A NEW play by UK poet laureate Carol Ann Duffy will expose the “anger, frustration and excitement” of Brexit when it debuts in Scotland next month, it is claimed.
Duffy, the first woman and first Scot to hold the 400-year-old role, crafted My Country; A Work in Progress using material gathered from interviews with voters around the UK in the wake of the EU referendum.
This includes people from Glasgow and the team behind the play say the responses were “honest, emotional, funny and sometimes extreme”.
As many as 70 people aged between nine and 97 gave their views in long interviews and Duffy combined the testimonials with speeches from political leaders to create the new work for the National Theatre in London, where the show will today be performed for the first time.
After a short run there, the production will tour the UK and beyond, heading to the Citizens Theatre in Glasgow’s Gorbals district next month before travelling around Northern Ireland, England and Wales.
The tour will also include a stint at the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh and take in the Holland Festival in Amsterdam as the National Theatre team present the work to an EU audience set to be affected by the withdrawal of the UK.
However, director Rufus Norris says the work – a collaboration with eight different arts organisations – is about more than just the landmark vote, stating: “The Brexit vote unleashed a host of questions about our country, way beyond the issue of Britain’s role in Europe. It articulated a deep disaffection.
“Those elements provoked a need and opportunity to create a piece of theatre that responds to that palpable sense of frustration and disillusionment. Art has always responded to what is happening now and it’s what I hope we achieve with My Country.”
The cast includes former The Bill star Seema Bowri, with one actor portraying Britannia and Scots player Stuart McQuarrie appearing as “the voice of Caledonia”.
Those interviewed include farmers, doctors, unemployed people and those in the fishing industry.
Dominic Hill, artistic director of the Citizens Theatre, said: “I have never known a time when people are so engaged, angry, frustrated or excited about what it going on in the world. It feels like the referendum vote unleashed these feelings.
“The Citizens Theatre has a duty to respond to these event, to offer a platform for debate and argument and to create opportunities for imagining, understanding and listening to differing opinions.
“That is why I’m so thrilled that we are part of My Country. We are at the heart of a Glasgow community – this will be a chance to listen to that community and to other voices from all across the country.”
The show will run at the Citizens from March 28 until April 1.
Discussing the Brexit vote with The Guardian, Norris contrasted it with the Scottish independence ballot, saying: “What’s sad for me is that the referendum followed on from another referendum on these islands that was done very intelligently, where all the arguments were laid out clearly and everybody had a chance to look at both sides. The difference between that referendum and this one was massive. It was like the one we had was for idiots.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel