Alexander McCall Smith among authors to pen new work for theatre shows to be performed in Edinburgh homes
Lyceum at Home is now open for submissions from people who would like to host a live event
Author Alexander McCall Smith has been named as one of four Edinburgh writers to pen new monologues to be performed in people's living rooms, gardens and community spaces.
The Lyceum at Home project, by the Royal Lyceum Theatre, Edinburgh, will create new monologues by McCall Smith plus playwright, actor, producer and singer Apphia Campbell, playwright, performer and director Isla Cowan and playwright and screenwriter Stephen Greenhorn.
The works will be performed in all 17 wards of the city of Edinburgh, with performances in every type of home, from living rooms to care homes and prisons.
The performances will aim to reflect the lives, choices, and everyday moments that make Edinburgh, through shared experiences and shared stories.
After the plays have been performed in the various city wards, the four monologues will be performed on stage at The Lyceum in a quadruple-bill from the 18th to 20th June, allowing the general public to experience these specially commissioned pieces performed together.
The project is the brainchild of new artistic director James Brining as part of the 60th-anniversary celebrations of the Royal Lyceum Theatre Company. Mr Brining, who worked on a similar initiative when working at the Playhouse Theatre in Leeds, when actors performed to as few as five people in a residential home, said the plays will reflect the lives, choices and everyday moments that make Edinburgh and would widen its reach across the Scottish capital and “build on the bonds and relationships which connect us all”.
Mr McCall Smith, who wrote the 44 Scotland Street series, as well as The No 1 Ladies Detective Agency novels, said: “Edinburgh is a constant inspiration for me and the idea of being able to write short plays about it was immensely appealing.
“I think that's a marvellous idea, getting people involved in the work of The Lyceum, which is a theatre at the heart of the city.”
Ms Campbell said: “Lyceum at Home’ is a really important project because it brings theatre directly to an audience in a space that feels really comfortable and familiar for them.”
Mr Greenhorn said: “For me, one of the huge attractions about this project is the idea that instead of trying to draw your audience into a theatre building, you're actually going out to meet your audience on their own territory. The idea that you can anchor your story in a recognisable world that they can relate to is really exciting.
“This project boils down what theatre is, it's a personal interconnection, a social experience. That sitting around a fire kind of intimacy of storytelling. And that for me is the essence of theatre.”
Submissions are now open at The Royal Lyceum Edinburgh website for Edinburgh residents interested in hosting one of the live shows.
Mr Brining said: “Lyceum at Home is a way of connecting with the people of Edinburgh in a unique and generous way. Being hosted by people across the city, in their own homes, is going to be so magical and in return, the performances of our four new plays by four extraordinary Edinburgh writers, drawn from and about our wonderful city, will entertain our hosts and their guests in their own spaces. It will be an exchange of hospitality, friendship and the deep human drive to share stories.”
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