Focus on: theatre babel

The multi-award winning theatre babel has long been a pioneer internationally for the quality and diversity of work produced in Scotland.  Having begun with a series of innovative explorations of Shakespeare, theatre babel returns to its roots in continuing its decade of success.  Their version of Macbeth will be performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe this month.

Aims and activities

Theatre babel’s artistic policy centres on ‘reinvestigating and reinvigorating classical theatre’.  They aim to produce innovative work of an international standard that speaks to and about contemporary audiences across the globe.  Their seminal new adaptations of classic works are accessible to a wide range of people.  In achieving this, they have worked with leading Scottish playwrights and poets, and many of the UK’s leading performers.

Babel’s productions have been as diverse as to cover Shakespeare, Ibsen, Moliere, Chekhov and ancient Greek tragedians.  They have ranged in size from large-scale to one-man shows, but have all been linked by innovative readings of text and evocative, often minimalist designs.

Babel have taken their work across the globe: Canada, Taiwan, Cyprus, India and USA.  They aim to tour at least one production internationally per year.

Past work

Recent productions include: Ibsen's Hedda Gabler (2005) and A Doll’s House (2004), which toured across the UK and to Taiwan Thebans, Liz Lochhead's adaptation, a trilogy of ancient Greek myths.  It toured to Taipei, Cyprus and UK.  Winner: Fringe First Award (2003)

Medea, Liz Lochhead's adaptation of the Euripides classic, has won several awards: winner: Herald Angel Award (2000); winner: Saltire Award (2001); winner: Dora Mavor Award for best touring production (2002).  It has toured around the UK and India, and to Cyprus and Canada.

Theatre babel’s touch at rejuvenating classics has not gone unnoticed.  Of Thebans, the Scotsman applauded moments which ‘achieves a spine-tingling sense of deep connection with the work of dramatists who died more than two millennia ago’.  ‘Terrific verse-speaking, a clutch of fine performances and powerful use of lighting, visual imagery and sound create a fierce dramatic impact.  In the age of the visual image, Liz Lochhead remains a dramatic poet who can make the stage vibrate with energy and dynamism, even when every actor on it is standing stock still’.

Babel’s 2004 production of Macbeth was described as ‘a dark, elegant, intense and dignified affair’ in the Scotsman, and the Daily Mail hailed their take on the classic piece, ‘by far the best in a long time’.

Macbeth for 2005

Babel’s production of Shakespeare’s Macbeth is being brought to this year’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe.  It will then tour overseas in Autumn 2005, adding to the company’s already extensive programme of international appearances.

'Although it seems like a very short period of time, it has in fact been five years since babel last produced a Shakespeare play. For the 10th anniversary production we wanted to return to the company’s roots.  We chose Macbeth partly because it is perhaps the most Senecan of the Shakespearian tragedies, and has much in common with Greek tragedy. It therefore follows on naturally from the work that we have undertaken in recent years.'  (Graham McLaren, theatre babel's Artistic Director)

‘It will explore the strong biblical influences in a work that was written in a time of continuing religious turmoil.  The play is spattered with religious terminology and in many ways harks back to earlier medieval morality plays with their emphasis on the black and white contrast of biblical good v evil.’

For more details about theatre babel and their upcoming production, visit theatre babel's website.