Fibres, the jointly produced play from Glasgow’s Citizens Theatre and Edinburgh’s Stellar Quines, has been remade as a filmed version that will premiere online on Wednesday 25 November at 7pm.
Written by award-winning playwright Frances Poet, Fibres explores the deadly legacy of asbestos in the Clyde shipyards, giving voice to the stories of women and families affected. The bittersweet comedy told by four characters, who show a very Glaswegian resilience and wit, is a moving tribute to those who continue to suffer today as the health crisis continues to unfold.
Fibres, the first full-length production to be filmed and offered online by the Citizens and Stellar Quines, will see the reuniting the original cast and creative team comprising weel-kent Scottish actors, Maureen Carr and Jonathan Watson, who will reprise their roles of Beanie and Jack, and joined by Suzanne Magowan and Ali Craig. This online version, whose stage version toured community venues in Scotland to critical and audience acclaim, will give more people the opportunity to experience it as it shines a light on the untold story of those affected by exposure to asbestos.
Stellar Quines Artistic Director Jemima Levick commented “…As with so many theatre projects, the COVID-19 pandemic has prevented our planned UK tour of Fibres. This feels like an opportunity for us to approach the piece in a new way, blending the two art forms of theatre and film to tell this story with all the humour and heart that the original contained. I’m particularly pleased that audiences right across the UK can see it, especially those living with Mesothelioma who, with lockdown restrictions, might not be able to attend if it were in their local theatre. Fibres, explores the deadly legacy of asbestos, placing women’s voices at the centre of that story, and, in doing so, offering insight into an experience rarely told. While set in the west coast of Scotland, I have no doubt that this story will resonate with families in and around industrial cities across the world and, with one health crisis living alongside another, offers a new perspective to this already important story.”
The project is supported by Performing Arts Venue Relief Fund, Thompsons Solicitors and Action on Asbestos, a charity established in 1984 by men who had been diagnosed with an asbestos disease to provide practical advice and support to others affected by this condition.
Tickets are free and available from fibresfilm.co.uk but donations are invited from those who can afford it, to help the Citizens Theatre and Stellar Quines survive the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. Fibres will premiere online on Wednesday 25 November at 7pm after which audiences will have access to the filmed production for one month until Wednesday 23 December.
Irene Brown
Radio Summerhall Arts 