{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2024}} {{Short description|Scottish theatre company}}
thumb|right|Theatre Alba logo (1986)
'''Theatre Alba''' was a Scottish theatre company founded in 1981 by Charles Nowosielski and Richard Cherns, with the aim of promoting diversity in Scottish theatre. With nearly 70 productions over four decades, it promoted new Scottish plays by Scottish authors incorporating Scottish traditional music,<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Gilchrist |first=Jim |date=2 December 1985 |title=Theatre Alba Aims For A More Secure Future |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000540/19851202/067/0005 |work=The Scotsman |pages=5 |via=britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk}}</ref> staged plays in the Scots language and encouraged new Scottish writing.<ref>''The Lass wi' the Muckle Mou'' theatre programme, Theatre Alba, 1986</ref> Some of its most successful productions were works which drew on folklore or fairytale.
== Early Years == The company's first production was Edward Stiven's ''Tamlane'', staged in the open air on the Calton Hill, Edinburgh, in 1981.<ref>{{Cite news |date=20 February 1897 |title=Music Work That Became Drama |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0005239/19870220/117/0010 |work=Musselburgh News |pages=10 |via=britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk}}</ref> It then moved to The Astoria, a former dance hall in Abbeymount, where it presented ''Outside the Jeweller's Shop'' by Karol Wojtyla,<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |date=8 February 1982 |title=Marriage Lines from the Vatican |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000740/19820208/032/0002 |work=Edinburgh Evening News |pages=2 |via=britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk}}</ref> ''The Passion, Part One'' by Bill Bryden, ''Swanwhite'' by August Strindberg<ref>{{Cite news |date=25 March 1982 |title=Swanwhite |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000540/19820325/024/0002 |work=The Scotsman |pages=2 |via=britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk}}</ref>, and the world premiere of ''The Shepherd Beguiled'' by Netta. B. Reid.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Donaldson |first=Gill |date=22 February 1982 |title=A Minister Under A Spell |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000740/19820222/038/0002 |work=Edinburgh Evening News |pages=2 |via=britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk}}</ref> Programmed to run until 28 February 1982, the production was extended until 6 March by popular demand. It was revived at the Braidburn Park open-air theatre for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in August, and subsequently staged at the Traverse Theatre from 28 September to 2 October.<ref>Theatricalia, ''[https://theatricalia.com/play/jrh/the-shepherd-beguiled/production/1bs6 The Shepherd Beguiled]''</ref><ref name="Hood2008">Little Red Riding Hood / ''Saint Joan'' theatre programme, Theatre Alba, August 2008</ref>
== Expansion and Key Milestones == Theatre Alba's production of ''The Puddok an the Princess'' by David Purves won a Fringe First Award in August 1985<ref name=":0" />, was staged again at the Traverse Theatre in December, and was taken on national tours by the company in 1986 and 1988.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Howe |first=Richard |date=19 April 1986 |title=Weaving a magic spell for survival |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000740/19860419/198/0011 |work=Edinburgh Evening News |pages=11 |via=britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk}}</ref><ref>Theatricalia, ''[https://theatricalia.com/play/gex/the-puddok-an-the-princess/production/126d The Puddok an the Princess]''</ref><ref>[http://backcatalog.list.co.uk.s3-website.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/the-list/1986-05-02/9/index.html ''The Puddok an the Princess'' tour listings, 1986], ''The List'', issue 15, 2–15 May, p. 7, {{issn|0959-1915}}</ref><ref>''[http://backcatalog.list.co.uk.s3-website.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/the-list/1986-05-16/20/index.html Puddok Prowess]'', ''The List'', issue 16, 16–29 May 1986, p. 18, {{issn|0959-1915}}</ref><ref name="List80">[http://archive.list.co.uk.s3-website.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/the-list/1988-10-28/25/index.html ''The Puddok an the Princess'' tour listings, 1988], ''The List'', issue 80, 28 October – 10 November 1988, pp. 21 & 23, {{issn|0959-1915}}</ref> After he was appointed Artistic Director at the Brunton Theatre, Musselburgh, in 1986, Nowosielski continued to direct Theatre Alba productions at the Assembly Rooms on the Edinburgh Fringe.