Wonder Fools is a Glasgow based theatre company established in 2014 who specialise in presenting work that sheds theatrical light on forgotten stories of British history with needle sharp political antennae.
One of these, 549: Scots of the Spanish Civil War, told the story of the 549 Scots of contrasting backgrounds, ideologies and religions who would form the Scottish ranks of the Spanish Civil War’s anti-fascist International Brigade in 1936.
549: Scots of the Spanish Civil Warwas created by Wonder Fools’ founders Robbie Gordon and Jack Nurse after Robbie stumbled across the history of the 549 when his grandfather told him the story of four men from Prestonpans who fought in the Spanish Civil War.
Wonder Fool’s 549: Scots of the Spanish Civil Warfollows four miners from the streets of Prestonpans to the valleys of Spain. George Watters, Bill Dickson, Jock Gilmour and Jimmy Kempton form part of a group that gave up everything they knew: This is the second tour of the show and Wonder Fools’ first mainstage tour of Scotland. With an updated script responding to the current socio-political landscape and an expanded score by BBC Scottish Artist of the Year finalists VanIves, the show promises to be bigger and better than ever, whilst still maintaining the community spirit of being told a story over a pint.
Following a mainstage adaptation for spaces including the Tron Theatre Glasgow and Traverse Theatre Edinburgh, a local tour around Scotland will make its way to Castle Douglas Town Hall, Troon Town Hall and more.
Robbie Gordon and Jack Nurse of Wonder Fools said “Solidarity, community and internationalism feel more important now than ever. We can’t wait to take this reimagined version of 549 onto mainstages in autumn this year before bringing our much-loved town hall version back to rural communities too.”
With new design from award-winning Becky Minto, 549: Scots of the Spanish Civil War is back on stages across Scotland with a new mainstage version followed by a rural tour.
Performance dates are:
SEPTEMBER
The Brunton – 23, 24 Sep
Beacon Arts Centre – 27 Sep
Perth Theatre – 29, 30 Sep
OCTOBER
Macrobert Arts Centre – 1 Oct
Tron Theatre – 6, 7, 8 Oct
Eden Court – 10, 11 Oct
Traverse Theatre – 14, 15 Oct
Castle Douglas Town Hall – 25, 26 Oct
Moffat Town Hall – 27 Oct
Cumbernauld Theatre at Lanternhouse – 28 Oct
NOVEMBER
Fairlie Town Hall – 2 Nov
Cumnock Hall – 3 Nov
Troon Town Hall – 4, 5 Nov
Irene Brown
Radio Summerhall Arts 