Exclusive Rehearsal Imagery for Traverse Theatre Alternative Christmas Production, How to Disappear
The Traverse Theatre is excited to share exclusive rehearsal imagery of December’s production of How to Disappear.
Article Source: Traverse Theatre
Last Updated: 17 November 2017 16:08
EXCLUSIVE REHEARSAL IMAGERY FOR TRAVERSE THEATRE’S ALTERNATIVE CHRISTMAS PRODUCTION, HOW TO DISAPPEAR
• Premiere of award-winning play by Traverse Associate Artist Morna Pearson – a darkly comic and deeply moving story of the personal consequences of austerity
• Traverse Associate Director Gareth Nicholls marks his first main stage production since joining the Traverse
• Exclusive rehearsal imagery reveals the full cast who will bring this fantastical and other-worldly production to life
The Traverse Theatre is excited to share exclusive rehearsal imagery of December’s production of How to Disappear – the premiere of an award-winning play (the Catherine Johnson Award for ‘Best Play’) by Traverse Associate Artist Morna Pearson. It will be directed by the Traverse’s Associate Director Gareth Nicholls, marking his first main stage production since joining the Traverse earlier in the year.
The story follows agoraphobic Robert (Owen Whitelaw) and his sister/carer Isla (Kirsty Mackay), whose quiet(ly hectic) lives are interrupted by a visit from an overzealous benefits assessor, Jessica (Sally Reid).
Rehearsal imagery reveals the chaos and clutter that surrounds Robert and Isla, who are forced to fend for themselves whilst their father is away in Ibiza on mysterious ’business’. In the final production, the themes of being abandoned – both personally and politically – are to be fantastically represented through scenes of magic realism, as Jessica realises that one size does not fit all when it comes to benefits assessments. From here, the trio are plunged into an unexpected and other-worldly situation where their fortunes are flipped, home truths are confronted and everything is not quite as it seems.
Telling a story that will resonate with audiences over the Christmas period, How to Disappear merges these fantastical elements with dark humour, gritty drama and biting social commentary to tell an unexpected, yet deeply important story of the personal consequences of austerity culture.
The production marks Pearson’s main stage return following The Artist Man and the Mother Woman. Nicholls comes to the production fresh from directing the hit adaptation ofTrainspotting (Citizens Theatre, Glasgow and King’s Theatre, Edinburgh), and the Fringe First award-winning Traverse Festival 2017 hit Letters to Morrissey.
Gareth Nicholls, Traverse Associate Director, says:
‘How to Disappear is a vital story about hope, loss and what lies far beyond the physical world in front of us. It focuses on three characters, abandoned on the fringes of society, all searching for something more to life than the poverty-stricken existence they’ve been dealt. It’s a piece that tackles big, pertinent issues around mental health, austerity Britain and young carers, but more importantly it’s a piece that fuses magical storytelling, moving characters and gut-achingly funny writing to demand we stop, look around, and take stock of what’s really happening in our towns and cities – asking what value we place on a world that cares for one another and how much we’re willing to sacrifice for that.’
Morna Pearson, writer and Traverse Associate Artist, says:
‘I was inspired to write How to Disappear when the government announced a policy to reassess all recipients of Incapacity Benefits and Income Support as part of their austerity measures. The play is about a fragmented family living on a knife edge – an adult unable to care for himself and a child with responsibilities beyond her years. The smallest change in their ecosystem can threaten their very existence. Being programmed leading up to Christmas is significant as that’s when the differences between those who have and those who do not are more apparent. I hope it provokes thought about the privileges we are born into and what kind of society we want to live in. I’m excited by Gareth’s vision for the piece and the creative team who are working on making this show a rich experience full of magic and hope.’
Photo by Beth Chalmers
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