ANNUAL REVIEW 2018 2 IN 2018... We presented and produced We toured throughout Scotland, at all scales, reaching shows and artworks across Scotland, 68 the UK and internationally unique locations world 195 29 premieres local authority 29 OUT OF 32 areas performances 613 Scottish towns, 104 villages and cities Scottish We entertained more than 11 islands 89,000 people We reached digital audiences, with video 513,900 views website 243,734 visits social media 67,860 followers 3 We were on the road with We worked with our programme of work for actors and touring 116 performers 127 weeks 233 creatives 138 technicians Cover image: The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart. Photography by Pete Dibdin. Shift. Photography by Drew Farrell. 4 THE NATIONAL THEATRE OF SCOTLAND We are a theatre without walls for the 21st Century making audacious, collaborative theatre that represents the complexity of modern Scotland, taking theatre to our communities and to the world. Season Launch. Photography by Julie Howden. 5 6 THEATRE WITHOUT WALLS In 2018, we toured across Scotland at all scales: to 194 unique locations and venues, reaching audiences in 91 percent of local authorities with our broad programme. We challenged audiences with the notion of where and how theatre can be staged. Locations in 2018 included seven stunning Scottish beaches, a botanical garden, a meadow, a giant shoebox, the back of a truck, the Dundee Courts of Justice and a shopping centre as well as the great stages of Scotland. We showcased Scottish talent to international audiences with performances in Brazil; Dublin and Achill, Ireland; Charleston, South Carolina, USA; Trinidad, Trinidad and Tobago. Season Launch. Photography by Julie Howden. 7 Justice Syndicate, Citizen of Nowhere. Photography by Drew Farrell. VR playground, Citizen of Nowhere. Photography by Drew Farrell. 8 9 ROCKVILLA AND BEYOND We worked with the best creatives, artists and theatre technicians to create world-class theatre for Scotland’s stages. This work is rehearsed in our two year-old technical and production facility on the banks of the Forth and Clyde Canal in North Glasgow. We also opened up our theatre-making resource to 111 community groups, artists and companies to benefit from. NTS, Rockvilla. Photography by Eoin Carey. 10 CELEBRATING SUCCESS In 2018 we were delighted to win seven awards: Two Scotsman Fringe First Awards: First Snow/Première Neige and My Left Right Foot – The Musical Herald Angel Award: My Left Right Foot – The Musical The Sunday Herald Culture Award: Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour The Civic Trust Awards: A commendation for National Theatre of Scotland and Hoskins Architects Scottish Power Foundation: Innovative Project Award- Runner Up, Futureproof Broadway Baby Edinburgh Fringe Festival Awards: Favourite New Musical for My Left Right Foot – The Musical Our Ladies of Perpetual Succour. Photography by Manuel Harlan. 11 12 Our work has been critically applauded throughout the year, with many shows winning five star reviews CYRANO, THE SCOTSMAN “sings the big song of humanity in an inimitable Scottish voice, and with an ambition and sense of style that not only thrills the eye, but utterly wins the heart” THE 306: DUSK, THE HERALD “Emanuel and Williams’ trilogy honours the dead who have previously lain nameless in a way that lingers long after the music’s final note has sounded” MIDSUMMER, THE GUARDIAN “Glorious” MY LEFT RIGHT FOOT: THE MUSICAL, SUNDAY POST: “eye-wateringly close to the bone genius” THE REASON I JUMP, THE OBSERVER “a revelatory insight into autism” Cyrano de Bergerac. Photography by Mihaela Bodlovic. 13 14 THEATRE FOR EVERYONE In 2018, we made a commitment to disabled, D/deaf and neuro diverse audiences to ensure that our productions and projects explored best practice, were as accessible as possible, and broke new ground. We staged The Reason I Jump in North Kelvin Meadow and The Children’s Wood, adapted from Naoki Higashida’s autobiographical book, performed by a group of artists with autism. We created a new partnership with the National Autistic Society to open up all of our productions as much as possible to neuro diverse audiences. 15 The Reason I Jump. Photography by Pete Dibdin. 16 THEATRE FOR EVERYONE We piloted Limitless, a project with NAS and Royal Conservatoire Scotland that explored good practice in using drama and theatre methodologies with autistic children, teenagers and young adults. We premiered My Left/Right Foot – The Musical, a Birds of Paradise co- production and an outrageous new piece of musical theatre exploring disability and representation on stage which took the Edinburgh Festival Fringe by storm. My Left Right Foot - The Musical. Photography by Tommy Ga-Ken Wan. 17 18 THEATRE FOR EVERYONE We created Creative Licht, a sign language interpreting initiative and partnership with Sign Arts, Birds of Paradise and Solar Bear to explore how to improve creative sign language interpretation in the performing arts and improve the quality of the theatre experience for Deaf audiences. We pioneered fully integrated