Apart from the events directly connected to the IETM plenary – which do include most of the major theatres and companies – Glasgow’s performance scene offers plenty of hidden treats. Its long tradition of music hall entertainment, its firm connections to the rest of Scotland and the various university and conservatoire courses ensure a vibrant performance underground.
The shift from Theatre Studies and Drama towards a more diverse and inclusive curricula that takes the idea of “performance” and radically expands it is more than just an academic matter. My own decision to change the name of The Skinny’s Theatre Section to performance was a reflection of the activity across Scotland, that increasingly sees skills more usually associated with vaudeville, circus or variety become part of the theatre world.
There are, broadly, three strands within Glasgow, although these rapidly sub-divide and mutate. There is a limited cross-over and collaboration: Leggy Pee, darling of the cabaret circuit, has been known to work with Mischief La Bas, while Diane Torr has booked burlesque alongside Live Art in her famous occasional events. Yet these are not the rule, and while the scenes do not compete, they follow very separate paths.
The following three posts look at these strands, making vague connections and guessing at continuities, mentioning names and missing others.
The Glasgow Live Art Young Team
Life’s A Cabaret
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