| Black Watch | National Theatre of Scotland |
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Cast members from 2007 production. Photo - Manuel
Harlan
Black Watch is a physical, vigorous and emotional work about the iconic Scottish regiment, its mission in Iraq at Camp Dogwood and the difficulty for soldiers coming home. Based on interviews with former soldiers, Black Watch is a powerhouse piece of tightly-choreographed ensemble theatre, following a group of Black Watch squaddies from their homes in Scotland to the battlefields of Iraq and back again.
First performed in a disused drill hall, Black Watch, with its dynamic cast of ten, was the uncontested stand-out hit of 2006 Edinburgh Fringe Festival and has embarked on a hugely successful touring season. Based on interviews with former soldiers, action swings between interviews in Scotland and the hate-filled reality of service in Iraq in a visceral and vigorously physical piece of political theatre.
Playwright Gregory Burke has a keen affinity for portraying young men in violent times, and understands that universality of the adolescent male’s pursuit of identity. For Black Watch, Burke hung out with squaddies in their mid-20s, who had all served in Iraq, many of whom had left the regiment voluntarily but remain on the reserves list. They spoke to him of the extreme boredom and extreme danger, the madness of war, the pressures of peace-keeping a country that didn’t want them and returning to a country that didn’t think they should have gone to Iraq at all. These verbatim interviews formed the basis of fictional characters – allowing for broad dramatic possibilities grounded in real experiences.
Black Watch is both a provocative inquiry into British involvement in Iraq and a sensitive examination of Scottish identity. The play portrays Scottish soldiering culture, its commentary on the Iraq War implicit in its depiction of Scotland’s controversial military involvement and its proud military tradition.
“The actors burn with restless energy… Completely brilliant.*****” Daily Telegraph (UK)
“A glorious piece of theatre, raw, truthful, uncomfortable, political, funny, moving, graceful and dynamic.” Scotland on Sunday
“Thrilling, raw, challenging and masterful…” The Times (UK)
Please note Black Watch contains strong language and strobe lighting. Latecomers will not be admitted.
Due to the highly physical nature of the performance, any audience
members needing to leave during the show must be escorted by an usher,
and will not be allowed to re-enter the show.
National Theatre of Scotland
Black Watch
Written by Gregory Burke
Director John Tiffany
Associate Director (movement) Steven Hoggett
Associate Director (music) Davey Anderson
Set Designer Laura Hopkins
Sound Designer Gareth Fry
Lighting Designer Colin Grenfell
Costume Designer Jessica Brettle
Video Design Leo Warner and Mark Grimmer for Fifty Nine Productions Ltd
Venue: CarriageWorks Bay 17 | 245 Wilson Street, Eveleigh
Dates/Times: January 10–26; Monday to Friday at 8.00pm, Saturday at 2.00pm & 8.00pm
Duration: 1hr 50mins, no interval
Price: $50 / $40
Bookings: Ticketmaster 1300 723 038
Online: www.sydneyfestival.org.au
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Thursday, 04 December 2008
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