2019 ANNUAL R E V I E W

Transcription

1 ANNUAL REVIEW

2 ...vivid writing, political nous and thematic unity Tay Bridge Exciting, exuberant, wonderful The Circle

3 / ABOUT US The story of Dundee Rep and Scottish Dance Theatre is one of its people: its artists, creatives, staff, participants and audiences. At the cultural heart of Dundee, we create and deliver work for local, national and international audiences, and provide year-round opportunities for learning, performing and sharing in the community. Together our twin ensembles have established a reputation as one of the UK s leaders in theatre and dance production, carrying the Dundee brand far and wide. Over the course of eight decades, Dundee Rep and Scottish Dance Theatre has inspired, led, and supported performance in Scotland, evolving into a world-class organisation, with two artistic forces based in Dundee but reaching around the globe.

4 / REP AT 80 CELEBRATIONS / REP AT 80 CELEBRATIONS Logos through the years 2019/20 was a celebration of Dundee Rep and Scottish Dance Theatre Limited s history marked the 80th anniversary of the organisation; founded in 1939, the Rep is a centre of creative energy, a space for engagement with a wide range of art forms, while also playing a lead role in arts education and engagement across the city and beyond also marked the 20th birthday of the Dundee Rep Ensemble. Since 1999 Dundee Rep Ensemble has been Scotland s only permanent company of full-time actors and has created award-winning productions, establishing a reputation as one of the UK s foremost theatre companies. Throughout 2019/20 we held a number of events to celebrate these milestones which led to an anniversary celebration on 6th September Dundee Rep Established 1963 The Rep moved to Lochee Road 1982 The Rep moved to its current home in Tay Square 1986 Scottish Dance Theatre is established as Dundee Rep Dance Company 1999 Dundee Rep Ensemble created 2016 Scottish Dance Theatre celebrated their 30th birthday 2019 Dundee Rep celebrates its 80th Anniversary

5 OVERVIEW Total number of productions at Dundee Rep 73 Total number of performances at Dundee Rep 273 Audience at Dundee Rep Theatre 56,811 Dundee Rep Ensemble Productions 8 Performances 186 Audiences 37,340 Scottish Dance Theatre Productions 10 Performances 62 Audiences 14,209 Visiting Companies Productions 61 Performances 98 Audiences 19,104 Engage & Creative Learning Main House Audiences 2,536 Engage & Creative Learning Rep Engage Participation 18,635 Instances (approx.) SDT Creative Learning 4,100 Participation Instances (approx.) First time customer 43% Returning customer 57% First time attender 76% Repeat attender 21% (2 4 times) Regular attender 3% (5+ times)

