GETTING ALONG WITH GRAN comes to LEITH DOCKERS CLUB
Citadel Arts Group is thrilled to be reviving its 4-star show, Getting Along with Gran, for two performances only, at Leith Dockers Club where the group has its base.
The North Edinburgh Arts audience loved the show in June, and the company are confident Gran will go down a bomb with their regular Leith supporters. Citadel Arts are looking forward to bringing the play to their Leith venue and Gran (Laverne Edmonds) has already met some of the locals although she was disappointed the Dockers bar didn’t seem to stock Babycham, her favourite tipple!
The play is scripted by Rhona McAdam, Elaine Campbell, San Cassimally and Pamela Hanlon, all members of Citadel Arts Group’s playwrights’ workshop.
They meet every week in Leith Dockers Club to develop new plays often based on local heritage and living memories. Getting Along with Gran is inspired by the powerful stories of the Social History Group based in Royston Wardieburn Community Centre.
Both groups of older people collaborated to create the play. The script emerged from the life stories of Winifred Burke, Pat Gilhooley, Anna Hutchison, Bill and Greta McPhail, Helen McRae, David Norcliffe, Karen Soso, and Cathie Umobi.
They were thrilled to see their memories on stage in North Edinburgh Arts. Local audiences told us: ‘It was excellent . . . funny and thought provoking . . . I love that it was local history . . . loved how it was intergenerational’. Jim Aitken assured Citadel, ‘Having a play performed that came out of our social history project was wonderful.’
The stories range from a Silverknowes beach romance to anti-Thatcher demos in the 1970s. The play combines humour, nostalgia and a few slightly scary moments. It’s a show for all the family with a truly intergenerational cast.
The only change from the original line-up is in the roles of the children. In this new production they will be played by members of the Be Happy Performing Arts Company from Gorebridge.
Six wee thespians from the group coached by Mairi Jayne Weir, are keen to take part alongside the Citadel professionals.
Mairi Jayne Weir plays Em, the girl who learns to get along with her annoyingly forgetful and chatty Gran when she gets caught up in some of Gran’s funny and troubling memories.
Mairi Jayne told Citadel: ‘Taking part in Getting Along with Gran, performing beside professional actors is a wonderful opportunity for the young people.’
The company are delighted to have a real-life retired janitor, David Norcliffe in the cast again – playing a sympathetic Craigroyston jani!
Performance dates: Nov 12th 2.30 and 7pm
Venue: Leith Dockers, 17 Academy Street EH6 7EE
Cast and creatives:
DIRECTOR: Mark Kydd
Cast:
Jim Bryce, Laverne Edmonds, Chelsea Grace, Mairi Jayne Weir and Deborah Whyte
Community cast:
David Norcliffe and young people for the Be Happy Performing Arts Company, teacher Mairi Jayne Weir
Stage Manager: Maggie Brown
Light and Sound Design: Roddy Simpson
Props: Stewart Emm
Creative Producer: Liz Hare
Playwrights: Elaine Campbell, San Cassimally, Pamela Hanlon, and Rhona McAdam
TICKETS: £15/£12 concession from jamesellison@blueyonder.co.uk/ 07954 296 568
Citadel Arts Group is a charity (SC 034687) dedicated to giving a voice to older people by preserving their stories and producing their plays in a variety of community venues including schools, care homes, Leith Custom House, churches, libraries, a moving barge, and recently the bar of the King’s Theatre.