Archive - Theatre
Legally Blond : The Musical
Production Images by Royal Conservatoire of Scotland / Robert McFadzean
Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
MA Musical Theatre (Performance)
www.rcs.ac.ukall images by
MA Musical Theatre students present "Legally Blonde" at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2019
Director - Alexandra Spencer-Jones
Design - Claire Halleran
Lighting Design - Grant Anderson
MA Musical Theatre (Performance)
www.rcs.ac.ukall images by
MA Musical Theatre students present "Legally Blonde" at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2019
Director - Alexandra Spencer-Jones
Design - Claire Halleran
Lighting Design - Grant Anderson
Joan Eardley: A Private View
Production Images by Marc Marnie
Heroica Theatre Company
www.heroicatheatrecompany.co.uk
Writer - Anna Carlisle
Director - Marilyn Imrie
Design - Claire Halleran
Sound Design - Pippa Murphy
Choreographer - Janice Parker
Joan Eardley: A Private View premiered at Modern Two, Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art in Edinburgh and then toured UK regional art galleries and arts centres in May/June 2017.
Anna Carlisle’s ground-breaking new play celebrated a gifted life stopped in its prime and offered audiences an opportunity to spend time in the company of a great painter as she made her way through a life of joys, frustrations, disappointments and triumphs. In this compelling and moving promenade production, audiences came to understand what it was that fired Joan Eardley: they heard the voices of her cherished Samson children of Glasgow and the compelling ‘music’ of the Catterline storms. It was as if they were almost standing in the waves and cornfields with Joan, and they were able to experience for themselves the overwhelming impact of her finished works.
Joan’s touching life unfolded before people’s eyes entailing story, music and, in several venues, authentic Eardley works.
"By scraping away the layers of this complex and fiercely talented individual, the audience is given a fleeting glimpse into her inner life . It made me weep - and that was a good thing." The Herald ★★★★★
"This highly engaging and revealing private view merits being made very public." The Edinburgh Guide ★★★★
"...you leave this production with a real sense of having met the woman, glimpsing her life and soul." Boadway Baby ★★★★
www.heroicatheatrecompany.co.uk
Writer - Anna Carlisle
Director - Marilyn Imrie
Design - Claire Halleran
Sound Design - Pippa Murphy
Choreographer - Janice Parker
Joan Eardley: A Private View premiered at Modern Two, Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art in Edinburgh and then toured UK regional art galleries and arts centres in May/June 2017.
Anna Carlisle’s ground-breaking new play celebrated a gifted life stopped in its prime and offered audiences an opportunity to spend time in the company of a great painter as she made her way through a life of joys, frustrations, disappointments and triumphs. In this compelling and moving promenade production, audiences came to understand what it was that fired Joan Eardley: they heard the voices of her cherished Samson children of Glasgow and the compelling ‘music’ of the Catterline storms. It was as if they were almost standing in the waves and cornfields with Joan, and they were able to experience for themselves the overwhelming impact of her finished works.
Joan’s touching life unfolded before people’s eyes entailing story, music and, in several venues, authentic Eardley works.
"By scraping away the layers of this complex and fiercely talented individual, the audience is given a fleeting glimpse into her inner life . It made me weep - and that was a good thing." The Herald ★★★★★
"This highly engaging and revealing private view merits being made very public." The Edinburgh Guide ★★★★
"...you leave this production with a real sense of having met the woman, glimpsing her life and soul." Boadway Baby ★★★★
The Devil's Larder
Grid Iron Theatre Company
www.gridiron.org.uk
Based on the novel by Jim Crace.
Adapted and Directed by Ben Harrison.
Set Design - Claire Halleran
Costume Design - Alison Brown
Music - David Paul Jones
Lighting Design - Paul Claydon
Join Grid Iron, Scotland’s multi-award winning site-specific theatre company, on a journey into the culinary underworld of Jim Crace’s teasingly dark novella.
