Ignition
Ignition was a National Theatre of Scotland project on Shetland which aimed to examine Shetland's relationship with the car. This blossomed in many ways; from the setting up of a 'mak and yak' knitting group by writer Jacqui Clark to our very own in-house hitch hiker Lowri Evans. Stories were collected and shared from October 2012 to February 2013 and resulted in a final show at the end of March 2013.
The show involved the audience driving across the island and picking up various stories along the way. This might have been in the form of a mysterious hitch-hiker waiting by the side of the road, a dance piece or one of several theatre pieces that took place in cars, camper vans and even a bus scattered across the island. All the pieces were made by participants from Shetland, directed by Wils Wilson with dramaturgy and writing from Rob Evans and choreography from Janice Parker.
The project was unforgettable. Rob and Jacqui's production week blog can be found here.
The project was unforgettable. Rob and Jacqui's production week blog can be found here.
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Dear Mum
Dear Dad And Charlie too And the boys from the Viking And the ladies in Anderson’s And the gulls round the Knab And the waves off Foula And the endless cliff walks And the times we all took to have our own peace To let go and leave everything behind. From the North to the South and back again we go. All the journey’s we made. I’ve been to dark nights and long grass I’ve hidden in the rocks. I’ve breathed in the mountains. I’ve let sheep graze on me. Silent. A sleeping giant. I’ve stolen a moment to watch you go by. Lit up. Not knowing what’s out there. Faces pressed on the glass. I see you. I see you now. I’ve ordered ten tonnes of limestone. I’ve made a little bit of me spread far and wide. I’ve hollowed out existence and dreamed through time. I’ve wet the bed. Made love under summer light. I’ve fallen for you over and over. Will you come to me now? These things I’ve done. Will you build to something? |
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Photography by James Glossop
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"The fire that lights Ignition is, it turns out, the seemingly simple blending of other people's lives into our own and opening both into something universal." The Observer "a work of great beauty" The Guardian "I just want to see it again after missing out on the singing hitchhiker with the ukulele." The Herald "a big-hearted project which has palpably tapped a nerve in its host community." The Telegraph "It’s one of those moments of transformation that makes a project like Ignition just slightly magical; and whose impact on the life of the islands, and on the next generation of Shetlanders, is both impossible to measure, and potentially limitless." The Scotsman |
