National Theatre of Scotland: Black Watch @ SECC, 28 March - 13 April
"If he wants to know what it's like in Iraq, Cammy, he has to feel some fucking pain!" A man in military dress is bent over a young man, trying to break his arm. Physical theatre, a script based on soldiers' recollection, rough action and fierce men: Black Watch is back.
Presented by the National Theatre of Scotland, Black Watch attacks the Scottish stage once more in March 2013. Writer Gregory Burke put together the play using his interviews with former soldiers who served in Iraq. As a consequence, the tale unfolds from the soldiers' perspective as they travel from Fife, to Iraq, and back.
While the Black Watch regiment was at the centre of poltical controversy during the 2003 operations in Iraq, the play does not sidestep the political issue; but Burke avoids direct commentary on the politics of the operations. Instead he incorporates it into the narration, which emphasises the personal cost of military action and governement decisions.
Directed by John Tiffany, the play manipulates music, voice, and movement to depict the human side of a distant war and make it immediate. From the atrocities of the battlefield to the trouble of readjusting to life back home, Black Watch follows the eponymous Scottish regiment, and explores the experiences of those enlisted to fight the war on terror. It sheds light on the mental stress of war and its physical - often violent - manifestation.
With a cast of theatre veterans and debutantes, the touring production has earned international acclaim and won multiple awards, promising an intense theatrical experience to the crowds at the SECC. [Eric Karoulla]
SECC, various times, March 28 to April 13