Showing @ Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh until Sun 25 Aug @ times vary
Scottish theatre has traditionally held a close relationship with the theme of identity; it’s one that is explored time and again and a discussion audiences never tire of having. David Harrower’s Ciara makes its world premiere at the Traverse this August. A co-production between the Traverse and Datum Point, it explores the eponymous character’s relationship with her past, and her beloved Glasgow.
Directed by Orla O’Loughlin, Blythe Duff is Ciara: a self-made independent art dealer based in Boswell. Duff hangs the audience on a hook from the first line; she is effortless and natural throughout. As the story unwinds, there’s a curiosity and vulnerability surrounding her identity that Ciara taps into. The events that have led her to be here have thrown into question her past, her relationships and her role as a woman within these. Needless to say, she emerges a stronger character for it. Ciara is, on the whole, a safe piece of theatre but the evocative storytelling wins over and results in a quietly determined search for identity, opportunity and hope.
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