Howard’s Way for VPT Xmas

Dec 5 2014 | By More

Philip Howard to direct Village Pub Theatre Xmas show

Philip Howard, one-time artistic director at the Traverse and currently at Dundee Rep, is to return to Edinburgh for a one-off directing gig for the Village Pub Theatre’s Christmas show.

Nights Before Christmas is a programme of short plays written around the theme of Christmas Eve and will play the Village Pub on the evening of Wednesday 17 December, with tickets the usual £3.

VPT 13 Night Before Xmas

According to VPT playwright and producer James Ley, the plays explore what Christmas Eve means to a whole swathe of the community in Scotland and beyond, with a particular emphasis on oddballs and unconventionality.

Ley said: “Us oddballs tend to stick out even more at Christmas than at other times of the year. That’s why we’re dedicating a night of VPT to all the people who don’t quite fit in to the traditional idea of Christmas.”

Philip Howard was the longest serving artistic director at the Traverse, joining as associate director in 1993 and taking over as artistic director in 1996 – a post he held until 2007. In 2013 he took over as chief executive at Dundee Rep and is co-artistic director there with Jemima Levick.

Howard has a strong track-record of working with new playwrights. At the Traverse he directed the first professional full length plays by both David Greig and David Harrower. He first commissioned Henry Adam, and John Tiffany’s production of Gregory Burke’s Gagarin Way was a hit during his tenure.

Caitlin Skinner, VPT’s artistic director will be joining Howard on directing duties, with offerings from Sophie Good, Helen Shutt, Jonathan Holt, Samuel Jameson, Louise E Knowles, Giles Conisbee, Alison Carr and Grace Cleary.

Audiences should expect work which is “fun, festive and at the same challenging”, according to Ley. He adds: “As is customary at this time of year and also for our theatre company, the evening will be involve a number of Christmassy treats of the home-baked variety.”

Listing

Nights Before Christmas
Village Pub Theatre, The Village, 16 South Forth Street, Leith, EH6 4DN
Wednesday 17 December 2014
8pm (doors 7.30pm)
Tickets: £3 (on the door)
Village Put Theatre on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PubTheatre

ENDS

 

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