Ciara by David Harrower, and: The Events by David Greig (review)

These are dramatic times in Scotland as it grapples with its changing and resurgent cultural identity. The Scots will soon vote in a referendum on political independence from Britain, the culmination of a process that has been building over the past two decades and more. It is a moment of pride and promise, but also of uncertainty and questioning. The desire for political independence is, in many ways, born out of the long-evident strength and distinctiveness of Scottish culture, and the critical reflection of this culture on Scottish stages is moving, with a firm footing in theatrical tradition, in exciting directions. In the wake of a 1997 referendum establishing the Scottish parliament, playwrights David Harrower and David Greig wrote in The Scotsman newspaper: “Scotland has voted to redefine itself as a nation. To redefine ourselves we need to understand ourselves, exchange ideas and aspirations, confront enduring myths, expose injustices, and explore our past. The quality, accessibility, and immediacy of Scottish theatre make it one of the best arenas in which these dialogues can take place.”

The placement of these two writers’ ambitious latest works at the center of the Traverse Theatre’s 2013 Fringe Festival, then, can be set within the context of this quest for national dialogue and self-exploration. Part of the impetus for the birth of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 1947 was a feeling that the existing Edinburgh International Festival was failing to showcase local talent. The Fringe, in contrast, opened the doors to everyone, fostering the emergence of a lively and innovative Scottish theatre industry that, in turn, provides so much of the atmospheric fuel for the modern Fringe’s cultural bonfire, and the Traverse has emerged as the most prominent of the local theatre companies nurturing this growth. The repertory nature of the Traverse’s offerings (and much of the Fringe itself) encourages readings across different productions, setting up resonances that might not be visible in the typical theatrical situation of isolated performances, and the Traverse’s fiftieth anniversary season epitomized this feel, with a dynamic showcase of new international and Scottish plays in the same space.

David Harrower described his epic solo play Ciara (written with this premiere production at the Traverse in mind) as a “twisted love song” to the city of Glasgow. The play explores Glasgow’s reputation as a center for industry, crime, and art. In the same theatre space (Traverse One), David Greig’s The Events explores the anguish of a minister who has survived a mass shooting in her church hall and now grapples with recurring memories, conflicting testimony, and the possibility of forgiveness. Taken together, Ciara and The Events are strong examples of the possibilities of putting modern tragedy on the stage. The Traverse’s new artistic director, Orla O’Loughlin, explained that one attraction of both of these plays is that they portray strong female protagonists striving for control of their stories and lives. In different ways, Ciara and The Events show that a contemporary, middle-aged Scottish woman can hold the stage and our catharsis in her hands, her despair, rage, and grief acting on us like a modern-day Phaedra, Antigone, or Medea.

Blythe Duff in Ciara.

(Photo: Jeremy Abrahams.)

In Harrower’s play, veteran Scottish actress Blythe Duff, as Ciara, came onstage as if entering a cocktail party; draped in a couture dress and with a glass of wine in hand, she arranged herself on the sole chair and addressed us directly. The canvas that scenic designer Anthony Lamble created for her was a high-ceilinged, derelict industrial warehouse on the brink of gentrification. It is the perfect background for Glasgow’s changing face, and a personal liminal space where Ciara could reflect on the harshness of the past and design her own future. With tall windows at the back (beautifully lit by designer Philip Gladwell...