A STAR of the award-winning Black Watch play will meet Higher pupils who were controversially banned from studying the text by their head teacher because of bad language and sexual content.
The 16- and 17-year-olds from Webster’s High in Kirriemuir, Angus, are to get the chance to learn more about the play from cast member Keith Fleming tonight after he was invited along to a local youth theatre attended by students.
Actress Stephanie Arsoska, who runs the youth theatre in the town, did not agree with head teacher Jane Esson’s decision so she asked Fleming along to her workshop to speak to the youngsters to let them know that “someone was listening to them”.
The critically-acclaimed Black Watch examines the morality of the war in Iraq and traces the history of the famous Scottish regiment. The play is based on interviews conducted by writer Gregory Burke with former soldiers who had served in Iraq.
Scottish actor Fleming, who played the writer/sergeant in the National Theatre of Scotland play which toured all over the world, including a stint in New York will give a talk to the pupils about the text and his career “as a favour” to Arsoska.
Esson sparked outrage among parents and fifth-year pupils when she removed the SQA-approved play text from the Higher curriculum because she felt the content was “inappropriate” for children and offensive.
The play is seen as one of the greatest dramas to come out of Scotland in recent years, and was performed in Australia and Canada as well as across the UK. It won four Olivier Awards.
Almost 800 people have signed a petition calling for an end to the Black Watch ban, including Burke himself and a host of other influential Scottish writers such as Ian Rankin and Louise Welsh, as well as pupils and parents.
The trade union for professional writers, the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain, of which Burke is a member, also backed writers’ association Scottish PEN, which wrote an open to the head teacher appealing to her to reverse her controversial decision.
In support of the pupils, Burke said: “I did add my name to the petition and I would like to thank Scottish PEN and the authors who have spoken out in support of Black Watch.
“I am also full of admiration for the determination the students have shown to study the play, despite the obstacles which are being put in their way. Hopefully, a resolution to the impasse can be found.”
Despite the furore over the ban, Esson has continually refused to back down.
Kirriemuir Youth Theatre owner Arsoska said she had been trying to keep the meeting with the pupils and Fleming quiet for fear of sparking controversy.
Arsoska said: “He has been very generous and kind to come and work with us as a favour to me, but he doesn’t want to be seen to be representing the National Theatre of Scotland because he gets a lot of work with them.
“I don’t want to put him in a difficult position. The invitation came from me, not from him. I run a youth theatre in Kirriemuir and obviously I was aware of what happened. I work with the pupils who were involved.
“I didn’t agree with the head teacher’s decision and I just felt that those young people deserved to know that somebody in their community was listening to them and to give them the opportunity to meet a member of the cast.
“We were trying to keep this quiet because we didn’t want to stir any trouble.
“I work with young people from primary one through to sixth year and beyond. At the workshop there will only eight young people from the senior group and they are all from Webster’s High School.
“When I set up the theatre company one of the things I always fancied doing was to connect young people up with professional actors and try and get professional links with theatres because there isn’t a lot happening in the area, so this kind of work was going to happen.
“Obviously, I did look at the decision and I didn’t agree with it and thought maybe I could do something positive about it.
“I’m not trying to start a war. I work in the local community and I know teachers in the school and don’t want to stir any trouble. I just wanted to create opportunity, that was all."
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