NLP Theatre: There's No Limit for Some People

After a short, yet triumphant run at the Citizens Theatre in June, Singing I’m No A Billy He’s A Tim is returning for a Scottish tour. The production, NLP Theatre’s first professional venture, is as colourful as the history behind the company’s inception.

Artistic Director Scott Kyle was in a rut, stocking shelves and wondering what to do with his life. With encouragement from his girlfriend, he enrolled in a performing arts course at Glasgow College of Nautical Studies. Upon completion, Kyle realised that the key to finding employment was to create his own opportunities.

A chance discovery would change his life. Upon skimming the titles at a local library, Kyle discovered the text to Des Dillon’s I’m No A Billy. After Kyle arranged a read-through, he became intent on staging the piece. Casting himself, two other friends and asking one of his former lecturers to serve as director, Kyle hit the ground running in order to realise his vision.

The play occurs in a jail cell during an Old Firm match. Billy, a Rangers supporter, and Tim, a Celtic fanatic, are both locked up due to different circumstances. Under the watch of a jailer, Harry, both men want access to a television in order to watch the match. Cleverly using the timeframe of a football match (each act is 45-minutes long), the play gives a brave statement about Scotland’s football customs and focuses on themes of culture, history and identity. Kyle calls the play, “A great story about humanity.”

Kyle and Dillon apparently see different aspects within the structure of the script. Kyle sees the piece as a brilliant statement against sectarianism whereas writer Dillon believes the piece focuses more on family life. Even with the difference of interpretation, the play appears to strike a chord with both theatre-goers and football fans. In fact, many who had attended the initial production had never seen a theatre production before.

With its focus on a Rangers vs. Celtic fans storyline, it is surprising to learn that the piece had not been played in Glasgow, outside of schools, prior to NLP Theatre’s staging. Indeed, Kyle’s belief in the play is so great that he has produced the production himself, investing his own money in the project and storing key props in his home.

Kyle is touring the production throughout Scotland and has tailor-made a school programme, using the characters and themes of the play, in hopes of raising the production’s profile and the needed investment to fund the company and the production itself, which he hopes will have an international afterlife.

It’s always exciting when a new theatre company comes along. But already with a bone-fide hit under it’s belt, it’s easy to believe that Kyle’s passion and belief in the power of theatre will not only spill over to the audience of I’m No A Billy but will in fact carry over into future productions. Here’s hoping that Kyle’s belief, and financial gamble, in himself will payoff.