Ness Islands, Inverness, 21-22 September 2007

The Lyre Tree

THE LYRE TREE christened what is a fantastic new outdoor performance space for Inverness. Local musician Jeep Solid and artist Graeme Roger, who worked together on an outdoor installation and live performance at the Old High Church as part of the ‘Imagining the Centre’ Public Art project last year, were joined by percussionist Dave Martin, performers from Antix Youth Theatre, Adult Drama Lab and Eden Court’s Arts Education Team in a production that featured theatre, dance, live music and projection.

Cascading projected light on surrounding trees, giant furry bumblebees and the magical ambience of the Ness Islands at night were a great setting for a piece of theatre aimed at children and families. Led into the space by a group of squeaking young otters the sounds of the Ness River and lit paths through the trees added to the whole theatrical experience.

Inspired by the so-called “Lyre Tree” on site which borders the Ness Islands arena, the production was developed from an idea by artist Amanda Batty and written by Jeep Solid. The writing was episodic, a mixture of musical numbers, visual images and dance pieces interwoven with the story of river side creatures and their battle against “the grassers, the grabbers and (cement) pourers”.

At times the environmental and moral messages were somewhat ham fisted but the production enabled young people and adults in the area to be involved in staging a unique and enjoyable event. Only slightly dampened by light rain the weather thankfully stayed clear and did not seem to affect the performance. Costumes were very effective and helped bring each of the animal characters to life including badger, heron, otters and stoats.

Sections of the production delivered through music, movement and dance were for me the most successful and the original soundtrack was an engaging combination of sounds from blues and funky rap to mellow acoustic.

The ensemble of young performers worked well together and although acoustics in such an open space are always problematic they rose to the occasion. What needed the most development, especially from a storytelling point of view, was the overall writing which would have delivered a more coherent production overall.

Created by artist Keith Barrett as part of the Ness Islands improvements, the gently undulating stone and earth arena provides a natural meeting and performance space in the centre of the Ness Islands.

Developing a variety of performance spaces is essential in any city and this site is ripe with possibilities for staging of theatre, dance, installation or other public events. It is great to finally see investment in the riverside which is one of the city’s defining features. Reclaiming this area as a cultural and environmental asset will be of enormous value in the future.

© Georgina Coburn, 2007