Perth Concert Hall and Perth Theatre are commemorating the 100-year anniversary of the end of World War 1 with three unique events. The 306: Dusk, in Perth Theatre from Wednesday 10 until Saturday 27 October concludes the dramatic The 306 trilogy in co-production with the National Theatre of Scotland. Audiences will take to their beds in a makeshift wartime hospital for immersive sound installation Charlie Ward from Monday 15 until Friday 19 October. And, on 11 November, a top cast of singers and musicians will commemorate Armistice Day through song, music and poetry in No Man’s Land, a one-off concert in Perth Concert Hall.
From Wednesday 10 until Saturday 27 October, the National Theatre of Scotland and Perth Theatre present the conclusion of The 306 trilogy, The 306: Dusk.
2018. Armistice Day. A pregnant school teacher on a trip to the battlefields goes AWOL in a wood whilst on a personal mission of remembrance. An injured veteran of the Iraq war relives the nightmare of battle. A blindfolded soldier wakes up after 100 years to hear the birds singing once more… The 306: Dusk is a new piece of music theatre about memory and forgetting, friendship and betrayal, exploring what the Great War means to us today. From the 2-minute silence at 11am to dusk that same day, three disparate characters, a string quartet and a choir of voices from the past and present will show how our world is shaped by the war to end all wars.
From Monday 15 until Friday 19 October, audience members will take to their beds as Perth Theatre’s Joan Knight Studio is transformed into a makeshift wartime hospital for the unique and immersive Charlie Ward.
Commissioned by 14-18 NOW, the UK’s arts programme for the First World War centenary, Sound&Fury’s intimate and immensely powerful sound installation is inspired by the real life story of medical staff screening a Charlie Chaplin film on the ward’s ceiling to boost the morale of the first casualties of war.
For one soldier, the flickering images, whirring projector and Chaplin’s perfect comic timing trigger complex emotions and memories. Cast from the trenches to childhood, from trauma to dreams, the hospital filmshow sets him on a journey into a personal no man’s land.
Small audiences will be invited to relive the Charlie Ward experience from the same point of view in this poignant fifteen-minute daytime show.
No Man’s Land in Perth Concert Hall on Sunday 11 November gathers top performers including Blue Rose Code, Raghu Dixit, Kris Drever, Eska, Karine Polwart and Declan O'Rourke.
Through a careful blend of new material, songs and poems from and about WWI, No Man's Land will illuminate The Great War from a diverse range of viewpoints. The cast of singers will explore perspectives from different sides of the conflict and its aftermath from combatants and civilians alike.
The house band from the acclaimed Made In Perthshire show will be reconvened to support the vocalists. Drawing on folk, jazz, classical and rock backgrounds, this world-class acoustic ensemble comprises Ross Ainslie (pipes, whistles), Seonaid Aitken (violin), Alice Allen (cello), Graeme Duncan (guitar), Signy Jakobsdottir (drums, percussion), Dave Milligan (piano), Ben Nichols (bass) and Patsy Reid (fiddle, viola).
Mike Griffiths, interim chief executive of Horsecross Arts, the creative organisation behind Perth Concert Hall and Perth Theatre said:
"The commemoration of the centenary of the Armistice has offered us a unique opportunity to present a range of contemporary events across the art forms collaborating with artists and organisations from Scotland and beyond. It will allow our audiences to get a flavour of life at that time through the music and stories we are showing this autumn"
For tickets and information for The 306: Dusk, Charlie Ward and No Man’s Land, call Horsecross Arts Box Office on 01738 621031 visit www.horsecross.co.uk.