Black Watch comes to London

Black Watch
National Theatre of Scotland
Friday 20 June Saturday 26 July 2008

The National Theatre of Scotland and the Barbican bring the hit of the 2006 Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Black Watch by Gregory Burke and directed by John Tiffany, to London for the first time, following a sell-out tour of Scotland, the US and Australasia. Black Watch visits the Barbican as part of a UK and international tour.

Hurtling from a pool room in Fife to an armoured wagon in Iraq, Black Watch is based on interviews conducted by playwright Gregory Burke with former soldiers who served in Iraq.

Viewed through the eyes of those on the ground, Black Watch reveals what it means to be part of the legendary Scottish regiment, what it means to be part of the war on terror and what it means to make the journey home again.

John Tiffanys production makes powerful and inventive use of movement, music and song to create a visceral, complex and urgent piece of theatre.
Black Watch has won a South Bank Show Award for Theatre. John Tiffany won the Critics Circle Best Director Award and Gregory Burke won the Writers Guild Award for Best New Play. The production has also won a Herald Angel, a Scotsman Fringe First, a Best Theatre Writing Award from The List and a Stage Award for Best Ensemble. BBC Scotlands documentary, Black Watch: A Soldiers Story won a BAFTA Scotland Best Documentary Award.

The cast is: David Colvin, Paul James Corrigan, Ali Craig, Emun Elliott, Jack Fortune, Jonathan Holt, Michael Nardone, Henry Pettigrew, Paul Rattray and Nabil Stuart.

Gregory Burkes debut, Gagarin Way, took the Edinburgh Fringe Festival by storm in 2001, before transferring to the National Theatre (UK), the West End and a world tour. His follow up play, The Straits was a sell out success at the Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh and Hampstead Theatre (Paines Plough). His third play, On Tour, was produced at the Royal Court and Liverpool Everyman in 2005.

Black Watch is Gregory Burkes third collaboration with John Tiffany, Associate Director (New Work) at the National Theatre of Scotland. John Tiffanys recent work includes The Bacchae, Elizabeth Gordon Quinn and Home Glasgow (The National Theatre of Scotland), Jerusalem (West Yorkshire Playhouse), Mercury Fur (Menier Chocolate Factory) and Gagarin Way (Traverse Theatre, National Theatre, West End). He won a Herald Angel Award in 2004 for The Straits and a Fringe First in 2005 for The Girls of the 3œ Floppies. Gagarin Way won the Fringe First of the Firsts Award 2001.

Black Watch is written by Gregory Burke and directed by John Tiffany. The associate director of movement is Steven Hoggett, associate director of music is Davey Anderson, set design is by Laura Hopkins, costumes are designed by Jessica Brettle, lighting is designed by Colin Grenfell, sound is designed by Gareth Fry and video is designed by Leo Warner and Mark Grimmer for Fifty Nine Productions Ltd.

To complement the run of Black Watch at the Barbican, Queen and Country, a project by official war artist and Turner Prize winner Steve McQueen, can be seen on the Mezzanine level by the entrance to the Barbican Theatre from Wednesday 4 June Sunday 27 July. Queen and Country commemorates the British Service personnel who have been killed during the conflict in Iraq. It takes the form of a cabinet containing a series of facsimile postage sheets featuring photographic portraits of the individual men and women who have died in the conflict so far. McQueen created the piece in response to his visit to Iraq in 2003 and worked in collaboration with 137 families whose loved ones lost their lives in the conflict. The artist hopes that an official set of stamps will eventually be issued by Royal Mail. Visitors are invited to take part in Steve McQueens vision and sign The Art Funds online petition asking Royal Mail to issue the stamps.

Members of the public who would like to join The Art Fund in urging Royal Mail to issue the stamps featured in Queen and Country should visit www.artfund.org/queenandcountry to sign the petition.
BLACK WATCH TOUR SCHEDULE
TSB Bank Arena, Wellington, New Zealand
Friday 22 February Sunday 9 March
Rothes Halls, Glenrothes
Thursday 27 March Saturday 5 April
SECC, Glasgow
Friday 11 Friday 18 April
Butterworth Hall, Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry
Thursday 24 April Saturday 3 May
The Lowry in The Pie Factory, Salford
Wednesday 7 Saturday 10 May
Ebbw Vale Leisure Centre, Blaenau Gwent, Wales
Thursday 15 Saturday 17 May
Luminato Festival, Toronto
Friday 6 Saturday 14 June
Virginia Arts Festival, USA
Saturday 24 May Sunday 1 June
Barbican Theatre, London
Friday 20 June Saturday 26 July
St Anns Warehouse, New York, USA
Friday 10 October Sunday 30 November
LISTINGS INFORMATION
National Theatre of Scotland
Black Watch
Venue: Barbican Theatre
Dates and time: Friday 20 June Saturday 26 July 2008, 7.45pm
Friday 25 July, 7.15pm
Also 2.00pm on 28 June, 5, 9, 12, 19, 23, 26 July
No performances on Sundays
Press night: Tuesday 24 June, 7.45pm
Tickets: £25.00
Running time: 110 minutes/no interval
Post-show talks

Barbican Education presents a series of talks examining culture and society in light of the war in Iraq. The series explores art, experience, testimony and the industry of war.
Venue: Barbican Theatre
Tickets: Free to same day ticket holders
Thursday 26 June: Major General Tim Cross and Paul Schulte of the Ministry of Defence in conversation, chaired by Alastair Niven
Thursday 3 July: The Right Honourable Clare Short, MP, Rose Gentle of Military Families Against War and Professor Michael Clarke of The Royal United Services Institute in conversation
Thursday 10 July: Journalist David Loyn chairs a discussion looking at history and remembrance in relation to Iraq and the Black Watch
Thursday 17 July: A panel discussion including Richard Norton Taylor, playwright, looking at art as a social and political tool
Thursday 24 July: The creative team of Black Watch in conversation, chaired by Nicholas Kent, artistic director of the Tricycle Theatre
Barbican box office 0845 120 7550
9.00am 8.00pm Monday Saturday; 11.00am 8.00pm Sundays and Bank Holidays
Box office/information number 0845 120 7550 .
Tickets to all bite events can be booked 24 hours a day with Barbicans secure online ticketing system: www.barbican.org.uk/bite