Dundee Rep and Scottish Dance Theatre Announce Re-opening Date and Autumn Season

Dundee Rep and Scottish Dance Theatre have confirmed that after 18 months they will once again open their doors to audiences on 7 September with the World Premiere of Wings Around Dundee by playwright John McCann, a highlight of a newly announced autumn season of live and digital shows focused on celebrating the community spirit and giving thanks to the people of Dundee and wider Scotland who have engaged with and supported Dundee Rep and Scottish Dance Theatre during this challenging time.

The season also includes a long-awaited return of such critically acclaimed shows as Antigone, Interrupted which will see Scottish Dance Theatre touring for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic, and TuTuMucky, a smash hit from Botis Seva blending hip hop, ballet and contemporary dance. The National Theatre of Scotland will return once again with the World Premiere of The Enemy opening at The Rep and the season will climax with a new musical adaptation of A Christmas Carol - created in collaboration with Noisemaker - to spread the holiday cheer around Dundee and an ambitious Community Engagement programme including Sinder / Every Map Has A Scale and a world-class dance and theatre offer for people of all ages.

Both companies have carried out careful and detailed planning in preparation for the re-opening to ensure their operations follow the Covid-19 Scottish Government guidance with the safety of audiences, artists and staff being the top priority.

Dundee Rep's Artistic Director Andrew Panton said: "What an amazing feeling to be welcoming audiences back into the Rep after such a long period. Our autumn season celebrates the work of our two ensembles with world premieres and new films capturing their collaborations over the past months in our communities. We also continue working with the most exciting freelance theatre, dance and music artists who have consistently innovated whilst our theatre has been closed. I'm thrilled that Rep Studios will continue alongside our in person work, so that anyone anywhere can continue to have access to the work of Dundee Rep and Scottish Dance Theatre."

Scottish Dance Theatre Artistic Director Joan Clevillé said: "Our autumn season reflects the wide range of dance experiences that Scottish Dance Theatre can offer, and our commitment as a resource for the development of artistic and civic communities. I am thrilled by the prospect of safely welcoming audiences back into theatre spaces, but I am equally excited by continuing our artistic journey into the digital medium, which has allowed us to connect with audiences all over the world."

Islander | 26 August - 8 September

Dundee Rep in collaboration with Eden Court Highlands presents a filmed reimagining of Islander, the award-winning two-hander folk theatre musical conceived and directed by Amy Draper with music and lyrics by Dundee-born writer and composer Finn Anderson and book by Stewart Melton. Originally presented at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2019, this new version of the show was filmed on Dundee Rep stage and on location and will premiere at a red-carpet event at Eden Court on 26 August, followed by cinema screenings at the venue between 27 August and 2 September; also available on-demand from Rep Studios between 29 August and 8 September.

Wings Around Dundee | 7 - 25 September | World Premiere

Dundee Rep Ensemble returns to the stage to re-open the Rep in a wildly imaginative and brilliantly funny new play by two-time Fringe First Award-winner John McCann, directed by Finn Den Hertog with movement direction by Vicki Manderson, set and costume design by Jen McGinley and music by Andrew Wasylyk.

Dundee is frozen in time. A teenage girl is losing faith in her family, her brother is losing his grip on reality and their granny is trying desperately to hold things together...but are they really going to take advice from a couple of seagulls?
A fantastical voyage of discovery through Dundee's empty streets and hidden past, Wings Around Dundee invites its audiences to look again at stories we take for granted. A whirlwind, magical-realist adventure that is funny, astutely political and deeply moving, Wings Around Dundee is the perfect way to welcome Dundee Rep audiences back into the theatre.

DOUBLE BILL: Sinder / Every Map Has A Scale (Chapter 2) | 7 - 8 October

While Dundee Rep was closed during the Covid-19 pandemic, both the Rep and Scottish Dance Theatre resident ensembles of actors and dancers collaborated with members of the Dundee community and created two new filmed pieces that captured a unique moment in time. This exciting new double bill from Dundee Rep and Scottish Dance Theatre sees the Rep's auditorium turning into a cinema for the first time ever for a series of special screenings after which the double bill will be available to view on demand on Rep Studios.