6 April 2019 May 2019 ENGAGE AND CREATIVE LEARNING May was a busy month onstage for our Engage and Creative Learning team; at the beginning of May we showcased Fresh Edit, a programme of small dance pieces celebrating up and coming dance work from Scotland. Our 11 13s Youth Theatre held a sharing of work they had created over the Winter and Spring terms. May concluded with three nights of GIFT, a collection of short devised performances which were the culmination of a twelve week project with primary schools across Dundee. June 2019 After four years performing to sell out audiences across the UK, April saw the final performance of Fleur Darkin s Velvet Petal at home on the Rep stage. The shows marked our fond farewell to Artistic Director, Fleur Darkin, who joined the company back in In April, we welcomed our new Artistic Director Joan Clevillé, who returned to the company after being a company dancer from , bringing a new vision to the company focusing on artistic exploration, learning, and diversity. In April, we held our inaugural Rep Stripped, a new festival showcasing the best as-yet unseen stories for the stage in a stripped back, intimate environment. Over 10 days, the festival showcased work from theatre makers throughout Scotland including; Blood of The Young, Oliver Emanuel and Gareth Williams, Daniel Cameron, Scottish Youth Theatre, Shakespeare.scot, The Envelope Room, Playwrights Studio Scotland, and National Theatre of Scotland. Visiting Company performances in April: Paper Memories (Jabuti Theatre), Limmy (Scottish Comedy Agency), Dear Zoo (Rod Cambell), You Choose (Nonsense Room Productions), The Adventures of Isabel (Shaper Caper), Letters from America (Dave Giles & Lewis Fieldhouse) Locker Room Talk (Traverse Theatre Company), DUPed (Sweet Venues) Visiting Company performances in June: Horse (Horse McDonald), Curious Shoes (Magdalena), The Benny Lynch Story (Cathkin Park Limited), Fishamble s Pat Kinevane Trilogy (Fishamble), 549: Scots of the Spanish Civil War (Wonder Fools) May 2019 Rep@80 An Evening with Brian Cox Hosted by Janice Forsyth, Brian Cox joined us onstage to share stories from his life and career with a sold out audience. RITUALIA & The Circle We continued the inaugural tour of our new double bill performing at Saffron Hall, Essex, and The Lowry, Manchester, with additional engagement activity on tour. Innocence Alongside our new double bill, we performed at Saffron Hall with the family show Innocence, accompanied of a bespoke workshop programme for children. The work is a playroom performance inviting children (and their adults) to enter William Blake s realm of mystery, fun and adventure. In May, we debuted a new double bill, bringing back Colette Sadler s RITUALIA alongside the World Premiere of The Circle, a new piece created by internationally acclaimed choreographer Emanuel Gat. Driven by an explosive physicality and split-second decision-making, the piece features sculptural costumes by Australian designer Thomas Bradley upcycled from Dundee Rep s wardrobe. This new addition to our repertoire was received enthusiastically by audiences and critics. We also performed RITUALIA at the UK Dance Showcase in Bournemouth before touring the new double bill to the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh. Written by John & Gerry Kielty and directed by ensemble member Ewan Donald, A Z of Dundee began its tour of 14 community centres in and around Dundee, Tayside and Perthshire, continuing into June concluding at Eassie and Nevay Hall on 22nd June. Visiting Company performances in May: Lost At Sea (Horsecross Arts), The Rite of Spring & Troy Game (Phoenix Dance Theatre), What Girls are Made of (Raw Material and Traverse Theatre Company), Doorways in Drumorty (Awkward Stranger), My Left Right Foot (Birds of Paradise and National Theatre of Scotland), In the Ink Dark (In the Ink Dark), Phil Jupitus (Off the Kerb and Beyond), Stand Easy (Stand Easy). Scottish Dance Theatre in South America We began our four-week tour to South America in partnership with the British Council, visiting Colombia, Chile and Peru for the first time. The company performed a double bill programme with RITUALIA and TuTuMucky for thousands of people in some of the most prestigious stages in Latin America, including Teatro Mayor in Bogota and the National Theatre of Peru. We also connected with local artists and participants from disadvantaged backgrounds through an extensive engagement programme of workshops, classes and open rehearsals. ENGAGE AND CREATIVE LEARNING Whilst the ensemble was performing at community venues, our Engage and Creative Learning participants took over the main auditorium. Our 16 18s youth theatre performed Influence, a new piece of theatre written by Andy McGregor, commissioned in partnership with Derby Theatre, Theatre Royal Plymouth and Northern Stage. Alongside this, our 14 16s youth theatre performed Message Received a devised piece in response to the newly commissioned script. The following week, our Community Company took to the main stage performing Not for Sale, a devised piece of theatre exploring journeys through life.

