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A Good Night Out
- A celebration of the life and Work of John MacGrath
Held on Sunday 19th of May 2002 at The Assembly Rooms in Edinburgh
All proceedings from the evening went to The Scottish
Academic Haematology Forum to support leukaemia research in Scotland
John McGrath Scholarship For Theatre Studies is also being et up to allow
a theatre student from anywhere to come to study at The Scottish Universities'
International Summer School SUISS
contact them direct to support
this initiative
A strong powerful reminder
And it was an extremely Good Night Out indeed, full of the warmth
and commitment that marked the best of
John MacGrath's work.
At first there was the crush to get in. Laird or lout we all had to wait
as we were gradually let into the Assembly rooms to have a swally, a big
bit of entertainment and dash of jig and reel after. There was a piper
to pipe us into the evening and at its end there were people still talking
and laughing and making connections. Making connections and making things
happen was what John McGrath was about. And it was good to see it still
going on - so many people from so many stages of his life were there.
Once in the place we move to the Ballroom and its Balcony, watching film
excerpts of The Cheviot, The Stag And The Black, Black Oil until all the
seats were filled. Then with a skirl of the pipes, a fiddler and a motley
crew coming in and onto the stage from the audience in 7:84 style, the
show began. And what a wealth of material there was from the recent The
Road To Mandalay to Border Warfare, Fish in the Sea, Boom and Little Red
Hen, his writings, and excerpts from film and TV. The whole event was
put together by Elizabeth MacLennan, John's wife, John Bett, actor and
director, and Kate McGrath, John's daughter, who all also added their
acting skills to the evening.
And what a marvellous cast came to celebrate with us. Bill Patterson,
heavy disguised in costume as McChuckemup and John Bett as Lord Vat, were
the first of many wonderful revivals of scenes which have long lived in
our collective theatre memories. Sylvester McCoy got us all singing along
at one point and gave the right comic twist to his sycophantic retainer.
He, like all the great cast, was bursting full of fun and desire to ensure
we remembered the night.
Music, always important in McGrath's 7:84 plays also added to the entertainment.
Catherine-Ann MacPhee in even better voice than ever sang us Gaelic songs
full of feeling and emotion. Giving the Shetland dimension Aly Bain played
his fiddle, while reminders of McGrath's concern for the whole world came
from Victor Jara's Song Every Man's a Maker and No Pasaran, beautifully
sung by Carlos Arredendo. Jonathan Pryce's clear, pointed readings of
McGrath's writings on film, theatre, capitalism and Adrian Mitchell's
of his own poems too. David Anderson, Billy Riddoch, Mary Ann Coburn,
Gerda Stevenson, and Alex Norton all brought even more scenes to life.
Mike Marra and the scratch band of musiciansinculding Allan Ross supported
and had their own special solos while the pupils of George Watson College
provide youth and fine melody. Even the handbag "Lady" not for
speaking now turned up from Border Warfare and Charlie, (me darling) hotly
perused by Redcoats!
Topping it off with a ceilidh with the Portobello Ceilidh Band, the organisers
and all the cast gave us a night which showed the strength, variety and
depth of what McGrath had, those drawn to him still have and the talents
they have all released. A strong powerful reminder that the influence
from people like McGrath lives on in others and doesn't die.
© Thelma Good 19 May 2002
Others participating and adding their own unique talents to the night
were
Rachel Bell, Sarah Collier, Shane Connaughton, George Drennan, Antony
Eden, Sandy Grierson, Faith Hagerty, Martin McCardie, Hilton McRae, Ian
MacDonald, David MacLennan, Sasha Mitchell, Michael Nardone, Susan Nisbet,
Mike O'Neill, Stephen Rea, Wayne Reid, John Sampson, Ron Shaw, Rosie Schumm
and Anthony Schuster.
Plays by Elizabeth MacLennan and John McGrath will be performed in various
places this year.
Wild Raspberries
and HyperLynx - Floodtide Both performed by Elizabeth MacLennan
the first written by her, the second by the great politicial theatremaker
John MacGrath who died in January. Both first
at The Citizen's Theatre Glasgow
Wild Raspberries - by Elizabeth MacLennan
28 & 29 May at 7:30pm Glasgow Citizen's Theatre
31 July - 12 August at Edinburgh Pleasance Dome
Hyperlynx - by John MacGrath
30 May - 1 June at 7:30pm
14 - 26 August at Edinburgh
Pleasance Dome
5 - 15 August at London Tricycle Theatre
Books for further info and the plays
The Moon Belongs To Everyone - making Theatre With 7:84 by Elizabeth MacLennan
- 1990 Methuen
Some John McGrath Books and plays
McGrath books about theatre, culture, film and politics
A Good Night Out - 1996 Nick Hern Books original pub by Eyre Methuen 1981
The Bone Won't Break - 1990
Naked Thoughts that Roam About 2002 - Nick Hern Books
Plays More plays have been published than these listed
Six Pack Plays for Scotland, Border Warfare, The Cheviot, The Stag And
The Black, Black Oil Blood Red Roses, Joe's Drum, Out Of Our Heads and
Random Happenings In The Hebrides - 1996 Polygon
Going to be published
Eight Plays For England - Exeter University Press
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