Conceived by Dundee Rep and Scottish Dance Theatre's Associate Directors (Engage) Tashi Gore and Jess Thorpe, Sinder is an original film created in parks and coffee shops, on walks, over zoom, sitting in gardens and greenhouses, on front steps and on benches. In conversation with women across the city of Dundee, we see and hear a series of beautiful female voices telling their stories. Heart-breaking, often hilarious and presented through spoken word and in song, the film weaves together fragments of these reflections in an attempt to capture a unique moment, trying to understand something of our individual and collective herstory.

Chapter 2 of Every Map Has a Scale is a new dance film by Genevieve Reeves comprised of nine duets, each created by a Scottish Dance Theatre dancer in collaboration with and featuring a member of the local Dundee community. Dancers between the ages of 1 and 63 weave a choreographic tapestry, capturing the creative dialogue between a professional dance company and its local community. Also led by Jess Thorpe and Tashi Gore, Chapter 2 of Every Map Has a Scale is the continuation of an ongoing performance research project aiming to deepen the Company's relationship with its home city of Dundee.

Antigone, Interrupted | touring the UK between 7 - 30 October

Scottish Dance Theatre is back on the road with the return of Antigone, Interrupted, an intimate solo performance based on the Greek tragedy of Antigone. Premiered in February 2020 to rave reviews and standing ovations from Shetland to London, this dance theatre work by Scottish Dance Theatre's Artistic Director Joan Clevillé was commissioned by the Rural Touring Dance Initiative and is set to reach new audiences across England and Scotland, including The Byre Theatre in St Andrews, Dance International Glasgow, Tramway, CatStrand in Dumfries and Galloway and The Rockfield Centre in Oban, among others.

Featuring the charismatic and critically acclaimed performer Solène Weinachter, Antigone, Interrupted blends dance, theatre and storytelling to examine the notion of dissent in contemporary democracy, and how the female body can be the target of oppression but also a powerful tool for resistance.

VISTING COMPANY: The Enemy, National Theatre of Scotland production | 12 - 16 October | World Premiere

How much does truth really matter? Dundee Rep is delighted to be working with National Theatre of Scotland to bring the World Premiere of The Enemy to Dundee audiences. A radical re-imagining of the classic Henrik Ibsen play about truth, power and deception from Kieran Hurley, award-winning playwright and screenwriter of the critically acclaimed Scottish indie film Beats, the show is directed by Finn Den Hertog.

In a once great Scottish town, a massive redevelopment project promises to bring money, jobs and new prospects to its forgotten population. However, when Dr Kirsten Stockmann discovers a dangerous secret, she knows she must bring the truth to light - no matter the cost.

A provocative and timely drama about corruption, politics and the media featuring a brooding original soundtrack and live video, The Enemy is a uniquely Scottish take on Henrik Ibsen's timeless work.

DOUBLE BILL: Amethyst / TuTuMucky | 29 - 30 October

Scottish Dance Theatre's much awaited return to its home stage of Dundee Rep will see the company present a double bill programme featuring Amethyst, a brand-new creation by Glasgow-based choreographer Mele Broomes and the company's blockbuster production TuTuMucky. Created by Botis Seva in 2017 and performed since then in stages the world over, TuTuMucky blends the languages of hip-hop, ballet and contemporary dance into an explosive cocktail to the rhythm of a percussive score by music producer Torben Lars Sylvest. The company is also delighted to introduce choreographer Mele Broomes to its followers with Amethyst, her first commission for a repertory company. Mele's work embodies stories from the collective voice, creating visceral and sensory collaborations through her ancestral heritage. Activating social questions, remembering and celebrating.

As well as performances in Dundee, the Double Bill will also tour to The Place, London and other venues.

A Christmas Carol | 27 November - 31 December

Following on from the successes of Oor Wullie and The Snow Queen, Dundee Rep has once again teamed up with celebrated musical theatre writers Noisemaker to create a reimagined version of the ultimate Christmas story, A Christmas Carol, directed by Dundee Rep's Artistic Director, Andrew Panton. Featuring everyone's favourite characters - from Tiny Tim and Jacob Marley to the Ghost of Christmas Past, this wonderfully witty re-telling of Dickens' tale of redemption filled with ghostly thrills is the perfect way to celebrate the holiday season.

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