BY MORNA PEARSON |
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This is a boisterous romp of a production. A series of fast-paced, wryly funny songs rail at the stupidity of denial. Ben Harrison‘s vigorous, tightly choreographed direction keeps the action scooting along. Matthew Zajac and Sarah McCardie wonderfully, willfully bury their heads in the sand. Jan Karlsson and Tobias Morin skip effortlessly between being earnest, slightly sanctimonious ‘preppers’ and smug onlookers – who become steadily less smug as the seaweed creeps onwards. Lina Hognertis particularly compelling as the voice of doom Grandmother: “When we said we wanted what’s best for the children,” she intones, “We meant our children, not all children.”
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A rowdy piece of popular theatre written by Morna Pearson and accompanied by an exceptionally catchy original pop-punk score by Jonny Hardie, the show flits between scenes on the theme of climate change, how it's driven by capitalism, and how it's further exploited by that very same capitalism.In recurring snippets, upper-class Swedish and Scottish couples are contrasted with their working-class equivalents and we see how both sets fare in the face of floods, fires and sea encroachment. There is plenty of broad comedy at the expense of the clueless characters, with Matthew Zajac's hideously self-absorbed laird Michael Mucklefanny drawing particularly appreciative laughter, and Jan Karlsson's adorable child Lukas neatly disarming the adults around him with pertinent questions, even as he plays with his vegetarian dinosaurs.
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Dogstar is a European touring theatre company based in the Scottish Highlands around Inverness, one of Europe’s fastest growing small cities. We commission, produce and tour new plays by writers from the north of Scotland and elsewhere. We aim to present our varied audiences with engaging and entertaining theatre which combines the new and the traditional, the classical and the experimental, drawing on accumulated experience and contemporary innovation.
From its early Highland tours, the company has extended its reach, now touring across the UK and internationally, with over 170 performances outside Scotland since 2009. These include work presented at Copenhagen Stage Festival Denmark, Umea 2014 European Capital of Culture Sweden, Konfrontacje Teatralne Lublin Poland, Ivan Franko National Theatre Kyiv Ukraine, Les Kurbas Theatre Lviv Ukraine, Malmo Stadsteater Sweden, Brits Off Broadway New York USA, Adelaide Fringe Festival Australia, Societaetstheater Dresden Germany, English Theatre Berlin Germany, Pavilion Theatre Dun Laoighaire Ireland, Clwyd Teatr Cymru Wales, Birmingham Rep England, and Mungo Park AC Denmark. Dogstar continues to tour to village halls in the Scottish Highlands and Islands as well as to city centre theatres.
Much of our work springs directly from the Highlands’ defining characteristics: a stunningly beautiful and harsh natural landscape; a tumultuous and marginalised history; a shifting and changing population; a vibrant oral and musical tradition. Our productions speak to our audiences using some of Scotland’s best actors, musicians, writers, directors and designers, collaborating with international artists and partners. For us, theatre is a place for debate and celebration, for ideas and entertainment, for a few laughs, a few tears, a challenge to the mind and a memorable night out. At its heart, its about communication between the actor and the audience. It can’t exist without you.
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From its early Highland tours, the company has extended its reach, now touring across the UK and internationally, with over 170 performances outside Scotland since 2009. These include work presented at Copenhagen Stage Festival Denmark, Umea 2014 European Capital of Culture Sweden, Konfrontacje Teatralne Lublin Poland, Ivan Franko National Theatre Kyiv Ukraine, Les Kurbas Theatre Lviv Ukraine, Malmo Stadsteater Sweden, Brits Off Broadway New York USA, Adelaide Fringe Festival Australia, Societaetstheater Dresden Germany, English Theatre Berlin Germany, Pavilion Theatre Dun Laoighaire Ireland, Clwyd Teatr Cymru Wales, Birmingham Rep England, and Mungo Park AC Denmark. Dogstar continues to tour to village halls in the Scottish Highlands and Islands as well as to city centre theatres.
Much of our work springs directly from the Highlands’ defining characteristics: a stunningly beautiful and harsh natural landscape; a tumultuous and marginalised history; a shifting and changing population; a vibrant oral and musical tradition. Our productions speak to our audiences using some of Scotland’s best actors, musicians, writers, directors and designers, collaborating with international artists and partners. For us, theatre is a place for debate and celebration, for ideas and entertainment, for a few laughs, a few tears, a challenge to the mind and a memorable night out. At its heart, its about communication between the actor and the audience. It can’t exist without you.
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