A Wee Home From Home | 2009-2010

A highly charged and compelling dance-theatre piece, A Wee Home From Home explores the

dizzying emotions and memories that one man’s homecoming can provoke. Told with affection

and wandering through other familiar territory that would rather be forgotten, the show is a roller

coaster ride down an unpredictable memory lane. Frank McConnell’s inspired and well-observed choreography perfectly partners the caustic and heart breaking observations contained in Michael Marra’s exceptional live music. Directed by Gerry Mulgrew. 

"A vivid 65 minute piece" THE SCOTSMAN

"It's a panoramic, dystopian vision of the key elements and clichés of Glasgow's image.....

an intensely rich and colourful vision of the city"  THE SCOTSMAN

"Amazingly talented" THE HERALD

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parallel| parallels

parallel| parallels was plan B's first professional production since 2001 and explored the world of

parallel universes, drawing on material created during Fork in theRoad (see below). This project

brought together the creative team of Frank McConnell (choreographer), Christine Devaney

(associate choreographer), Michael Marra (music composition), John Harvey (text), Karen

Tennent (design) and Jeanine Davies (lighting design). Scientists believe and have now proven

that particles can be in more than one place at the same time and the piece examined what this

meant for the human condition. Performed in traverse, the productionwas visually and musically

unique, blending song, narrative and movement into two co-existing performances. plan B

performed parallel | parallels at Dance Base during the 2008 Edinburgh Festival Fringe followed

by a short tour covering Scotland in September.

"A hearfelt celebration of what it means to be alive" THE SCOTSMAN

 "Beautiful, stunning and head-spinningly clever to the point of genius" HAIRLINE

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Inside– Out

Performed at Merkinch Community Theatre as part of the Drama Na h-Alba festival in October

2007, plan B presented two very original dance pieces – one created and performed only by

women (Re: Newal); the other only by men (Far Horizons). 

Re: Newal

Created by Louise Marshall - dancer in residence at Eden Court - Re:Newal communicates the excitement of impending birth using work created with the person best placed to convey that

expression – an expectant mother. 

Far Horizons

Performed as a solo by Frank McConnell and accompanied by the electric improvisations of

Fraser Fifield plus four of Scotland’s best jazz musicians, the second half of the programme

explores the contrast between a serenity you can find on the inside by meditating on the Far

Horizons on the outside. Performed only by men. Far Horizons followed a tight improvised

structure as it guided the audience from excessive comic vaudeville to an expansive serenity.

Audience reaction has been overwhelmingly positive with the piece being described as

“one of the most beautiful pieces to have been created in Scotland in over a decade”. 

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Far Horizons was commissioned by Dance Base, with funding from City of Edinburgh Council.

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Fork In The Road

Performing outside as part of the same DNA Festival, plan B lead the audience on a merry dance through the streets of Inverness via the wonders of text messaging. Fork In The Road was the

outcome of a series of community dance workshops for young people that focused on the

decisions we make and considers how with each decision the alternative parallel life continues

in the opposite direction. We are all at a crossroads and we all know we can turn one way or

another. Working with Libby Daye and an ensemble company of fifteen young performers,

plan B’s aim was to harness the colossal energy of youth for a series of five dynamic

performances in dance, song and style. Accompanied by a variety of live musicians,

performance locations included Abertarff House, Rose Street Car Park, Market Brae Steps,

The Tourist Office and The Castle.

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