The Devil’s Larder winds a sinuous and treacherous path through narrative episode, story-telling, live music and song to examine the envy, love, loss and lust which seethe beneath the false calm of the menu, the dinner table and the recipe.
Originally commissioned as part of Cork 2005 European Capital of Culture celebrations before coming home to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, The Devil’s Larder received a clutch of awards including a Scotsman Fringe First, a Herald Archangel and a Total Theatre Award. For this tenth anniversary remount, Grid Iron are delighted to be taking the show to four extraordinary buildings around the country.
Production Images by Richard Campbell
www.gridiron.org.uk
Based on the novel by Jim Crace.
Adapted and Directed by Ben Harrison.
Set Design - Claire Halleran
Costume Design - Alison Brown
Music - David Paul Jones
Lighting Design - Paul Claydon
Join Grid Iron, Scotland’s multi-award winning site-specific theatre company, on a journey into the culinary underworld of Jim Crace’s teasingly dark novella.
The Devil’s Larder winds a sinuous and treacherous path through narrative episode, story-telling, live music and song to examine the envy, love, loss and lust which seethe beneath the false calm of the menu, the dinner table and the recipe.
Originally commissioned as part of Cork 2005 European Capital of Culture celebrations before coming home to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, The Devil’s Larder received a clutch of awards including a Scotsman Fringe First, a Herald Archangel and a Total Theatre Award. For this tenth anniversary remount, Grid Iron are delighted to be taking the show to four extraordinary buildings around the country.
Production Images by Richard Campbell
The Straw Chair
Co production with Borderline and Hirtle
www.borderlinetheatre.co.uk/the-straw-chair/
Written by Sue Glover
Director - Liz Carruthers
Design - Claire Halleran
Lighting Design - Bevis Evans- Tuesh/Dave Shea
Sound Design - Jamie Wardrope
In the early eighteenth century, it’s a stormy start to marriage for 17-year-old Isabel and her minister husband Aneas as they arrive from Edinburgh onto the remote island of Hirta (St. Kilda).
Amongst the inhabitants lives Lady Grange, based on a true historical figure named Rachel Chiesley, who’s desperate to return to civilisation. Isabel is appalled yet fascinated by Rachel, who tells the young bride unfamiliar stories of betrayal, lost love and abduction. While Isabel uncovers alarming similarities, battling between youthful exhilaration and the danger of being too troublesome a wife, Lady Grange clings with tragic dignity to the two things she has left in the world – a consuming rage and an old straw chair.
A captivating play about liberty, marriage and female empowerment by the award-winning author of Bondagers.
Scotsman****
Edinburgh Guide****
Production Images by John Johnston
www.borderlinetheatre.co.uk/the-straw-chair/
Written by Sue Glover
Director - Liz Carruthers
Design - Claire Halleran
Lighting Design - Bevis Evans- Tuesh/Dave Shea
Sound Design - Jamie Wardrope
In the early eighteenth century, it’s a stormy start to marriage for 17-year-old Isabel and her minister husband Aneas as they arrive from Edinburgh onto the remote island of Hirta (St. Kilda).
Amongst the inhabitants lives Lady Grange, based on a true historical figure named Rachel Chiesley, who’s desperate to return to civilisation. Isabel is appalled yet fascinated by Rachel, who tells the young bride unfamiliar stories of betrayal, lost love and abduction. While Isabel uncovers alarming similarities, battling between youthful exhilaration and the danger of being too troublesome a wife, Lady Grange clings with tragic dignity to the two things she has left in the world – a consuming rage and an old straw chair.
A captivating play about liberty, marriage and female empowerment by the award-winning author of Bondagers.
Scotsman****
Edinburgh Guide****
Production Images by John Johnston
Whisky Galore
Adapted for the stage by Iain Finlay MacLeod
Director - Guy Hollands
Design - Claire Halleran
Lighting Design - Paul Clayton
Sound Design - Aly MacRae
A new, Gaelic adaptation of the novel Whisky Galore by Compton MacKenzie
Presented by the National Theatre of Scotland, Robhanis and A Play, A Pie and A Pint at Òran Mór.
