This week, Glasgow Southside’s Citizens Theatre hosts the world premiere of a brand new theatre show by Katharine Williams, inspired by the famous attempted raid on Kenmure Street in 2021 and the powerful eight-hour act of shared resistance that followed.
Produced by Scottish new writing company RUPTURE, co-produced by acclaimed Glasgow-based laboratory theatre company Company of Wolves and Katharine Wiliams, in association with Citz associate artists Bijli; THESE ARE OUR NEIGHBOURS looks to shine a light on everyday humanity, strength and courage – honouring what happens when people come together to stand up for each other.
Created in Glasgow Southside through extensive interviews, research and development with the community members who were at the Kenmure Street protest, THESE ARE OUR NEIGHBOURS combines testimony, movement, music, and light to celebrate the grassroots mobilisation, peaceful resistance, and solidarity on display that day.
Here is the link to the ticket booking portal: https://citz.co.uk/whats-on/
Having been at the Kenmure Street protest yourself, how has that personal experience shaped the way you have approached directing this production?
I’m very conscious that my experience of that day is just my experience – there were as many different journeys as there were people at the protest. So I never want to use my memories to dictate what ‘really’ happened, for example.
But having been there gives me a kind of felt sense of what it was like for me, that I can use to guide my eye in the making process.
How did you balance the need to honour the real experiences of those involved with the creative freedom needed to turn testimony and research into dance theatre?
This balance is done beautifully in Katharine’s script. The main thing really is that the dance elements are expressions of what it felt like, of aspects of the inner journey, the fear and hope and joy and anger and love, of an event which was mostly people standing or sitting for eight hours.
What have you learned from working so closely with members of the Glasgow Southside community who were there that day?
That there’s no one definitive story of the day, and people take from the story what they need (I hope)
The production brings together testimony, movement, music and light; how have you worked with the creative team to find a theatrical language that reflects the spirit of collective resistance?
The process has been incredibly collaborative, with lights, sound, set, writing and actors all pitching in together – this collective collaboration mirrors and hopefully captures the processes of collective resistance, by working in the same way.
What surprised or challenged you most during the development process, particularly when revisiting an event you experienced first-hand?
A lot of the material was made during an earlier development period back in 2022, which a lot of the collaborators and cast were a part of. I came onboard after that, so my first main job was to listen to where they were. Being rigorous with myself to always listen first, rather than speaking first, was sometimes a challenge, but a fruitful one.
What do you hope audiences take away from THESE ARE OUR NEIGHBOURS about the power of ordinary people coming together to support one another?
That it’s possible. That it’s powerful. That it’s necessary.
It makes me think of that Margaret Mead quote:
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”