As Scotland has debated the politics of independence ahead of September's referendum, there have been related skirmishes in the cultural life of the nation.
How should the arts relate to this historic moment in our national politics? Indeed, should artists, arts companies and festival directors feel compelled to create works and shape programmes directly to the subject?
My opinion, for what it's worth, is that those engaged in creating and presenting works of art should be at liberty to approach, or not to approach, the plebiscite and the multitude of related subjects (political, historical and cultural) as they see fit. That is not a universally held view, as the criticism of Edinburgh International Festival director Jonathan Mills's indy-free farewell programme attests.
There is, however, one company which was never likely to even consider the option of side-stepping the referendum, and that company is the National Theatre of Scotland. The clue is in the name. A national theatre, by definition, is expected to find creative and original ways to reflect the nation back to itself; not least in periods of great national debate, such as now. As the Royal Lyceum's recent, misfiring production of Tim Barrow's disappointing play Union indicates, there are dangers in a direct theatrical address to a political subject. In Dear Scotland, the NTS has found a canny and innovative solution.
Comprised of 20 short pieces, by 20 writers, inspired by 20 depictions (in paint, photograph and sculpture) in the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, it spreads the burden of expectation (and the possibility of condemnation); much as Home, the NTS's inaugural productions (10 distinct pieces, by 10 directors, played almost simultaneously in 10 locations), did back in 2006.
As, in two 75-minute pieces, we are taken in promenade around, surely, one of Scotland's most splendid public buildings, we encounter monologues (such as Peter Arnott's splendidly satirical Sir Walter Scott and Liz Lochhead's poetically polemical Robert Burns) which address the referendum head on; others (like Stuart Hepburn's witty Chic Murray) which do so fleetingly, in passing; and yet others (Jo Clifford's thoughtful and affecting voice for an unnamed, literally faceless woman from Alexander Moffat's famously masculine painting Poets' Pub) which address other matters in our national life.
It is inherent in the nature of such a production that some pieces will be better than others. However, one soon forgives the less engaging sketches as one moves swiftly on to encounter Ken Currie's remarkable painting Three Oncologists, the recorded voice of dancer/choreographer Michael Clark or, a particular pleasure, an intimate encounter on a stairwell landing with one of our finest actresses, Maureen Beattie.
Ranging from Mary Stuart (aka Mary, Queen of Scots) and Elizabeth Windsor (aka HRH The Queen) to firebrand trade union leaders Mick McGahey and Jimmy Reid, Dear Scotland imagines a wonderfully diverse series of letters from Scotland's past to its present and future. It is, quite simply, an excellent idea, beautifully realised.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article