World War II and the islands of Great Todday and Little Todday are suffering from a distinct lack of whisky, which means that Sergeant Odd cannot marry his sweetheart. For as everyone knows, a rèiteach (wedding party) cannot happen without a dram.
The only person happy with the situation is Captain Waggett, ever on the look-out for any loose talk on the islands.
Things change dramatically when a ship runs aground with 50 thousand cases of whisky on board and the islanders decide to claim this bounty.
Captain Waggett vows to put an end these shenanigans and a hilarious race against time ensues. Can the islanders hide the whisky? Can Sergeant Odd get married? Will anyone on Todday ever be sober again?
This delightful new version of the much-loved, whimsical comedy (made famous by the 1949 Ealing film) features a host of colourful characters, live music and, naturally, whisky galore.
Production Images by Drew Farrell
Director - Guy Hollands
Design - Claire Halleran
Lighting Design - Paul Clayton
Sound Design - Aly MacRae
A new, Gaelic adaptation of the novel Whisky Galore by Compton MacKenzie
Presented by the National Theatre of Scotland, Robhanis and A Play, A Pie and A Pint at Òran Mór.
World War II and the islands of Great Todday and Little Todday are suffering from a distinct lack of whisky, which means that Sergeant Odd cannot marry his sweetheart. For as everyone knows, a rèiteach (wedding party) cannot happen without a dram.
The only person happy with the situation is Captain Waggett, ever on the look-out for any loose talk on the islands.
Things change dramatically when a ship runs aground with 50 thousand cases of whisky on board and the islanders decide to claim this bounty.
Captain Waggett vows to put an end these shenanigans and a hilarious race against time ensues. Can the islanders hide the whisky? Can Sergeant Odd get married? Will anyone on Todday ever be sober again?
This delightful new version of the much-loved, whimsical comedy (made famous by the 1949 Ealing film) features a host of colourful characters, live music and, naturally, whisky galore.
Production Images by Drew Farrell
Tin Forest Southwest
National Theatre of Scotland
www.thetinforest.com/events/event/the-tin-forest-southwest
Written by Lewis Heatherington
Directors - Peter Collins and Gareth Nicholls
Design - Claire Halleran
Lighting Design - Simon Hayes
Sound Design - Danny Krass
It’s Willie’s last day at work, one last day at the Factory. So get your overalls on and get ready to go through his final shift with him!
This job is all he’s ever done. He can’t wait to leave. He never wants to leave. He doesn’t know what he wants. All he has to hold on to is what his Dad always said to him: ‘You’re nothing if you’ve got nothing to do.’ But what does he do next?
Well what he doesn’t know is that at the end of the day he is going to be taken to a surprise party, thrown in his honour, and we’re all invited…
Production images by Peter Sandground
www.thetinforest.com/events/event/the-tin-forest-southwest
Written by Lewis Heatherington
Directors - Peter Collins and Gareth Nicholls
Design - Claire Halleran
Lighting Design - Simon Hayes
Sound Design - Danny Krass
It’s Willie’s last day at work, one last day at the Factory. So get your overalls on and get ready to go through his final shift with him!
This job is all he’s ever done. He can’t wait to leave. He never wants to leave. He doesn’t know what he wants. All he has to hold on to is what his Dad always said to him: ‘You’re nothing if you’ve got nothing to do.’ But what does he do next?
Well what he doesn’t know is that at the end of the day he is going to be taken to a surprise party, thrown in his honour, and we’re all invited…
Production images by Peter Sandground
The View From Castle Rock
Stellar Quines and the Edinburgh International Book Festival
www.stellarquines.com
Writer (based on the stories by) - Alice Munroe
Writer - Linda McLean
Director - Marilyn Imrie
Design - Claire Halleran
Musical diretor/Composer - Pippa Murphy
Lighting Design - Emma Jones
Movement Director - Janice Parker
Assistant Director - Rosa Duncan
A Scottish family's journey in search of a better life in Canada by Alice Munroe, adapted by Linda McLean.
