A short distance from
Castle Terrace Car Park. Pay & Display on-street parking in
surrounding streets.
Taxis
Drop off point at main entrance to Traverse Theatre.
A short distance from Lothian Road taxi rank, outside Sheraton Hotel.
@traversetheatre
www.traverse.co.uk
0131 228 1404