My Left Right Foot – The Musical
© Tommy Ga-Ken Wan
Program Information
| Genre / City | Musical / Glasgow |
|---|---|
| Dates | 2 May at 14:30, 3 May at 13:30 |
| Venue | At Shizuoka Arts Theatre |
| Duration | 95 minutes 120 minutes (with intermission) 143 minutes (with intermission) |
| Language | In English with Japanese subtitles |
| seat | Reserved seating |
| Directed and written by | Robert Softley GALE |
| Production | Birds of Paradise Theatre Company, National Theatre of Scotland |
Introduction
A hilarious made-in Scotland hit musical lands in Shizuoka.
Fresh from winning the Best Musical award at last year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival comes this happy Scottish musical about an amateur troupe that decides to perform a version of 1989’s Oscar-winning movie “My Left Foot” because they think it’s an “inclusive social drama” that will appeal to lots of people. That movie based on a novel by Christy BROWN about an Irish painter/author born with cerebral palsy starred Daniel DAY-LEWIS in the central role, so the amateurs appoint a veteran actor to play that part. Then, after taking advice from one of the troupe’s members, called Chris, who suffers from the disease, they feel well prepared for their opening night. But things start going horribly wrong in rehearsals. So, what’s the meaning of acting the role of a disabled person? And what really constitutes an inclusive society? Well, the musical’s director, Robert SOFTLEY GALE — a cerebral palsy sufferer and leading figure in Scottish arts — laughs away his disability and makes this a great comedy. Furthermore, the play’s humor and its actors’ powerful singing can only help to bring everyone in society together.
Synopsis
When an amateur theatre company decides to stage the hit film “My Left Foot,” the director, Amy, thinks it will be helpful to interview Chris, a member of the company who himself has cerebral palsy. To encourage Chris to be interviewed, Gillian, who has a soft spot for him, falsely tells him he’s got the main role, and he’s excited to take up his new challenge. Then, however, he sees that Grant, who is not disabled, is actually performing “his” role in the rehearsals . . .
Director’s Profile
Robert Softley GALE
Robert Softley GALE is an established figure in the Scottish arts scene, with over ten years of experience in diverse roles including disability rights activist, actor and performer, writer, artistic director and advocate of equality of access to the arts for disabled people. He has appeared in many productions and has developed his own artistic practice – including instigating, co-writing and performing in “Girl X” for the National Theatre of Scotland, directed by Pol HEYVAERT of Belgium’s Campo. His award-winning writing debut and solo performance – ”If These Spasms Could Speak” – was a hit of the 2013 Made in Scotland programme and has subsequently toured internationally to countries including Brazil and India. SOFTLEY GALE joined Birds of Paradise as Artistic Director in November 2012, which is Scotland’s touring theatre company that promotes the work of disabled artists in partnership with non-disabled artists and mainstream theatre venues and companies. He sits on the board of the National Theatre of Scotland.
Talks
◎Pre-performance talk: Starting 25 minutes before each performance
Cast / Staff
Director and writer: Robert Softley GALE
Music and Lyrics: Richard THOMAS, Claire McKENZIE and Scott GILMOUR
Cast:
Amy: Katie BARNETT
Ian: Richard CONLON
Nat: Natalie MacDONALD (BSL Director)
Alex: Alex PARKER (Musical Director)
Chris: Christopher IMBROSCIANO
Gillian: Shannon SWAN
Grant: Neil THOMAS
Sheena: Gail WATSON
Movement Director & Choreographer: Rachel DRAZEK
Set & Costume Designer: Rebecca HAMILTON
Lighting Designer: Grant ANDERSON
AV Designer: Lewis Den HERTOG
Sound Designer: Richard PRICE
Music Arrangement and Production: Laurence OWEN
Creative Producer & Dramaturg: Mairi TAYLOR
Casting Director: Laura DONNELLY （The Casting Directors’ Guild）
Producer: Callum SMITH
Production Manager: Niall BLACK
Technical Director: Gemma SWALLOW
Company Stage Manager: Lee DAVIS
Deputy Stage Manager: Emma SKAER
Technical Stage Manager: David HILL
Lighting Supervisor: Paul FROY
Sound Supervisor: Andy STUART
Video Supervisor: Andy REID
Costume Supervisor: Katy LONSDALE
Costume Technician: Lesley McNAMARA
Production: Birds of Paradise Theatre Company, 
National Theatre of Scotland 
Supported by British Council 
Museum of Natural and Environmental History, Shizuoka
＜SPAC Staff＞
Stage manager: MURAMATSU Atsushi, UCHINO Akiko
Stage: WATANABE Keisuke, FURUYA Kazumi, MORIYAMA Marie, KIKUCHI Monami, SUGIYAMA Yuri
Lighting: HIGUCHI Masayuki, HISAMATSU Yuka, HANAWA Yuuki, SHIMADA Chihiro
Sound: MIGITA Soichiro, MAKI Daisuke, TAKESHIMA Chisato
Wardrobe: TAKAHASHI Kayako
Interpretation: SAITO Kei, YAMADA Kyle
Subtitle translation: SAITO Kei
Production: TAKABAYASHI Rie, SIMIZU Satomi
Volunteers: SHINKUBO Azusa, FUJITA Yasushi,
Volunteers(Slow Movement Shizuoka): AOKI Toshiki, URUSHIBATA Takako, SHIMAMURA Aya, KANEDA Yumi, UNNO Shizue, OBIGANE Fumi
Technical director: MURAMATSU Atsushi
Lighting manager: HIGUCHI Masayuki
Sound manager: MIGITA Soichiro
Supported by the Agency for Cultural Affairs Government of Japan
Notice
●Recommended for upper than 16s.
●Shizuoka Arts Theatre has a special room with seats for three adults with pre-school children. To see a performance from there, please contact our ticket center* to make a reservation.
●On Thursday, May 2, GRANSHIP volunteers from Shizuoka Convention & Arts Center will provide free childcare at GRANSHIP during the performance for pre-school children aged 2 years and over. To make a reservation, please contact our ticket center* by April 21.
*For your request mail to mail@spac.or.jp with following information;
title: RSV special room or free childcare
- text:
- Name of Parent
- Name of Child
- Age / Gender of Child
- Contact of Parent
- Any Special Notes
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