“Performance ability isn’t much to do with learning ability or disability. We have some really good performers in the company,’ The QR talks with The Southside Group, on their seasonal offering, The Snow Queen…
The Southside Group (TSG) was created in 2020, by the experienced directors of The Occasion theatre company, Peter Clerke and Catherine Gillard. A continuation of their decades’ long pursuit of fully inclusive community production, TSG offers an open door to all adults with learning difficulties, and the 14 strong company will soon stage their first live show, The Snow Queen, at Queen’s Park Govanhill Church. Peter & Catherine were kind enough to spare a little time to talk with The QR…
Could you tell me something about The Occasion, and how you’re approaching your new production of The Snow Queen?
Peter Clerke: We set The Occasion up in 2010; previous to that we were directors with Benchtours. When we set up The Occasion, it was primarily for small scale touring around Scotland, and England, with one show making it to America. Then at the start of 2020, we set up The Southside Group, having only barely moved back to Scotland after a while down south. We simply became aware of the fact that in Glasgow there didn’t seem to be a great many opportunities for learning disabled adults to get involved.
Catherine Gillard: I’ll just drop in to say that when we ran Benchtours, we did a combination of touring theatre, and community work, well community theatre, principally with learning disabled adults. So, we had a long history to draw upon. Pete was also one of the founders of Lung Ha’s in Edinburgh, and when in England, was working with Blue Apple Theatre, another learning-disabled company based in Winchester.
Peter: We started the Southside Group about six weeks before everything went into lockdown, and so immediately had to transfer everything onto Zoom, which we didn’t know anything about! But along with most of the population of Britain, I suspect that now it’s just become like another hand, hasn’t it?
Since then, The Southside Group have mounted several online productions, including The Peabody Chronicles, and a very lovely The Night Before Christmas last year. These can be viewed online at your leisure, and so consider yourselves so directed. The Snow Queen will be the group’s first live public performance, based on some serious development work carried out online last Christmas.
How has the preparation to bring this live debut to stage been going?
Peter: It’s been very good. We did have the room for some live sessions with the group as well as location filming beforehand, so it’s not like they didn’t know each other apart from images on a screen. You can just do so much more live than working over Zoom.
Catherine: I think a lot of the members feel much freer, and easier; especially guys with less language, or capacity to express themselves verbally. They’ve really come up in the live sessions because they’ve more scope to express themselves physically. It’s made a big difference, because on the small screen you’re quite limited physically and tend to focus quite a bit on text. Of course, there’s a learning curve, but they have a great time together, they’re a lovely group!
Peter: Some have performed live before
Catherine: Some have quite a bit of experience, but there’s a big mix of ability. Everyone helps each other, that’s a really nice thing you see. That happens much more easily now that we’re live.
So, why The Snow Queen?
Peter: It’s a very good tale; certainly, my favourite Christmas tale. I ran a version of it when I was working with Theatre Workshop in the 80’s. So, we had a script there, and everyone seemed to enjoy the story. The company is a great fit to the roles, we’ve a good Kai, a good Gerda, a good Snow Queen.
Catherine: And it’s a little bit dark, it’s certainly not a happy-clappy Christmas story. It’s about love, and friendship of course, but the Snow Queen does steal Kai away. It’s got adventure, and strange eccentric characters, and of course things get a little bit difficult along the way for Gerda. Things do come out good in the end though.
Peter: Yes, it has a slightly dark side, and it certainly has atmosphere!
Are any particularly magical or favourite moments emerging as the show approaches opening night?
Peter: It’s a very simple staging, we’re in a Church, not a theatre; it’s emerging as more of a storytelling staging which is really nice.
What would you say you’re hopes are for what’s in the audience’s minds when the curtain falls, and it’s time to go home?
Peter: We hope they’ve had a thoroughly entertaining time.
Catherine: I think there’s also a hope that people are impressed, surprised that…perhaps it’s exceeded what they think learning disabled people can achieve. There is perhaps a perception that they can’t do certain things. We’ve had that in the past, where people will tell us they didn’t expect our productions to be so good.
Peter: Performance ability isn’t much to do with learning ability or disability. We have some really good performers in the company who get an enormous amount of enjoyment from it, which we hope will transfer to the audience.
Are the cast looking forward to opening night?
Catherine (laughing): I asked them these questions the other week! You get a lot of ‘I’m excited, but I think I’ll be very nervous on the night.’ They hope the audience will really enjoy it, and see all the hard work they’ve put into it!
Would you say working with a company with a variety of additional support needs presents any opportunities?
Peter: You get an incredible honesty.
Catherine: You also find great acceptance, and trust in what’s being asked.
Peter: Conversely you do have to make an effort to make sure that everyone understands what they’re saying and what their journey is about. Really, it’s just like working with any cast, where you’re trying to get the best of their ability plus a bit more!
How was the show developed?
Catherine: This was slightly different. Other online work we’ve done has come from a much more devised point of view. Even though they’ve had input into their characters in the Snow Queen, the casting for this pretty much fell into place organically.
What can we expect from The Occasion & The Southside Group next?
Peter: We’ve plenty of plans! We’ve done some development on a show loosely based on Laurel & Hardy and their return to Glasgow in 1947 for some performances. It had quite an impact on post-war Glasgow, and so we’ve been developing some ideas with the playwright Stuart Ennis. Funding dependent, but Tramways have offered us a week in July which would be great if it all comes together.
Catherine: No matter what happens we’ll keep our weekly sessions going. We’re always open to new people joining. If anyone who sees the show — or sees what we’ve done online — wants to get in touch, we’re always happy to talk!
Christmas Theatre 2022 will be one of the most crucial festive seasons in stage history. TheQR is talking to as many of those making theatre in the UK this year as possible, to play a small part in raising their profile, and opportunities for a successful run. Though many of us face a tough winter, financially speaking, a magical night of theatre offers a (warm) escape for a few hours, and if you have the expendable income available will help support the livelihoods of those who keep that magic alive.
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