<ref>''[https://www.scotsman.com/news/people/obituary-charles-nowosielski-visionary-director-behind-theatre-alba-2871701 Obituary: Charles Nowosielski, visionary director behind Theatre Alba]'', ''The Scotsman'', 3 June 2020</ref><ref name="Davidson1986">[http://archive.list.co.uk.s3-website.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/the-list/1986-08-22/11/index.html review of ''The Lass wi' the Muckle Mou'' by Helen Davidson], ''The List'', Issue 23, 22 August - 4 September 1986, pp. 10 - 12</ref> The company toured Edward Stiven's ''Tamlane'' in the Borders during the Borders Festival of Ballads and Legends in the autumn of 1987.<ref>[http://archive.list.co.uk.s3-website.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/the-list/1987-09-18/26/index.html Theatre listings], ''The List'', Issue 50, 18 September - 1 October 1987, p. 24</ref> Stiven's ''The Cauldron'' was taken on tour in the spring of 1988.<ref name="List63">[http://archive.list.co.uk.s3-website.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/the-list/1988-04-01/21/index.html Theatre listings], ''The List'', Issue 63, 1 - 14 April 1988, p. 19</ref> David Purves' ''Whuppitie Stourie'' was taken on a tour of the Central Belt in the autumn of 1989.<ref name="List105">[http://archive.list.co.uk.s3-website.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/the-list/1989-09-29/47/index.html "A Measure of Scots"], ''The List'', Issue 105, 29 September - 12 October 1989, p. 45</ref><ref>[http://archive.list.co.uk.s3-website.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/the-list/1989-09-29/6/index.html advertisement for the Theatre Alba production of ''Whuppitie Stourie''], The List, Issue 105, 29 September - 12 October 1989, p. 4</ref> Robert McLellan's ''The Carlin Moth'' was staged at Theatre Workshop at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in August 1990 and toured South-West Scotland in the Autumn.<ref name="List128">[http://archive.list.co.uk.s3-website.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/the-list/1990-08-17/20/index.html review of ''The Carlin Moth''], ''The List'', Issue 128, 17 - 23 August 1990, p. 18</ref><ref>[http://archive.list.co.uk.s3-website.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/the-list/1990-09-14/56/index.html advertisement for the tour of ''The Carlin Moth''], ''The List'', Issue 131, 14 - 27 September 1990, p. 54</ref>
During the 1990s, Theatre Alba, basing itself in Edinburgh's Netherbow Theatre, staged several new Scottish plays including ''Wallace's Women'', ''Thenew'' and ''Josef'', as well as adaptations of Chekov and Shakespeare classics, and reworkings of the Scots language favourites it had become known for, like ''The Shepherd Beguiled''.
== Move to Duddingston == In 1998, the company was invited to present its Festival Fringe productions outdoors in Duddingston Kirk Manse Gardens, on the banks of Duddingston Loch. Its first production at the site was a revival of Netta B. Reid’s ''A Shepherd Beguiled'', and the gardens continued to serve as an August venue for more than twenty years. Although exposed to the unpredictability of the Scottish summer weather, the outdoor setting proved well suited to promenade and immersive sunset performances, aligning closely with the faerie and folklore themes for which the company had become known.<ref>''The Quest for Excalibur'' / ''The Shepherd Beguiled'' theatre programme, Theatre Alba, August 2016</ref>
From 2002, Theatre Alba expanded its Fringe programme to include regular children’s theatre. Under the direction of Clunie Mackenzie and Keith Hutcheon the company developed a series of promenade productions performed in Dr Neil's garden. Mackenzie wrote and directed most of these plays, including ''Baba Yaga and the Girl with the Kind Heart'', ''The Magic Quest'', ''Quest for Excalibur'' (which was listed as one of the Guardian's 21 unmissable shows for Children and Families 2016<ref>{{Cite news |last=Gardner |first=Lynn |date=22 July 2016 |title=Edinburgh festival 2016: 21 unmissable shows for kids and their families |url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/theatreblog/2016/jul/22/edinburgh-festival-2016-21-unmissable-shows-for-kids-and-their-families |work=The Guardian}}</ref>) and ''The Garden o’ Delight'' ''(''which received the Primary Times Children’s Choice Award in the 2018). This period further cemented a long-running musical collaboration with composer John Sampson. Theatre Alba’s children’s theatre programme continued until 2021.
