A life-affirming Scottish playbased on real-life events starts a theatrical run in Glasgow this week.
Cora Bissett and David Greig’s drama Glasgow Girls is running at the King’s Theatre, Glasgow, from Tuesday 15-Saturday 19 January.
Filled with song-and-dance, Glasgow Girls is based on the true story of seven teenagers from Drumchapel, whose lives changed forever in 2005 when their school friend and her asylum-seeking family were forcibly taken from their home to be deported.
The self-titled Glasgow Girls took a stand to fight for her rights, and ultimately the rights of all children of asylum seekers.
They inspired a whole community to unite behind its residents, and later in 2010, inspired theatre maker Cora Bissett to turn their incredible story into a musical.
The award-winning show has played across the UK to sold-out audiences, who relate to the Glasgow Girls mantra of ‘heartily welcoming all cultures to their country’.
Many of the real Glasgow Girls have now gone on to work in politics, community work and human rights, including:
Roza Salih: graduated from Strathclyde University after studying Law and Politics and is now working as office manager for Chris Stephens MP for Glasgow South West;
Emma Clifford Bell: now a journalist for BBC Scotland;
Jennifer McCarron: works as a Child Development Officer for Glasgow Clyde College and studying BA Childhood Practice at Strathclyde University;
Amal Azzudin: graduated with a Masters in Human Rights and International Politics and works for the Mental Health Foundation. She has worked voluntarily in refugee camps in Greece, was honoured at the Saltire Society’s Outstanding Women of Scotland 2016 and won the University of Glasgow’s World Changing Alumni award 2018.
Director/deviser Cora Bisset said: ‘When I first was drawn to the story of the Glasgow Girls in 2010, I had no idea that the matter of refugees and asylum seekers in the world would transpire to become THE most urgent and prescient question of our times.
‘I am of course saddened this is the case and that Western governments continue to have a huge impact on the various wars that ultimately displace hundreds of thousands of innocent people from their homes. Every time we bring the show back out, it feels as though it is speaking to a very particular moment in time. In 2012, the still ‘newness’ and misconception of asylum seekers in Scotland was foremost.
‘On its return in 2014 it was against the backdrop of a referendum, and the question of how we wished to treat our refugees and asylum seekers seemed to ring out for audiences watching. This time round, we live in precarious times, with the rise of neo-fascism across the world, evermore media-fuelled anti-Islamic rhetoric, and the frightening popularity of Trump’s crude divisive policies, walls and exclusion zones. Against this landscape, it brings compassion back to the people at the centre of these crises, and personalises their stories, so that we as an audience can connect our humanity with theirs.
‘In 2010, I discovered Lindsay Hill’s brilliant documentary of the Glasgow Girls’ story Tales from the Edge and got to know Lindsay and the whole gang. After watching the footage, I came to the surprising but exciting conclusion that this story should be told as a musical.
‘It was the girls’ energy and can-do spirit that made me feel this story should be sung. It was a celebration of solidarity, of a group of teenage girls realising they could affect the world they live in, a celebration of a city I love deeply, and of those people in it. I went about finding the collection of composers of vastly varying styles to somehow convey the multi-cultural hybrid of influences that the girls themselves were borne from.
‘Over two years, I began developing the show, experimenting with the songwriters and working closely with Hilary Brooks and David Greig. We always wanted to treat people’s real lives with the utmost care and respect. We invited the girls, Euan Girvan, Wilson Blakey, Noreen Real and Jean Donnachie to all of our development stages, and shared the script with them, which they gave feedback on, and gradually built their trust. They have continued to come to every outing the production has, and have become lifelong friends with many of our cast.’
Click HERE for tickets and more information.
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