Tramway‘s long association with international performance made it the perfect locaqtion for the launch of the IETM plenary programme. Steve Slater‘s brief introductory speech recalled the importance of 1990′s Capital of Culture events, and the birth of Tramway in the aftermath. One a genuine tram depot, then the original site of the Transport Museum – which is still wandering arounf Glasgow, seeking larger and larger spaces – Tramway is a flagship for Glasgow, from its magnificent staging of the Mahabharata in 1988 through to its support for radical theatre youngsters Junction 25 in the present.

The IETM plenary public performance is, unsurprisingly, diverse. Not only does it present the new generation of artists  – Glasgow’s Fish and Game are shaping up as a performance super-group, having worked with Nic Green and featuring Eilidh of Daily Ukelele Ceilidh fame, and the Royal Academy of Music and Drama’s students have adapted Gilgamesh - it draws in companies from across Scotland. Dogstar and Plan B arrive from the Highlands: even East Coast rival Edinburgh contributes Midsummer via The Traverse Theatre and Found from Curious Seed.

By incorporating many of the major theatres in the programme, the IETM is a snapshot of a typical weekend in Glasgow. There are the classic proscenium arch productions – TAG reveals the Monster in the Hall, with a script from major Scottish playwright David Greig – the massive multi-media stagings that take advantage of a more flexible space – step forward Cryptic and their adaptation of Orlando at Tramway. Yet the plenary goes beyond the usual. The Platform, one of the further arts outposts in the city, has a series of one-off shows, including the serious dance of Colette Sadler. Even the River Clyde has been enlisted, with The Curse of the Demeter happening on the tall ship and Laika Bridging The City Inn.