7 August 2019 September 2019 Celebration On 6th September 1939 papers were filed with the Registrar of Companies to create Dundee Repertory Theatre Limited. It happened because of a ground swell of people in Dundee s communities, who love and understand the power of the arts to make a positive impact in our lives, deciding that this is the moment for Dundee to have their own repertory company. 80 years later we celebrated this milestone with a special evening following a performance of Tay Bridge. Friends, colleagues and audiences joined together in the auditorium to share stories and memories of The Rep over the years. Oor Wullie Auction Following a successful summer on the streets, the Oor Wullie sculptures from Dundee, Perth and St Andrews went under the hammer in the main auditorium. The sale of 40 statues raised 239,000 for the Archie Foundation and will go towards a new operating theatre suite for children at Ninewells hospital. Visiting Company performances in September: Singin I m No a Billy He s a Tim 2 (Chris Taylor Productions), The Chosen (Company Chordelia), Sinatra Raw (Seabright Productions), Tape Face (Kilimanjaro Live). Scottish Dance Theatre at Edinburgh Festival Fringe In August, we took a refreshed version of LOOPING: Scotland Overdub and RITUALIA to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe as part of the British Council Edinburgh Showcase. The Festival gave us the chance to welcome audiences and make new connections with artists and programmers from all over the world. We were proud to present the work of an internationally acclaimed Scottish choreographer, Colette Sadler, together with the immersive work of Brazilian collective 7Oito, which delighted reviewers and our late night audiences with its playful mixture of dance, party and politics. We opened our Autumn 2019 season with a new play, Tay Bridge, written by Peter Arnott which tells the poignant and unexpected stories of the suddenly interrupted passengers making the journey on the night that the Tay rail bridge collapsed. This opened our season of stories straight from the heart of Dundee. LOOPING: Scotland Overdub Tour In September Scottish Dance Theatre travelled more than 570 miles across the county presenting the immersive performance LOOPING: Scotland Overdub in rural venues in Moray, Aberdeenshire and the West coast of Scotland performing in village halls and meeting audiences up close... The tour brought us to develop a new performance format: MEET Scottish Dance Theatre, an evening hosted by Joan Clevillé showcasing short works by company dancers and a selection of extracts from our repertoire, giving an insight into the company s life in the dance studio and on stages the world over. While the company was on the road, Scottish choreographer Malcom Sutherland conducted a week-long research residency in SDT s studio in partnership with The Work Room. October 2019 Scottish Dance Theatre Autumn Tour Process Day and The Circle were performed over two nights for home audiences at Dundee Rep as part of the University of Dundee s Festival of the Future, which saw neuro-scientists visiting our studio to research with the dancers. The tour was a rare opportunity to see the work of three contemporary masters in one evening, and included stops at London s iconic dance venue The Place and Tramway s Dance International Glasgow to packed audiences. The young dancers of TIM (This Is Me) joined the main company in Edinburgh and took it to the stage of Dance Base, Scotland s national Centre for Dance, for a run of a performances in a shared programme with Lothian Youth Dance Company and PRIME entitled Fear Less Age Less. Ian McKellen on Stage Coinciding with Dundee Rep s 80th anniversary, Ian McKellen celebrated his 80th birthday by touring the UK to help raise money for theatres. Ian stated I began my career working for repertory companies in England and I ve watched with admiration Dundee s dedication to presenting an ensemble in a variety of plays, thrilling for actors as well as audiences over many a season. All profits will benefit a campaign to celebrate 80 years of Dundee Rep Theatre and 20 years of its resident ensemble. In addition to ticket sales, the event raised over 4000 for Dundee Rep and Scottish Dance Theatre. Visiting Company performances in August: Evita (Dundee Schools Music Theatre). Dance Live Festival Scottish Dance Theatre also travelled to Aberdeen to perform LOOPING: Scotland Overdub at the opening of the city s annual dance festival Dance Live. The young members of This Is Me followed suit to perform at the festival s Youth Showcase. Having toured from Rio to Murthly, to Kirriemuir and Ardler, A-Z of Dundee returned to the Rep auditorium. Visiting Company performances in October: Tommy Tiernan (Mick Perrin Worldwide Limited), Slug (Visible Fictions), The Whirlybird (Eco Drama), Autobiography (Company Wayne McGregor), Buddy Holly (Simon Fielder Productions), An Evening of Eric & Ern (Ian Ashpitel & Jonny Stephens), Wee Hansel and Gretel (Scottish Ballet), Thick Skin Elastic Heart (Sonnet Youth & Company Main), Jane Eyre (Blackeyed Theatre).

