Contact: Eleanor Pender, Press and Media Officer
[email protected] / 0131 659 7104
A PLAY, A PIE AND A PINT IS BACK ON THE MENU AT THE TRAVERSE
Leviathan by Matthew Trevannion
The Day the Pope Emptied Croy by Martin McCormick
Take the Rubbish Out, Sasha by Natalia Vorozhbyt
Fat Alice by Alison Carr
Broth by Tim Primrose
Tuesday 17 March – Saturday 18 April, 1pm
plus a 7pm performance on Fridays
The ever popular A Play, A Pie and A Pint series is once again on the menu at the Traverse Theatre
this spring. Presenting five plays over five weeks, A Play, A Pie and A Pint invites lunchtime theatregoers to see a new play with a pie and pint included in the ticket price.
This Spring, the series features three plays first heard as part of the 2014 Traverse Breakfast Plays
from former Traverse Fifty writers, Martin McCormick, Alison Carr and Tim Primrose. New work comes
to the Traverse Theatre this season from Wales with Leviathan by Matthew Trevannion in
collaboration with Sherman Cymru and Take the Rubbish Out, Sasha from Ukrainian playwright,
Natalia Vorozhbyt in association with the National Theatre of Scotland.
Traverse Theatre Artistic Director Orla O’Loughlin said: “A Play, A Pie and A Pint at the Traverse
Theatre has a reputation for presenting some of the most exciting, raw new writing. With more
established writers like Matthew Trevannion and Natalia Vorozhbyt making their Traverse debuts
alongside emerging writers Martin McCormick, Alison Carr and Tim Primrose, all discovered in the
Traverse Fifty, this season offers fresh, funny, vibrant work for our lunchtime audiences to enjoy.”
Leviathan, in collaboration with Sherman Cymru, gets the season underway with a new play by Welsh
playwright, Matthew Trevannion (Bruised). Three generations of women soak up the last of the sun's
rays in their back garden in the Welsh Valleys, where underlying tensions between the three of them
are brought to boiling point in this rich poetic drama. Leviathan is directed by Sherman Cymru Artistic
Director Rachel O’Riordan.
Martin McCormick takes the audience to deserted Croy of 1982 in his play, The Day the Pope Emptied
Croy. Two local boys are out to cause some trouble while everyone else has gone to see the Pope,
but their adventure doesn’t turn out quite as expected. The Day the Pope Emptied Croy is directed by
Traverse Theatre Associate Director Emma Callander.
Presented in association with the National Theatre of Scotland (NTS), Take the Rubbish Out, Sasha by
Ukrainian playwright Natalia Vorozhbyt is part of the NTS’ International Plays from Ukraine and
Russia. Set on the outskirts of Kiev, two women prepare a funeral meal for their beloved Sasha.
Husband, stepfather, Army colonel, Sasha was all these things until he dropped stone cold dead on
the bathroom floor. But Sasha isn’t going without a fight. The curator of the NTS International Plays
from Ukraine and Russia season, Nicola McCartney, directs Take the Rubbish Out, Sasha.
Presented in collaboration with Aberdeen Performing Arts, the penultimate week of the season sees
Fat Alice by Alison Carr take to the Traverse stage, directed by Joe Douglas. Moira and Peter have
been having an affair for a decade and the pressure is mounting. Something's got to give. And it
does, when a crack in Moira’s ceiling gives way to something no-one could have imagined.
On taking part in the project, writer Alison Carr said: "It's a real thrill to be part of my first A Play, A
Pie and A Pint season. Traverse Breakfast Play audiences reacted brilliantly to Fat Alice last August.
I'm looking forward to getting back to it and seeing the play fully realised. Alice is a big lass, it's not
all as straightforward as it first seems, and I'm excited for audiences to meet her!"
The season closes with Tim Primrose’s Broth set around an Edinburgh kitchen table, directed by Andy
McNamee. Grandpa is unconscious on the kitchen table, while Grandma happily nibbles on a biscuit.
This wild family comedy is a sharp take on the pressures of family life.
ENDS
Notes to Editors:
Tickets: £12 (drink and a pie included in the ticket price)
For media queries and press tickets, please contact:
Eleanor Pender, Press Officer [email protected] / 0131 659 7104
Booking at www.traverse.co.uk | 0044 (0) 131 228 1404
Background
The Day The Pope Emptied Croy, Broth and Fat Alice are developed works following script-in hand
readings as part of the 2014 Traverse Breakfast Plays in August. Martin McCormick, Alison Carr and
Tim Primrose were all discovered during the Traverse Fifty.
