Introducing the cast and creative teams of Strange Tales and I Can Go Anywhere

The Traverse is delighted to reveal full details of the cast and creative teams bringing two world premiere productions to its stages this festive season – Strange Tales by Pauline Lockhart with Ben Harrison, a Grid Iron and Traverse Theatre Company co-production; and I Can Go Anywhere by Douglas Maxwell, a Traverse Theatre Company production.

Both productions continue the Traverse’s engagement with communities that are important to modern Edinburgh and its identity. They follow the great local and international success of Mouthpiece by Kieran Hurley and its take on the city’s class and cultural divides, which was hailed by The Scotsman’s Brian Ferguson as ‘one of the most powerful pieces of theatre I’ve seen in 25 years… and the best piece of work reflecting the evolution of the city’.

今年圣诞档，Traverse 剧团将为大家呈献《聊斋》(Strange Tales) 及《无所不至》(I Can Go Anywhere) 两部全球首演剧目。在此，我们非常荣幸地公布创意团队信息与演员阵容。经 Pauline Lockhart 与 Ben Harrison 合作改编，《聊斋》 一剧由 Grid Iron 与 Traverse 剧团联合制作；Douglas Maxwell 的 《无所不至》 由 Traverse 剧团独家出品。

长期以来，Traverse 对代表现今爱丁堡特色的群体十分重视。继 《Mouthpiece》后， 《聊斋》 及 《无所不至》 亦继承了这一传统。 Kieran Hurley 的 《Mouthpiece》 因其深入独到的阶级与文化视角在当地乃至国际上都取得了巨大成功。 Brian Ferguson (《The Scotsman》 报社记者 ) 更 是对 《Mouthpiece》 倍加赞誉， 评论其为“25 年以来最能反应爱丁堡城市变化的剧目之一”。 而在此基础上， 这两部剧将更加深入地揭示爱丁堡内在的阶级与文化差异。

Strange Tales

Grid Iron and Traverse Theatre Company co-production.

Co-writers and directors Pauline Lockhart and Ben Harrison of Grid Iron will be joined by the creative team of Assistant Director Yuyu Wang, Community Creative Advisors Joy Jin and Zhuoer Lin, Set and Costume Designer Karen Tennent, Live Effects Designer Fergus Dunnet, Composer Ruth Chan, Lighting Designer James Johnson, Sound Designer Richard Bell and Video Designers Bright Side (Cristina Spiteri and Susanna Murphy).

The Strange Tales production team will be joined by two students on placement from the Edinburgh Lighting and Sound School – a Technician Placement and a Stage Management Placement – as part of the Traverse’s continued commitment to developing the skills of the next generation of technicians, stage managers and crew members.

The cast will include Robin Khor Yong Kuan, Luna Dai and Pauline Lockhart.

Based on Pu Songling’s legendary Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, audiences can expect to be beguiled and bewitched by brand new adaptations of a selection of these renowned tales, involving innovative new digital technology, puppetry and illusion. Though written centuries ago, they feel remarkably current, reflecting and commenting upon many aspects of modern society – greed, attraction, arrogance and hope, among many others. But you must enter the production’s immersive and spellbinding world with an open mind and a brave heart if you’re to escape these tales ever again….

Strange Tales is brought to you in partnership with the Confucius Institute for Scotland and is part of the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Chinese Classics Translation Project, funded by Arts Council England. Development process supported by Puppet Animation Scotland’s Creative Fund.

《聊斋》

Grid Iron 与 Traverse 剧团联合制作

本剧创意团队由剧作家及导演 Pauline Lockhart (Grid Iron)、 Ben Harrison (Grid Iron)、 助理导演 Wang Yuyu、社区创意顾问 Joy Jin 及 Zhuoer Lin、服装及道具师 Karen Tennent、现场特效师 Fergus Dunnet、作曲家 Ruth Chan、灯光师 James Johnson、音效师 Richard Bell 及视频指导团队 Bright Side (Cristina Spiteri 及 Susanna Murphy) 组成。

此外，两名就读于爱丁堡灯光音效学校 (Edinburgh Lighting and Sound School) 的学生将通过技术与舞台两类实习项目参与到制作团队中。 此类实习项目由Traverse 剧团创建， 目的在于培养下一代技术人员、 舞台管理人员及相关剧院工作人员。

本剧将由许勇宽 (Robin Khor Yong Kuan), Luna Dai 和 Pauline Lockhart 倾情出演。

本剧改编自蒲松龄 《聊斋志异》 系列故事。 通过融入现代科技、 木偶剧及魔幻元素， 《聊斋》 将为你带来独一无二的观剧体验。即便创作于数百年前，这些故事仍具有现实意义。 穿越时空， 它们折射了当代社会的种种现象： 贪婪、 诱惑、 傲慢与希望…… 你需要带着一颗开明勇敢的心浸入剧中， 否则这些故事很可能会一直萦绕在你的脑海……

本剧由苏格兰孔子学院支持构建， 隶属皇家莎士比亚剧团 (Royal Shakespeare Company) 中国经典戏剧翻译项目 (Chinese Classics Translation Project)， 由英格兰艺术委员会 (Arts Council England) 提供资金支持。 排演阶段由苏格兰木偶动画创意基金 (Puppet Animation Scotland’s Creative Fund) 提供支持。

I Can Go Anywhere

Traverse Theatre Company

Eve Nicol, who was one of this year’s Traverse Festival Breakfast Plays playwrights and who worked as Assistant Director with Festival hit What Girls Are Made Of, will make her Traverse directorial debut withI Can Go Anywhere, Douglas Maxwell’s first play for the Traverse since the challenging and thought-provoking The Whip Hand.

Completing the creative team will be Designer Jen McGinley, Composer/Sound Designer Michael John McCarthy and Lighting Designer Benny Goodman.

A student from Fife College will also join the production team as Stage Management Placement.

Making their Traverse Theatre Company debuts will be Nebli Basani as Jimmy, an asylum seeker with a brilliant plan to stay in the UK, and Paul McCole as Stevie, the disillusioned academic he’s counting on to help him.

《无所不至》

Traverse 剧团

Douglas Maxwell 的新作《无所不至》 将由 Eve Nicol 执导登上 Traverse 的舞台。 这将是继极具挑战、 发人深省的剧作 《The Whip Hand》 后，Douglas 与 Traverse 的再次合作。 Eve 曾以剧作家的身份加入 Traverse 艺术节晨间剧项目 (Traverse Festival Breakfast Plays) 并作为助理导演参与制作 《What Girls Are Made Of》 一剧。 《无所不至》 是 Eve 首次以导演身份出品的剧作。

此外， 本剧创意团队还包括设计师 Jen McGinley， 作曲家及音效师 MJ McCarthy及灯光师 Benny Goodman。

与此同时， Nebli Basani 和 Paul McCole 亦将首次登上 Traverse舞台。Nebli Basani 将在剧中扮演 Jimmy，他希望在英国寻求避难所并开启新生活； 而 Paul McCole 则将扮演 Stevie， 一位头脑清晰的学者。 关于留在英国， Jimmy 有一个完美的计划， 而与此同时， 他也一心希望 Stevie 能够帮助他实现他的梦想。