8 November 2019 January 2020 Our critically acclaimed Double Bill saw its final performances in two Scottish venues: the Beacon Arts Centre in Greenock and Eden Court in Inverness. Both home and on the road, the dancers continued to share their skills with the new generation of dancers in Scotland, with professional development sessions at Dance Base, Scottish School of Contemporary Dance, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, and National Youth Dance Company of Scotland. Great Big Dance Show Once again, the Great Big Dance Shows took to the stage of Dundee Rep over two nights, providing unforgettable performances by community groups and dancers from around Dundee and beyond alongside Scottish Dance Theatre s dancers. December 2019 Showcasing the emerging talent within the company, the three sold-out studio performances of SPUTNIK were the culmination of an intensive three-week creative lab, where Scottish Dance Theatre dancers explored their own creative voice. This platform was an opportunity to nurture and invest in the artistic development of our artists and offer a platform for innovation, collaboration and experimentation. To round up the year, Joan Clevillé s first choreography as Artistic Director of Scottish Dance Theatre was previewed at Perth Theatre. Commissioned by the Rural Touring Dance Initiative, Antigone, Interrupted gives a fresh look to the Greek tragedy in an original and compelling mix of dance, theatre and storytelling. In November we opened our Christmas show, Oor Wullie, a unique collaboration between Dundee Rep Ensemble, Selladoor Productions, DC Thomson and Noisemaker bringing this iconic cheeky-chappy to life straight from the comic. The show opened to brilliant reviews, delighting our Dundee audiences, many of whom returned throughout the run. Visiting Company performances in November: Jane Eyre (Blackeyed Theatre), PechaKucha (Creative Dundee), McGonagall s Chronicles (MGary McNair), Craig Hill (MZA and Chill Productions) Oor Wullie continued throughout December, welcoming and delighting primary and secondary schools, and performing to packed out audiences. A number of performances needed to be cancelled over the Christmas period but only for a short period. Emily Mouse Whilst Oor Wullie was performing on the mainstage, in our rehearsal room Emily Winter and her friend Mouse took young children and their adults on a journey through songs, rhymes and some specially written stories by children s author Vivian French. Hogmanay Ceilidh and Christmas Party Nights Another successful year of our Hogmanay Ceilidh and Christmas Party Nights took us into TWIN ENSEMBLE EVENT February 2020 Scottish Dance Theatre Double Bill The incomparable stage of Edinburgh Festival Theatre saw the debut of a new company member, Italian dancer Glenda Gheller. The company offered a memorable performance of the acclaimed double bill Process Day and The Circle which was Audio Described for blind and partially sighted audiences. Earlier in the month, the dancers had the opportunity to receive training to develop their awareness and skills when engaging with visually impaired audiences and participants. Oor Wullie Tour Oor Wullie had its final performance at the Rep at the beginning of January, welcoming over 18,000 audience members throughout its 6-week run. After a short break, the cast were out on the road beginning the Scottish tour at Theatre Royal Glasgow and Kings Theatre Edinburgh. On the occasion of Dundee Rep Ensemble and Scottish Dance Theatre taking over Edinburgh s major stages in the same week, we marked the accomplishments of our twin-ensemble model, as part of our 80th anniversary year celebrations. Dance and Theatre Ensemble members Irene, Annie, Matilda, and Genevieve, came together as one for the first time for a short performance to selected guests at Edinburgh's Festival Theatre, created by Artistic Directors Andrew Panton and Joan Clevillé to mark this special occasion. Joan Clevillé s first creation as Artistic Director of Scottish Dance Theatre, Antigone, Interrupted, made its world premiere at Perth Theatre in February before touring to the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh, where the work was presented with BSL interpretation to sold-out audiences, and to Shetland Arts, where dancer Solène Weinachter worked with a group of young women to create a curtain-raiser piece. Scottish Dance Theatre dancers took over V&A Dundee with a site-specific durational performance storage for future sunsets. Commissioned by V&A Dundee and created in collaboration with choreographer Janine Harrington, storage for future sunsets responded to the Hello, Robot exhibition and Up Sticks, a timber structure created by Gramazio Kohler Research. It is estimated that over 3,000 visitors encountered the work over 21 hours of performance in three days. From nursery groups to grown-ups who sat down to have conversations with our dancers, storage for future sunsets playfully invited audiences to inhabit the structure and the gallery, creating a space for contemplation but also for reflection and debate. Surf The Wave is a three-year national programme created to provoke a step-change in how dance is made and toured in the UK. We partnered with Pavilion Dance South West to host a Surf the Wave sharing and networking event at Dundee Rep for Scottish artists and programmers. Artistic Director Joan Clevillé was invited to talk about the professional development project that has allowed independent dance artists Emma Jayne Park and Rob Heaslip to spend time with the organisation. Following on from performances in Edinburgh and Glasgow, the Oor Wullie tour continued performing at The Gaiety Theatre Ayr, Eden Court Inverness and Macrobert Arts Centre Stirling. Whilst the cast of Oor Wullie was on tour, at home at the Rep we opened Smile a new play written by Phillip Differ based on the life of legendary football icon Jim McLean. This funny, honest, and moving new play received fantastic feedback from sold-out audiences. Visiting Company performances in February: The Ghosting of Rabbie Burns (Gillian Duffy), Girls Night Oot (Insideout Theatre Productions), Paul Sturrock (Fair Pley), Ben Hart (Gag Reflex), PechaKucha (Creative Dundee).