This is the first performance of Leviathan by Matthew Trevannion at the Traverse Theatre. Take the
Rubbish Out, Sasha is one of three plays from Russia and Ukraine’s most established and respected
writers of “Novii Drama” or “New Drama”. Presented by A Play, A Pie and A Pint in association with
the National Theatre of Scotland and the University of Edinburgh, the writers were asked to respond
to the conflict that has escalated between the two countries over the last 18 months.
Traverse Fifty
In September 2012 the Traverse Theatre launched a search for emerging playwrights to work with
the Traverse on attachment, to celebrate the Traverse Theatre 50th anniversary, and to re-affirm our
commitment to nurturing new talent. We received hundreds of applications from all across the world,
and of these applicants 50 talented writers were selected to become part of the Traverse Fifty.
Throughout 2013, these writers were invited to take part in a busy programme of events including
workshops, panel discussions and mentoring sessions, aimed at developing their skills as writers.
A Play, A Pie and A Pint, Tuesday 17 – Saturday 18 April
Leviathan by Matthew Trevannion - Tuesday 17 - Saturday 21 March, 1pm
The Day the Pope Emptied Croy by Martin McCormick - Tuesday 24 - Saturday 28 March, 1pm
Take the Rubbish Out, Sasha by Natalia Vorozhbyt - Tuesday 31 March – Saturday 4 April, 1pm
Fat Alice by Alison Carr - Tuesday 7 - Saturday 11 April, 1pm
Broth by Tim Primrose - Tuesday 14 - Saturday 18 April, 1pm
Playwright Biographies
Matthew Trevannion (Leviathan)
Matthew Trevannion was the author of Clwyd Theatr Cymru’s Bruised, which was nominated for the
Writers Guild Award at the Theatre Critics of Wales Awards 2012. Matthew also wrote Ours of the day
for 21st Century Dylan, part of BBC Radio Wales’ Dylan Thomas centenary celebrations. He is also
working on another project in development with National Theatre Wales and has been invited to join
the first National Writers Group at the Royal Court.
Martin McCormick (The Day the Pope Emptied Croy)
Martin has been working as an actor for the last 7 years in theatre, radio & TV. His play Squash was
part of A Play, A Pie and a Pint at the Traverse Theatre in October 2014 and he had his first
professional play as a co-writer, News Just In, performed in 2014 by Random Accomplice. His short
play Potterrow was performed as a rehearsed reading at 2013 Write Here, the Traverse new writing
festival. Other rehearsed readings include Squash supported by the Playwrights' Studio Scotland &
The Princess and the Paperclip supported by NTS/Dundee Rep.
Natalia Vorozhbyt (Take the Rubbish Out, Sasha)
Natalya is a prominent Ukrainian playwright and screenwriter. Her plays include Galka Motalka
(Manchester School of Theatre and The Royal Exchange Theatre), I Join Them (Tristan Bates,
London), The Khomenko Family Chronicles (Royal Court Theatre Upstairs) and The Grain Store (Royal
Shakespeare Company).
Sasha Dugdale (Translator of Take the Rubbish Out, Sasha)
A translator and poet, Sasha has translated many plays from Russian for theatres around the world,
including the Royal Court Theatre, the Traverse Theatre, the Royal Shakespeare Company and BBC
Radio Drama. She also translates poetry and short stories, and her translation of the poet Elena
Shvarts’ Birdsong on the Seabed (Bloodaxe) was a Poetry Book Society Recommended Translation
and shortlisted for Popescu and Rossica prizes. She has published three collections of poetry, most
recently Red House (Carcanet) and she is currently editor of Modern Poetry in Translation magazine.
Alison Carr: (Fat Alice)
Alison’s recent theatre credits include The Soaking of Vera Shrimp (Winner, Live Theatre/The Empty
Space Bursary Award); Fat Alice (Breakfast Play, Traverse Theatre); A Wondrous Place (Northern
Spirit, tour); Never Rains But It Pours (LabFest, Theatre503); The Girls From Poppyfield Close, Clint
(Live Theatre); Can Cause Death starring Olivier Award-winning actor David Bradley (Forward Theatre
Project at the National Theatre, Northern Stage & Latitude Festival). Alison has also worked with
theatres and companies including Paines Plough, nabokov, Old Vic New Voices, New Writing North
and 5065 Lift. Radio credits include Afternoon Drama Dolly Would (BBC Radio 4) and Yackety Yak
(The Verb, BBC Radio 3). Alison is currently a writer-on-attachment with Manchester’s Monkeywood
Theatre and is writing a new play for Live Theatre, Newcastle.
