The Traverse Theatre online festival, that takes place in the digital space known as Traverse 3, for the next month presents a rehearsed reading entitled The Bus Stop. Written by actor Gavin Yule, the play has been developed as part of a new mentoring programme from Lung Ha Theatre, Scotland’s leading theatre company for people with learning disabilities.
Inspired by real life events, The Bus Stop tells the story of a young wheelchair user, Jack (Gavin Yule), who experiences a disability hate crime. Jack struggles with his anger at the situation and at the world which left him without a dad 6 months earlier. He keeps it all a secret from his mum Julia who has a secret of her own.
Writer and actor Gavin Yule said “For a while after the incident happened to me, I was angry at the world and angry at the society that we still live in a world where disability hate crime is so common”.
“One day, one of my friends suggested writing my thoughts down to help with the healing process. The same night I sat down and wrote a short script which in the end became the second scene of the play. You could say the play was inspired by my own anger.”
Gavin has been working with playwright Andrew Edwards, Lung Ha’s Artistic Director, Maria Oller and director Nicola Tuxworth, who makes her debut in this role.
The rehearsed reading of The Bus Stop takes place over Zoom and features two other Lung Ha performers, Emma McCaffrey and Scott Davidson, along with Lung Ha support team member Ryan Duncan, all three of whom will be portraying two different characters in the play. Cast details are as follows:
Gavin Yule as Jack; Emma McCaffrey as Julia / Passenger; Ryan Duncan as Steven / Patient; Scott Davidson as Bus Driver / Dad
Traverse Theatre Executive Producer Linda Crooks, said “We are absolutely thrilled to welcome our longstanding good friends Lung Ha, and Gavin’s new play, to Traverse 3. We applaud Lung Ha’s mentoring programme, developing Gavin as a writer, and Nicola with her first directing gig, culminating in this presentation of The Bus Stop. This excellent initiative loudly chimes with the Traverse’s determination to seek out and nurture new and diverse voices for our stages and bring them to the world.”
The Bus Stop is now available digitally to audiences worldwide from Tuesday 10th November until Tuesday 8th December 2020 with tickets costing £3 being available from the Traverse website.
Irene Brown
Radio Summerhall Arts 