9 March 2020 DIGITAL IMPACT Antigone, Interrupted continued its UK tour, performing to sold-out audiences at The Place, London, and gathering an impressive array of five and four star reviews across the board. Scottish Dance Theatre in Norway The beginning of March saw the debut of Scottish Dance Theatre in Norway, presenting the double bill programme of RITUALIA and The Circle at Bæreum Kulturhus in Oslo. The performance was part of a dedicated session to Glasgow and Scotland, presenting some of the most prominent artists and organisations working in the performing arts in Scotland today. After a 6 week run at Dundee Rep, 6 weeks touring Scotland, and 100 s of performances, the Oor Wullie tour came to a close with final performances at Aberdeen Performing Arts and the Adam Smith Theatre, Kirkcaldy. Concluding its run at Dundee Rep, Phillip Differ s Smile closed to sold-out audiences and fantastic reviews. Visiting Company performances in March: VERVE: Mixed Bill (VERVE) Night of the Living Dead: Remix (Imitating the Dog) PAGE LIKES 8,737 INCREASED BY 1,142 PAGE LIKES 17,320 INCREASED BY 3,018 TWITTER TWITTER / BUILDING CLOSURE On the evening of Monday 16th March, following the UK Government announcement to step up measures to fight the Coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, reinforced by guidance from both the Scottish Government and UK Theatre/the Society of London Theatre, we took the decision to temporarily close Dundee Rep Theatre. We take the health and safety of our audiences, staff, freelance colleagues and partners very seriously and as part of the temporary closure, we suspended all our public activities as an Organisation including producing and presenting work, Engage classes and Scottish Dance Theatre touring. The following shows scheduled to take place in the Rep during March 2020 were cancelled: LOOPING: Scotland Overdub (Scottish Dance Theatre), Deluxe (BalletBoyz), Ane City (Elfie Pickett), Paris (Christine Bovill), Horse (Horse McDonald), Mark Thomas (PM Live Limited), Archie MacPherson (Fair Pley), Zog (Freckle Productions & Rose Original FOLLOWERS 7,000 FOLLOWERS INCREASED BY 539 TOTAL TWEET IMPRESSIONS 532,000 FOLLOWERS 5,778 WEBSITE scottishdancetheatre.com USERS 42,707 NEW USERS 63,827 PAGE VIEWS FOLLOWERS 14,000 FOLLOWERS INCREASED BY 1,168 TOTAL TWEET IMPRESSIONS 1,241,248 FOLLOWERS 4,407 WEBSITE dundeerep.co.uk USERS 211,954 NEW USERS 206,684 PAGE VIEWS 3,541,098