BSL in two of our productions. We opened up the full theatre-going experience to new and older generations of debut theatre-goers, reaching 200 people that have not had the opportunity to go to the theatre before for a diverse range of reasons (personal or economical). My Left Right Foot - The Musical. Photography by Tommy Ga-Ken Wan. 19 We programmed 68 accessible performances including integrated BSL, Audio Described, Captioned and Autism Friendly. We recognized Scotland’s rich diversity of languages by supporting Theatre Gu Leor’s tour of quadriilingual play Scotties; by celebrating gaelic culture and language in Rocket Post and Scots Language in Cyrano De Bergerac and by offering opportunities for Gaelic and BSL Artists as part of our Starter programme for up and coming theatre artists. Exchange 2018. Photography by Ewen Weatherspoon . 20 THEATRE FOR EVERYONE We acknowledged that parents need support in order to participate in the theatre sector, so we took part in the Parents in Performing Arts pilot to address these issues. Shift. Photography by Drew Farrell. 21 Shift. Photography by Drew Farrell. 22 Just start Here. Photography by Megan McEachern. 23 THE FUTURE OF THEATRE In 2018 we focused on future generations and future talent with the month- long Futureproof Festival unleashing 10 radical productions co-created with young people across Scotland. We hosted Exchange, a festival of young theatre-makers at Eden Court, Inverness. The newly formed Youth Project Team took up residency with us for a year, to inform our future direction. Our Starter programme offered 10 residencies at Rockvilla to diverse artists. Our talent development Engine Room, inspired by the opportunities for artists at Rockvilla, took to the road in 2018, offering up 80 workshops and events in 12 different locations nationwide involving over 500 opportunities for artists. We collaborated with the Andrew Lloyd Webber Foundation to create a pilot internship scheme for non-artists from black and minority ethnic communities interested in careers in theatre across all departments, with the long term aim of increasing participation from Scots from ethnic minority backgrounds in the theatre industry. 24 THE FUTURE OF THEATRE We grew audiences for the future with Theatre in Schools Scotland (TiSS), in partnership with Imaginate. 18,000 school children watched the best theatre from Scottish children’s theatre companies in their own school halls and nurseries. NEIL MCINTOSH, HEAD AT STROMNESS PRIMARY, ORKNEY SAID “one of the most atmospheric, poignant pieces of drama for children I have ever seen. A highly topical and emotional piece which affected every person in the room, both pupils and adults. Fantastic! JULIE WILSON, HEADTEACHER, GIGHA PRIMARY SCHOOL SAID “The impact of the visit has been utterly transformational for us. For most of our children, many of whom experience rural or social/financial deprivation this was their first, and probably only experience of live theatre. Their learning, growth and development have been significantly impacted by the visit in terms of their raised aspirations, interest in the arts and focus on achievement.” 25 TISS. Photography by Eoin Carey. 26 A THEATRE FOR CONTEMPORARY SCOTLAND We want to enrich Scotland’s cultural life and have a meaningful impact on society. In 2018 we participated in 11 festivals across Scotland, marked Black History Month with two shows, led Pages of the Sea, the Danny Boyle large scale outdoor memorial to mark Armistice Day, co-produced The 306: Dusk with Perth Theatre and 1418 NOW; the final part in our World War One trilogy and took to the streets with women across the country, with the mass participation project, Processions to celebrate one hundred years of votes for women. Pages of the Sea Roseisle Beach Findhorn. Photography by Paul Campbell. 27 28 We launched National Theatre on Screen with projects created especially for broadcast or personal viewing. For the first time we toured to cinemas, via the Regional Screen Machine, reaching geographically remote audiences with Rocket Post. We premiered the short artistic film Radial, as part of Futureproof Festival; and the documentary Run Free, about our pioneering parkour for young men project with the British Council and Manifesto Jamaica, premiered at the Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival. Run Free. Photography by Kirsty Anderson. 29 30 We digitally innovated with the creation of The Reason I Jump app and through Citizen of Nowhere, our mini festival and timely exploration of the future of theatre, technology and society. The Reason I Jump. Photography by Pete Dibdin. 31 32 YOUR NATIONAL THEATRE We asked our audience what they thought of us. 90% of survey respondents would recommend National Theatre of Scotland to a friend, 78% say our shows are thought-provoking and 86% say our pieces are well produced and presented. We invited our audiences on to Scottish beaches to contemplate, Pages of the Sea; on to the streets of Edinburgh to celebrate, Processions and in Glasgow to play uniquely Glaswegian cameos in Super Night Shot.