Nobel Laureate Alice Munro is the world’s greatest living short story writer.
As a centrepiece of the 2016 Book Festival, Stellar Quines and Edinburgh International Book Festival present the world premiere of a specially commissioned theatrical adaptation of two stories, taken from the author’s collection The View from Castle Rock.
These stories imagine the extraordinary experiences of her Scottish ancestors who sailed from Leith Docks in 1818 in the hope of a better life in Canada.
Acclaimed director Marilyn Imrie and award-winning Scottish playwright Linda McLean have created, in this word-for-word adaptation from Alice Munro’s text, a vibrant drama about the nineteenth century Scottish migrant experience.
“Marilyn Imrie’s production is stark and elegant, employing simple-yet-effective techniques, including billowing sheets to represent waves and beautiful choral singing from the cast, accompanied by Brian James O’Sullivan, who plays various traditional instruments.” The Times ★★★★
“Filling the altar and the aisles of this old church with electric energy, the piece reveals the pressures on family of uprooting across the world, and the newly unleashed role of women in the New World.” The List★★★★
“Elegant use is made of music by Pippa Murphy, and not only are the sturdy wooden structures of Claire Halleran’s set used to evoke both the Castle Rock and shipboard life, sparing but effective use is made of the space in St Mark’s – itself, of course, in the shadow of the Rock.” AllEdinburgh Theatre ★★★★
“This powerful piece of theatre from a totally braw ensemble is a timeous and heart wrenching reminder of the perils of emigration.”
Edinburgh Guide★★★★
“A fine ensemble of five actors brings this story vividly alive in a quietly moving show rooted in real lives” The Guardian★★★★
Production Images by Alan McCredie
www.stellarquines.com
Writer (based on the stories by) - Alice Munroe
Writer - Linda McLean
Director - Marilyn Imrie
Design - Claire Halleran
Musical diretor/Composer - Pippa Murphy
Lighting Design - Emma Jones
Movement Director - Janice Parker
Assistant Director - Rosa Duncan
A Scottish family's journey in search of a better life in Canada by Alice Munroe, adapted by Linda McLean.
Nobel Laureate Alice Munro is the world’s greatest living short story writer.
As a centrepiece of the 2016 Book Festival, Stellar Quines and Edinburgh International Book Festival present the world premiere of a specially commissioned theatrical adaptation of two stories, taken from the author’s collection The View from Castle Rock.
These stories imagine the extraordinary experiences of her Scottish ancestors who sailed from Leith Docks in 1818 in the hope of a better life in Canada.
Acclaimed director Marilyn Imrie and award-winning Scottish playwright Linda McLean have created, in this word-for-word adaptation from Alice Munro’s text, a vibrant drama about the nineteenth century Scottish migrant experience.
“Marilyn Imrie’s production is stark and elegant, employing simple-yet-effective techniques, including billowing sheets to represent waves and beautiful choral singing from the cast, accompanied by Brian James O’Sullivan, who plays various traditional instruments.” The Times ★★★★
“Filling the altar and the aisles of this old church with electric energy, the piece reveals the pressures on family of uprooting across the world, and the newly unleashed role of women in the New World.” The List★★★★
“Elegant use is made of music by Pippa Murphy, and not only are the sturdy wooden structures of Claire Halleran’s set used to evoke both the Castle Rock and shipboard life, sparing but effective use is made of the space in St Mark’s – itself, of course, in the shadow of the Rock.” AllEdinburgh Theatre ★★★★
“This powerful piece of theatre from a totally braw ensemble is a timeous and heart wrenching reminder of the perils of emigration.”
