City suburb 'wracked by industrial land grabs' to feature in new play
Residents of Torry in Aberdeen have spoken out against the industrialisation of the area
A new play about an Aberdeen suburb "wracked by industrial land grabs" is to be premiered next year.
A Play for Torry, which will preview at Aberdeen Arts Centre in January, has been co-authored with members of the local community and uses "real voices and lived experiences" of people who have suffered from the rise and decline of industry, while "fighting for land, health and home".
The writers of the play, Mae Diansangu, Shane Strachan, Emer Morris, and members of the community, said Torry has been “consistently wracked by industrial land grabs over the years” and said it represents the voices that organisations behind the industrialisation of the area “continue to ignore”.
On the edge of Aberdeen, Europe’s Oil Capital, the writers say the community was cleared from Old Torry to make way for the fishing and oil industries, with Torry’s Bay of Nigg now a concrete industrial harbour. St Fittick’s Park, the biodiverse regenerated wetland and Torry’s only green space, is surrounded by the city’s landfill and waste incinerator.
Meanwhile, in October, billionaire businessman Sir Ian Wood donated £20 million from his family charity to ETZ Ltd, the organisation behind the creation of an Energy Transition Zone in the area.
Separately, hundreds of homes in the Balnagask area of Torry were found to contain potentially dangerous Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) and are earmarked for demolition, with some residents considering legal action.
Nathaniel Campbell-Scott-Howells, Torry resident and Friends of St Fittick's Park outdoor classroom coordinator, said: “A Play for Torry represents the voices that organisations like Aberdeen City Council and ETZ continue to ignore.
“While they punch down on Torry residents affected by RAAC, the threats to industrialise St Fittick's Park, and numerous socio-economic challenges; the play uplifts them through the use of their actual words, stories and history to make it clear we're a community and we care more about each other than making some big corporations wealthy.”
Writer Ms Morris said: “This is a co-authored project built to bring out the joy we all need right now and to celebrate the resilience of the people, even when it’s been tough. People of Torry have been part of this every step of the way, and this is an example of professional artists and community collaborating to a story about experience in North East Scotland.
“This story is significant because what happens here - and what has happened - echoes far beyond Torry and Aberdeen: it has real resonance for what unfolds across Scotland and all of these isles.”
A Play for Torry is presented in partnership with Friends of the Earth Scotland, Aberdeen Arts Centre and funded by Creative Scotland’s Open Fund.
Sharon Catchpole, interim executive director of Aberdeen Arts Centre, said: "At Aberdeen Arts Centre, we believe theatre should be accessible to everyone - whether they want to sit in the audience, work behind the scenes, or step out on stage.
“We have loved working with the team behind A Play for Torry throughout its development, allowing one of Aberdeen's historic communities to shine a light on the issues that affect them. Community-driven theatre can be an incredibly powerful medium for communicating complex issues and ideas, and this production is no different - bringing issues that affect Aberdonians to a wider audience."
The play will preview at Aberdeen Arts Centre on 31 January and will subsequently be performed at Nigg Bay Golf Club in Torry on 1 February.
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