Three of Scotland’s smallest theatre companies, Dogstar Theatre of Inverness, the Rowan Tree Company from the Borders, and Vox Motus from Glasgow, carried off awards in the 2008-9 Critics Awards for Theatre in Scotland (CATS) which were announced at the Festival Theatre in Edinburgh yesterday (Sunday June 14).
Matthew Zajac was named Best Actor for The Tailor of Inverness, the touching and intriguing story of his own father’s war time experiences which eventually led him to Scotland. It was a surprise hit at last year’s Edinburgh Festival fringe and has been touring the world ever since.
The Lasses, O, Rowan Tree’s show about Robert Burns’ women, in the poet’s 250th anniversary year, won the award for Best Use of Music, shared between Seylan Baxter, Lillias Kinsman- Blake and Rachel Newton, the three traditional musicians on cello, fiddle and clarsach, whose contribution was so vital to the show’s success.
Vox Motus won Best Technical Presentation for their brilliant mixture of puppetry and live action, Slick which is about to open at the Midusmmer festival in Cork, Ireland.
In general, it was a year for the smaller companies, although the big winner, Vanishing Point, needed a substantial co-production including partners in Scotland England and Italy to bring their show, Interiors, to fruition. An entirely wordless play, seen as if through the windows of an apartment across the street, with just a sardonic commentary from a young woman left outside, it won Best Production and, predictably, Best Director for Matthew Lenton, as well as Best Ensemble for its international cast.
The stand-out individual performance of the year, however, was Irene Macdougall for her majestic portrayal of Martha in Dundee Rep’s highly praised production of Edward Albee’s modern American classic Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Ms Macdougall has been nominated twice before in this category for her work at Dundee and the Rep retained its grip on the CATS with the Best Design award for its Christmas show Beauty and the Beast.
TAG, based at the Citizens in Glasgow, in a co-production with the musical organisation Sounds of Progress picked up the Best Show for Children category with their show, Liar.
The Best New Play was won by the Traverse for the second year running with Simon Stephens’ controversial Pornography about the run-up to the London 7/7 bombings.
“In a year when no fewer than six of the awards were won by touring companies based across the length and breadth of Scotland it is clear that the nation’s theatre is in strong health,” said Joyce McMillan, the CATS convenor.
“The high calibre of the new work produced here in Scotland over the last twelve months has been inspiring, and it is especially gratifying to note that the quality of Scottish creativity is now being recognised across the world through an increasing number of international collaborations including this year’s Best Production, Interiors.”
The 2009 CATS were presented by Edinburgh-based actor and radio personality Grant Stott, a fixture as the baddie in Edinburgh pantomime, and the head of Festivals Edinburgh, Faith Liddell. For further information on the Critics’ Awards for Theatre in Scotland, visit: www.criticsawards.theatrescotland.com
