David Greig & David Harrower to Lead Traverse Festival this August - Daniel Kitson Returns

The Traverse has announced its 2012 Festival programme. Over four weeks, the Traverse will host nineteen shows and events, with eight world premieres and two Scottish premieres, including a double bill of David Greig's THE LETTER OF LAST RESORT and David Harrower's GOOD WITH PEOPLE.

Speaking about her first programme as Artistic Director for the Traverse Theatre, Orla O’Loughlin said, “The Traverse was founded almost half a century ago to keep the spirit of the festivals in August alive year-round. I am honoured to join Executive Producer, Linda Crooks in leading the Traverse at this significant time, and thrilled to present a Festival which celebrates some of the most compelling theatrical voices from the UK and beyond. The writer is at the heart of this programme of intimate, provocative and often deeply personal work.”

Traverse Theatre Company will commission ten of Scotland’s most exciting writers, plus two writers to be discovered over the course of the Fringe, as breakfast theatre returns to the Traverse Festival. Curated and directed by Orla O’Loughlin and David Greig, Dream Plays (Scenes from a Play I’ll Never Write) will be presented as short staged readings, with work from writers including: Nicola McCartney, Sue Glover, Lynda Radley, David Ireland, Alan Wilkins, Douglas Maxwell and Andrew Greig (14-26 Aug).

The Traverse brings together two of Scotland’s greatest writers, David Greig and David Harrower, in a special double bill as one of its flagship shows. From Downing Street to Helensburgh, two gripping stories trace the paths of personal and political destruction. The Scottish premiere of David Greig’s The Letter of Last Resort, starring Belinda Lang and Simon Chandler, a highlight of the Tricycle Theatre’s production THE BOMB – a partial history staged earlier this year, and David Harrower’s Good With People, featuring Blythe Duff, which started life at Òran Mór and Paines Plough’s 2010 season of a Play, a Pie and a Pint (4 – 26 Aug).

The Theatre’s main house, Traverse One, hosts some of the best work from around the UK. Hampstead Theatre presents the Scottish premiere of Australian writer Tom Holloway’s And No More Shall We Part, directed by James MacDonald and starring Bill Paterson and Dearbhla Molloy (30 July – 26 Aug). The Lyric Hammersmith return to the Traverse with the World premiere of Morning, Simon Stephen’s first play for young people, directed by Sean Holmes (1-19 Aug).

Traverse favourite Daniel Kitson returns with a brand new show, As of 1.52GMT on Friday April 27th 2012, This Show Has No Title (7 – 26 Aug). Comedian and political activist, Mark Thomas turns his attention to matters close to home with a show about his father in Mark Thomas: Bravo Figaro! a world premiere, directed by Traverse Associate Director Hamish Pirie (3-26 Aug). One of Scotland’s most exciting emerging playwrights, Gary McNair, brings the Traverse One programme to an intense, physical close with Òran Mór’s Born to Run (21-26 Aug).

The Theatre’s studio space, Traverse Two, focuses on experimental new writing. Rob Drummond’s Bullet Catch from The Arches sees the writer star in his own show, attempting the most notorious finale in show business (2-26 Aug). Writer Ronan O’Donnell’s new company Blindhorse presents his play Angels, directed by Graeme Maley and starring Iain Robertson (2-26 Aug). Birmingham-based Caroline Horton makes her Traverse debut with world premiere, Mess, a play with songs, which she’ll also perform (2-26 Aug).

Soho Theatre and nabokov present the world premiere of Blink by Bruntwood Playwrighting Prize winner, Phil Porter, a voyeuristic love story directed by Joe Murphy, starring Harry McEntire and Rosie Wyatt (2-26 Aug). Belgium’s provocative Ontroerend Goed return to the Traverse with the world premiere of All That Is Wrong, the third part in a trilogy about growing up, following 2008’s Once And For All… and 2010’s Teenage Riot (2-12 Aug).

The Traverse is welcomes back Kieran Hurley, who will perform his recent hit Beats at a late-night slot in Traverse Two, a thrilling look at 1990’s rave culture which he created for Glasgow’s The Arches (14-26 Aug). A world premiere from Chris Goode and the Unicorn Theatre presents verbatim theatre with a twist as the world view of thirty 8-10 year olds forms Monkey Bars (14-26 Aug).

Catherine Wheels Theatre Company return to Scottish Book Trust following their 2010 hit, White, with two plays for children: The Curious Scrapbook of Josephine Bean by Shona Reppe, and The Ballad of Pondlife McGurk by Andy Manley, Gill Robertson and Rob Evans (both shows 3-26 Aug).

After a successful run last year of Theatre Uncut, a new season of short plays will be performed in the Traverse bar (6, 13 & 20 Aug), all world premieres. Writers include Neil LaBute (USA), David Greig, Anders Lustgarten (UK), Mohammad Al Attar (Syria) and Lena Kitsopoulou (Greece). Playwrights’ Studio, Scotland will present Talk Fest 2012, a series of talks to explore what stimulates the artists behind this year’s Made in Scotland showcase, the Traverse’s own programme and the wider Edinburgh Festival (6 & 20 Aug).

The Traverse will also host three performances of Scottish Opera and Music Theatre Wales’ double bill, In the Locked Room & Ghost Patrol as part of the Edinburgh International Festival (30 Aug – 2 Sept).

Traverse Artistic Director Orla O’Loughlin will join BBC Drama Producer David Ian Neville to lead Crossing the Media, a masterclass and a discussion on writing for theatre and radio at BBC Potterow (26 Aug).

Booking for all shows on www.traverse.co.uk / 0044 (0) 131 228 1404

Photo Credit: Laurence Winram.