Edinburgh Guide★★★★
“A fine ensemble of five actors brings this story vividly alive in a quietly moving show rooted in real lives” The Guardian★★★★
Production Images by Alan McCredie
Some Other Mother
Writen by AJ Taudevin
Director - Catrin Evans
Producer - Dani Rae
Dramaturg - Kieran Hurley
Design - Claire Halleran
Lighting Design - Laura Hawkins
Sound Design - MJ McCarthy
High up in a Glasgow tower block, ten-year old Star and her mother
await the outcome of their claim for asylum. As Mama’s mind fragments under the pressure of their unknown future, Star constructs a poetic and fantastical world of her own.
Some Other Mother is the latest play from AJ Taudevin (Chalk Farm, Demons and co-director of CATS award winning play BEATS).
Director - Catrin Evans
Producer - Dani Rae
Dramaturg - Kieran Hurley
Design - Claire Halleran
Lighting Design - Laura Hawkins
Sound Design - MJ McCarthy
High up in a Glasgow tower block, ten-year old Star and her mother
await the outcome of their claim for asylum. As Mama’s mind fragments under the pressure of their unknown future, Star constructs a poetic and fantastical world of her own.
Some Other Mother is the latest play from AJ Taudevin (Chalk Farm, Demons and co-director of CATS award winning play BEATS).
After Mary Rose
Magnetic North
www.magneticnorth.org.uk
Adapted by D. Jones
Director - Nicholas Bone
Design - Claire Halleran
Lighting Design - Simon Wikinson
Music - Dee Isaacs
'Claire Halleran’s tip-tlted island design looked good, on the spacious new stage.' The Scotsman
www.magneticnorth.org.uk
Adapted by D. Jones
Director - Nicholas Bone
Design - Claire Halleran
Lighting Design - Simon Wikinson
Music - Dee Isaacs
'Claire Halleran’s tip-tlted island design looked good, on the spacious new stage.' The Scotsman
What Happened is This
Never Did Nothing
www.neverdidnothing.com
Tron Theatre, Glasgow
Written by Nck Underwood
Director - Louie Ingham
Design - Claire Halleran
Lighting Design - Simon Wilkinson
Sound Design - Mark Meville
Dot's in her late youth. She's coming home for a bit. Her Dad's tenant, Danny, wouldn't mind but he's not good with people unless they're not in the same room. Meanwhile, Dot's suspicion is roused as her Dad makes evermore frequent excursions on his bike. .
A kitchen in a state of semi-permanent repair; a childhood bedroom where Dot can't get unpacked; a loft-studio where Danny broadcasts strange music and muses on a life in which he takes no part. Not yet anyway.
www.neverdidnothing.com
Tron Theatre, Glasgow
Written by Nck Underwood
Director - Louie Ingham
Design - Claire Halleran
Lighting Design - Simon Wilkinson
Sound Design - Mark Meville
Dot's in her late youth. She's coming home for a bit. Her Dad's tenant, Danny, wouldn't mind but he's not good with people unless they're not in the same room. Meanwhile, Dot's suspicion is roused as her Dad makes evermore frequent excursions on his bike. .
A kitchen in a state of semi-permanent repair; a childhood bedroom where Dot can't get unpacked; a loft-studio where Danny broadcasts strange music and muses on a life in which he takes no part. Not yet anyway.
