Village Hall, Balallan, Isle of Lewis, 6 September 2012

THE memory of a march through the village of Ballalan to mark the opening of a memorial, built in celebration of the Pairc Deer Raid is etched in the minds of hundreds of people.

I’M ONE of them, and I feel a strong sense of pride in the efforts of those gone before us, making a stand against injustices. The memorial, designed by Will Maclean and built by James Crawford, is a lasting reminder of a time when hungry people on Lewis were forced to take the law into their own hands.

The Balallan memorial designed by Will Maclean and built by James Crawford

Injustices, of course, continue. This contemporary exploration of the issues of land ownership in the Highlands reminds us that the statistics of land ownership which prompted “that play” and the name of the 7/84 Theatre Company have not changed radically. But some key buy-outs of land have happened, assisted rather than hampered by a legal process, and even helped by agencies of Government.

Are the battles all won? The play was commissioned by the Islands Book Trust, as part of a programme, analysing the Highland’s recovery from the Clearances. It’s very appropriate that the first performances were in Balallan, close to the area of that historic land-raid. I spoke to people from the Lochs district who attended the day’s discussions and they considered them wide-ranging and worthwhile.

Let’s start by commending the process of commissioning a new work in this context. Muriel Ann Macleod has assembled a group which includes regular performers from the Theatre Hebrides days and other theatre professionals who have taken specialised roles in the production. The clear programme-notes outline a process where the work is devised by the team and then tuned and worked into a script by the writer, and dramaturg, Toria Banks.

This is not a new idea in theatre, and is probably closer to the majority verdict these days. When a writer is commissioned to make a new play there is normally a process of interaction with director and perhaps some actors who may be in the resultant performance. This makes theatre a completely collaborative practice. And yet, the role of the writer is still crucial in lending a satisfying shape and purpose to the piece.

I wrote Brazil 12 Scotland Nil for the Birds of Paradise theatre company, about the time the buy-out on Gigha was taking place. I visited Assynt and North Harris as part of the research and looked for a feeling of the personal stories behind the politics. The title and the themes and several of the actors were all in place before I was commissioned. I was asked to bring a notebook rather than a script to devising meetings. The director, then initiated various scenarios. I took part and responded by noting what seemed to work well and sketching phrases which might capture the mood. It’s only after that, the details of the story come clear and the script develops, to be tuned again in rehearsals. It’s an interesting game.

I have no direct knowledge of the process used to link the writer with the cast and Muriel Ann as director of We Have Won The Land. But I would say from the beginning that the evidence is that it was a good working process and it’s been largely successful.

The actors all carry several roles, often providing fine entertainment in slipping from one to another merely by changing hats. Again, these are not new techniques and sometimes are indeed reminiscent of “that play”. But I was also reminded of the way Communicado theatre productions use very simple devices on stage to great effect. I’ve worked with both Gerry Mulgrew and Alison Peebles and observed their magic touches lift a simple scene to real poignancy.

In this production, there were several such moments. It’s possible that the freedom and time which comes from not being responsible for a company and an office and whole administrative structure has aided this production. I’d also suggest that the simple setting of a long-ish village hall room, without a raised platform has helped the staging. The design (by Philippa Thomas) is bold and strong. It does what it needs to do and there’s nothing to get in the way.

Just when I was thinking that there was a danger the staging was a bit cramped at the back – to allow for the packed seats of a near-full house – it came flourishing out into the aisle.

Let me mention one effective part of the production, before we move to the question of what the play is actually saying.

David Walker is an experienced actor with a skilful comic gift. He just outruns the danger of typecasting his stock of characters. But he is also capable of restraint. In one scene he conjures up the idea of a stoic islander in shaking oilskins shouting across a gale to another. There’s excellent live music (mainly guitar and sampling by Hector MacInnes) as there was all through this production, but the effect is carried simply by skill and concentration.

Then a blue cloth is enough to suggest rippling sea. The need to keep a touring production simple has been turned to advantage. I must say that the last Theatre Hebrides production I saw did not seem at home in the more elaborate staging of an Lanntair. But, further back, productions in a mill-shed or the transit-shed on the Stornoway pier, were effective.

I came out of the first half, entertained but not exhausted, and looking forward to seeing how the many issues of group-dynamics could be resolved. Instead of taking a documentary or historical standpoint, this play proposes a group of imagined characters on an imagined island. I did have a touch of anxiety though, that the pace of sketches, and the development of the characters could be maintained.

And sadly, I do have to make the proviso that it was not really possible to bring it all to a satisfying dramatic conclusion. I’d also say that’s better than tying everything up in too neat a bow. The play caught the enthusiasm of a group working together for common purpose, the questioning and disillusion and the sheer hard slog of fund-raising and negotiation which are in marked contrast to the tactics open to the land-raiders of Lewis.

The story really does fairly reflect a common pattern in political activism. There is the euphioria which comes from uniting disparate people, for a time. Then there is the long-haul, with less drama, after a battle is won. I felt that this excellent evening’s entertainment needed a stronger storyline to make full use of the committed performances of every single one of cast which also included Ruth Tapp, Hazel Darwin Edwards and Cameron Mowat. I’ve nothing against whimsy – the gentle elements in Whisky Galore and Local Hero have lasted well. But the timing of a certain discovery which saves the day for the islanders made me sigh rather than laugh.

Yet, to be fair, a stronger story is not really available yet. There have been fine victories, in Eigg, North Harris and Galson for example. But then there is the steady work of building partnerships and pursuing sustainable development. This play caught the personal notes behind the politics of land ownership very well.

Poster, catalogue and publicity were very much to the fore in strong bold designs, with useful notes. These are also strong signs of a continued commitment by The Islands Book Trust and by Rural Nations.

The extensive tour begins this week with performances in Leverburgh and North Uist.

I’d recommend this play as an entertainment which also raises some questions well worth asking.

© Ian Stephen, 2012

Links

• We Have Won The Land