Football and friendship in theatre show coming to north-east
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Football and friendship theatre drama Moorcroft is coming to the north-east next month.
The Tron Theatre Company’s acclaimed production Moorcroft by Eilidh Loan is touring to venues across Scotland in Autumn 2023 in association with the National Theatre of Scotland, following a sell-out run at the venue earlier this year.
Moorcroft is written and directed by award-winning actor and writer Eilidh Loan. Eilidh’s debut play is inspired by true stories of football and friendships from her father’s youth.
It will be performed at the Aberdeen Arts Centre on Friday, October 13 and Saturday, October 14.
Garry’s turned 50 but he doesn’t feel like celebrating. Exhausted from years spent wrapped in regret, he begins to relive "the glory days", trying to understand his mistakes, answer questions and right some wrongs in a bid to make peace with his past and find renewed purpose.
The production follows a group of young lads in search of an escape from working class life. But can playing football save them from the challenges they face and make them the men they want to be?
Set in the West of Scotland to an energetic 80s soundtrack and with sharp choreography, this funny, bittersweet production explores the enduring pain, love and humour of friendship and issues around male mental health.
Martin Docherty plays Gary, based on Eilidh’s dad (Risk, Club Asylum, Antigone and Cooking with Elvis for the Tron Theatre; films, Marty Goes To Hollywood and Cloud Atlas; and Still Game, Dear Green Place, Rab C. Nesbitt, Gary Tank Commander and Outlander for TV).
He is joined by Sean Connor, (River City regular for BBC Scotland and Don Quixote: Man of Clackmannanshire for Dundee Rep/Perth Theatre); Kyle Gardiner (The Panopticon for NTS and Traces 2 for Alibi); Bailey Newsome (Tay Bridge for Dundee Rep and BBC’s Scot Squad); Jatinder Singh Randhawa, (Scenes for Survival for NTS, Peer Gynt for the National Theatre); Santino Smith (Underwood Lane for the Tron Theatre and Sadie for BBC4/Lyric Theatre and Lynn and Lucy for BBC films) and Dylan Wood (Orphans for NTS and Underwood Lane for the Tron), who all play the pals Gary gets together for a kick-about.
The original creative team – set and costume designer Carys Hobbs, lighting designer Michaella Fee and sound designer and composer Gary Cameron have reunited to work on the show for this re-mount and forthcoming tour, creating once again the vibe and sound of 80s west of Scotland life.
Writer and director Eilidh Loan said: “I am absolutely thrilled Moorcroft is travelling around Scotland.
"Moorcroft has been more than just writing a play for me. It’s brought me closer to my dad.
"It’s changed his view on the world we live in, started vital conversations about mental health and helped him find a sense of purpose.
"That’s what I set out to achieve. I wanted working-class people to feel like they were being represented and be proud of their stories.
"I will be forever grateful to the audiences who saw the show at the Tron and came to support us. It feels incredibly special that National Theatre of Scotland have joined us on this journey and now we get to tell our story to more people. So, let’s kick off again."
Eilidh Loan is an award-winning actor, writer and director from Renfrewshire. In 2018, she graduated the Guildford School of Acting as the winner of the Bachelor of the Arts Acting Prize, the GSA Entrepreneur Award and as a finalist in the BBC Carleton Hobbs Bursary Competition.
In her graduating year, Eilidh won the prestigious Alan Bates Competition, beating more than 200 applicants from drama schools across the UK.
She has gone on to make a successful career across all avenues of the industry. Eilidh was nominated for Best Writer at the Stage Debut Awards and for two CATS Awards in 2022 for Moorcroft.
She is currently appearing in Macbeth for the Royal Shakespeare Company and has been announced as being part of the Doctor Who cast for the new series in 2024.