Between 2003 until 2018, the company also mounted four quinquennial Passion Plays, which were large scale productions performed on Easter Sundays at locations around Duddingston village.<ref>{{Cite news |date=12 April 2025 |title=Edinburgh Retro: 29 great pictures of Easter in the Capital through the years, from giant eggs to passion plays |url=https://www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/heritage-and-retro/edinburgh-retro-29-great-pictures-of-easter-in-the-capital-through-the-years-5078494?page=6 |work=Edinburgh Evening News}}</ref><ref>[https://www.passion-plays.co.uk/dudingston-kirk/ Duddingston Kirk Passion Play, 1st April 2018], Passion Plays website</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=18 April 2003 |title=TO THE CROSS |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0005239/20030418/008/0002 |work=Musselburgh News |pages=2 |via=britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk}}</ref>
== Closure == Theatre Alba ceased regular operations following its 2018 season. Founder and artistic director Charles Nowosielski died on 5 May 2020.<ref>{{Cite news |date=3 Jun 2020 |title=Obituary: Charles Nowosielski, visionary director behind Theatre Alba |url=https://www.scotsman.com/news/people/obituary-charles-nowosielski-visionary-director-behind-theatre-alba-2871701 |work=The Scotsman}}</ref> The company was revived briefly in 2021 with a restaging of ''The Garden o' Delight'' at Dr Neil's Garden, adhering to COVID-19 restrictions. Clunie Mackenzie died in December 2025.
==Productions== * 1981: ''Tamlane'', by [http://www.eddiestiven.co.uk/history.html Edwin Stiven] * 1981: ''Outside The Jeweller's Shop'' by Karol Wojtyla<ref name=":1" /> * 1981: ''The Passion, Part One'', by Bill Bryden * 1981: ''Swanwhite'', by August Strinberg * 1982: ''The Shepherd Beguiled'', by Netta B. Reid * 1984: ''Rhymer's Promise'' by Donald Gunn<ref>{{Cite news |last=McLeod |first=Donald |date=26 September 1984 |title=Traverse Theatre: Rhymer's Promise |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000540/19840926/027/0002 |work=The Scotsman |pages=2}}</ref> * 1985: ''The Shepherd Beguiled'', by Netta B. Reid * 1985: ''The Puddok an the Princess'', by David Purves<ref>Dudley Edwards, Owen, "Cradle on the Tree-Top: the Edinburgh Festival and Scottish Theatre", in Stevenson, Randall & Wallace, Gavin (eds) (1996), ''Scottish Theatre Since the Seventies'', Edinburgh University Press, p.42, {{isbn|9780748607815}}</ref> * 1986: ''The Puddok an the Princess'', by David Purves * 1986: ''The Lass wi' the Muckle Mou'', by Alexander Reid<ref name = "Davidson1986"/><ref>[http://archive.list.co.uk.s3-website.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/the-list/1986-10-17/22/index.html Theatre listings] ''The List'', Issue 27, 17 - 30 October 1986, p. 22</ref> * 1987: ''The Warld's Wonder'', by Alexander Reid<ref>{{Cite news |date=24 April 1987 |title=Alba on Tour |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0005239/19870424/197/0024 |work=The Musselburgh News |pages=24 |via=<nowiki>"britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk]]</nowiki>}}</ref> * 1987: ''Tamlane'', by Edwin Stiven<ref>[http://archive.list.co.uk.s3-website.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/the-list/1987-08-07/10/index.html Advertisement for Theatre Alba's production of ''Tamlane''], ''The List'', Issue 47, 7 - 20 August 1987, pp. 10 & 11</ref> * 1988: ''The Cauldron'' by Edward Stiven<ref name = "List63"/> * 1988: ''The Puddok an the Princess'', by David Purves<ref name = "List80"/> * 1989: ''Whuppitie Stourie'' by David Purves<ref>Theatricalia, ''[https://theatricalia.com/play/gge/whuppitie-stourie/production/12a3 Whuppitie Stourie]''</ref><ref name = "List105"/><ref>[http://archive.list.co.uk.s3-website.