National Theatre Of Scotland Reveals Latest SCENES FOR SURVIVAL Releases

National Theatre of Scotland HAS revealed the latest Scenes for Survival releases

Releases for week of 06 July:

Disco With Mum (Monday 06 July) - Written by Hannah Lavery, directed by Julie Ellen, performed by Saskia Ashdown and Julie Graham. Produced in association with Macrobert Arts Centre.

Courier Culture (Wednesday 08 July) - Written by Kevin Gilday, directed by Graham Eatough, and performed by Jatinder Singh.

The One with the Lockdown (Friday 10 July) - Written by Meghan Tyler, Directed by Leonie Rae Gasson, and performed by Oliver Bennet and Martin Donaghy.

50 + short artworks are being created as a rapid response project, by brilliant Scottish artists to celebrate and support Scottish theatre-making in a time of crisis. Filmed, so far, in isolation, in Paisley, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Perthshire, Seoul, New York, Dublin, London, Stirling and Fife and shared online over 6 million views to date. Scenes for Survival is an ongoing series of close-up intimate portraits of lives in lockdown telling extraordinary stories of love, loss and longing, free for audiences everywhere in exceptional times.

50 + new sharp shorts, with new commissions and freshly imagined scenes from much loved Scottish plays, all performed, written and directed by leading Scottish theatrical talent. are being shared across a series on online platforms and channels over the next few months.

Created in response to the current COVID-19 outbreak, the project is being delivered by The National Theatre of Scotland in association with BBC Scotland, Screen Scotland, BBC Arts' Culture in Quarantine project, and Scotland's leading theatre venues and companies, with support from Hopscotch Films and sees a host of leading performers, writers, and directors creating short pieces of digital theatre remotely from their personal spaces of isolation.

The programme is serving as an inventive alternative online season of short works, following the enforced cancellation of productions and performances from The National Theatre of Scotland, as well as by venues and theatre companies across Scotland. Scenes for Survival draws attention to the enduring and urgent role of storytelling in the current crisis and explore themes of hope, solidarity, community, escape, fear, imagination and humour.

Scottish theatre organisations involved include: Aberdeen Performing Arts, Birds of Paradise, the Beacon Arts Centre, the Byre Theatre, Citizens Theatre, Curious Seed, Dundee Rep Theatre, Eden Court Highlands, Imaginate, Macrobert Arts Centre, Perth Theatre, Playwrights Studio, Pitlochry Festival Theatre, Royal Lyceum Theatre Company, Shetland Arts, Solar Bear, Summerhall, Stellar Quines, Theatre Gu Leor, the Tron Theatre and the Traverse Theatre.

Scenes will initially be published by the BBC's online channels and distributed by The National Theatre of Scotland and partners' via their social media channels. All Scenes for Survival content will be free for audiences.

All content will remain online for two years and a selection will be shown at a later date on BBC Scotland, BBC4 and BBC Alba in the coming months.

The season of works is also acting as a platform to raise money for a new hardship fund for artists and those in the theatre industry who have been hardest hit financially by the current crisis.

Some artists involved have offered to donate their artistic fee on a pay-it-forward basis to enable further artists to be involved and paid over the coming months. The Company gratefully acknowledges the generosity of the artists who are supporting the project so far.

The first Scenes for Survival shorts were released on 27 May 2020, in a launch night featuring six films. Subsequent films are being released three times a week, on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and will go live at 9pm.

All films can be found at nationaltheatrescotland.com/scenes-for-survival and www.bbc.co.uk/scenesforsurvival

The next Scenes for Survival releases the week of 06 July are:

Disco With Mum (Monday 06 July) - Isolating in their separate homes during lockdown and coming to terms with a recent bereavement, a mother and daughter reflect on happier times while contemplating an uncertain future for their family. The online video call to plan the playlist for a virtual disco becomes a cathartic exploration of grief, defiance and hope, and a celebration of the healing power of music. Julie Graham and Saskia Ashdown star in this lyrical and inspiring new piece from writer Hannah Lavery, directed by Julie Ellen.

Courier Culture (Wednesday 08 July) - A rookie fast food bike courier races the clock as he navigates the streets of post-Covid Glasgow. Pondering his new status as a Key Worker - and dreaming of something even bigger - he plots his way across a daunting new landscape, featuring abusive customers, oblivious pedestrians and a 'creepy wee manager who lives in his pocket.' Jatinder Singh stars in this cutting new piece, written by Kevin P. Gilday and directed by Graham Eatough

The One with the Lockdown (Friday 10 July) - Ash and Charlie are two regular, same-sex flatmates. Stuck indoors during lockdown, they eat together, laugh together, and watch shows together. But one night over dinner, stuck in a routine that they're both a little too comfortable with, something happens that might just turn their friendship on its head. Martin Donaghy and Oliver Bennett feature in a witty new short from playwright Meghan Tyler, directed by Leonie Rae Gasson.

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