10 Antigone, Interrupted is a beautifully stripped back adaption of the Greek tragedy that is both relatable and relevant to our time. Only one more night at the Trav before it heads off on tour. Get it booked so worth it. Audience Member A brilliant evening at Tay Bridge with the s take on the story is superb, with great work from the whole Creative team. Compelling and powerful. Audience Member...vivid writing, political nous and thematic unity. The Guardian on Tay Bridge HHHH Still buzzing from Oor Wullie last night cast deliver real magic. But thinking, you must see it in front of that home audience, in Dundee. There is something special that happens then and there. Trust me. Book now. Audience Member Dramatic love letter to Scottish football. The Herald Scotland on Smile HHHH 1st piece [Process Day] fabulous, erotic tension amazing, physicality of dancers wonderful. 2nd piece [The Circle] exciting, exuberant, playfulness wonderful. Good to see contemporary dance is doing well. Audience Member Thought-provoking, thrilling and enthralling Scottish Dance Theatre's genre-busting solo show is a triumph. The Skinny on Antigone, Interrupted the first person to make me cry with laughter out of one eye whilst shedding tears of nostalgic emotion from the other. I felt 14 again when just once I met the great man in 1988 and he shook my hand. #Smile #dundeerep #jimmclean #DUFC A very dramatic piece showing a dystopian future without genders. Challenging dance, masterfully executed. #ProcessDay What a night! The Scotsman on LOOPING: Scotland Overdub HHHH Had a brilliant for the A Z of Dundee. It s fun, doesn t take itself too seriously and plays to a crowd who frankly love their city. Get yourself along, have a laugh and maybe a wee cry. Enjoyed this more than anything I ve seen in a while. Audience Member Just back from watching Oor Wullie the musical. Absolutely fantastic cast! You were all AMAZING, thoroughly enjoyed it! #oorwulliethemusical Heartfelt and hilarious. The Scotsman on Oor Wullie HHHH A real pleasure to watch. The Skinny on The Circle HHHH

11 / SUPPORTERS Friends and Friends+ Our Friends play a starring role in our work by supporting new productions and our talented apprentice dancers and actors. Contact us today for more details: development@dundeereptheatre.co.uk Visit our websites to find out more about supporting Dundee Rep and Scottish Dance Theatre. Dundee Rep and Scottish Dance Theatre Limited gratefully acknowledges support from our core funders We rely on support from trusts and foundations to deliver our engagement and learning programmes in the community, as well as for key building maintenance and upgrades and to develop new work. Our thanks go to the following: Backstage Trust Children and the Arts: Start Hospices Estate of Karen Fullerton Idlewild Trust The David and June Gordon Memorial Trust Leach Family Charitable Trust The Leng Charitable Trust Lethendy Charitable Trust The Mackintosh Foundation The Nine Incorporated Trades of Dundee Northwood Charitable Trust The RJ Larg Family Trust St Katherine s Fund William S Philips Trust Year of Young People 2018 Creative Traineeship Fund Theatres Trust Walter Craig Charitable Trust

12 Photography Credits Dundee Rep Building, Dundee Rep's 80th Anniversary, Oor Wullie, Tay Bridge, Smile: Tommy Ga-Ken Wan Rep Stripped: Sean Millar Process Day: Nicole Guarino Antigone, Interrupted: Maria Falconer SPUTNIK: Harry Clark Velvet Petal, The Circle, RITUALIA: Brian Hartley LOOPING: Scotland Overdub: Simon M Scott at Citymoves DanceLive 2019 A Z of Dundee (Community Tour), Rep Engage, Great Big Dance Show: Viktoria Begg