The Art of Swimming
Playgroup
Directed Tom Creed
Design - Claire Halleran
Sound Design - Michael John McCarthy
WINNER OF BEST PRODUCTION UNDER AN HOUR AWARD AT DUBLIN FRINGE FESTIVAL 2007
NOMINATED FOR TOTAL THEATRE AWARD NOMINATION AT EDINBURGH FESTIVAL FRINGE 2007
SHORTLISTED FOR STEWART PARKER AWARD FOR BEST DEBUT IRISH PLAY 2007
SHORTLISTED FOR MEYER WHITWORTH AWARD FOR BEST DEBUT PLAY 2007
'Outstanding… Radley writes with style, humour and a flourish of poetic passion' ***** The Herald
'Radley beautifully uses the miniature to convey the epic... a wonderfully honest and humane piece of work.' **** Metro
'Haunting and strangely eloquent' **** The Scotsman
Reasons To Dance
National Theatre of Scotland
City Nightclub, Falkirk
www.nationaltheatrescotland.com
Directors - Gillian Gourlay and Phillipa Tomlin
Design - Claire Halleran
Lighting Design - Paul Claydon
Sound composition - Michael John McCarthy
Reasons to Dance invites audience members to immerse themselves in a world of Falkirk dancing memories from the last 100 years, as a large scale community
cast from a broad range of ages brings stories to life through movement,
storytelling and dance, their performance enhanced by City’s state-of-the-art
video, projection, sound and lighting systems. Guests will meet a range of
characters; the bandleaders and bouncers, the DJs and players, the lovers, the
fighters, the weird and the wonderful. On a journey through dance halls, school
halls, bedrooms, cloakrooms and beyond, the audience will taste dancing triumph and disaster, learn the unwritten rules and routines of a night out, discover tips on dress, footwear and beauty across different eras, and maybe even pick up a few new moves…
'...we made our way past gorgeous black-and-white photographs of Falkirk folk in their glamorous 1950’s finery, and sat in little booths with actors who delivered verbatim stories of nights at the dancing, from the 1930’s to the present.' *** The Scotsman
City Nightclub, Falkirk
www.nationaltheatrescotland.com
Directors - Gillian Gourlay and Phillipa Tomlin
Design - Claire Halleran
Lighting Design - Paul Claydon
Sound composition - Michael John McCarthy
Reasons to Dance invites audience members to immerse themselves in a world of Falkirk dancing memories from the last 100 years, as a large scale community
cast from a broad range of ages brings stories to life through movement,
storytelling and dance, their performance enhanced by City’s state-of-the-art
video, projection, sound and lighting systems. Guests will meet a range of
characters; the bandleaders and bouncers, the DJs and players, the lovers, the
fighters, the weird and the wonderful. On a journey through dance halls, school
halls, bedrooms, cloakrooms and beyond, the audience will taste dancing triumph and disaster, learn the unwritten rules and routines of a night out, discover tips on dress, footwear and beauty across different eras, and maybe even pick up a few new moves…
'...we made our way past gorgeous black-and-white photographs of Falkirk folk in their glamorous 1950’s finery, and sat in little booths with actors who delivered verbatim stories of nights at the dancing, from the 1930’s to the present.' *** The Scotsman
Otter Pie
Fish & Game
www.fishandgame.org.uk
Directors - Robert Walton & Eilidh MacAskill
Design - Claire Halleran
Lighting Design - Trent Kim
'This is supremely confident stuff, set against Claire Halleran’s deliciously tartan design...' The Stage
'In a sense, Claire Halleran's design says it all about Fish & Game's latest work in progress: the floor and back wall of the stage combine a look of cool modernity with a few chopped-up chunks of tartan.' The Scotsman
Beneath You, Spidergirls are Everywhere
Birds of Paradise Theatre Company
www.birdsofparadisetheatre.co.uk
Written by Kathy Mckean
Director Morven Greggor
Design - Claire Halleran
Lighting Design - James Gardener
'the striking visual sequences as the girls scale Claire Halleran’s jagged set, aided by Matt Foster’s concise choreography and the strong performances, make this piece enjoyable to watch', The List ***
To Begin
The National Theatre of Scotland
www.nationaltheatrescotland.com
Co -Directors - Simon Sharkey and Davey Anderson
Creative partners - Gillian Gourley, Philippa Tomlin
Design - Claire Halleran
Lighting Design - Grant Anderson
Sound Design - Danny Krass
For the six months, the National Theatre of Scotland sought out stories in Forres and Wigtown.
Real-life stories. Stories about journeys. The physical, emotional and imaginary journeys that brought the people of this town to where they are today.
These incredible true tales of triumph, disaster and transformation made the leap from page to stage, inspiring a magical new theatre adventure…
A National Theatre of Scotland production in association with Scottish Book Trust
Supported by Wigtown Book Festival and Findhorn Bay Arts
