Civil unrest, rioting and a society in turmoil as an impoverished working class feels disconnected from the roots of authority. Power is in the hands of the powerful; job losses, austerity measures, pay cuts and fear of poverty bring angry protests to the streets.… the Britain of 1931, an uncanny reflection of events in 2011. Singing Far into the Night, a stylish, profound and moving play, based on real lives and real events in Scotland and Russia in 1931, will be touring Scotland this autumn. Caught in a sweeping narrative, from the volatile streets of Glasgow, to Invergordon, Stalinist USSR and on to present-day Scotland, through riot, asylum, prison and gulag, this is a play about courage, identity, separation and loss, and shows what can happen when the high hand of authority is ultimately disobeyed.

Says writer Hamish MacDonald “I first heard of the Invergordon Mutiny over a pint with my father, who described the moments inside the naval canteen at Invergordon where the sailors of the Royal Navy’s Atlantic Fleet had convened to vent their outrage at a 25% cut in wages. Of the many thousands who participated in the two-day action, 120 were confined in naval prison, without an opportunity to clear their names before being dismissed. Some were reduced to begging, some continued to be shadowed by police beyond the dockyard gate, and some fled to Russia. The play is largely inspired by these events. Viewed in fragments and memories, it opens amid the turmoil of Glasgow streets in 1931.

“I wanted to look beyond the Mutiny as an event that would impact on the greater part of the lives of those involved. The unforeseen result of the insurrection at Invergordon was widespread panic on the stock exchange with fears of unrest spreading among the police and army. Due to this economic pressure Britain was forced to withdraw from the Gold Standard, the King was placed under armed guard at Balmoral and messages relayed by aeroplane for fear of telephone exchanges being manned by Bolshevists – the sparking of a phantom revolution.

“The play, ultimately moving between Scotland and Russia, shows ordinary lives caught up – wittingly or unwittingly – in the current of these world-changing events. ”

This will be the first production, of this new script, specially commissioned by Mull Theatre from the Inverness-based, Clydebank-born playwright and poet Hamish MacDonald. The tour is funded by Creative Scotland and the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation.

Says director Alasdair McCrone “I’m enjoying tremendously working on this play with Hamish and our fantastic cast and creative team. We’ve been talking about and planning SFITN for a long while, but the timing of its production now, with recent events on the streets of England’s cities dividing opinions and society, may be more than just coincidence. Hamish’s work is strongly driven by an acute political and social conscience, a sense of belonging and of hope, couched in a brutal awareness of the horrors of which humanity is capable. Ordinary people are capable of doing all sorts of extraordinary things for both good and ill, particularly when their lifestyles and livelihoods seem to them to be under threat, sometimes with quite devastating consequences. And so, in our name, do governments. The play is an important reminder of this at a time when many people in all strands of society feel under threat. It is also an important reminder of an almost forgotten but hugely significant moment in British naval history – the last great mutiny of its fleet, and the shattering effect this had on the lives of so many.”

Reviewers are invited to the opening performance of

SINGING FAR INTO THE NIGHT

on Saturday September 10, at 8pm

Mull Theatre @ Druimfin, Tobermory, Isle of Mull.

Please contact Sheena Miller, 01688 302673, marketing@mulltheatre.com  to reserve your ticket

MULL THEATRE, Druimfin, Tobermory,

Isle of Mull, Argyll PA75 6QB

01688 302673

www.mulltheatre.com

Scottish Charity No: SCO13560

Source: Mull Theatre