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/the-list/1989-10-27/56/index.html ''Whuppitie Stourie'' tour listings], ''The List'', issue 107, 27 October – 9 November 1989, p. 52, {{issn|0959-1915}}</ref> * 1990: ''The Time Gairden'', by David Swan<ref>{{Cite news |last=Ross |first=Raymond |date=18 July 1990 |title=Theatre Raymond Ross |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000740/19900718/695/0014 |work=Edinburgh Evening News |pages=14 |via=britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk}}</ref> * 1990: ''The Carlin Moth'', by Robert McLellan<ref>[http://archive.list.co.uk.s3-website.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/the-list/1990-08-10/22/index.html advertisement for ''The Carlin Moth''], ''The List'', Issue 127, 10 - 16 August 1990, p. 18</ref><ref name = "List128"/> * 1998: ''The Shepherd Beguiled'', by Netta B. Reid * 1998: ''Wallace's Women'', by Margaret McSeveney and Elizabeth Roberts<ref>{{Cite news |date=20 August 1998 |title=Netherbow -Wallace's Women |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001637/19980820/132/0024 |work=The Stage |pages=24 |via=britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk}}</ref> * 1998: ''Good Morning Mr. Burns'', by Donald Mackenzie<ref>{{Cite news |date=20 August 1998 |title=Netherbow - Good Morning Mr Burns |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001637/19980820/132/0024 |work=The Stage |pages=24 |via=britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk}}</ref> * 1999: ''Shakespeare at the Sheraton'' * 1999: ''The Thrie Sisters'', by Anton Chekov, translated into Scots by David Purves * 1999: ''Tamlane'', by Edwin Stiven * 2000: ''Josef'', by Raymond Ross<ref>{{Cite news |date=7 August 2000 |title=Hour by Hour Guide |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000540/20000807/621/0064 |work=The Scotsman |pages=64 |via=britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk}}</ref> * 2000: ''Charles Edward Stuart - a Prince without a realm'', based on the writings of Donald Mackenzie<ref>{{Cite news |date=22 August 2000 |title=Charles Edward Stuart: A Prince without a realm |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000540/20000822/607/0057 |work=The Scotsman |pages=57 |via=britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk}}</ref> * 2001: ''Thenew'', by Margaret McSeveney<ref>{{Cite news |date=21 November 2001 |title=Theatre Thenew/netherbow theatre, Edinburgh |url=https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/12133860.theatre-thenewnetherbow-theatre-edinburgh/ |work=The Herald Scotland}}</ref> * 2001: ''The Wallace'' by Sidney Goodsir Smith <ref>{{Cite news |date=15 June 2001 |title=Fab Fringe Fun |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0005239/20010615/162/0026 |work=Musselburgh News |pages=26 |via=britishnewspaperarchive}}</ref> * 2002: ''The Tragedie o MacBeth'', by William Shakespeare, translated into Scots by David Purves<ref>{{Cite news |date=19 August 2002 |title=Fringe Reviews - Macbeth |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000540/20020819/602/0062 |work=The Scotsman |pages=62 |via=britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk}}</ref> * 2002: ''The Faery Queen'', by Howard Purdie * 2002: ''The Carlin Moth'', by Robert McLellan * 2003: ''The Burning'', by Stewart Conn<ref>{{Cite news |date=29 August 2003 |title=Musselburgh News |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0005239/20030829/017/0003 |work=Musselburgh News |pages=3 |via=britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk}}</ref> * 2003: ''The Enchauntit Gairden'', by Charles Mackenzie<ref>{{Cite news |date=31 July 2003 |title=Fringe Listings |url=https://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0001637/20030731/194/0035 |work=The Stage |pages=35 |via=britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk}}</ref> * 2004: ''The Magic Quest'', by Clunie Mackenzie<ref>[https://theatrealba.neocities.org/2004 Theatre Alba website]</ref> * 2004: ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'', by William Shakespeare<ref>[https://theatrealba.neocities.org/2004 Theatre Alba website]</ref> * 2004: ''Stories by the Lochside'' by David Campbell, Donald Smith, Linda Bandelier and James Jack * 2005: ''The Taming of the Shrew'', by William Shakespeare<ref>[https://theatrealba.neocities.org/2005 Theatre Alba website]</ref> * 2006: ''The Death of Arthur'', by Donald Smith<ref>[https://theatrealba.neocities.org/2006 Theatre Alba website]</ref> * 2006: ''The Quest for Excalibur'', by Clunie Mackenzie<ref>[https://theatrealba.neocities.org/2006 Theatre Alba website]</ref> * 2006: ''The Tempest'', by William Shakespeare<ref>[https://theatrealba.neocities.org/2006 Theatre Alba website]</ref> * 2007: ''Mary Rose'' by J.M Barrie * 2008: ''Little Red Riding Hood'', by Eugene Schwartz * 2008: ''Saint Joan'', by George Bernard Shaw<ref name = "Hood2008"/> * 2009: ''The Fairy Queen'', by Howard Purdie * 2009: ''A Man for All Seasons'', by Robert Bolt<ref name="Ootlaw2009">''The Fairy Queen / A Man for All Seasons / The Ootlaw'' theatre programme, Theatre Alba, August 2002</ref> * 2009: ''The Ootlaw'', by August Strindberg, translated into Scots by David Purves<ref>Theatre Alba production programme, 2009</ref> * 2010: ''The Seagull'', by Anton Chekov, adapted by Jo Clifford * 2011: ''The Cherry Orchard'', by Anton Chekov, adapted by Jo Clifford * 2012: ''Dancing at Lughnasa'', by Brian Friel * 2012: ''Fair Brown and Trembling'' * 2012: ''Bedtime Story, A Pound on Demand'' by Seán O'Casey * 2012: ''Words Upon the Window Pane'' by William Butler Yeats' * 2012: ''Riders to the Sea'' by John Millington Synge * 2013: ''To The Cross - Easter Play'' - base on the Gospels and poetry of Michael Justin Davis * 2013: ''The Diary of Anne Frank'', by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett * 2013: ''The Garden o' Delight'', by Clunie Mackenzie * 2014: ''Mary Stewart'' by Robert McLellan * 2014: ''Something in it for Cordelia'' by Joan Ure * 2014: ''Something in it for Ophelia'' by Joan Ure * 2014: ''The Magic Quest'' by Clunie Mackenzie * 2015: ''Baba Yaga And The Girl With The Kind Heart -'' by Clunie Mackenzie * 2015: ''Smoking is Bad for You'' by Anton Checkov * 2015: ''Something Unspoken'' by Tennessee Williams * 2015: ''The Good Doctor'' by Neil Simon * 2016: ''The Quest for Excalibur'', by Clunie Mackenzie * 2016: ''The Shepherd Beguiled'', by Netta B. Reid * 2017: ''Cinders: A Folk tale'' by Clunie Mackenzie * 2017: ''Three Wee Kings: Grandad’s Cut'' by Paul Morris adapted by Charles Nowosielski * 2018: ''The Garden o' Delight'' by Clunie Mackenzie
== References ==
{{reflist}}
Category:Theatre companies in Scotland Category:1981 establishments in Scotland Category:Scots language