Tim Primrose (Broth)
Tim is an Edinburgh based writer who wrote his first full length script, this here now, for the Lyceum
Youth Theatre at the age of 18. Since then, he has written over twenty scripts for youth theatres of
all ages across the country. His 2002 play Porcelain Dolls was recently translated into Norwegian and
performed at the Rogaland Teater, Stavanger, under the title #Sweet. His directing work includes the
2011 Fringe sell-out Hex, which he co-wrote with Sam Siggs. First performed as a twenty minute
short in 2013, Broth was further developed and performed as a script in hand reading as part of 2014
Traverse Breakfast Plays.
Director Biographies
Rachel O’Riordan (Sherman Cymru, Artistic Director)
Rachel is currently the Artistic Director of the Sherman Theatre. Directing credits include Unfaithful
(Traverse Theatre); The Absence of Women (Tricycle); Hurricane (West End/59E59 Off-Broadway);
Everything Is Illuminated (Hampstead Theatre); Miss Julie and Animal Farm (Peter Hall Company,
Theatre Royal); Absolution (Guna Nua/First Irish NY); Much Ado About Nothing, The Glass Menagerie
and Merry Christmas Betty Ford (Lyric, Belfast); A Christmas Carol, Gates of Gold and Grimm Tales
(Library Theatre, Manchester); Over the Bridge (Green Shoot/Waterfront Hall, Belfast); Elizabeth Almost By Chance a Woman (Kabosh/Project, Dublin); Protestants (Soho Theatre); Arguments for
Terrorism and Cold Turkey at Nana’s (Òran Mór)
Emma Callander (Traverse Theatre Associate Director)
Emma is Associate Director of the Traverse Theatre. Directing for the Traverse includes Cuckooed by
Mark Thomas (winner of the Fringe First and Amnesty International Freedom of Speech Award) Crash
by Andy Duffy, Mrs. Barbour’s Daughters by AJ Taudevin and The Queen of Lucky People by Iain
Heggie. Other directing credits include Banksy: The Room in the Elephant by Tom Wainwright (Oran
Mor, Tobacco Factory Theatres, Arcola Theatre & national tour) Dalgety by David Greig and Supply by
Cathy Forde for A Play a Pie and a Pint. Emma is also Co-Artistic Director of Theatre Uncut and has
directing the company’s work at the Young Vic, Bristol Old Vic, Latitude Festival and the Traverse
Theatre (winner of the Fringe First and Herald Angel Awards).
Nicola McCartney (Curator of A Play, A Pie and A Pint Russia/Ukraine season)
Nicola is a playwright, director and dramaturg. She trained as a director with Citizens Theatre/G&J
Productions and Charabanc Theatre Company Belfast. Nicola was Artistic Director of LOOK OUT!
Theatre Company, Glasgow from 1992-2002, and has twice been an Associate Playwright of
Playwrights Studio Scotland. As a dramaturg, she has worked for a host of organisations, including
Vanishing Point and Stellar Quines. Her plays include: Easy, Heritage, Cave Dwellers and Lifeboat.
She currently leads the Masters programme in Playwriting at the University of Edinburgh.
Joe Douglas
Joe trained in Directing at Rose Bruford College, London. Previous work at A Play, A Pie & A Pint
includes The Call of the Wild, Thank You, Videotape, The Sunday Lesson and most recently We Can
All Agree To Pretend This Never Happened. Other directing include Letters Home (Grid
Iron/Edinburgh International Book Festival – Fringe First Winner 2014), Bloody Trams
(Traverse/Utter), The BFG (Dundee Rep), Dear Scotland, The Last Polar Bears, Our Teacher’s A
Troll, Allotment and re-directing the 2013 world tour of Black Watch (National Theatre of
Scotland), The Reprobates (HighTide), The Making of Ali & Nino, The Drowning
Pond, Jabberwocky (YMT). He wrote and performed Educating Ronnie (Macrobert/Utter – Fringe First
Winner 2012) which has completed two national tours. He is Co-Artistic Director of Utter.
Andy McNamee
Andy is the Trainee Director and Engagement Artist at the Traverse. Broth by Tim Primrose is his first
work as a director for A Play, A Pie & A Pint. Previous work as a director: Words Words Words
(Traverse Theatre), Bear by Andy McNamee (Paulden Hall Productions, Old Red Lion Theatre),
Bedbound by Enda Walsh (Trinity Theatre) and Joseph K by Tom Basden (Linbury Studio.) Previous
work as assistant director includes: The Devil Masters by Iain Finlay Macleod (Traverse Theatre, Dir.
Orla O’Loughlin), Crash by Andy Duffy (Oran Mor and Traverse Theatre, Dir. Emma Callander),
Spoiling by John McCann (Traverse Theatre, Dir. Orla O’Loughlin) and Untitled Matriarch Play (Or
Seven Sisters) by Nikole Beckwith (Royal Court Theatre, Dir. Vicky Featherstone.) Andy trained at the
University of Nottingham and LAMDA.